The operation was initiated in the West Bengal capital and adjoining areas in early hours based on inputs provided by central security agencies about an alleged fake lottery racket which has its tentacles spread upto Tamil Nadu.
Acting on a tip off from the Intelligence Bureau (IB), the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) busted a major money laundering racket in the heart of Kolkata and Siliguri on Thursday. The officials raided over nine locations in Kolkata and Siliguri and seized Rs. 20 crores.
The CBDT officials with the help of Special Task Force of Kolkata Police carried out raids at two South Kolkata based companies, General System and Future Plan Enterprises, and at S Nagarjan and Santiago Martin. They seized 16 gunny bags, 27 travel bags carrying currency notes. Currency notes to the tune of Rs.20 crores were stacked in two almirahs in the premises of this Kolkata-based company.
The operation was initiated in the West Bengal capital and adjoining areas in early hours based on inputs provided by central security agencies about an alleged fake lottery racket which has its tentacles spread upto Tamil Nadu.
According to sources, the premises is owned by a Tamil Nadu-based business who used to run a fake lottery business in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. The money collected used to be channelised to Dubai through the hawala route. On Thursday, the money that was stacked across the corners of the offices of this company was to be transferred to a hawala account.
It is believed the racket was run to the tune of several crores. Official sources told PTI that the teams, comprising about 100 members, had to deploy ten note counting machines to find the exact value of the stash recovered from two firms identified as G Systems and F P Enterprises. "Few executives and people of these firms are being questioned. It is suspected that these firms were involved in a fake lottery racket. Further investigations are on," they said.
They said few locations in Siliguri are also being searched by tax sleuths in this connection even as the teams have recovered and seized a number of documents including bank accounts and business receipts. The raid was being carried out in other locations of Kolkata till the last reports came in.
With PTI inputs.
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