ED registers 131 cases of lottery, hawala rackets involving Rs 4,452 cr

The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has registered 131 cases of running lottery and hawala rackets involving Rs 4,452.5 crore in the last three years, Parliament was informed Tuesday.

Replying to a question in Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Finance Shiv Pratap Shukla said the ED has arrested 2 persons in cases of lottery and hawala rackets.

"The total money involved in cases having both domestic and foreign connections is Rs 4,452.5 crore," he said in a written reply to the House.

In a separate reply, Shukla said the finance ministry has received representations from various startups requesting change in their valuation and the matter is under consideration.

Several startups have raised concerns on taxation of angel funds under Section 56 of the Income Tax Act, which provides for taxation on funds given by angel investors.

"Representations have been received from startups requesting change in startup valuation. The matter is under consideration. However, as an interim measure, CBDT has instructed field authorities not to take coercive measures to recover the outstanding demand till further instructions," Shukla said.