The Hindu : Front Page : Koda’s Ranchi house partly sealed

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Koda’s Ranchi house partly sealed

Enforcement Directorate serves summons on former Chief Minister in hospital

No entry: Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda’s house in Ranchi which has been partially sealed by IT officials on Wednesday.

New Delhi/Ranchi: The Income Tax Department on Wednesday sealed some rooms and almirahs at the Ranchi residence of former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda, embroiled in the alleged hawala transaction and illegal investments running into more than Rs 2,000 crore, even as Enforcement Directorate served summons on him at the hospital where he is admitted.

Tax department officials said the searches were continuing and they had issued prohibitory orders after sealing the properties of Mr. Koda and his associates across the country. The prohibitory orders are issued under Section 132 of the Income Tax Act whenever any property or material is seized by the department.

A team of ED officials which reached Ranchi on Tuesday has taken possession of documents relating to alleged hawala transaction surfaced during the IT searches.

The former Chief Minister and at least eight of his associates, facing charges of money laundering, have been summoned by the ED for questioning on alleged hawala transactions and investments, the officials said.

They said the summons were served to Mr. Koda on Tuesday at the hospital in Ranchi where he was admitted following complaints of high blood pressure and stomach ache.

Both the ED and the Income Tax department have started scrutiny of the documents related to the transactions and investments running into crores of rupees by Mr. Koda and his associates, they said.

The Income Tax department, which continues its search operations in Ranchi and Mumbai, was collecting information and documents sent by various directorates of the IT department from Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Lucknow, Nasik, and Jamshedpur.

Mr. Koda, who got himself admitted to a hospital with complaints of high blood pressure and stomach ache, was stable, doctors said.

“His stomach ache is under control and blood pressure has come down,” said Javed Akhtar, Public Relations Officer of the Abdur Razzak Memorial Weavers’ Hospital, where Mr. Koda is admitted. -- PTI

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