Andhra Pradesh   

Two from Delhi held with Rs. 25 lakhs

Staff Reporter

High drama unfolds after I-T sleuths in Hyderabad raid a hotel room on a tip-off

PHOTO: Sivakumar P.V .

IN I-T NET: The two persons detained at a hotel in Hyderabad, after the Income Tax sleuths seized a large amount of money from them on Friday.

HYDERABAD: Money, politics and mystery ruled the day after two persons from the country's nerve centre of power, New Delhi, were caught with Rs. 25 lakhs from a hotel near Old MLA Quarters here on Friday.

Two more persons, including one purported Rajya Sabha aspirant, also from Delhi, are absconding. The series of events started unfolding in the afternoon after Income-Tax Department officials, acting on a tip-off, raided Room No.101 in Hotel Sara International in Himayatnagar and apprehended Sabir Ali Khan and Vinay Gaur.

Both had in their possession Rs. 25 lakhs, the source of which they "could not explain."

Two more at large

Based on the information from them that their `leader' R.P. Mallik and his `associate' S.M. Khan were lodged in another hotel, the officials rushed to Anmol International, this time near the Secretariat. However, the room into which Mallik and Khan had checked in lay empty.

Further interrogation of the duo revealed that Mallik, who is learnt to have a chain of schools in Delhi, had come to Hyderabad to file nominations to the Rajya Sabha. However, the purpose of the visit, the money, local contacts and political affiliations remained a mystery.

According to I-T Director-General (Investigations) J.L. Giridhar, efforts were on to trace Mallik and Khan, while Sabir Ali and Gaur were being questioned for further details.

Mr. Giridhar said the city police had been informed and that the two would be handed over to them.

Speculation mounts

Earlier in the day, speculation was rife over the amount of cash the visitors brought and the persons whom they had come to meet.

Television channels camped outside Hotel Sara International for a glimpse of the two. The only time that they were able to catch Sabir Ali on camera ended in a fiasco after he lost his cool following which the media was kept at a distance.

Whatever details came forth were those announced by Mr. Giridhar at a press conference later in the evening.

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