Taxmen to help stop LoC funds

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has roped in tax officials to probe trans-LoC trade and alleged receipt of money by separatists groups in the Kashmir Valley, believed to be the main source of terror financing, officials said on Monday.

The Centre has allowed the deputation of officers of the Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Central Excise) in the NIA to help the investigators probe the multi-layered trade transactions, they said.

The federal agency to probe terrorism-related cases had in December registered a case to look into the barter trade at the Line of Control (LoC) through Salamabad in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district and ChakanDa-Bagh in the Poonch district of Jammu region.

The IRS officials would also extend help in the money trail and in unearthing alleged ‘benami’ property and transactions

The finance ministry had recently allowed an IRS officer to join the NIA for four months to look into various crossborder trade related cases being probed by the NIA made by some separatists groups in the Valley, the officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said.

The finance ministry recently allowed an IRS officer to join the NIA for an initial period of four months to look into various cross-border trade related cases being probed by the agency, they said.

It is expected that a few more tax officials may join the agency, the officials said.

The IRS officers’ expertise lies in detecting service tax, central excise (which are now subsumed in the Goods and Services Tax) and custom duty evasion.