Tax evasions: IT dept raids offices of immigration firm

LUDHIANA: The income tax department’s investigation wing has conducted a raid on a prominent Jalandharbased consultancy for studying abroad and immigration, Sai Overseas. The action started on Monday morning and was continuing on Tuesday as well. It was carried out on suspicion of the company’s owners supressing actual income and receipts. On coming to know of the raid, staff members did not turn up to open shutters. Because of this, the income tax sleuths got the locks cut.
Different teams of the department, comprising about 50 officers and staff members from different offices, simultaneously conducted raids on four premises, including a two-floor office of the company near the bus stand and three residential premises, one of which is near Mota Singh Nagar.
Income tax officials were tightlipped on seizure of any black money or tax evaded by the company, but sources said raiding teams had got their hands on a lot of information in digital and documentary form, pointing towards huge evasion. The modus operandi of the company, said the sources, included concealing the actual amount of fees and charges received from clients. It also came to fore that in a span of 4-5 years, the company had sent about 1000 students and other clients abroad.
Several rumours of the raid having connection with Jammu and Kashmir, and police of that state, were being spread on social media, but these were found to be untrue. Sources informed the newspaper that this might have happened consequently due to some officials from Jammu office of the department being part of the raid. Their vehicles had registration number plates of that state, which migh havge confused someone in the public.