Have a look at the owner of the Boudh Distillery Pvt Ltd
Authorities stated on Friday that the Income Tax (I-T) department had seized at least ₹300 crore in cash after raids in three states that included facilities connected to a distillery business located in Odisha.
Who is the owner of Boudh Distillery Pvt Ltd, shareholders and what products does it make amidst IT raid
The cash seizures sparked a political controversy and prompted Prime Minister Narendra Modi to criticize the Opposition for corruption. Raids at locations connected to Boudh Distillery Private Limited, which is situated in the Boudh district of Odisha, started on Wednesday and continued through Friday in the states of Jharkhand and West Bengal. According to the officials, Saturday is expected to see more searches and a possible increase in the amount of money confiscated because counting is still ongoing.
Watch: Over Rs 200 Crore Recovered In Income Tax Raids In Odisha
The raids launched against Boudh Distillery Private Limited on Wednesday are still continuing and cash amounting to more than Rs 200 crore has so far been recovered. pic.twitter.com/ZXe8gQP6bV— Mohini Wealth (@MohiniWealth) December 9, 2023
#Factcheck "வருமான வரித்துறை சோதனையில் கண்டுபிடிக்கப்பட்ட காங்கிரஸ் நாடாளுமன்ற உறுப்பினர் தீரஜ் சாகு குவித்துள்ள ₹300 கோடி பண மூட்டை" என பா. ஜ. க மாநில தலைவர் அண்ணாமலை குறிப்பிட்டது 100% உண்மை..
Boudh Distillery Private Limited என்கிற நிறுவனத்தின் பங்குதாரர்கள் அனைவரும்… https://t.co/7HDzijsSCI pic.twitter.com/bza1dmDXlC
— Only Truth (@OnlyTruth2024) December 8, 2023
According to the I-T officials, the business is associated with Dheeraj Sahu, a Jharkhand-born Congress MP in the Rajya Sabha.
While Dheeraj’s son Ritesh Sahu is the managing director, his elder brother Uday Shanker Prasad is the chairman of the company that manufactures extra neutral alcohol – a raw material for making alcoholic beverages.
According to officials, Boudh Distillery Private Limited is a partnership entity of the Boudh-based Baldeo Sahu & Group of Companies, which is also under investigation by the tax authorities for possible tax cheating.
The company has yet to respond
Dheeraj Sahu, whose Ranchi property was also seized is yet to give a statement Baldeo Sahu & Group of Companies and Boudh Distillery Private Limited have not yet responded to inquiries about the situation. The grand old party claimed that the Congress was involved in a conspiracy, while the BJP accused the latter of corruption.
According to a senior I-T officer who wished to remain anonymous, Boudh Distillery Private Limited also produced country liquor. The official stated that they had suspicions regarding the company’s inconsistent and low net profits between 2019 and 2021, as well as an inflated expense on its balance sheet. Speaking about the raids, the official stated that tax officers in all three states had found 156 bags of cash on Friday alone.
In the Sudapada neighbourhood of the Odishan town of Balangir, cash hidden in almirahs was found. They were also discovered in various places, including Kolkata, Bokaro, and Ranchi in Jharkhand, Sambalpur and Sundargarh districts in Odisha, and Sambalpur. More cash was found on Friday at the Bhubaneswar office of the group company Baldeo Sahu Infra Private Limited, according to the official.
How much money has been recovered?
Thus far, three states have seized cash worth at least ₹300 crore. Most of them were found in the state of Odisha. Since counting is still ongoing, the quantity is probably going to rise. Authorities reported that the tax department has installed thirty counting devices. They claimed that the counting is going slowly since the machines have a limited capacity.
Huge amounts of the now-banned ₹500 denominations, according to a local, were discovered ripped and thrown close to the boundary wall of Boudh Distillery Private Limited in Ramvikata village, Boudh.
The Congress is accused by the BJP of owning these funds
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claimed that the money belonged to the Congress and its allies, which led to a political backlash over the raids and seizures. In a jab at the opposition party, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared that the public funds that were embezzled would need to be reimbursed.
Union Minister Anurag Thakur stated in Delhi that the seizures demonstrate the Congress’s involvement in corrupt practices, and this could be the reason why Sonia and Rahul Gandhi consistently opposed demonetisation. However, the Congress denied claims that its leaders owned the money and accused the BJP of plotting against them.