I-T asks ED to probe Malla Reddy

Hyderabad: The Income-Tax Department reportedly wrote a letter to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to probe further into the alleged unaccounted money seized from state Labour Minister Ch Malla Reddy and his family members during the recent raids conducted by the I-T officials in Hyderabad recently.

It may be mentioned here that after demonetisation, the focus is more on greater collaboration between the tax department and other investigating agencies like ED and CBI to ensure that those caught with big amounts of unaccounted income are simultaneously probed for corruption and other activities like money laundering.

It is learnt that the ED is likely to summon the minister and question the latter to find out the sources of the seized money. The I-T officials in their report are said to have alleged collection of huge donations from MBBS students at the time of admission into the medical college owned by the minister's family. Sources said that IT officials also handed over the seized money, documents and other material seized from the houses of the minister and his relations to the ED. Some important documents with regard to the assets owned by the minster and his family members are also said to be under scrutiny by the probe agency.

Officials said that the alleged disproportionate assets case will be filed by the ED.

Though Malla Reddy claimed that I-T seized not more than Rs 20 lakh during the searches, the I-T sources said that Rs 18.50 crore in cash and more than 10 kgs of gold was seized during the raids.

The I-T officials have requested the banks to give the details of the bank lockers registered in the minister and family names in the city. The ED will probe the economic offences allegedly committed by the minister based on the information furnished by the I-T Department.

The I-T officials have also taken serious note of the case registered against the I-T officials by the minister in a city police station alleging harassment of his family members. The I-T officials had also lodged a complaint against the minister for obstructing them from performing their duty and for rude behaviour. The I-T department proposes to further pursue this case legally.