Bhubaneswar, Dec 8: In a significant development, the Income Tax (IT) department's raids on locations associated with an Odisha-based distillery group, suspected of tax evasion, led to the discovery of 156 bags containing cash. 

The searches, spanning Sambalpur, Balangir, Titilagarh, Boudh, Sundargarh, Rourkela, Bhubaneswar, Ranchi, and Kolkata, commenced on Wednesday.

Cash amounting to around Rs 20 crore has been tallied so far, with a total recovery reaching Rs 220 crore. An official stated that of the 156 bags seized, only 6/7 have been counted, revealing the current amount.

Earlier, during raids at the Balangir office of Baldeo Sahu & Group of Companies, a major country-liquor manufacturer and seller in western Odisha, approximately Rs 200 crore in cash was seized. The cash was subsequently transported in two trucks to banks for detailed counting.

The IT team extended its searches to the corporate office of Boudh Distillery Pvt Ltd in Bhubaneswar, residences of certain company officials, the company's factory and office in Boudh, and the Ranisati Rice Mill. Counting machines have been deployed to assess the exact amount of cash considered "unaccounted" in this ongoing investigation.

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