The raids by the Income Tax department against an Odisha-based distillery company reached their sixth day. Income Tax Raids in Odisha resulted in ₹351 crore cash seizure. This marks the 'highest-ever' single-action haul by any probe agency in India. Additional machines, staff & security personnel have been deployed to accelerate the counting of the seized cash.

Odisha I-T raids: Cash seizure goes past Rs 300 crore, marks 'Highest-Ever' Haul

<p>Income Tax (I-T) department raids on companies belonging to Dhiraj Sahu, a member of the Indian parliament, ended on Sunday (Dec 10) after more than three days.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The raids led to the recovery of&nbsp;more than 353 crore Indian rupees (a staggering 42 million US dollars), which happens to be the largest cash haul in a single operation. It has now snowballed into a major political controversy as it involves a Congress leader.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>The largest haul</strong></h2>

<p>As per reports, counting the massive cash haul could not be finished in a day or two. While the reason for this is reportedly the day-to-day operations of the State Bank of India branch involved in counting, a leader of the ruling party BJP quipped, "Even the [currency counting] machines are tired of counting."</p>

<p>Taking to X, Kiren Rijiju, India's Minister of Earth Sciences wrote in Hindi, "Even the machines are tired of counting the notes of Congress' corruption!! Why is Congress party always associated with corruption?"</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="hi">मशीनें भी कांग्रेस के भ्रष्टाचार के नोट गिनते-गिनते थक गई हैं !! कांग्रेस पार्टी हमेशा भ्रष्टाचार से क्यों जुड़ी रहती है? <a href="https://t.co/US2PhN6xp5">https://t.co/US2PhN6xp5</a> <a href="https://t.co/rBIi6ddwBV">pic.twitter.com/rBIi6ddwBV</a></p>
— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) <a href="https://twitter.com/KirenRijiju/status/1733876128350167539?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 10, 2023</a></blockquote>
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<p>Over $42 million (₹350 crore) has been recovered. This as per reports amounted to 176 bags of cash. Three banks were roped in for the counting, which used 40 currency counting machines. The Hindustan Times reports that soon after the counting started, currency counting machines "gave in" due to the huge amounts of cash,&nbsp;and more had to be brought in.</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/modi-vows-every-penny-will-be-returned-as-2397-mln-cash-found-in-raids-on-properties-linked-to-congress-mp-667876">$34.7mn cash seized in I-T raids on Cong MP’s properties; Modi vows ‘every penny will have to be returned’</a></strong></p>

<p>Nine teams of about 80 people from the various banks and tax departments worked day and night to complete the counting. The raid involved a whopping 200 officials&nbsp;— including security personnel, drivers and other staff.</p>

<h2><strong>Dhiraj Sahu's old tweet against corruption goes viral</strong></h2>

<p>As the buzz over the raids spread, on X, formerly Twitter, an old post by Sahu went viral.</p>

<p>Writing about black money in the nation, in 2022, Sahu said: "I feel pained seeing so much corruption and black money in the country even after noteban. This is beyond my understanding how people can accumulate so much of black money. Only Congress can uproot corruption from the party."</p>

<p>Sharing a screenshot of the now-viral tweet, BJP's IT Cell chief Amit Malviya made a satirical post on X. "Dhiraj Prasad Sahu has a dark sense of humour," he said.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="und">Dhiraj Prasad Sahu has a dark sense of humour. 😂<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CorruptionKiDukan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CorruptionKiDukan</a> <a href="https://t.co/2esDCyip1O">pic.twitter.com/2esDCyip1O</a></p>
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) <a href="https://twitter.com/amitmalviya/status/1733751877219848553?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 10, 2023</a></blockquote>
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<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/indian-lawyer-makes-shocking-claim-says-state-of-assam-originally-part-of-myanmar-not-india-667886">Indian lawyer makes shocking claim, says state of Assam originally 'part of Myanmar, not India'</a></strong></p>

<h2><strong>'Nothing to do with the party': INC</strong></h2>

<p>Congress has, however, distanced itself from Sahu. Seeking clarification from the MP, the national party said it is "a personal matter of Dheeraj Sahu."</p>

