CBI may investigate alleged detection of unaccounted cash in MP during polls

The CBI is likely to begin its investigation in the alleged detection of unaccounted cash of about Rs 281 crore during income tax raids on the houses of close aides of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath and others in April, officials said Tuesday.

The Election Commission after receiving a report from the Central Board of Direct Taxes had written to the government seeking a probe in the matter.

The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) had forwarded it to the Central Bureau of Investigation for "necessary action".

The agency is tight lipped about the future course of action and is not even confirming whether it has received the complaint or not. Sources in the government, however, said that the complaint has been received by the agency and it is doing a verification of prima facie allegations.

"Searches in Madhya Pradesh have detected widespread and well-organised racket of collection of unaccounted cash of about Rs 281 crore through various persons in different walks of life, including business, politics and public service.

"A part of the cash was also transferred to the headquarters of a major political party in Delhi, including about Rs 20 crore, which was moved through hawala recently to the headquarters of the political party from the residence of a senior functionary at Tughlak Road, New Delhi," the CBDT said.

It, however, neither identified the political party nor the senior functionary.

The statement added that records of collection and disbursement of cash "in the form of hand-written diaries, computer files and excel sheets were found and seized and it corroborates the above findings".

The Income Tax department had submitted its report to the EC and the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), the sources said.

The I-T department, in its report submitted to the EC and the CBDT, has chronicled the evidence collected during the two-day-long raids starting April 7, based on which the poll panel has asked DoPT to consider asking the CBI for a probe as the allegations of this illegal money transfer during the polls "had basic evidence and the charges are serious".