Buried cash: IT dept pauses excavation, probes Pune link

On Sunday, the 14-member IT investigation team recorded the statements of Rakesh and Rajesh Yadav. Officials said their statements, along with documents recovered during the excavation, pointed towards a possible financial connection to a bullion trader in Pune, Maharashtra, where the brothers reportedly worked before returning to Prayagraj during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The income tax (IT) department on Sunday temporarily suspended excavation at the house of brothers Rakesh Yadav and Rajesh Yadav in Baraipur Ramnagar village of Nawabganj, where three blue drums containing more than ₹3.90 crore in bundles of ₹500 notes were unearthed on October 28.

Even on the fifth day of the investigation, authorities had not established the origin of the cash buried beneath the property. (HT File)

According to officials, investigators are now focusing on scrutinising recovered documents and questioning the brothers to establish the source of the cash and their assets.

On Sunday, the 14-member IT investigation team recorded the statements of Rakesh and Rajesh Yadav. Officials said their statements, along with documents recovered during the excavation, pointed towards a possible financial connection to a bullion trader in Pune, Maharashtra, where the brothers reportedly worked before returning to Prayagraj during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Assistant director (investigation) Abhay Kumar Sonker, who is overseeing the inquiry, said three sealed plastic packets containing documents were recovered during Saturday’s excavation. Preliminary examination of the documents and the brothers’ statements suggests a Pune connection, though investigators are yet to establish the exact source of the cash and assets allegedly amassed by the duo over the past five years.

“Both the recorded statements and seized documents point towards a possible Pune connection, where the brothers had previously worked. However, it is a bit early to ascertain the precise source of the cash and wealth through which they purchased several bighas of land, constructed a new house and made other investments,” Sonker said.

Officials said several other items believed to be relevant to the investigation were also recovered from the site. Sonker said the probe was progressing in the right direction and excavation at another house built by the brothers could be undertaken next week if required.

Even on the fifth day of the investigation, authorities had not established the origin of the cash buried beneath the property.

According to sources, some relatives of the brothers have told investigators that the money could be linked to an income tax raid conducted in 2019 on a Pune-based bullion trader for whom the brothers allegedly worked. They claimed that the trader had handed over the unaccounted cash to the brothers for safekeeping during the raid but never recovered it. Investigators, however, have yet to verify these claims.