The Income-Tax department, which on Monday night seized four trucks with unaccounted cash, gold and diamonds at Mumbai Central, on Wednesday said that the cash seized was valued at `11 crore.
I-T officials claimed that NIA’s tip-off of a huge consignment of unaccounted cash and hawala money, which also included counterfeit currency, had proved wrong.
A senior I-T official on Wednesday told this newspaper that NIA had information that four trucks filled with hawala cash, including counterfeit currency would reach Mumbai Central station from Pydhonie. The money was supposed to be sent to Gujarat by train. The I-T and NIA then launched a joint operation and the trucks were intercepted and seized.
“When we, along with RBI officials, checked and counted the seized money it turned out to be only `11 crore. The money was unaccounted for, but not a single note was found to be counterfeit,” said a senior I-T official.
The unaccounted money was supposed to be delivered to Gujarat by seven to eight angadiya operators for commission of 0.2 per cent on the overall amount. We are questioning these angadiyas, the official added. The I-T seized a total of 102 bags in the trucks. Around two-dozen bags contained cash, the counting of which was completed on Wednesday. Currently, the valuation and document verification of the rest of the gold, diamonds are being done, which will probably be completed on Thursday.
Swatantra Kumar, director general, I-T said, “People have come to claim their money and jewellery. No one is detained in this case. The NIA is no more involved in the process”.
The seized gold and gems will be returned to their owners, once they show records of the same; the cash will also be returned to the owners after deducting tax on it, another I-T official said.