The IT Department today raided multiple premises of a hospital group in Haryana's Rewari, related to family of Swaraj India chief Yogendra Yadav, recovering about Rs 22 lakh cash, after it was detected that the owners allegedly made cash payments to a Nirav Modi firm for purchasing jewellery, officials said.
Yogendra Yadav, however, alleged that the raid was conducted at his sisters' hospital-cum-nursing home premises with an intent to "intimidate" and "silence" him as he had launched an agitation for fair crop price for farmers and against liquor shops in that city in Haryana.
The officials said the tax department began the searches at 11 am at the Kalawati Hospital and Kamla Nursing Home in that Haryana town, and the residences of its main partner Dr Gautam Yadav and others.
"A total of three premises are being searched by the department's sleuths from the investigation wing of Haryana. A team of about 40 tax officials and a contingent of police personnel executed the action," a senior official said.
It is understood that Gautam Yadav is the nephew of Yogendra Yadav and son of his sister, Dr Neelam Yadav.
Officials said the tax department carried out the action acting on inputs received from a dossier of information from the group of diamond merchant Nirav Modi, absconding from probe in the USD 2 billion PNB fraud case. It was found that Gautam Yadav allegedly paid Rs 3.25 lakh in cash, out of the total Rs 6.50 lakh, for purchase of jewellery from the diamantaire's firm.
They added that the searches also covered Dr Narender Singh Yadav and Rs 22 lakh cash was recovered from the residence of the Yadavs'.
"The current cash limit in the hand of a person is Rs 2 lakh and the source of this recovered cash amount of Rs 22 lakh is being probed," an official said.
When asked about the ITD allegations, Yogendra Yadav told PTI, "The question is whether this money is unaccounted for? I do not know about the accounts of the hospitals."