<p>Speaking to media, Congress' Jharkhand in-charge and All India Congress Committee (AICC) member Avinash Pandey said: "It is a collective business of his joint family. That family has been in business for over 100 years. Only he can give information about from where he got such a huge amount of money but since he is associated with the Congress and is a Rajya Sabha member of our party, the Congress has sought a clarification from him."&nbsp;</p>

<p>During a press meet in Ranchi, he also said, "This incident has nothing to do with the Congress."&nbsp;</p>

<p>"The party has already made it clear that this is a personal matter of Dheeraj Sahu. At the same time it would not be right to comment on anything until the official statement comes from the Income Tax and related agencies," he added.</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/wont-take-oath-in-front-of-akbaruddin-owaisi-because-telangana-bjp-mla-t-raja-singh-667869">'Won't take oath in front of Akbaruddin Owaisi because...': Telangana BJP MLA T Raja Singh</a></strong></p>

<p>Addressing BJP's anger over the incident Alamgir, Jharkhand Congress MLA and Minister in the Cabinet of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, said it was the job of the opposition to speak against the Congress.</p>

<p>"As far as raids are concerned, the law is doing its job. It is all happening because Mr. Dheeraj Sahu’s name is associated with the Congress. He is a well-known businessman of the country and his business is not in one State, rather in many States. The Congress will neither talk to rescue him nor to release him in this case," he said</p>

<h2><strong>BJP demands Sahu's arrest</strong></h2>

<p>On Sunday, BJP leaders, as per a PTI report, staged a protest outside Raj Bhavan in Jharkhand, demanding the arrest of Congress MP Dhiraj Sahu.</p>

<p>Former Minister and State Vice-President Gangotri Kujur, and former Minister and MLA CP Singh also participated in the protest.</p>

<p>There, Singh, as per The Hindu, alleged that the Congress had been the "mother of corruption" since the time of Jawaharlal Nehru.</p>

<p>"Be it the Jeep scam or the Bofors scam, the Congress is the mother of corruption. The property of Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi was attached in the National Herald case. [Bhupesh] Baghel has done Mahadev app scam. Whoever is born in the Congress gets involved in corruption. Today when action is being taken against people involved in the scam, everyone including the Congress, JMM, RJD, SP, Trinamool, JD(U), and the Left parties are having problems," he said.</p>

<p>The BJP leader also demanded that the Governor of Jharkhand must investigate using the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Singh also called for Dhiraj Sahu's arrest and said an FIR should be registered against him. Previously, reacting to the I-T raids, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed that "every penny looted from the people" will have to be returned.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


Income Tax (I-T) department raids on companies belonging to Dhiraj Sahu, a member of the Indian parliament, ended on Sunday (Dec 10) after more than three days. The raids led to the recovery of more than 353 crore Indian rupees (a staggering 42 million US dollars), which happens to be the largest cash haul in a single operation.

