NEW DELHI: Two sons of former Uttar Pradesh mining minister and senior SP member Gayatri Prajapati — Anil and Anurag — had declared black money of over Rs 13 crore before the I-T department during the 2016 amnesty scheme, launched by Modi government months before the demonetisation of high value currency notes.
The Enforcement Directorate, which is seeking fresh custodial interrogation of Prajapati, has in its money laundering probe found that the Prajapati family collectively owns 59 properties across India. These assets were purchased ‘on paper’ (legitimate transaction value) for Rs 21 crore while the market value has been estimated to be much more, it said in its remand application. Prajapati is currently in a Lucknow jail in a rape case.
During the Income Declaration Scheme launched by the Centre in June 2016, Anil declared undisclosed income (black money) of Rs 7.17 crore while Anurag disclosed Rs 5.85 crore as unaccounted money, ED said. The two agreed to pay 45% of the total disclosed amount as tax and penalty applicable under the amnesty scheme. During the four-month window between June and September 2016, over Rs 65,000 crore in black money was declared by thousands of tax evaders. The Centre had earned over Rs 29,000 crore in taxes on such disclosures. In November 2016, the government had announced demonetisation.Former CM Akhilesh Yadav too is under probe in mining scam.
TOI had last week reported that ED has found unaccounted cash deposits of around Rs 15 crore in the accounts of Prajapati, his family members and two of their firms, mostly during his tenure as mining minister between 2013 and 2016. His sons have declared undisclosed income for the period between 2012-2016.
Gayatri Prajapati was questioned twice in 2019 when a case under the PMLA was registered against him. His sons and other family members have been questioned several times since September 2020 in connection with the huge cash deposits in their bank accounts.