Threatening Calls In Fodder Case Force I-T To Shift Office

The income tax investigation wing here has been shifted in view of the large number of anonymous calls threatening senior officials of the department investigating the Rs 950 crore fodder scam.

An I-T spokesman said here yesterday that senior officials, including two assistant directors of its investigation wing, had received several hundred anonymous phone calls from persons who often identified themselves to be members of the Khukhara (dreaded) party during the past fortnight. The callers threatened the officials of dire consequences forcing the authorities to shift the office of the I-T investigation wing from Alankar Place to the revenue building premises, the spokesman said.

Over hundreds of workers of a political party had stormed into the premises of the revenue building, which houses the Patna zone office of income tax, and damaged some flower pots and snapped telephone connections a couple of days after Chief Minister Laloo Prasad was grilled by the CBI on the scam case last month.

The chief income tax commissioner of north-eastern states, S K Jha, had lodged a complaint with the senior police superintendent, Patna, in this connection. He had also sought regular deployment of police force at the I-T building.

Now we want to house the offices of all our wings under one floor in view of the threat perception, the spokesman said.

The threat perception among the receivers of the anonymous calls had heightened following the stabbing of the wife of a Delhi-based assistant commissioner of the department recently.