On Thursday (December 7), the Income Tax Department conducted raids at Boudh Distilleries Private Limited (BDPL) in Odisha and Jharkhand. This firm is reportedly connected to Congress MP Dhiraj Sahu. The raid is still going on as the officials recovered huge cash which is taking time for counting. According to reports, cash worth over Rs 300 crores has been seized in this raid.
The Income Tax department seized a huge amount of cash during raids at premises linked to Congress Rajya Sabha MP Dhiraj Sahu from Jharkhand. Simultaneous raids at the MP’s premises in Ranchi, Lohardaga and Odisha have led to the recovery of so much cash that trucks were needed to carry it to the bank.
It has been reported that the cash counting machines stopped working on the first day of the raid due to overload. According to reports, about Rs 150 crore cash has been counted and about half of the cash is yet to be counted. Gold ornaments and biscuits have been recovered too, which are yet to be counted. As per reports the seized cash alone is worth over 300 crores.
The raids at various locations
These raids are going on at various places in Jharkhand and Odisha. These places are directly or indirectly related to the Congress MP. Since Wednesday, authorities have conducted searches at more than half a dozen companies, including S Shiw Ganga and Company, Boudh Distillery Pvt Ltd (BDPL), and Ranisati Paddy Processing Private Limited, all on suspicion of tax evasion. Additionally, raids were carried out at the residences of two prominent liquor entrepreneurs, Deepak Sahu and Sanjay Sahu, in Titilagarh, Odisha.
In Bolangir, the liquor making units (bhattis) of Baldeo Sahu & Group of Companies and their offices were raided by dozens of I-T sleuths with CISF personnel. Hundreds of bags and sacks full of cash were brought to the SBI branch in the city where they are being counted since morning of 7th December.
The IT sleuths raided the house of Dheeraj Sahu, Congress Rajya Sabha MP from Jharkhand whos is said to be linked to all the liquor companies mentioned above. Almirahs full of cash were reportedly seized at the premises linked to the MP in Lohardaga and Ranchi. Raids were also carried out simultaneously at Sambalpur, Bolangir, Titilagarh, Boudh, Sundargarh, Rourkela and Bhubaneswar.
#ଘନ_ଘନ_ଆଇଟି_ରେଡ୍
— ଓଟିଭି (@otvkhabar) December 8, 2023
ଯେତେ ଖୋଳୁଛି ସେତେ ବାହାରୁଛି । ତୃତୀୟ ଦିନରେ ବି ବୌଦ୍ଧରେ ଚାଲିଛି ଆୟକର ବିଭାଗର ଚଢ଼ାଉ । ବିଭିନ୍ନ ଗୁରୁତ୍ବପୂର୍ଣ୍ଣ କାଗଜ ପତ୍ର ଜବତ ସହ ରେଡ୍ ଜାରି ରଖିଛି IT ବିଭାଗ ।..#Odisha #Boudh #ITRaid #OTV pic.twitter.com/XfEkjGfjdD
On Wednesday, the Income Tax team raided the premises of Boudh Distilleries Private Limited and its associated premises. Baldeo Sahu & Group of Companies is a partnership firm of Boudh Distillery Private Limited. The group has several businesses including Kwality Bottlers Private Limited (IMFL Botting), Kishore Prasad Vijay Prasad Beverages Private Limited (which deals in sales and marketing of IMFL Company), Baldev Sahu Infra Private Limited etc.
Baldeo Sahu Group of Companies belong to the Sahu family. The company has a 40-year-old liquor manufacturing business in Odisha. It is named after MP Dhiraj Sahu’s father Baldeo Sahu. His other family members are among the directors of the companies in this group, as per a Live Hindustan report.
BJP MLA Kusum Tete says liquor empire is linked to BJD leaders too
Meanwhile, Sundargarh’s BJP MLA Kusum Tete has leveled serious allegations against former MLA Jogesh Singh of the BJD. She has stated that the liquor manufacturing unis were earlier registered in the name of Singh’s mother. Tete stated that she has raised the issue several times in the assembly but the government took no action.
I-T raids in #Sundargarh | MLA Kusum Tete brings serious allegations against former legislator Jogesh Singh; says, "The liquor manufacturing unit was registered in the name of Singh's mother. The name might have changed now. I have raised the issue in the Assembly on several… pic.twitter.com/yrhMvezp1O
— OTV (@otvnews) December 7, 2023
The recoveries
Major cash recovery took place in Bolangir in Odisha. Nine shelves stuffed with currency notes were found in the offices of Baldeo Sahu Group of Companies. As reported by Odia media, 157 bags and sacks full of cash were brought to the SBI branch in Bolangir. When the bags fell short, this cash was filled in sacks. The cash was then loaded into trucks and taken to the bank. Even the machines engaged in counting this cash were damaged due to overload. The cash counting is still going on. According to reports, the total cash can be more than Rs 300 crores half of which is yet to be counted.
Besides, the IT officials also recovered gold jewelry and ornaments in these raids. These recoveries are yet to be valued, local media in Odisha has reported. The valuation will further increase the net worth of the recoveries in these raids.
Unaccounted sales of country liquor prompted the action
According to reports, the decision to take action was prompted by information suggesting that the company, through its outlets across the state, was selling country liquor without keeping records of bills/vouchers. This resulted in a significant amount of cash sales going unaccounted for in the firm’s regular books of accounts.
Officials noticed the company’s fluctuating and disproportionately low net profits from 2019 to 2021, as well as inflated expenses related to the acquisition of Mahua and other items, along with questionable entries for other payables in the balance sheet. Then the raids were carried out.
As per reports, senior officials of the Income Tax department have arrived in Odisha to supervise the ongoing raids and operations. The factory and office premises of the companies under raid have been sealed and CISF personnel have been deployed to maintain security.
Congress MP Dhiraj Sahu was not reachable
हाथ थाम के चलो,
— Dhiraj Prasad Sahu (@dpsahuINC) December 6, 2023
मुस्कुराते चलो,
भारत जोड़ते चलो!#RahulGandhi pic.twitter.com/OBpijwQdtD
Congress MP Dhiraj Sahu is a close ally of Rahul Gandhi. He was seen actively involved in the Bharat Jodo Yatra. Even hours before this raid, he was posting about the Bharat Jodo Yatra of the Congress scion. However, he was not reachable when contacted by the media after these raids.
