By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR: The continuing IT raids on the Balangir office of Baldeo Sahu & Group of Companies, a prominent local liquor manufacturing and distributing conglomerate in Western Odisha, saw a seizure of over 150 crores in cash. The income tax sleuths seized over Rs 110 crore from another trader. Over Rs 370 crores belonging to 2 major companies, have been seized.
Bouddistillery Private Limited (BDPL) and three other affiliated companies Baldeo Sahu Infra Private Limited (fly ash bricks), Kwality Bottlers Pvt Ltd (IMFL bottling), and Kishore Prasad Bijay Prasad Beverages Pvt Ltd (sales and marketing of IMFL brands).
Notably, BDPL has ties to Rajya Sabha MP Dheeraj Sahu. The locations under scrutiny include the directors and premises of BDPL situated in Boudh, Raidih, Sambalpur, and Balangir districts of Odisha. Simultaneously, the raids extend to the company’s locations in Ranchi and Lohardaga in Jharkhand.
The IT officials conducted raids on properties including houses and liquor manufacturing units belonging to Raj Kishore Sahoo and Debraj Sahoo simultaneously at various places in Bhubaneswar, Sundargarh, Rayagada, Boudh and Titilagarh, on charges of evading income tax. Over 200 crore cash so far seized. The raids were also carried out at office and residences of one more liquor trader namely Kameswar Tiwari in Rourkela.
Searches were conducted at the residences of Deepak Sahu and Sanjay Sahu in Titilagarh. Both the liquor barons reportedly fled the town after receiving a tip-off about the raids.
