Bengaluru: In a startling catch, the Income Tax department on Saturday seized 28 Kg of bullion, about 4 kg of gold and jewellery, 5.7 Crores of new currency in 2000 notes, and 90 lakhs in old Rs 100 and Rs 20 notes from a bathroom in Challakere town.
The bathroom had a secret "vault" like the movies, where all the cash and gold was stashed.
The tiled bathroom wall had a small hole at one end, these gaps or holes are quite common when tiles are mounted on walls. The video shows a screw driver being poked into the hole, "thus pressing the switch to open the secret locker behind the tiled wall".
Once the switch is pressed through the hole, one end of the wall with 6 inch thick steel coating opens up. This was the place where all the black money was stocked up. The Hawala dealer even used naphthalene balls to makes sure pests don't spoil the paper currency.
The department seized the alleged undisclosed assets, as part of its raids against black money hoarders post demonetisation, from the residence of the said hawala operator who is yet to be identified.
The Challakere town, about 40 kms from district headquarters of Chitradurga, is popularly know as the 'oil city' due to the presence of a number of edible oil mills here.
Officials said the taxman raided the premises based on intelligence inputs about the presence of huge cash and the sleuths were startled to find a cleverly-hidden stainless steel safe, above the wash basin, inside the tiled walls of the bathroom.
The assets were recovered after the department's investigation wing in Panaji on Friday began searches against casino and bullion traders in Hubballi and Chitradurga districts.
A good number of documents and another Rs 90 lakh cash (Rs 100/20 notes) has been seized after the searches on the said hawala dealer, they said.
"The searches in this case are still going on at various places and the valuation of the bullion and jewellery is being conducted," they said.
(With agency inputs)
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