Income Tax, ED raids at Ganpati Plaza lockers to probe Rs 500 cr black money allegations

JAIPUR: Following ED’s morning raids in Rajasthan on Friday, the Income Tax Department conducted evening raids at Ganpati Plaza in Jaipur. Earlier in the day, BJP MP Dr. Kirori Lal Meena had claimed that the lockers there contained black money totaling Rs 500 crore linked to various scams.

Post the Income Tax Department’s intervention, ED officials joined them at Ganpati Plaza. Both departments are scrutinizing the locker documents and compiling details of the locker owners, who might be summoned on Saturday for further checks.

MP Meena addressed the media outside the plaza around 11 am and later visited the plaza’s basement. He reiterated his accusations about the presence of black money in the private lockers. After a sit-in protest of over two hours, Meena departed from Ganpati Plaza.

Earlier in the day, the Enforcement Directorate targeted residences and offices of individuals close to senior Congress leaders in a paper leak investigation. These raids spanned Jaipur, Jodhpur, and Dungarpur, focusing on properties of Dinesh Khodnia, Spardha Choudhary, and Ashok Jain.

Sources from ED revealed that RPSC member Babulal Katara and alleged mastermind Bhupendra Saran, implicated in the paper leak, were previously detained for questioning. Their interrogation yielded names of other potential culprits. Following Katara’s leads, Saran was detained and cross-examined.

The duo reportedly provided insights into other key players in the background. After gathering their statements, the Delhi ED office launched a week-long covert investigation into Khodnia, Jain, and Chaudhary, examining their bank records, backgrounds, contacts, and potential roles in the upcoming assembly elections. This probe also revealed connections to several high-ranking leaders, prompting the dispatch of teams from Delhi and Gujarat to Jaipur for the aforementioned raids.