Unaccounted cash worth crores recovered in raids on industrialist's premises: Sources
Kanpur/Kannauj(PTI): Unaccounted cash worth over Rs 150 crore has been unearthed in a series of joint raids by various taxation agencies at business and official premises of a Kanpur-based perfume industrialist, sources said on Friday.
The residential and business premises of Kanpur industrialist Piyush Jain were raided on Thursday and Friday by sleuths of various anti-tax-evasion agencies, including the Income Tax Department, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) and the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Intelligence unit, they said.
Though there was no official confirmation of raids and seizures, a senior tax-enforcement official said on the condition of anonymity that raids were conducted at Jain's multiple premises in Kanpur, Gujarat and Mumbai began on Thursday.
Some photographs of the alleged raids going viral on various social media platforms showed stacks of cash stuffed in large wardrobes at the residential premises of Jain in Kanpur.
Jain runs the perfume-manufacturing units also in Kannauj district, neighbouring Kanpur. The tax officials also raided a factory manufacturing 'Shikhar' brand of pan masala and other scented tobacco products here in the city.
During raids at the residential premises, huge amounts of cash, wrapped in paper, has been found, the official added.
The money was allegedly linked to the dispatch of goods via fake invoices and without e-way bills by a goods transporter, the official said.
Meanwhile, reports coming from Kannauj said that the sleuths at around 3.00 pm reached the Kannauj residence of Jain along with his two sons Molu and Pratyush, and entered the residence.
The raids also started a war of words on twitter between the BJP and Samajwadi Party.
In a tweet in Hindi, the UP unit of the BJP said, "People of SP, the smell of your sins will not be washed away by the 'perfume of corruption'. More than Rs 150 crore of black money has been seized. And it is natural for Akhilesh to feel the pain, when action is initiated on the corrupt people."
"The entire UP knows that SP means corruption," the tweet said.
Rebutting the claims of the BJP, Manish Jagan Agrawal, the digital media co-ordinator of SP in a series of tweets in Hindi said, "The raids at the house of Shikhar Pan Masala Group and perfume trader Piyush Jain in Kanpur and the cash recovered is a story of failure of demonetisation. The BJP and the media are defaming SP by forcibly linking Piyush Jain and Shikhar Pan Masala to SP. Piyush Jain has nothing to do with SP MLC Pumpi Jain."
"Since a few days ago, income tax raids were conducted on people linked to the SP. But, the government and the agencies did not get anything. The people of SP came out clean. Hence, a frustrated BJP immediately conducted a raid, and recovered cash, and also hatched a conspiracy to link their propaganda with the SP, and mislead the people," Agrawal said in another tweet.
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Rahul Gandhi does not have courage to contest from Amethi: Rajnath Singh
Pathanamthitta (Kerala) (PTI): Senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh on Thursday took a dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, alleging that after his defeat from Amethi Lok Sabha seat in 2019, he does not have the courage to stand from there this time.
Singh said Gandhi, following his defeat, migrated to Kerala from Uttar Pradesh.
"However, I have heard that the people of Wayanad have decided not to make him their MP," he claimed while speaking at an election meeting in the Pathanamthitta Lok Sabha constituency to garner support for BJP candidate Anil K Antony.
Singh also said that while various space programmes and projects were being launched in the country, "the launching of Congress' young leader has not happened for the last 20 years".
"The Congress party's 'Rahulyaan' has neither been launched nor has it landed anywhere," he said, taking a dig at the Congress MP from Wayanad.
During his speech, Singh praised Congress stalwart A K Antony and called him a disciplined and principled person whose honesty and integrity cannot be questioned.
He said he was surprised on reading Antony's statement that Anil Antony should lose in the Lok Sabha polls.
"I know he (A K Antony) is a principled person and I understand his compulsions. It is difficult for him to support Anil Antony. However, I would like to tell him that Anil is your son.
"You (A K Antony) may not vote for him (Anil) or canvass votes for him, but you are his father so I would like to request that your blessings should be with him," Singh said.
During his speech, the BJP leader also accused the Congress and the LDF of being untrustworthy, alleging that they pretend to fight each other in Kerala, while outside it they are campaigning together against the BJP.
He also alleged that Kerala was in a bad shape due to the successive governments of the Congress-led UDF and the CPI(M)-led LDF in the state and urged people to empower the BJP so that they "check" these two political fronts.
Singh also attacked the LDF on the issue of Kerala's financial problems, saying that they were caused by the Left administration's mismanagement and claimed that this was acknowledged by the Supreme Court as well.
On Wednesday, during his poll rallies at Kasaragod, Vatakara and Kannur LS seats, he pointed out above allegations.
Singh also reiterated, what he said a day ago, that the BJP has delivered on its past poll promises, like implementing the CAA and abrogating Article 370, and therefore, it was the most credible and trustworthy party in the country.
He said that both the Left and the Congress were trying to create confusion in the minds of the people about the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
The senior BJP leader assured that no one's citizenship would be affected by the contentious legislation.
He also referred to the country's achievements in the space sector and the various upcoming projects like Ganganyaan -- India's first human spaceflight programme.
Singh also lavished praise on Anil Antony and urged people to vote for him.
The Lok Sabha elections in Kerala will be held on April 26 and the results will be declared on June 4.
#WATCH | Kerala: Addressing a public rally in Kottayam, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh says, "BJP is going to launch Gaganyaan in 5 years but the launch of a young leader of the Congress Party has not happened in the last 20 years. Congress Party's 'Rahulyaan' is neither getting… pic.twitter.com/KPtCW0m0GN
— ANI (@ANI) April 18, 2024
