Historic Cash Seizure: Record-Breaking Raid in Odisha

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman honored an Income Tax Department team for seizing Rs 352 crore in cash during a raid on an Odisha distillery group in 2023. The team, led by S K Jha and Gurpreet Singh, received the 'CBDT Certificate of Excellence' for this highest-ever seizure in Indian history.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday honored an Income Tax Department team for executing the largest cash seizure in Indian history, amounting to approximately Rs 352 crore. The seizure occurred during a series of raids against a distillery group in Odisha in 2023.

The 'CBDT Certificate of Excellence' was awarded to the investigation team, led by Principal Director of Income Tax investigation, Bhubaneswar, S K Jha, and Additional Director of I-T, Gurpreet Singh, during an event commemorating 165 years of income tax in India.

Singh, a 2010 batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer, spearheaded the raids based on ''actionable intelligence'' on December 6, 2022. The searches spanned 10 days and culminated in the recovery of Rs 351.8 crore, marking it as the highest-ever seizure by any agency in a single operation in India.

The event also saw the Minister of State for Finance, Pankaj Chaudhary, bestow certificates to other key members of the I-T team, including Deputy Director H K Das and Inspector P K Singh. This award has been newly instituted by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), the administrative body of the Income Tax Department.

(With inputs from agencies.)