I-T dept seizes Rs 58 lakh from businessman's office in Kolkata

Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, sleuths of the Income Tax Department on Friday seized around Rs 58 lakh in cash from the office of a businessman in the city, an official said.

The businessman is a manufacturer of processed food products in West Bengal, he said.

According to the I-T official, a seizure of cash takes place when the amount is not disclosed by the owner.

Recently, the investigation wing of the Income Tax Department conducted search and seizure operations on the premises of the brother of a West Bengal minister for three consecutive days.

Reacting to these I-T searches, a Trinamool Congress leader said these raids by the central agencies were being ''orchestrated by the BJP which has been targeting the opposition-ruled states and sparing those where the saffron party is in power''.

Countering this, a BJP spokesman said these I-T searches are ''generally carried out before the elections and are no exception''.

The Income Tax Department has set up a 24x7 control room to curb the use of black money for electoral purposes and to prevent monetary inducement by persons or parties in the coming general elections. The control room will remain operational till June 4.

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