More tax raids at Congress MP Dheeraj Sahu's premises in Odisha, 19 more bags full of money seized

The Income Tax department is still conducting raids at the premises of Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Dheeraj Sahu in Odisha and Jharkhand on Saturday. The department has so far seized over Rs 200 crore in raids conducted at around 25 premises in Odisha and Jharkhand. The raids began on Wednesday (December 6). The premises belong to Baldeo Sahu and Group of Companies Ltd. The company is a partnership firm of Boudh Distilleries Private Limited (BDPL) and a leading country-liquor manufacturing firm, I-T sources said.

On Saturday, the Income Tax teams seized three more bags from Sahu's premises in Ranchi, while nearly 19 bags of money were seized from the house of one Bunty Sahu, who headed the maintenance of liquor factories in the areas where raids were underway in Odisha, India Today reported.

Income Tax slueths first raided BDPL on December 6 on allegations of tax evasion, and later searched the premises of Baldeo Sahu and Group of Companies, from where they claim to have recovered 156 bags of cash. Subsequently, simultaneous raids were conducted in Titlagarh, Sambalpur, Sundargarh and Bhubaneswar in Odisha and a few places in Jharkhand, said official sources. Properties linked to some liquor traders were also searched in Rourkela and Rayagada.

PM Narendra Modi sharply reacted to the raids and said  the money looted from the public will have to be returned.

In a post on X, PM Modi tagged a news report about the I-T department recovering Rs 200 crore in cash from various locations of a business group allegedly linked to Sahu, as he attacked the opposition party.

"Countrymen should look at these piles of currency notes and then hear the addresses of its (Congress) leaders on honesty. Every penny looted from people will have to be returned. This is Modi's guarantee," he said in a post with several emojis.

Sahu has been elected to the Rajya Sabha thrice, and is also a Member, Consultative, Committee for Ministry of Power and Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. He joined politics in 1977.

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