Bhopal: In a shocking discovery, the officials of the Income Tax Department and Police stumbled upon huge cache of gold and cash following simultaneous raids on the premises of builders and real estate firms here on Friday.
Acting on a tip-off, the IT department reportedly seized 52kg of gold from a vehicle which was abandoned in the Mendori forests on the outskirts of Bhopal. The price of the seized gold is estimated to be worth around Rs 40.47 crore.
Apart from this, Rs 10 crore in cash was also seized from the vehicle. Surprisingly, there was no one inside the car when the Lokayukta police and IT officials reached the scene. However, two bags stashed with gold and cash were recovered from the vehicle.
Income tax officials suspect link between the realtors who have been raided and the gold seizure. However, they have not revealed any concrete information as of now. It is pertinent to mention that on December 18, IT Department officials launched simultaneous raids on 51 locations linked to Trishul Construction, Quality Group and Ishan Group in Bhopal and Indore. It is believed that one of them could be involved in illegal transportation of the gold consignment.
Raids are underway in Bhopal for the last three days. During the course of investigation, the IT team got clues that a consignment of gold was being transported via forest route in Mendori of Bhadbhada. A team of 100 policemen in 30 vehicles reached the spot and surrounded the car only to find that all accused have escaped.
Rs 10 Crore Cash Seized In IT Raids
The teams of Police and Income Tax Department searched the abandoned car in the forest and found 52 kg of gold from a bag. In the operation so far, nearly Rs 10 crore cash and jewelry have also been recovered. A joint team of the Income Tax Department and the police is now trying to find the source of the assets.
