In the election season, every other person seems to know the wealth of politicians, thanks to the free flow of unverified WhatsApp messages.
But some who are in possession of such “news” have taken them seriously and have gone one step further to inform authorities about it.
At the receiving end of this information is the helpline set up by the Income Tax Department.
The toll-free number, which came into life after the election code of conduct came into force, has been receiving all kinds “information”, sources of which are uncertain.
Sources said that many times calls are being made to inform about money stashed at some place or being transported, but without additional information.
“Every call or information is being taken seriously. There are more than 100 officials exclusively deployed for election duty. Many people are calling and we will have to verify each,” an Income Tax source said.
In some cases, since Election Commission officials cannot enter a premises without search warrants people are calling in Income Tax officials.
Sources said that I-T seluths have to satisfy themselves that the caller information is genuine and involve in some groundwork.
“In our regular searches or survey operations, once the information comes in, the officials undertake groundwork and even a recce before making preparation for the actual search and later launching it. During elections, we do not have that much time. However, every bit of information is being given serious thought.”
