The Delhi Police Crime Branch, in a joint operation with Income Tax (I-T) Department, seized Rs13.65 crore, including Rs2.5 crore in new Rs2,000 notes, from T&T law firm in South Delhi’s posh Greater Kailash area.
The raid was conducted on Saturday night following a specific input. Inter-State Cell of Crime Branch team had raided the Chhattarpur farmhouse of Managing Partner of T&T Rohit Tandon but he had managed to give the cops the slip. The Crime Branch officials then took I-T sleuths along to raid Tandon’s GK-I office.
The search led to the recovery of a whopping Rs13.65 crore.
Meanwhile, sources said a team from I-T department again visited Tandon’s office at Greater Kailash-1 on Sunday and questioned him after they came to know about his presence in his office.
A senior police official, privy to the investigation, said more raids will be conducted across various locations in Delhi in the next few days.
Sharing the details about the late night swoop, the official said that based on a secret input that a large amount of money has been seen being taken inside the law firm office at Greater Kailash, raids were conducted at the law firm around 10.30 pm on Saturday. During the raids, police found Rs13.56 crore cash stashed in cupboards and suitcases.
Talking to The Pioneer, the senior police officer said, “Rohit Tandon was not present during the raid. The lead to Tandon’s GK-I office came after we raided Tandon’s house in Chhattarpur that a large amount of currency is stacked in his office. We have a list of other locations too where more unaccounted money has been stashed but we cannot disclose them as it would jeopardise the investigation”.
Crime Branch officials said that so far, police have recovered Rs7 crore in Rs1,000 notes, Rs3 crore in Rs100 notes and the remaining in 50 and 500 denominations.
The officer said only one caretaker was found present at the office of the law firm. “We have also recovered two currency counting machines. Further investigation will be undertaken by the I-T Department,” he added.
Sources said that this is not the first time that Tandon’s name has cropped up. Around two months ago, the tax department had searched the premises of Tandon and had found documents related to Rs19 crore unaccounted money, which had been kept as fixed deposit in a bank, the said.
Police said that they are now trying to ascertain as to how the firm manage to get around Rs2 crore in new currency notes. The officer hinted that the trail may stretch to Mumbai. “We have reason to believe that the firm may have had several connections in Mumbai and are probing these links to find out more on the dealings of the firm.”