Bengaluru : Income Tax (I T) department have recovered Rs 42 crore cash from the residence of former Bengaluru corporation Ashwathamma and her husband Ambikapathy. Sources said, The couple have close ties with congress.
The Income Tax Department found cash amounting to crores beneath the bed at a flat in Bengaluru, sources stated on Friday. The IT officers are questioning a former woman corporator and her husband in connection with the case. Sources said that vast amount of money is being collected from gold jewellers and other sources in Bengaluru to fund coming Assembly elections,
On getting tip offs in this regard, the IT Department is conducting raids in the city. The cash, amounting to Rs 42 crore, was found during a raid conducted late on Thursday night at a flat located in Atmananda Colony near RT Nagar. According to sources I-T department conducted raids and searches at 25 places in Bengaluru belonging to two civic contractors over suspected tax evasion. Sources said that the large sum in Rs 500 denominations was stored in 23 cardboard boxes at the house of an ex-corporator of Ward 95. The officials raided the house in Atmananda Colony in RT Nagar belonging to Ashwathamma and R Ambikapati, sources added.
The the cash was likely to be transported to a neighbouring state but an official statement is awaited. A local resident said the I-T officials arrived at around 7 am and asked them to stay inside the house. I-T sleuths raided the offices of two contractors – BSR Infratech and Star Infratech – in Sahakar Nagar, Sanjaynagar, among others, besides searching the homes of the people concerned.
Officials collected information regarding the companies’ transactions while also searching the homes of board members and others. During the searches, cash and other documents were seized, sources said. According to sources, the husband of the comparator is a contractor and he is part of the Contractor’s Association which accused the previous BJP government of taking 40 per cent commission on projects. The contractor had also made allegations of corruption against many political leaders and more details are yet to emerge regarding the incident.
