Income-Tax department exposes Kolkata-based bogus firm, seizes Rs 1.78 crore

The Income-Tax department has exposed a Kolkata-based bogus firm and seized unaccounted cash worth Rs 1.78 crore from its account at a private bank.

The money was deposited at Chowk branch of Axis bank in the account of a Kolkata-based firm Himadri Wincom Private Limited after the demonetisation move, said GR Nirwan, Assistant Director of IT (investigation).

A Varanasi-based local businessman Sudhir Rastogi and his wife Asha Rastogi were found registered as the firm's directors, he said. Sudhir?runs a business of makeup items and his annual income filed with the IT-department is around Rs 5-6 lakh.

During investigation, Rastogi denied any links with the deposited money in the bank account and has also given an affidavit to the I-T department in this regard.

He claimed that he had already quit the firm a year ago and had not deposited the cash in the bank. Following the suspicious transaction, IT department sealed the account and seized the unaccounted cash worth Rs1.78 crore out of total Rs 2.35 crore, deposited between November 10 to 29, said GR Nirwan, Assistant Director of IT(investigation).

He said the IT department went through the records of the firm and tried to find out its registered address in Kolkata, but could not find it there. They then traced the firm's directors who are presently residing in Varanasi and owns a shop.

He said, "the seized cash in the bank account is now considered as 'benami' after the denial of claim over the money by firms directors Sudhir Rastogi and his wife Asha Rastogi". He said the investigation in the case is further on and the Banks CCTV footage will be checked to find out who deposited money in the bank account and appropriate action would be taken.