I-T Officials Seize Rs 5 Crore From SUV in Odisha Capital, Money Deposited in SBI

Bhubaneswar: Officials of the Income Tax (I-T) department on Tuesday seized a huge amount of cash from a luxury car in the Suryanagar area of Bhubaneswar.

Though the exact amount of money seized has not been ascertained, it is estimated to be approximately Rs 5 crore.

As per reports, the cash was seized from a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV). The car from which the cash was seized reportedly belongs to a contractor from Jajpur town. He has been identified as Nihar Ranjan Mandhata.

The IT officials have not made it clear if the cash was meant for use in the current elections.

The IT sleuths took the seized cash in three bags to the SBI main branch for counting. The cash counting was done in the presence of the contractor.

Sources said that after the cash counting is over, the seized cash will be deposited in the bank and a receipt will be issued to the owner, who is supposed to prove the legitimacy of the cash within seven days.

This massive cash haul came a day after police seized cash over Rs 10 lakh from a car on the Boudh-Nayagarh border during vehicle checking. A woman BJD leader identified as Apurba Aparupa and two others were detained and later released.