Income Tax (I-T) department raids on companies belonging to Dhiraj Sahu, a member of the Indian parliament, ended on Sunday (Dec 10) after more than three days. The raids led to the recovery of more than 353 crore Indian rupees (a staggering 42 million US dollars), which happens to be the largest cash haul in a single operation. It has now snowballed into a major political controversy as it involves a Congress leader. The largest haul As per reports, counting the massive cash haul could not be finished in a day or two. While the reason for this is reportedly the day-to-day operations of the State Bank of India branch involved in counting, a leader of the ruling party BJP quipped, "Even the [currency counting] machines are tired of counting." Taking to X, Kiren Rijiju, India's Minister of Earth Sciences wrote in Hindi, "Even the machines are tired of counting the notes of Congress' corruption!! Why is Congress party always associated with corruption?" मशीनें भी कांग्रेस के भ्रष्टाचार के नोट गिनते-गिनते थक गई हैं !! कांग्रेस पार्टी हमेशा भ्रष्टाचार से क्यों जुड़ी रहती है? https://t.co/US2PhN6xp5 pic.twitter.com/rBIi6ddwBV — Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) December 10, 2023 × Over $42 million (₹350 crore) has been recovered. This as per reports amounted to 176 bags of cash. Three banks were roped in for the counting, which used 40 currency counting machines. The Hindustan Times reports that soon after the counting started, currency counting machines "gave in" due to the huge amounts of cash, and more had to be brought in. Also read | $34.7mn cash seized in I-T raids on Cong MP’s properties; Modi vows ‘every penny will have to be returned’ Nine teams of about 80 people from the various banks and tax departments worked day and night to complete the counting. The raid involved a whopping 200 officials — including security personnel, drivers and other staff. Dhiraj Sahu's old tweet against corruption goes viral As the buzz over the raids spread, on X, formerly Twitter, an old post by Sahu went viral. Writing about black money in the nation, in 2022, Sahu said: "I feel pained seeing so much corruption and black money in the country even after noteban. This is beyond my understanding how people can accumulate so much of black money. Only Congress can uproot corruption from the party." Sharing a screenshot of the now-viral tweet, BJP's IT Cell chief Amit Malviya made a satirical post on X. "Dhiraj Prasad Sahu has a dark sense of humour," he said. Dhiraj Prasad Sahu has a dark sense of humour. 😂#CorruptionKiDukan pic.twitter.com/2esDCyip1O — Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) December 10, 2023 × Also read | Indian lawyer makes shocking claim, says state of Assam originally 'part of Myanmar, not India' 'Nothing to do with the party': INC Congress has, however, distanced itself from Sahu. Seeking clarification from the MP, the national party said it is "a personal matter of Dheeraj Sahu." Speaking to media, Congress' Jharkhand in-charge and All India Congress Committee (AICC) member Avinash Pandey said: "It is a collective business of his joint family. That family has been in business for over 100 years. Only he can give information about from where he got such a huge amount of money but since he is associated with the Congress and is a Rajya Sabha member of our party, the Congress has sought a clarification from him." During a press meet in Ranchi, he also said, "This incident has nothing to do with the Congress." "The party has already made it clear that this is a personal matter of Dheeraj Sahu. At the same time it would not be right to comment on anything until the official statement comes from the Income Tax and related agencies," he added. Also read | 'Won't take oath in front of Akbaruddin Owaisi because...': Telangana BJP MLA T Raja Singh Addressing BJP's anger over the incident Alamgir, Jharkhand Congress MLA and Minister in the Cabinet of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, said it was the job of the opposition to speak against the Congress. "As far as raids are concerned, the law is doing its job. It is all happening because Mr. Dheeraj Sahu’s name is associated with the Congress. He is a well-known businessman of the country and his business is not in one State, rather in many States. The Congress will neither talk to rescue him nor to release him in this case," he said BJP demands Sahu's arrest On Sunday, BJP leaders, as per a PTI report, staged a protest outside Raj Bhavan in Jharkhand, demanding the arrest of Congress MP Dhiraj Sahu. Former Minister and State Vice-President Gangotri Kujur, and former Minister and MLA CP Singh also participated in the protest. There, Singh, as per The Hindu, alleged that the Congress had been the "mother of corruption" since the time of Jawaharlal Nehru. "Be it the Jeep scam or the Bofors scam, the Congress is the mother of corruption. The property of Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi was attached in the National Herald case. [Bhupesh] Baghel has done Mahadev app scam. Whoever is born in the Congress gets involved in corruption. Today when action is being taken against people involved in the scam, everyone including the Congress, JMM, RJD, SP, Trinamool, JD(U), and the Left parties are having problems," he said. The BJP leader also demanded that the Governor of Jharkhand must investigate using the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Singh also called for Dhiraj Sahu's arrest and said an FIR should be registered against him. Previously, reacting to the I-T raids, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed that "every penny looted from the people" will have to be returned. (With inputs from agencies)

Explained: Currency machines 'give in' as I-T raids in India recover $42mn from Congress' Dhiraj Sahu

The phrase 'money don't grow on trees' has actually come true! A bizarre incident which took place in India's Karnataka - money was found on a tree during one of the raids conducted by the Income Tax Department. Watch the video to know more.

India: Money found hanging on mango tree in Karnataka during I-T raid | World News | WION

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Odisha I-T raids: Cash seizure goes past Rs 300 crore, marks 'Highest-Ever' Haul

Explained: Currency machines 'give in' as I-T raids in India recover $42mn from Congress' Dhiraj Sahu

India: Money found hanging on mango tree in Karnataka during I-T raid | World News | WION