The Income-Tax Department’s searches across various properties in Odisha linked to Baldeo Sahu and Group of Companies Ltd, a distillery firm run by family members of Congress Rajya Sabha MP from Jharkhand Dhiraj Sahu, resulted in the seizure of more than Rs 350 crore in cash. This marks the highest-ever cash seizure in a single action by the agency, officials said.

With the counting of the cash notes concluding on Sunday after five days, it was revealed that the seizure was the highest ever by the agency. The raids were launched on December 6 by the taxman on charges of tax evasion and “off-the-book” transactions.

The department believes that the entire cache of currency is “unaccounted” money earned from cash sales of country liquor by the business group, distributors, and others. This is the highest-ever cash seizure made by an agency in the country as part of an action against a single group and entities linked to it, reported PTI.

The confiscated cash, carried in bags for counting, was distributed among three SBI branches — in Balangir, Sambalpur, and Titlagarh. The SBI’s Balangir branch received the highest count of 176 bags filled with cash, necessitating additional manpower to complete the note-counting process. According to a senior SBI officer, approximately 25 machines and 50 bank officials worked extra hours, even on the weekend, to complete the task. The total estimated amount counted at the Balangir branch alone was Rs 305 crore.

Also Read:Congress distances itself from MP Dhiraj Sahu at centre of I-T raids, Jharkhand party in-charge seeks clarification

Additionally, sources from SBI reported that the amount counted at the Sambalpur branch totalled around Rs 37.50 crore, while at the Titlagarh branch, it was approximately Rs 11 crore. The cash seized and distributed to these three branches since December 6 will be deposited into accounts recommended by the I-T department on Monday, as per the sources.

Two employees associated with the liquor manufacturing unit are being examined by IT officials to ascertain the source of the seized “unaccounted cash.” According to sources, the agency will determine its next course of action based on their statements.

During the searches conducted by the department, the premises of Congress’s Rajya Sabha MP from Jharkhand, Dhiraj Prasad Sahu, in Ranchi, and other locations were also included. The exact amount of cash and other documents seized from Sahu’s house was not disclosed.

Meanwhile, Union Minister Amit Shah took a dig at the INDIA bloc for remaining silent on this matter. “Since Independence, such a substantial amount of cash has never been seized from an MP’s residence. Despite the recovery of hundreds of crores of rupees, the entire INDIA alliance is silent on this issue. We comprehend the Congress’s silence, given their inherent corruption, but, surprisingly, parties like TMC, JD(U), RJD, DMK, and SP are choosing to remain silent,” Shah said.

On Sunday, Union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy questioned the silence of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi regarding the seizure of crores of rupees from premises reportedly associated with his party MP during the ongoing I-T department searches.

The Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah accused the Centre of singling out the Congress and neglecting the BJP amidst the significant cash seizure.

(With Agencies Inputs)