Gandhinagar, Sep 28 (SocialNews.XYZ) Gujarat CID Crime will conduct a forensic audit of records and reconstruct the financial trail in four complaints filed by the Income Tax Department over alleged bogus political donations, as investigators move into the evidence-gathering phase of the cases.
Rohan Anand, Superintendent of Police, CID Crime (Economic Offences Wing), said the agency had registered four cases over the past three days based on Income Tax complaints and that the alleged loss to the government in the four complaints was estimated at around Rs 680 crore at the preliminary stage.
“First, we will take on record all the evidence that the Income Tax Department has already collected during its investigation. At the same time, to ensure a quality investigation, we will also seek the services of a chartered accountant,” Anand said.
The CID's next phase will include examining bank trails, Angadia slips, payment receipts issued by the political parties, and other documentary evidence.
Investigators will also attempt to locate accused persons who are absconding.
The development comes days after the Gujarat CID Crime registered cases following Income Tax investigations into registered unrecognised political parties (RUPPs) allegedly used to route purported donations, enable taxpayers to claim deductions, and then return the money in cash after commissions were deducted.
According to FIR-based reports, three parties — Bharatiya National Janata Dal (BNJD), Swatantrata Abhivyakti Party and Garib Kalyan Party — were alleged to have received nearly Rs 1,870 crore in purported donations, with the Income Tax Department estimating a combined tax loss of more than Rs 560 crore.
The largest case involves BNJD, where the alleged donations total Rs 1,143.85 crore from 56,238 donors, with an estimated tax loss of nearly Rs 343 crore.
The Income Tax complaints allege that donors transferred money through banking channels and received contribution receipts that enabled them to claim tax deductions.
The funds were allegedly routed through intermediary entities before being withdrawn and returned to donors in cash after commissions were deducted. The allegations have yet to be established in court.
A separate complaint reported on Sunday concerned the Satyavadi Rakshak Party and alleged transactions of Rs 415 crore during 2022-23 to 2024-25.
The Income Tax Department alleged that the party's accounts were used for purported donations and that audit and contribution documents were prepared without properly verifying the underlying transactions.
The department estimated the alleged loss to the government at Rs 124.5 crore in that complaint. Anand said these audit records would now be subjected to forensic examination, making the verification of documents submitted to tax authorities an important part of the CID probe.
“The audit reports submitted to the Income Tax authorities through the parties' portals will also undergo forensic examination,” he said.
The CID will examine the evidence already gathered by the Income Tax Department alongside its own investigation to establish the movement of funds and the roles of the accused, rather than relying only on the tax department's preliminary findings.
The cases involve allegations of cheating, criminal conspiracy, forgery and use of forged documents under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, according to reports on the FIRs.
The investigation is in its early stages, and the alleged transactions and roles of the accused will be verified through documentary, financial, and forensic evidence.
Source: IANS
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