I-T raids: MC officer, family have 10 residential properties
After 36 hours of the income- tax raid at the BRS Nagar residence of an assistant town planner (ATP) with the Ludhiana municipal corporation, Surinder Singh Bindra, the department has seized documents related to 10 residential properties, either in the name of Bindra or his family members, sleuths of the department have revealed.
The properties, valued at several crores of rupees, are in Ludhiana and in the nearby towns of Khanna and Jagraon. The raids were still on at the time of the filing of this report and are expected to conclude by Thursday night.
On Wednesday, the I-T department had raided 25 properties— including 10 residential and 15 commercial of the two business groups and the ATP — in Ludhiana, Khanna, Jagraon and Ambala. The two business groups raided were SEO Bridal Studio, a designer-wear showroom on the Ferozepur Road, and Roop Square, a clothing outlet in Ghumar Mandi.
“The presence of papers of such a large number of properties point to the officer having assets disproportionate to income. We are investigating,” an official added.
Having joined the MC as an inspector, Bindra rose through the ranks and shifted to the palatial BRS Nagar residence from Model Gram, some time ago.
₹25 LAKH IN OLD NOTES FOUND IN BIZMAN’S JAGRAON RESIDENCE
During the I-T raids, Rs25lakh in old notes were recovered from the Jagraon residence of owners of SEO Bridal Studio in Jagraon, the designer-wear showroom on the Ferozepur Road.
Following this, three owners of the business— Geeta Rani, her son Shivan Singla and daughter Shefali Singla — have been booked under Sections 5 and 17 of the Specified Bank Notes (Cessation of Liabilities) Act, 2017, at City Police Station, Jagraon.