400 benami deals spotted, Rs 530 crore properties seized

May 25, 2017

New Delhi, May 25: The income tax department identified more than 400 benami transactions up to May 23 and immovable properties were attached in 40 cases valued at over Rs 530 crore as the authorities stepped up their fight against black money.benami

Sources said 200 other properties were also identified as part of an ambitious crackdown on benami assets. They added that searches were conducted on 10 senior government officials during the past one month.

Provisional attachment of properties, a precursor to final attachment, was done in more than 240 cases and the market value of these properties was estimated at more than Rs 600 crore, the tax department said in a statement.

The drive against benami transactions includes deposits in bank accounts, plots of land, flats and jewellery. The tax authorities have also set up 24 dedicated benami prohibition units across the country for better implementation of the Benami Act.

Immovable properties have been attached in Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. In one case, in Jabalpur, the benamidar, a driver, was found to be the owner of land worth Rs 7.7 crore.

The real owner is a MP-based listed company, his employer. In Mumbai, a professional was found to be holding several immovable properties in the name of shell companies, the tax department said.

It added that, in another case, in Sanganer, Rajasthan, a jeweller was found to be the owner of nine immovable properties in the name of his former employee, a man of no means.

The I-T department initiated actions under the new Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Amendment Act, 2016 in November last year.

According to the Act, a benami property includes movable or immovable property, and tangible or intangible property, among others. It empowers provisional attachment and confiscation of such properties.

It also allows for prosecution of the real owner, the benamidar, the abettor and the inducer to benami transactions, which may result in rigorous imprisonment of up to 7 years and fine of up to 25% of the property's fair market value .

The government is keen to implement the new Benami Act in an effective manner with visible outcomes on the ground.

These benami prohibition units are under the overall supervision of the principal directors of investigation in the I-T department to enable swift action and followup, particularly in cases where criminality has been detected, the department said.

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Agencies
January 16,2020

Cuttack, Jan 16: At least 15 passengers were injured as five coaches of the Mumbai-Bhubaneswar Lokmanya Tilak Express derailed and three more were displaced after colliding with a goods train amid heavy fog near Cuttack in Odisha on Thursday, railway officials said.

Railway officials had earlier said that 25 passengers were injured in the incident but later officers who reached the site reported that four passengers were found to have suffered major injuries and 11 had received minor injuries.

Passengers with major injuries have been sent to Cuttack Medical College. All passengers are stated to be out of danger.

Officials said the accident happened when the passenger train hit the guard van of a good train around 7 am between Salagaon and Nergundi stations.

The officials said there was heavy fog at the site but it was not clear what led to the accident. The speedometer of both the trains have been seized for inquiry, East Coast Railway Spokesperson J P Mishra said.

Buses have been arranged for all remaining passengers to move towards their destination.

Cuttack is around 10-12 km away and Bhubaneswar(Terminating station) is 35 km.

The accident disrupted train services in the area.

Five trains have been affected due to the accident where restoration work in underway. These include the Bhubaneswar-Mumbai LTT SF Express, the Puri-Rourkela Express, Dhanbad-Bhubaneshwar Rajyarani Express which have all been diverted via Naraj.

"East Coast Railway acknowledges with deep gratitude help of nearby locals and villagers who have displayed great humanitarian values and come to the rescue of injured passengers," Mishra said.

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News Network
June 5,2020

Jun 5: A young woman was forced to drink liquor allegedly by her husband after which he along with four friends assaulted, burnt her with cigarette butts and raped her in front of her five year-old son, police said on Friday.

All the five, who were taken into custody earlier, have been arrested. The shocking incident occurred in the state capital last night.

The incident came to light after the 25-year-old woman, approached police and complained against her husband and his four friends.

A case has been registered against the five accused for kidnapping, assaulting and gangrape.

Since the incident took place in front of the child, a case under Protection of children from sexual offices Act has also been charged against the accused.

Meanwhile, State health and family welfare minister K K Shailaja asked the state police chief to take stringentction against the culprits as "such cruelty happened in front of her child."

The Kerala State Women's Commission on its own registered a case and sought report from the Thiruvananthapuram Rural SP.

She managed to escape from there and pleaded for help from a young man, who saw in heran inebriatedstate, and took her to her house and informed police.

The man later told some television channels that she was crying, had injuries on her face and pleaded for help.

Police have recorded the statement of the woman, who was admitted to a government hospital here and later discharged.

She had also stated that the men had tortured her using cigarette butts.

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Agencies
March 15,2020

Mumbai, Mar 15: Three suspected coronavirus patients who were quarantined left a government hospital in Maharashtra's Ahmednagar district on Saturday evening without informing anybody, the police said.

By late night, however, two of them returned to the Ahmednagar district civil hospital. Search was on for the third patient, a Topkhana police station officer said.

Earlier, two women and a man admitted to an isolation ward of the district hospital in Ahmednagar, left without informing the doctors, an officer said.

The civil surgeon contacted the Tophkhana police station in Ahmednagar city and sought polices help in tracing these persons, whose medical reports are awaited, the official added.

A person in Ahmednagar district is among the 31 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Maharashtra.

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