Taxpayers should ask for warrant before allowing I-T search: Revenue dept

In the wake of some fake I-T raid incidents, the revenue department said taxpayers should seek and inspect the warrant of authorisation before allowing income tax officials to search their premises.

The Income Tax Department in the Delhi region regularly conducts search/ survey/ verification exercises in case of suspected tax evaders to uncover concealment of undisclosed income/assets, it said in a statement.

"However, instances have been brought to the notice of the department wherein, certain unscrupulous elements have conducted unauthorised/illegal searches through forged identity cards claiming to be from the Income Tax Department, Delhi," it said.

The taxpayers, the revenue department, said are well within their "rights to seek and inspect the warrant of authorisation, confirm the identities of authorised income tax authorities mentioned on the warrant".

The assessee can seek the telephone numbers of immediate supervisory officers of the search/survey party for the purpose of verification of genuineness.

In case, any doubts still persists then the Income Tax Department can be contacted on telephone number -- 9013850099 -- for the specified purpose of confirmation of identities of officers/officials working in the Delhi region.

In a recent incident in Delhi, six persons had allegedly told a family that they were from the tax department and had come to probe evasion of Rs 20 lakh.

The imposters were thrashed after a family member reportedly found their behaviour suspicious and raised alarm.