GUWAHATI, Nov 26 - Security agencies have been put on alert while Income Tax officials have stepped up scrutiny of bank accounts following reports that black money hoarders are flocking to tax-exempted States of the Northeastern region to get their money converted after demonetisation of high denomination notes.
State security agencies, CISF and the Railway police have been asked to step up their vigil to check transportation of such cash.
The alert came after a seizure of Rs 3.5 crore from a chartered flight at Dimapur airport. On November 22 last, Amarjeet Kumar Singh, a Bihar resident, was detained by CISF at Dimapur airport with cash amounting to Rs 3.5 crore in old high denomination notes. Singh had arrived in a chartered flight from Hissar in Haryana.
Amarjeet, a businessman, told interrogators that the cash belonged to Anato K Zhimomi, who happens to be Lok Sabha MP Neiphiu Rio�s son-in-law. He also produced an authorisation letter signed by Anato, claiming that the amount was meant for purchase of some agricultural land in Hissar, but the deal could not be finalised. Anato was waiting at the airport to receive Singh.
Investigators said that another chartered flight VT-CSP, carrying one passenger, Anuj Sood, had landed at Dimapur airport from New Delhi on November 13 and had returned the next day with five persons, including a couple of relatives of senior politicians.
The trail has led to detection of money cash transfers, which, sources say could be over Rs 30 crore.
While security agencies are investigating the Dimapur cash-lift case, reports indicated that large sums of money are coming in from mainland India to tribal States of North East for conversion following the demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes. The conversions, according to the reports, are being done through politicians or businessmen based here.
In the NE, STs in North Cachar Hills, Karbi Anglong, Bodoland Territorial Autonomous District in Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura are exempted from income tax.
�It is but obvious that people from other parts of the country who have unaccounted cash will try to use this to their advantage. All the routes, including rail, road and air, are being closely monitored. Bank managers have been also briefed about it,� security sources said.
It is learnt that accounts of many people in the tribal States have witnessed huge deposits after November 8.
In fact, Sikkim Government has even issued an official statement cautioning �Sikkimese� (Income Tax exempted citizens) not to entertain cash or park cash of �Non-Sikkimese� people. �Black money hoarders could misuse such bank accounts,� it said.
