Income Tax Crackdown Continues in Nagpur

The department's current focus stems from the discovery of a significant number of benami properties, with an estimated worth of ₹452 crore already unearthed in the region. On May 14, a major raid was carried out at a prominent jewellery establishment in Amravati district, further widening the scope of the investigation.

A full-scale operation is underway in Nagpur city, where the Income Tax Department has set up a dedicated desk to monitor and implement the provisions of the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Amendment Act, 2016. This act aims to curb the practice of holding properties or assets in the names of third parties to conceal ownership and evade taxes.

Benami properties typically involve illegally acquired assets — movable or immovable — that are registered under someone else's name to avoid legal scrutiny. In many such cases, ordinary citizens are exploited by being used as proxies for these transactions.

According to officials, the operation has also revealed a pattern of large sums being deposited into cooperative society accounts under the names of unsuspecting individuals. Investigations are currently underway in over 30 such cases, with authorities working swiftly to track down the real beneficiaries and culprits behind the transactions.

A senior official involved in the operation stated, “The crackdown is aimed at dismantling an entire network of benami dealings that have long evaded the law. The department is committed to taking strict action against those involved.”

This special drive, launched in both Nagpur and Amravati, is part of a broader strategy by the Income Tax Department to tighten enforcement, bring transparency, and hold offenders accountable in the face of rising financial irregularities.

Further raids and investigations are expected in the coming days as the probe deepens.