Income Tax raids lead to seizure of Rs 360 core from liquor traders in Bolangir

Extensive operations targeted several entities amid allegations of income tax evasion within the liquor industry on Wednesday. The Bolangir office of Baldeo Sahu & Group of Companies, a prominent indigenous liquor manufacturing and distributing conglomerate in West Odisha, saw a seizure of over 150 crores in cash. The income tax sleuths seized over Rs 110 crore from another trader.

Bolangir(Odisha):The Income Tax (I-T) department officials made one of the largest cash seizure in Odisha's history when conducting several raids on a liquor manufacturing company. They found cash worth over Rs 360 crore, from two liquor traders in the state.

Allegations of income tax evasion within the liquor industry prompted massive operations on Wednesday, which targeted multiple entities. The Balangir branch of the well-known Indian liquor manufacturer and distributor Baldeo Sahu & Group of Companies in Western Odisha witnessed the seizure of over 150 crores in cash.

On Thursday, the massive I-T raids on various divisions of the liquor manufacturer Boudh Distilleries Private Limited began for the second day.

Meanwhile, the corporate office located in Sambalpur was subjected to similar scrutiny, which resulted in an additional crucial seizure of funds of more than 150 crores. The primary information reveals a connection between Boudh Distillery Private Limited and Baldev Sahu & Group of companies, linking the ongoing probe to previous I-T raids on the former. Further investigations extended to include the house, office, and local liquor Bhati at Sargipali, belonging to liquor merchant Rajkishore Prasad Jaiswal of Sundargarh.

The I-T teams expanded their search, targeting the Boudh Distillery Pvt Ltd's corporate office in Palaspalli and homes of affiliated officials. Operations extended to the company's factory and office at Boudh Rambhikta, along with the premises of Ashok Kumar Agarwal, a businessman from Boudh Puruna Cuttack, allegedly linked to the company.

Additionally, Balangir and Titilagarh saw multiple liquor traders under the scanner, including the house and liquor store of wine merchants Sanjay Sahu and Deepak Sahu, where a 30-member I-T team conducted searches.

The reach of the I-T operations extended beyond state borders, with teams venturing to Kolkata and Ranchi, targeting directors and managing directors of the implicated companies. Despite these extensive actions, neither Boudh Distillery Private Limited nor any associated companies responded to the income tax raids, while I-T officials remained tight-lipped on the matter.