CBI probe delayed as I-T dept sits on seized documents

Highly placed sources in the CBI said that the Income Tax department, which caught hold of property and bank account-related details from the offices and residences of the accused, is yet to hand over them to the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).

“We are awaiting the documents seized by the Income Tax department. During our searches at the houses of the partners of Sekhar Reddy, we could not find any documents or valuables as all those had been already seized by the I-T sleuths. They have also kept some portions sealed for further verification,” a senior CBI official told DTNext. 

Also, the I-T department has kept many rooms and assets on the premises of Sekhar Reddy and associates Rathinam and Ramachandran cordoned as they did not have enough time to check them. These sealed rooms would be opened and checked as per the convenience of the department officials, sources added. Meanwhile, I-T officials have said that the scrutiny of the seized assets and documents would begin only after culmination of the searches. “Voluminous documents regarding movable and immovable assets have been seized during the raids and we need to go through all of them. Due to shortage of manpower, we could not subject these documents to scrutiny as all our officials were busy with multi-location raids,” a senior I-T official said. 

CBI is also awaiting the transfer of the accused from judicial custody to police custody. “We need to interrogate them to find out how they had managed to get the demonetised currency exchanged in bulk volume. It is very crucial for the progress of our case,” the CBI official added. 

Meanwhile, sources in the CBI said that the new currency notes to the tune of Rs 34 crore seized from Sekhar Reddy did not have continuous serial numbers, making the case further complicated for the agency. Due to this, the agency still could not identify the banks that colluded with the accused tor exchange. It may be noted that the accused have claimed that they received the new notes from the sand contractors who purchased sand from them in the state.