Anguished my 80-year-old mother was quizzed for six hours: Shivakumar on I-T raids

Agencies
January 5, 2019

Bengaluru, Jan 5: Karnataka Water Resource minister D K Shivakumar cried foul Friday after he and his aged mother were grilled by Income Tax department officials for six hours in connection with alleged tax evasion by him. "I have not done anything wrong. I am confident of getting justice. I am an accused in the case...My only anguish is that my 80-year-old mother was interrogated for six hours," Shivakumar told reporters.

According to the I-T officials, the questioning of both the minister and his mother began at 11 AM and continued till the evening. Shivakumar was grilled for three hours on Thursday also.

"I have no answers to questions on why the raids were carried out at the time of assembly elections and now when the Lok Sabha elections are nearing.

Last time also when I was summoned soon after returning from the hospital, I gave all the answers. I have been receiving multiple notices which I cannot explain now," he said after coming out of the Income Tax office.

Shivakumar said the I-T officials were cordial with his mother Gowramma and gave her due respect. However, his grouse was that she was questioned for six hours.

Shivakumar, a frontline Congress leader in the state, was summoned for questioning on Thursday as part of a "routine process" following searches at various properties linked to him on August 2, department sources said. The minister had already appeared before I-T officials twice in July and August last year.

The searches were conducted after Shivakumar hosted 44 Gujarat Congress MLAs at a resort on the city outskirts to forestall alleged attempts by the BJP to poach them ahead of the Rajya Sabha polls which the then Congress president Sonia Gandhi's political secretary Ahmed Patel won.

Last September, the Enforcement Directorate had registered a money laundering case against him and some others for allegedly indulging in hawala transactions.

The I-T department had charged Shivakumar and his associate S K Sharma of transporting "huge" amounts of unaccounted cash on a "regular basis" through hawala channels with the help of three other accused. The other accused are Sachin Narayan, Anjaneya Hanumanthaiah and N Rajendra.

Narayan is a business partner of Shivakumar and Sharma is the proprietor of Sharma Transports, which runs a fleet of luxury and passenger buses and provides transport services to various concerns and individuals on rental basis, the IT department had said in its complaint.

Hanumanthaiah, an employee posted at the Karnataka Bhavan in New Delhi, was allegedly responsible for storing and handling unaccounted cash of Shivakumar in the national capital, it had said.

Rajendra, a caretaker at Karnataka Bhavan, also works for Sharma, apart from looking after the immovable properties of Shivakumar and Sharma, it had said.

Unaccounted cash of about Rs 20 crore was seized during raids in New Delhi and Bengaluru last August and I-T officials had said the money was "directly relatable" to Shivakumar.

Shivakumar, however, claimed the I-T department was targeting him and not letting him "breathe", but asserted he would fight the case legally.

A special court had granted him conditional bail in this case some time back and will hear the matter again on September 20.

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News Network
October 7,2024

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Mangaluru, Oct 7: In a heartbreaking turn of events, the search for Mumtaz Ali, chairman of Misbah Group of Educational Institutions, ended with the discovery of his mortal remains in the Phalguni river near Kulur. The somber discovery came after an exhaustive search, leaving a community in shock and sorrow.

He is the younger brother of former MLA Mohuiddin Bawa and former MLC B M Farookh. 

The incident has taken a deeply distressing turn with the filing of an FIR against six individuals, including a woman, who are accused of pushing Ali to a tragic end. 

The accused allegedly blackmailed Ali, fabricating a story about his involvement in an illicit relationship with the woman. Reports suggest that they extorted Rs 50 lakh from Ali and were unrelenting, demanding an additional Rs 50 lakh from him, casting a shadow over his final days.

The complaint, lodged by Ali’s grieving brother, accuses these individuals of driving him to despair through relentless blackmail and false accusations, ultimately leading him to take the tragic step.

In the early hours of Sunday, Ali left his home at 3 am, heading towards Suratkal, perhaps seeking some solace. A minor accident occurred when his car collided with a private bus near MCF. Despite the mishap, he offered a heartfelt apology to the bus driver and conductor—a gesture that now echoes with the pain of his unspoken struggles. After the collision, Ali made a U-turn near Panambur circle, driving back towards Kulur bridge, where his journey came to a sorrowful end.

Ali’s last moments hold an even deeper sadness, as he left behind a voice message in Byari, naming an individual who had been tormenting him mentally. Sent to his daughter and a close friend, the message revealed the unbearable burden he was carrying, hinting at his final decision to end his suffering.

This tragic loss has left the community and his loved ones grappling with unanswered questions and a profound sense of grief. As the investigation unfolds, the memory of Mumtaz Ali lingers, a reminder of the silent battles that too often go unseen.

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News Network
October 3,2024

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Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao reminded that V D Savarkar was not against cow slaughter as he himself was non-veg eater, PTI reported on Thursday.

"As a Brahmin he was eating meat, and he was openly propagating eating meat," said the minister at an event in Bengaluru.

Reacting to Gundu Rao's claim, BJP MP Anurag Thakur called Congress a "factory of lies" as he warned that India won't tolerate any disrespect towards Savarkar.

"By disrespecting Veer Savarkar they have shown that they don't respect freedom fighters. During the Congress government, Sardar Bhagat Singh was termed a separatist in textbooks...By making those who want to break the nation join the congress party, Rahul Gandhi is taking forward the ideology of 'tukde tukde' and he is a 'modern Jinnah' who speaks ill of the country abroad...," he said.

Meanwhile, a court in Maharashtra's Nashik district summoned Congress MP Rahul Gandhi earlier this week in a defamation case filed against him for his alleged objectionable remarks against the Hindutva ideologue.

The complainant, who is the director of an NGO, claimed he watched a press conference addressed by Gandhi in Hingoli and also a speech made by the Congress leader in November 2022.

He alleged that Gandhi, on the two occasions, by his words and visual representations knowingly harmed the reputation of Veer Savarkar and also tried to defame the latter's image in the society.

According to the complainant, Gandhi said "Savarkar is BJP and RSS jin" which was defamatory in nature.

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News Network
October 12,2024

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Udupi: In a significant operation, the Malpe police have arrested seven Bangladeshi nationals who were illegally residing in India using forged Aadhaar cards. Udupi Superintendent of Police, Dr. Arun K, stated that the arrests followed after an immigration incident involving one of the group's members.

Muhammed Manik, one of the arrested individuals, was caught attempting to travel to Dubai via Mangaluru International Airport with a fake passport. Alert immigration officers at the airport detained him and handed him over to the Bajpe police, who registered a case. Following this, the Udupi police, acting on the information provided by the Bajpe police and immigration authorities, conducted an investigation that led to the arrest of the seven individuals in Hoode village, Paduthonse, Udupi.

The arrested individuals have been identified as Hakeem Ali (24), Sujon S K alias Farooq (19), Ismail S K (30), Kareem S K (20), Salam S K (22), Rajikul S K (20), and Mohammed Sojib (20), all hailing from Bangladesh.

The group entered India without any valid documentation and managed to acquire fake Aadhaar cards, which they used to stay in the country illegally. According to police sources, a person named Kajol from Agartala assisted them in obtaining the fraudulent Aadhaar cards, while a Bangladeshi named Usman facilitated their illegal entry into India under the guise of employment. Both Kajol and Usman are currently at large.

The Malpe police have registered cases under several sections, including Sections 19(2), 318(4), 336(2), 336(3), 340(2), and 190 of the BNS, related to fraud and illegal entry. Interrogations are ongoing as the police seek further details in connection with the case.

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