Income Tax Department Recovers Over Rs. 200 Crores in Raids on Odisha Distillery

The Income Tax (IT) Department has recovered over Rs. 200 crores so far in ongoing raids on Boudh Distillery Private Limited and related entities in Odisha, Jharkhand, and West Bengal. The raids, launched on December 6th, are aimed at unearthing unaccounted cash collected by the distillery group.

VIDEO | "Unaccounted" cash amounting up to Rs 250 crore is expected to have been recovered during the searches being conducted by the Income Tax Department against an Odisha-based distellery group and its linked entities in Bhubaneswar. The raids, that were launched on December 6… pic.twitter.com/gjxfvXhkYn

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 8, 2023

Contents hide

1. Massive Haul of Unaccounted Cash

2. Links to Political Leaders

3. Sources of Inputs, Allegations of Tax Evasion

Massive Haul of Unaccounted Cash

According to IT officials, the cumulative recovery from the raids could touch Rs. 250 crores. This includes over Rs. 200 crores found stashed in almirahs at a Balangir premises of the group. Large amounts of cash have also been seized from locations in Sambalpur, Sundargarh, Bokaro, Ranchi, and Kolkata.

To count the massive haul, the Department has deployed three dozen currency counting machines. However, owing to the limited capacity of the machines, the counting process has been slow.

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Links to Political Leaders

The distillery group is allegedly linked to certain political leaders in Odisha and neighboring states. Premises connected to Rajya Sabha MP Dhiraj Prasad Sahu were covered in the searches. Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X attacking the Congress over Sahu’s links to the group. He asserted that “every penny looted from the public will have to be returned.”

देशवासी इन नोटों के ढेर को देखें और फिर इनके नेताओं के ईमानदारी के 'भाषणों' को सुनें… 😂😂😂

जनता से जो लूटा है, उसकी पाई-पाई लौटानी पड़ेगी, यह मोदी की गारंटी है।

❌❌❌💵 💵 💵❌❌❌ pic.twitter.com/O2pEA4QTOj

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 8, 2023

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Sources of Inputs, Allegations of Tax Evasion

IT officials have revealed that the raids were prompted by specific inputs regarding liquor distributors and manufacturers routing unaccounted cash through the network of companies. Opposition leaders in Odisha have also alleged close ties between the group and leaders of the state’s ruling Biju Janata Dal.

The Department now suspects large-scale tax evasion by entities connected to the distillery group. Investigations are ongoing even as counting of the seized cash continues. The final recovery figures could shed more light on the scale of tax evasion and alleged illicit funding of political interests.

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