T&T owner and advocate Tandon has never argued in a court, but possesses immense clout, riches
The crime branch of the Delhi Police and the Income-Tax (I-T) department have exposed a coterie of lawyers, high-profile arms dealers and middlemen after raids on the residence and offices of a city-based lawyer Rohit Tandon on Saturday night. Tandon owns the Tandon and Tandon (T&T) law firm.
Raids were going on T&T offices in the Shivalik area, Lajpat Nagar and Greater Kailash-1 at the time of going to press. So far, Rs 13.65 crore, including Rs 2.6 crore in new currency, have been seized.
Crime branch officials said that Tandon has links with prominent arms dealer Abhishek Verma (currently out on bail), and senior lawyer Gautam Khaitan (arrested in the AgustaWestland scam).
"This raid is linked to the one on October 6. I-T officials had then recorded the statements of associates and staffers at T&T's Greater Kailash-1 office, after which unaccounted money of Rs 125 crore were disclosed. The tax department has evidence of Tandon's investments in properties through shell companies," sources said.
Addressing the media on Sunday, Joint Commissioner of Police (JCP), Crime Branch, Ravinder Yadav, said: "He had been on our radar since October 6." Though the JCP claimed that Tandon had gone underground and they were tracing him, Tandon spoke to the media. "It is absolute nonsense to link me with Abhishek Verma and the AgustaWestland suspects. I have never met them. Neither they nor I even recognise each other. I am not on the run. I am not in Delhi. I am on my way back and will cooperate with the I-T department," he said.
Tandon also claimed that he did not have any clue about the money recovered during the raids.
Stacks of new and old currency were found in a cupboard and a duffel bag in T&T's Greater Kailash office. "We also found a counting machine," Yadav said. I-T officials said that every nook and cranny of the Greater Kailash office was covered with security cameras. "When we questioned the staffers, they said Tandon had installed a software in his mobile phone and would have been watching the live feed of raids and searches," they added.
Sources said that the investigating teams are now analysing Tandon's client list. "He claims to be a corporate lawyer, specialising in mergers and acquisitions, but no big firm has hired him. I-T officials told us that he is more of a liaison... a fixer. We have seized his office computers and laptops. Clients don't pay in cash to prominent lawyers," said an investigating officer.
"We are probing whether the seized money was parked by businessmen and lawyers," an officer said. Teams are also questioning other partners of T&T, all of whom claimed that they had no clue about the money found at their offices.
Police sources claimed that Tandon was in touch with some high-profile defence dealers and lawyers representing defence lobbyists. Tandon set up T&T in February 2014. He had ambitious plans to set up offices in Dubai and Hong Kong as well. He was, however, never seen in courts or arguing before the Bench.
For nearly a decade starting 2005, he successfully ran a law firm called Zeus. Some of his Zeus colleagues later joined T&T. His brother-in-law still runs Zeus. A low-key person, Tandon is not seen in parties or high-profile gatherings, and prefers to meet and entertain clients at his plush farmhouse in Chattarpur.
"While questioning his staffers, we came to know that his parties are understated, without any glamour or Page 3 celebrities, but he is well connected. It is interesting that he knows both Bhandari and Khaitan," said a Crime Branch officer.
"He came to the limelight when he bid and got the ownership of a 12,000-sq ft residence in Jor Bagh. The deal was worth Rs 100 crore. Once the deal went public, everyone wanted to know who he was," he added. In July 2014, Tandon bought a bungalow from the Ruia family via a special purpose company called Devlin Corp, in which he and his son are co-directors. The Delhi Police have informed both ED and I-T Department about the raids and a report will be submitted to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Monday.
I-T notices to 1,200 people in Surat
Surat: The I-T department in Surat has issued notices to 1,200 people who have deposited Rs1 crore and above in their bank accounts after November 8. The notice has 20 questions and the account-holders have to respond within a week.
Interestingly, according to the I-T department, only 55 persons in the city have an annual income of Rs 1 crore and above. - DNA Correspondent
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