In somewhat an anti-climax to the much-publicised seizure of currency notes and other valuables from four trucks outside the Mumbai Central Railway station, the Income Tax (I-T) officials on Wednesday pegged the hard cash seized at `10 crore and said the valuation of other confiscated gold, diamond jewellery and other precious stones was currently on.
A senior I-T official said that having counted the seized cash, the investigators had not found any fake currency among the notes.“The ownership of the seized notes is being ascertained so as to see if the tax formalities been complied with. Similarly, nearly 40 per cent of valuables other than hard cash like gold, diamond jewellery and gems seized in Tuesday’s operation are being assessed, while the assessment of other valuables is still on,” the official said.
On his part, I-T Director General (Investigation) Swatantra Kumar told mediapersons that the seized hard cash was to the tune of `10 crore, while the valuation of diamond jewellery and other precious stones was currently underway.
On Tuesday, the I-T officials had gone to town estimating that the hard cash and other valuables would be to the tune of nearly `200 crore. However, on Wednesday, the same officials backtracked on their claims.
Acting on a tip-off from the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the I-T sleuths had on Tuesday night seized 102 bags containing innumerable currency notes of high-denomination, gold and diamond jewellery, from four trucks — operated by city-based Angadias (traditional couriers) parked outside the Mumbai Central Railway station.
The officials had arrested 47 persons, including some Angadias, in this connection.
The arrested persons were questioned on details like names of senders and recipients. Several of the arrested persons were let off by the I-T officials on Wednesday after ascertaining for themselves that the money that was being couriered was accounted one.
The currency and other valuables were being taken by Angadias — who were to board the Gujarat Mail that leaves Mumbai Central at 10 pm and reaches Ahmedabad at 6.25 am the following day — when the consignments were seized from four trucks outside the western railway terminus at Bombay Central, by the I-T officials.
Working on specific intelligence inputs given to them by the NIA, the I-T officials had zeroed in on four trucks — carrying the bags stacked with hard cash and other valuables — that had arrived from the Bhuleshwar-Opera House area at the Mumbai Central Railway station, at 9 pm.
After a search of the four vehicles and questioning of the persons accompanying the “contraband”, the I-T officials established that they were indeed transporting huge cache of currency notes of high denominations, gold and other valuables.
Before long, the I-T officials impounded the four trucks and detained those —Angadias, drivers, helpers and office boys of diamond traders — accompanying the vehicles and took them to Scindia House in downtown Ballard Estate, the headquarters of Investigation wing of I-T department, for questioning.