In an early morning swoop, sleuths of the Investigation wing of the Income-Tax department on Friday carried out simultaneous searches at 15 places of doctors and proprietors of four city-based private hospitals.
During the search operations which continued till the filing of this report, the sleuths of the Income Tax department have stumbled upon incriminating documents showing tax evasion to the tune of crores of rupees. Details of the tax evasion would be known by the department officials only after scrutiny of all the documents, accounts statements and other important data retrieved from the computers and laptops of the hospitals and doctors.
According to report, a team of over 200 officials of the Investigation wing of the income tax department from Bhopal, Indore, Gwalior and Jabalpur led by DG, Investigation wing of the Income tax department, Bhopal Amrendra Singh and Deputy Director Rahul Raman carried out simultaneous raids at CHl Apollo Hospital (AB Road), Vishesh Hospital (near Gita Bhawan), life Care hospital (Vijay Nagar) and Nobel Hospital (Dhakkanwala Kuan) and also at the residential premises of proprietors and doctors associated with these hospitals.
Of the hospitals searched by the income tax officials, CHl and Noble hospitals are owned by Dr Rajesh Jain, lCH is owned by Dr Brajwala Tiwari, wife and ARTO Sunil Tiwari who happened to be kin of State Industry Minister Kailash Vijayverigya, while Vishesh Hospital was owned by Dr Rajesh Kasliwal respectively.
Among the doctors whose residences were raided by the IT officials included eminent heart surgeon of the city, Dr Manish Porwal, Sonu Agrawal (personal staff of ARTO Sunil Tiwari, husband of lCH hospital director and Babloo Bhatia, a city-based finance broker.
Besides searching premises of four city hospitals and residential premises of doctors and proprietors associated with these hospitals, the IT officials also searched three residential and business premises of a city-based garment manufacturer Ashish Nigam, proprietor of Veena Garments (Sarafa) and seized incriminating documents showing huge tax evasion. Nigam is also secretary of the Madhya Pradesh Readymade Garments Manufacturers Association. The raids have triggered panic among other private hospitals and doctors in the city. last year also, income tax officials had raided five city hospitals, of which four hospitals had surrendered an undeclared income of Rs 23.75 crore.