Ajit Pawar's properties worth Rs 1,000 crore attached by I-T Dept

The Income Tax (I-T) Department on Tuesday provisionally attached several assets linked to Maharashtra Deputy CM and NCP leader Ajit Pawar under the Prohibition of Benami Property Transactions Act, 1988.

The central agency has attached properties linked to the NCP leader worth over Rs 1,000 crore located in various states, as per media reports. These include a SSK, a resort in Goa, an office and a residential property in Delhi.

The I-T department has provisionally attached 27 pieces of land across Maharashtra -- combined value of the land is estimated to be around Rs 500 crore. All these properties are believed to be owned by Ajit Pawar and other members of his family.


The probe under PBPTA is a follow-up action arising out of the raids and search operations carried out by the investigation wing of the IT department in October, sources told ET.

The department had unearthed unaccounted income worth Rs 184 crore last month following its searches at premises of two real estate groups in Mumbai linked to Pawar's family.

"In this case, if Pawar is found to be the beneficial owner, then he could be asked to join the probe," they added.

Till the I-T department continues its probe into the matter, the NCP leader cannot sell any of these properties.

“The preliminary analysis of the flow of funds indicated that there has been an introduction of unaccounted funds in the group by way of various dubious methods like introduction of bogus shares premium, suspicious unsecured loans, receipt of unsubstantiated advance for certain services, collusive arbitration deals out of non-existent disputes," the department had said earlier in a statement without naming the politician.

"It has been observed that such suspicious flow of funds has taken place with the involvement of an influential family in Maharashtra,” it added.

Sources, however, confirmed that the search operations were linked to Pawar.

Besides Pawar, senior NCP leader and former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh is also currently being probed by the ED and CBI in alleged money laundering cases.