Around ₹11cr seized after IT raids at ex-minister’s house, mill in WB: Official

The former minister who owns a beedi factory and several mills, however, claimed that he has documents and that the money was meant to be paid to labourers

The income tax department seized around ₹11crore cash from the residence and factory of former minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) legislator Zakir Hossain during raids that started on Wednesday morning and continued till around 3:30am on Thursday.

The former minister’s house, beedi factory and oil mills in Murshidabad district were raided. (File image | Representative)

The former minister’s house, beedi factory and oil mills in Murshidabad district were raided.

Around ₹5.5crore was seized from two other beedi manufacturing units in the same district which belong to other persons taking the total amount of cash seized to more than ₹16crore.

“Raids were conducted at multiple places in West Bengal. A sizable amount of cash was seized,” said a senior IT official.

Hossain is the TMC MLA from Jangipur in Murshidabad district and a former junior labour minister in the West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee administration.

“While around ₹1crore was seized from Hossain’s house, around ₹10crore was seized from his rice and flour mill,” said another official.

Hossain, who owns a beedi factory and several mills, however, claimed that he has documents and that the money was meant to be paid to labourers who work in his factory and mills.

“Around 7,000 labourers work under me. They need to be paid in cash. There was a raid in my house and mills. The money which was seized was meant to be paid to the labourers and farmers. We showed them (IT officials) documents but they didn’t pay heed. For security reasons, we sometime need to keep the cash at home. The law will take its own course. I pay tax and we cooperated with the officials,” Hossain told local media persons in Murshidabad.