I-T widens probe in Kolkata stash case; ED, DRI may join

The Income Tax department today widened its probe into the seizure of over Rs 45 crore cash from Kolkata and adjoining areas as it plans to rope in other investigative agencies to establish links between lottery and hawala dealers suspected to be channelling illegal funds for Dawood Ibrahim gang.
Sources said while the I-T has seized the money, stashed in multiple gunny bags and almirahs yesterday, the sleuths now plan to question a number of people whose names have emerged after the searches.
"Few people in West Bengal, Odisha and Tamil Nadu will soon be sent summons to join investigations.

"The case is of tax evasion and after some leads emerge other probe agencies like the Enforcement Directorate and DRI could be asked to take over," sources in the Department of Revenue in Delhi said.
They said an ED team today met I-T officials in the West Bengal capital but as of now the leads are being processed to see if a regular case of foreign exchange violation or money laundering could be made out.
The I-T probe wing, which spearheaded the action, has also sent a report in this regard to their apex body Central Board of Direct Taxes in Delhi.

The operation was initiated in Kolkata and adjoining areas in early hours yesterday based on inputs provided by the Intelligence Bureau about an alleged fake lottery racket which has its tentacles spread up to Tamil Nadu.

The I-T sleuths had seized the money shortly before it was to be sent to Dubai today through hawala channels.
The search teams had recovered over Rs 45 crore in cash from 16 gunny bags, 27 travel bags and two almirahs from multiple locations in Kolkata's dingy bylanes.
"It is suspected these firms were involved in running a fake lottery racket, the criminal proceeds of which were being sent to Dubai to fund the illegal activities of global terrorist Dawood Ibrahim.

"Further investigations are on," sources had said.
They added the entire racket could be worth about Rs 1,000 crore.
"The agencies are probing if this stash was being ploughed into money laundering activities," they had said.