I-T searches premises of Lalit hotels promoter Jyotsna Suri, associates

The Income Tax Department has launched searches at multiple locations of the Bharat Hotels group, its associates and a leading automobile dealer firm in connection with a tax evasion probe, officials said on Monday. They said about 8 premises linked to Bharat Hotels CMD Jyotsna Suri and some of her associates as well as Jayant Nanda, promoter of Cargo Motors, one of the largest dealers of Tata motors in the country, are being searched in and around the national capital.

The searches, they said, were launched late on Sunday and are related to a tax evasion probe being conducted by the department. Transactions of these groups, under the scanner of the department, are related, official sources said.

The Bharat Hotels group owns the chain of Lalit hotels in the country. It runs over a dozen such luxury facilities at present. Jyotsna Suri has been associated with the Bharat Hotels group since 1989 and took over as the Chairperson and Managing Director (CMD) in 2006, after the death of her husband and hotelier Lalit Suri.

The businesswoman has also been the chairman of industry body FICCI in the past. "All hotels within the group operated under the brand The Grand– Hotels, Palaces and Resorts. It was re-branded as 'The LaLiT' on November 19, 2008 as a tribute to the company's Founder Chairman Mr. Lalit Suri."

"The company offers twelve luxury hotels, places & resorts and two mid market segment hotels under The LaLiT Traveller brand offering 2,261 rooms. In addition, we also hold the exclusive management rights to operate hotel in London offering 70 rooms," information provided on the official website of the Lalit group said. As per information available on the official web portal of Cargo Motors, "Mr. Yash Pal Nanda founded Cargo Motors in 1959..."

"Presently it is operational in Delhi, Gujarat, Punjab and Rajasthan through 73 sales outlets and 30 workshops." PTI NES NES TDS TDS

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