The searches by Income Tax sleuths' on the premises of liquor baron ‘Ponty' Chadha and his associates in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh continued for the second day on Thursday.
The department's intelligence and criminal investigation unit has seized documents and computer data storage devices for analysis. Financial transactions of some firms and persons associated with Mr. Chadha are also being scrutinised.
While I-T officials remained tight-lipped on any seizure of cash or valuables, a statement issued by Wave Infratech, on behalf of Mr. Chadha, said: “Widespread rumours and wrong information have been circulated with a view to maligning the reputation and tarnishing the image of the group with a mala fide intention.”
The I-T officials who visited Centrestage Mall in neighbouring Noida on Wednesday did not find any cash in the safe located in the basement, the statement said rebutting reports in a section of the media that Rs.100 crore or above was seized from there.
Claiming that the Chadha Group was extending full cooperation to the I-T officials, C.J. Singh of Wave Infratech said none of the companies/concerns had “any affiliation or association with any political person or party.” All income of the Chadha Group was properly accounted for and there was no income that remained undisclosed to the government, he said.
On Wednesday, the Delhi-based intelligence unit conducted searches at nearly 20 places in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. The I-T sleuths also conducted a search at Mr. Chadha's farmhouse and another one, used by his close associate Lalit Kapoor at Chhattarpur, and his son-in-law's residence at New Friends Colony in the capital.
