Lok Sabha Election: Income Tax (IT) Cash Seizure Up In Northeast

GUWAHATI: The Directorate of Income Tax Investigation, north-eastern region, has seized cash amount to Rs 8 crore during the Lok Sabha election in the region till April 22. This is nearly seven times the amount seized by it in the 2014 Lok Sabha poll from the region. The third phase of Lok Sabha poll is going to conclude in Assam on April 23.

According to the PIB, Rs. 1.21 crore was seized by the Income Tax during election expenditure monitoring for 2014 elections.

Principal Director of Income Tax Investigation for north-eastern region Sanjay Bahadur has attributed this phenomenal outcome to timely preparation for the polls and identification of expenditure sensitive locations in consultation with state authorities and police and to gathering of ground intelligence by Directorate investigators. The limited manpower of about 150 officials was strategically deployed to set up an extensive network of surveillance units to cover 112 districts and in 12 air intelligence units (AIUs) for interception of unexplained cash. He lauded the active cooperation extended by CEOs, state police, CISF, Assam Rifles, CRPF, BSF and banks in this intense effort to throttle the use of black money during election process.

A special task force jointly headed by Additional Director and nodal officer Subhrajyoti Bhattacharjee and Joint Director heading AIUs Mrinal Das was also constituted on April 22 to investigate thousands of suspicious high-value cash deposits and withdrawals in 68 banks operating in the Northeast. The task force will submit its preliminary findings within one month and strict consequential action as per tax laws will be initiated wherever unexplained cash deposits are found.

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