Zaheera’s property attached for not filing I-T returns

MUMBAI: The Income Tax (I-T) department in Vadodara has provisionally attached the properties of Zaheera Shaikh, prime witness in Best bakery case, as she had failed to file returns for three assessment years commencing ’03-04, her lawyer Umesh Deshpande said.

The properties attached by the I-T include five bank accounts, including three in Syndicate Bank at Bhayender in Thane district, a house in Ekta Nagar, a flat in Mumbai and two small plots in the name of Zaheera’s brother Nasibullah.

Zaheera’s lawyer said that some properties mentioned in the attachment order were wrongly listed as Zaheera did not own them. Acccording to him, Zaheera has two bank accounts in Vadodara and Mira-Bhayender in Mumbai with balance amount of Rs 79,000 and Rs 14,000 respectively in them. She does not own any house in Mumbai and Nasibullah owns only one plot and not two as mentioned in the order, he said.

The attachment notice, signed by DR Chhatre, additional income tax commissioner on May 26, was received by Zaheera’s lawyer on June 7. “We shall file an appeal before competent authority,” Mr Deshpande said. Earlier, Zaheera had replied to income tax notices through her lawyer saying she needed time to file her returns.

as she was serving one year jail term imposed on her by the Supreme Court. She sought extension of the April 16 deadline by two months. Meanwhile, the income tax department sent her notice informing her of attachment of properties.

On April 28, the same tax authority had attached her account in Bank of Baroda, Navapura branch in Vadodara.