In the Lok Sabha elections, illegal cash worth Rs 28 crore was seized in Maharashtra, of which Rs 16 crore was seized from Mumbai
In its bid to prevent the use of black money and unaccounted cash in the forthcoming state Assembly elections, the Income Tax department has geared up to enforce the Model Code of Conduct with fervour. To that end, the department has already seized close to Rs 4 crore in black money across Mumbai since the Election Commission of India (ECI) imposed the MCC in the state.
Director General of Income Tax (Investigation), Nitin Gupta, while revealing the department's preparedness on Tuesday, said that a close and vigilant check is being kept on cash movement and based on the credible information coming via various sources, most appropriate action is taken to ensure free and fair elections without any interference of cash in the electoral process. In the Lok Sabha elections, illegal cash worth Rs 28 crore was seized in Maharashtra, of which Rs 16 crore was seized from Mumbai.
Elaborating the precautionary steps taken by the department, Gupta said that a Principal Director of Income Tax-1 of the Investigation Wing, Anand Kumar, has been appointed as the nodal officer for IT department for the whole state and that he will be coordinating with the Election Commission to ascertain there is no unaccounted cash and valuable flow across the state.
CHECKS AND BALANCES IN PLACE
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- Cash flow is maximum seen in the angadia’s and hawala system, which will be closely scrutinised
- Credible information is also shared with the CEO; service providers asked to check dissemination of suspicious SMSes
- Toll-free numbers, WhatsApp for public to drop tips on suspicious activity
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Gupta also informed that the department is in regular touch with at least seven law enforcement agencies and government departments for the elections.
"On a regulatory front, a system has been put into place to gather intelligence and inputs regarding cash movement. Round-the-clock control rooms are operational at Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur and a total of 40 Quick Response Teams (QRT), including six in Mumbai, have been deployed across various districts and constituencies. 603 staffs of the IT department are also stationed in the state for immediate response.
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