Bhubaneswar: The Income tax department Authorities raided 20 locations linked to Odisha-based real estate major for the second day on Thursday DN Group on charges of tax evasion.
While both the company and the IT department remained tight-lipped on the development, sources said the raids continued at the residences of directors, employees and office of the company. irc village A substantial amount of cash amounting to around Rs 9 crore was allegedly seized from the house of an employee at Unit-4 in the city.
IT officials on Thursday took for further questioning an employee of DN Group, from whom the cash was seized. The team also seized some important documents of the company during the searches, sources said, adding that the IT officials found transactions of around Rs 105 crore by the company.
When contacted, a DN Group official said, “We have no information about the seizure made by the IT department. The company will not react till the raids are over.”
DN Group deals in several housing projects, malls, hospitality and other sectors.
Meanwhile, the IT raids triggered a political tussle with the opposition BJP and Congress targeting the ruling BJD led by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. DN Group chief JP Nayak had accompanied the Chief Minister on his Japan tour earlier this year.
Senior Congress leader and MLA SS Saluja alleged that many leaders of the ruling party have investments in DN Group, for which the company is getting protection. “People have a right to know whose money is invested in DN Group,” Saluja said.
Accusing the DN Group of patronizing the chief minister’s office, BJP spokesperson Anil Biswal said the company heads were attending meetings with senior officials. “Now in the Chief Minister’s Office Odisha “Corruption is known as the gathering office,” Biswal told reporters.
However, a BJD MLA rejected the allegations of the opposition parties. “We have nothing to do with DN Group. Let the law take its own course. The opposition should not drag the CMO into all such matters,” he said.
