TMC MP with huge cash at IGI: EC asks CBDT to submit report

NEW DELHI: The Election Commission has asked the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) to submit an inquiry report into the incident where a Trinamool Congress MP was hold up at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here recently for carrying Rs 57 lakh cash.

The EC asked CBDT Chairman Sudhir Chandra to submit by tomorrow a detailed report in this regard and any subsequent action taken by the Income Tax department to question Kanwar Deep Singh, Trinamool's Rajya Sabha member from Jharkhand and owner of Alchemist Group.

The MP was intercepted by the airport security for carrying the huge cash to poll-bound Guwahati. He was later allowed to go after he informed authorities that the money belonged to his company. He was accompanied by seven others in a private plane.

Sources said the EC wants to know the 'end-use' of the cash that was being carried by Singh as the IT department at the airport had found the source of the money to be appropriate.

The EC has asked the IT department to keep a surveillance on any suspected cash movement in view of the upcoming Assembly polls in four states and a union territory. The department has hence activated air intelligence units at various airports to keep a tab on suspicious movement of cash.