I-T sends Letters Rogatory to Gulf, European countries in Qureshi case

NEW DELHI: The Income Tax department has sent requests for cooperation to some countries in the Gulf and Europe in connection with its probe against Delhi-based meat exporter Moin Akhtar Qureshi for alleged tax evasion.

The department, after preliminary investigation in this case for about a month, recently issued notices to former CBI Director A P Singh and his wife.

Official sources said the Tax department has sent Letters Rogatory (judicial cooperation requests) to the United Arab Emirates and few countries in the European Union as the department suspects that Qureshi may have allegedly routed his money through these countries.

The Letters Rogatory, issued under the existing tax information exchange treaties operational between India and these countries, have asked for specific details of bank accounts and transactions made by Qureshi and his associates.

The sources said the requests were sent to obtain the information from foreign locations before the tax department completes the process of finalising a comprehensive tax demand report in this case.

Efforts to seek a reaction from Qureshi did not fructify and he also did not reply to messages sent on his mobile.

In a series of searches by the tax department at various premises purportedly linked to Qureshi, sleuths so far claimed to have frozen Rs 20 crore in cash and jewellery along with deposits in bank accounts.

The former CBI chief's name, who is now a member of the Union Public Service Commission, was first linked to the case after the I-T department found that an office property taken on rent by Qureshi's firm was owned by Singh's mother.

This property is in a posh location here. The department, sources in the Income Tax department and Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) said, is also in possession of telephonic and other mobile phone-based communication between Qureshi and Singh.

A Doon school alumnus, 57-year-old Qureshi has been under the I-T department's scanner for several months now for alleged tax evasion with sleuths claiming that the turnover of his companies was 'under-reported' thereby leading to evasion.