I-T recovers record over ₹150 cr in cash from Knp bizman
KANPUR: Tax raids on the premises linked to Piyush Jain, a Kanpur-based perfume businessman, yielded more than ₹150 crore in cash, Vivek Johri, chairman, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), said in a statement on Friday.
This was the biggest cash recovery in the history of the CBIC and no arrest was made in the case thus far, Johri told the media.
Officials of the Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI) at Jain’s house in Anandpuri said 57 large tin boxes had been purchased
to keep the cash and a container truck was hired for its transportation amid tight security.
The number of currency counting machines deployed by the recovery team was increased to eight, two of which were brought in from the State Bank of India’s Kalyanpur branch in the afternoon. “The counting of notes was continuing for the second day,” an official said.
Videos and photographs coming from inside the house showed cash stuffed in two wardrobes of Jain’s house. Bundles of currency were wrapped in paper bound in plastic covers
secured with brown tape. Another picture showed income tax officials surrounded by piles of cash, and three currency counting machines in the room.
The raids on multiple premises in Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Mumbai began on Thursday at a factory owned by Ms Trimurti Fragrances, which manufactures the Shikhar brand of paan masala in Kanpur. The raids extended to offices and warehouses owned by Ganpati Road Carriers, also in Kanpur, following which the action shifted to Piyush Jain, a supplier of compounds for Shikhar.
“Based on intelligence inputs, the residential premises of partners of Ms Odochem Industries supplying perfumery compounds was also searched,” said a GST department’s statement.
“During the search proceedings at the residential premises, huge amounts of cash, wrapped in paper and plastic have been found. The process to count the cash has been initiated with the help of State Bank of India (Kanpur) officials, which may continue till December 24 evening,” the statement said. “The total amount is expected to be in excess of ₹150 crore,” it added.
GST officials said the money was linked to the dispatch of goods through fake invoices and without generating e-way bills by the transporter who generated multiple invoices in the name of non-existent firms. All the invoices were below ₹50,000 for one truckload to avoid generation of bills.
A DGGI team from Ahmedabad zone took Jain’s two sons, Pratyush Jain and Molu Jain, to their ancestral house in Chipatta locality in Kannauj later in the day. The house was sealed on Thursday as Jain refused to be present when asked to come for the search, officials said.