Pune, March 13
Income Tax officials, who carried out searches at controversial race horse owner Hasan Ali Khan's two houses here, had seized jewellery worth Rs 10 lakh from there, officials said today. A J Khan, Director (Investigation), Pune Division, told reporters that local officials had extended logistic support in the search operation carried out by a team that had come from Mumbai.
When his attention was drawn to the fact that Khan had residential premises in Pune and therefore ought to be filing his IT returns here, chief commissioner Income Tax Santosh Datta, said he also had a house in Mumbai that can bring him under the jurisdiction of the metropolis.
To a query how a sum of Rs 35,000 crore was mentioned against Khan in alleged hawala transactions, Datta said, "it may be a good-looking figure. It is anybody's guess. We cannot comment on this. The CBDT spokesman in Delhi has already made a statement in this regard." Both refused to give any more details saying the issue came under Mumbai IT jurisdiction.
Meanwhile, the Pune IT officials were carrying out searches on the premises of a leading city-based firm of lawyers.
"The search was still in progress for evasion of taxes," Khan said. Meanwhile, Hyderabad police commissioner Balwinder Singh, said Khan had faced six criminal cases, two cheque bouncing and four cheating, against him in the city all of which have been disposed off.
"The cases registered against Ali in the city have no connection with his present activities in Pune", he said adding the cases were 16-year-old and it would take some time to get the
details. — PTI
