Kanpur: The raid which took place last year is not a case of mistaken identity, sources in the agency that investigates GST evasions said after excavating the unaccounted cash from his premises.
Sources in the probe agency said the raid was a result of a focused investigation based on specific inputs.
This comes amid a fog of speculation surrounding the huge haul at the Kanpur and Kannauj premises of Piyush Jain, which led to the recovery of ₹ 196 crore in cash and 23 kg gold.
Coming in the middle of a high-pitch election campaign, the raids have entered political speeches, with the BJP and Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party accusing each other of backing the jailed perfume trader.
The BJP has alleged that it was Piyush Jain who recently launched the “Samajwadi perfume”. Taking a swipe at the opposition party, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in Kanpur yesterday, “Boxes filled with notes have come out. The people of Kanpur understand business and trade well. Before 2017, the perfume of corruption that they had sprinkled all over Uttar Pradesh is there for everyone to see.”
On this Akhilesh Yadav has given a fitting reply. While addressing the reporters at a press conference at Unnao, the launch of the ninth phase of his party’s ‘Vijay Yatra’ he demobilized the allegations made by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. On being questioned about the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s allegations about SP opposing demonetization because it wanted to hide black money and the raids at the Kanpur trader’s home, Akhilesh said, “There can’t be a bigger liar than the CM. If someone who is a yogi lies while wearing saffron clothes, then how will anyone believe him? The CM’s claim that the money recovered in Kanpur is associated with the SP and that the businessman launched a perfume (for SP) is a lie. Also, whose responsibility was the recovered money… how did it come? Did it come in airplanes or trains? They have their government everywhere. Then who is responsible? This proves that the note-ban was a failure.”
In November, the SP had launched the ‘Samajwadi perfume’ to spread the ‘smell of socialism’. The perfume was a mix of 22 fragrances and was prepared in Kannauj by SP MLC Pushpraj Jain ‘Pampi’. “They advertised through the media that the businessman whose home was raided belonged to SP. By afternoon, journalists who are aware understood that the businessman had nothing to do with the SP. They (BJP leaders) also kept changing their statements. In the morning, the headlines were that the home of a businessman who launched an ‘itra’ for SP was raided. The BJP got the raid conducted at the wrong place and the home of its own person. You should get his (Piyush Jain’s) call details and you will find the names of BJP’s people. They wanted to raid the home of Pushpraj Jain, but by mistake raided Piyush Jain’s. It seemed like a mistake of Digital India,” added Akhilesh.
In November, the SP had launched the ‘Samajwadi perfume’ intending to spread the ‘smell of socialism’. The perfume was a mix of 22 fragrances and was prepared in Kannauj by SP MLC Pushpraj Jain ‘Pampi’.
Sources from the Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI), however, junked the mistaken identity theory. They have said they received specific inputs regarding alleged tax evasion by the Shikhar Pan Masala group. A probe led them to transport company Ganapati Road Carriers and Piyush Jain’s Odochem Industries, the sources said.
Piyush Jain supplied perfumery compounds to the Shikhar group and came under the scanner for taking payments only in cash, the sources said, reiterating that it was not a case of mistaken identity.
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