This Post Is Recently Updated on Dec 8, 2023 @ 19:39 pm by TBB Desk
The Income Tax Department recently conducted extensive raids at the residences of Congress MP Dheeraj Sahu, unveiling a complex network of businesses and significant cash recoveries. The raids, spanning two days, specifically targeted the Boudh Distillery Private Limited (BDPL) located in Odisha. This site, equipped with multiple cash-counting machines, witnessed the recovery of a considerable amount of cash, indicating substantial financial transactions.
In addition to the operations in Odisha, the raids extended to various locations connected to Sahu in Ranchi, Lohardaga, and continued in several areas of West Bengal. These coordinated raids uncovered the involvement of several companies linked to Sahu’s relatives in Odisha.
Among these businesses are Baldev Sahu Infra Private Limited, Kwality Bottlers Private Limited, and Kishore Prasad Bijay Prasad Beverages Private Limited. Kwality Bottlers, a prominent entity in the group, is responsible for bottling foreign liquor, which is then marketed by Kishore Prasad Bijay Prasad Beverages. Interestingly, Dheeraj Sahu is reported to serve as a director in some of these companies, indicating his direct involvement in the liquor business.
A startling discovery during the raids was the confiscation of 157 bags filled with alleged black money linked to Sahu. These bags, initially deposited in a bank that subsequently collapsed, highlight the vast scale of the undisclosed income. Due to a shortage of suitcases, these bags, filled to the brim with cash, were used to transport the money. Eventually, both the suitcases and the bags were loaded onto a truck and transferred to the State Bank of India for further processing.
Reports emerging two days post-raid suggest that the counting of cash is far from complete. While some reports indicate a recovery of ₹150 crores, others estimate the amount to be as high as ₹200 crores. Experts believe the total cash recovered could reach up to ₹300 crores.
The magnitude of this discovery is startling, especially considering that in his 2018 election affidavit, Sahu reported a debt of ₹2.36 crores and declared total assets of ₹34 crores. His income tax return for the fiscal year 2016-17 declared an income slightly over ₹1 crore.
Sahu is currently serving his third term in the Rajya Sabha, first elected in June 2009, and then subsequently in 2010 and 2018. He has also contested Lok Sabha elections twice from the Chatra seat in Jharkhand but was unsuccessful on both occasions.
Post-raid, sources report that the Income Tax Department has frozen several accounts associated with the Congress MP’s company. Given the substantial amount of cash recovered, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is likely to get involved in the case.
Notably, Dheeraj Prasad Sahu and his relatives own a significant liquor business. Baldev Sahu & Group of Companies, named after Dheeraj Sahu’s father, primarily manufactures country liquor and has been in operation for nearly four decades. Besides the Congress MP, other family members are also involved in the company.
This raid and the subsequent discoveries have sparked a major controversy, raising questions about the financial dealings of politicians and their associates. Stay updated with the latest developments on this story at thenation.page.
