Bengaluru, April 21: Income-Tax (I-T) sleuths seized Rs 4.13 crore in cash and 4.52 kg gold jewellery valued at Rs 1.32 crore during raids conducted over the last three weeks in poll-bound Karnataka, an official said on Saturday.
"Of the Rs 4.13-crore seized, Rs 4.03 crore is in Rs 2,000 and Rs 500 currency notes, with Bengaluru accounting for Rs 2.47 crore and Ballari Rs 55 lakh," said state Joint Director of Income Tax Department G. Ramesh in a statement here.
The rich mining Ballari town is 330 km from Bengaluru.
A single-phase election to the 225-member Karnataka assembly, including one nominated member is scheduled on May 12 across the southern state, with the vote count on May 15.
"We have stepped up surveillance and monitoring of activities in view of the state assembly election. Seizure in higher denomination rises eyebrows, as people are finding difficulty in drawing cash from banks and ATMs due to its shortage in some parts of the country," asserted Ramesh.
High alertness at airports and railway stations across the state led to detection of a person carrying Rs 16.5-lakh in cash at one of the airports without valid proof of its source.
"A follow-up action against the accused person led to detection and seizure of additional Rs 37 lakh in his Mumbai premises. We have seized all the cash amounting to Rs 53.50 lakh," pointed out Ramesh.
In raid, the sleuths seized Rs 55 lakh in cash from a person to whom a contractor paid in a districts and confession by the latter of concealing Rs 16 crore to evade paying income tax on it.
In another case, household articles valued at Rs 9.51 crore intended for distribution was found in a warehouse near Mysuru.
"Investigation revealed that the articles were meant for distribution was found in a warehouse near Mysuru," claimed Ramesh.
Rs 50 lakh cash was sized from a person, whose name and place has not been released.
"We have set up a 24x7 control room in the city to receive election related complaints from the public and other state agencies. Strike teams have also been formed with powers in all the 30 districts to act," said Ramesh.
The bank's investigation cell has gathered details of contract payments made in the last quarter of the fiscal 2017-18 and comparing them pervious years to identify abnormality.
"We are also co-relating bank transactions and cash withdrawals with other officials," added Ramesh.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismisses defence minister in surprise announcement
Jerusalem, Nov 5: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday dismissed his popular defence minister, Yoav Gallant, in a surprise announcement that came as the country is embroiled in wars on multiple fronts across the region.
Netanyahu and Gallant have repeatedly been at odds over the war in Gaza. But Netanyahu had avoided firing his rival. Netanyahu cited “significant gaps” and a “crisis of trust” between the men in his Tuesday evening announcement.
“In the midst of a war, more than ever, full trust is required between the prime minister and defence minister,” Netanyahu said. “Unfortunately, although in the first months of the campaign there was such trust and there was very fruitful work, during the last months this trust cracked between me and the defence minister.”
In the early days of the war, Israel's leadership presented a unified front as it responded to Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack. But as the war dragged on and spread to Lebanon, key policy differences have emerged. While Netanyahu has called for continued military pressure on Hamas, Gallant had taken a more pragmatic approach, saying that military force has created the necessary conditions for a diplomatic deal that could bring home hostages held by the Hamas group.
Gallant, a former general who has gained public respect with a gruff, no-nonsense personality, said in a statement: “The security of the state of Israel always was, and will always remain, my life's mission."
Gallant has worn a simple, black buttoned shirt throughout the war in a sign of sorrow over the October 7 attack and developed a strong relationship with his US counterpart, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin.
A previous attempt by Netanyahu to fire Gallant in March 2023 sparked widespread street protests against Netanyahu. He also flirted with the idea of dismissing Gallant over the summer but held off until Tuesday's announcement.
Gallant will be replaced by Foreign Minister Israel Katz, a Netanyahu loyalist and veteran Cabinet minister who was a junior officer in the military. Gideon Saar, a former Netanyahu rival who recently rejoined the government, will take the foreign affairs post.
Netanyahu has a long history of neutralising his rivals. In his statement, he claimed he had made “many attempts” to bridge the gaps with Gallant.
“But they kept getting wider. They also came to the knowledge of the public in an unacceptable way, and worse than that, they came to the knowledge of the enemy - our enemies enjoyed it and derived a lot of benefit from it,” he said.
