Rs 353 cr recovered from Odisha distillery; I-T raids enter 6th day

Bhubaneswar: The income-tax department continued its searches in different places linked to an Odisha-based distillery group on charges of tax evasion for the sixth consecutive day on Monday after recovering unaccounted cash to the tune of Rs 353 crore, the "highest-ever" haul in a single action by any probe agency in the country, officials said.

During the day, officials of the income tax department reached the Sudapada unit of the Boudh Distilleries, owned by a Congress MP's family, in Boudh district where the central agency started its search operations on December 6.

The raids were also conducted at Sambalpur, Titlagarh, Sundargarh, Bolangir and Bhubaneswar, the officials said.

The income tax team, accompanied by information technology professionals, have "now focused on the recovered documents after the counting of seized cash was completed on Sunday night", they said.

"Unaccounted cash of Rs 353 crore has been counted and seized till Sunday night. This is the highest-ever haul in a single action by any probe agency in the country," one of the officials said.

Opposition BJP in Odisha on Monday intensified its attack on the ruling BJD and the Odisha government, accusing them of "facilitating illegal liquor trade in the state and proliferation of black money".

The saffron party held protests in front of all the sub-divisions across Odisha against the alleged black money transactions.

“The excise policy of the Odisha government is responsible for the flourishing of the liquor mafia in the state. The government is providing undue benefits to the liquor baron and BJD is fighting elections with that black money,” BJP Odisha unit president Manmohan Samal wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

BJD leaders could not be reached for comments on such allegations.