Madhya Pradesh: IT officials find crocodiles during raid on former BJP MLA's house
Officials have detected tax evasion of ₹155 crore and seized ₹3 crore in cash. Several valuables, including gold and silver jewellery, have also been seized
Income Tax officials raiding former BJP MLA Harvansh Singh Rathore's property in Madhya Pradesh's Sagar district were surprised to find crocodiles on the premises.
During their raid on Friday, officials spotted crocodiles at a pond inside a house and alerted the forest department officials. (Representative image) (HT File)
The raid was related to alleged issues in a bidi manufacturing business run by Rajesh Kesarwani, Rathore's business partner. Kesarwani, a former councillor and contractor, is accused of evading large amounts of income tax, PTI reported.
Rathore is a veteran leader from Sagar district who was elected an MLA in the 2013 assembly election. His father, Harnam Singh Rathore, was a former minister in the state government.
IT officials have been raiding premises linked to Kesarwani and his associate since Sunday, PTI reported.
During their raid on Friday, officials spotted crocodiles at a pond inside a house and alerted the forest department officials. MP Head of Forest Force Aseem Shrivastava told PTI that the reptiles were rescued, and a case has been registered under the Wildlife Protection Act.
“The health of the crocodiles is being examined. We will inform the court about them and proceed accordingly,” the official said, declining to comment on the number of crocodiles rescued or the owner of the premises. NDTV reported that the crocodiles were spotted and rescued from Rathore's house.
Officials have detected tax evasion of ₹155 crore and seized ₹3 crore in cash. Several valuables, including gold and silver jewellery, have also been seized.
Sources also told NDTV that the former BJP MLA, who also ran a construction business, alone evaded tax worth ₹140 crore. The raids have helped officials unearth crucial documents, the report said.
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