IT raids UP, Delhi properties of liquor baron Ponty Chadha

The searches in Delhi were conducted at 13 locations including at the posh Sainik Farms and Lajpat Nagar, while in UP, income tax teams comprising 200 officials, undertook similar operations at six locations in Noida, Moradabad and state capital Lucknow.

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Chadha, according to IT sources, is in Dubai at present in connection with a family function. The searches, which began at around 10.30 am on Wednesday morning, were initiated after the department got inputs regarding alleged tax evasion by firms associated with him, the sources said.

The department, according to the sources, were also looking at the possibility of illegal sale of liquor by certain firms in the run up to the UP assembly polls.

IT sleuths also searched the properties of two of his alleged associates --Lalit Kapoor and Gurjeet Kochhar -- in Delhi and is expected to question them about certain transactions.

The searches were conducted by the Delhi-based criminal investigation unit of the department and, according to the sources, the searches were related to the alleged mispricing of huge liquor consignments in the state and other places. They said that the department conducted the operation after gathering intelligence and other inputs about Chadha and his businesses in the last four months.

Chadha, who runs one of the largest liquor businesses in the state with numerous dealerships, also has business interest in cinema and multiplex sectors.