Bhopal: The adjudicating authority under the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Amended Act 2016 has confirmed provisional attachment of 25 illegal properties owned by a retired state government official in the name of his employees in Bhopal.
In June 2018, the Income Tax department had provisionally attached 25 properties, comprising 15 residential land plots in a housing society at Barkheda Pathani village and 10 agricultural land pieces at Garhmura village, on charges of illegal transactions by the retired bureaucrat. Documentary evidence of these transactions were recovered by the I-T department during searches at the residence of the officer concerned and his business partner in 2017.
The retired officer and his family had made huge investments in a private educational group over a period of six years and in lieu of this investment, the group offered 25 benami properties to the family worth over Rs 40 crore.
The family owned the properties in the name of its employees, including driver, personal workers, domestic help and others, said a senior officer from Bhopal on conditions of anonymity. Office-bearers of the said housing society were also allegedly changed frequently to keep things under wraps. “Those who helped the benami property investors, those who facilitated the deals and those who own these properties would be prosecuted,” added the officer.
With the latest development, the authority empowered under Benami property law, 2016, has confirmed attachment of over 300 plus such benami assets in Madhya Pradesh and Chhatisgarh sicne the law into force in 2016, the officer of the IT dept Bhopal told News18.
After the attachment of these properties is confirmed, the affected parties could move the tribunal under Benami property law, 2016, while the I-T department could go ahead with the prosecution of property owners and their aides in a special court. I-T sleuths have provisionally attached over 750 properties in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh under the law since 2016.
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