Naresh Balyan and few other people were found at the spot and intercepted by the tax team
New Delhi:
An
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) lawmaker has been detained by Income Tax
Department officials for questioning after their team surveying a
builder in New Delhi on Friday found over
Rs. 2 crore cash allegedly "linked" to the legislator and his associates, officials said.
They
said Uttam Nagar lawmaker Naresh Balyan, a property dealer and two
others are being questioned by the tax officials in Dwarka to determine
if the recovered cash was "illegal and unaccounted."
"Balyan has
been detained for questioning after it emerged that the recovered cash
had purported
links with him. The tax officials are questioning the MLA
and others present with him about the source of the money," a senior
official said.
The incident took place shortly after 1 PM when an
Income Tax team reached the office of a real estate dealer to conduct a
"routine survey" on a tip-off about some cash changing hands.
A
survey procedure entails Income Tax officials visiting only the business
premises of an assessee and not their residential or other locations.
Mr
Balyan and few other people were found at the spot and intercepted by
the tax team at the Dwarka office of the builder and they were refrained
from leaving the premises as the cash amount of over
Rs. 2 crore was recovered from the premise.
After
the recovery of the cash, the department has "converted" its limited
action of survey into a full-fledged ''search and raid operation'' and
few more premises of the people linked in the case are being covered
now, the official said.
He said that tax officials were told that the cash relates to some property deal even as further details are awaited.