Patna: The Income Tax Department on Thursday conducted simultaneous raids at three locations in Bihar’s Gaya ji district.
The action is being described not as a routine inquiry but as a well-planned search and seizure operation, triggering a wave of anxiety across the local business community.
As soon as Income Tax Department vehicles entered the Hath Godam area under the Kotwali police station limits, panic spread throughout the locality.
Sources said the raids targeted the premises of two businessmen associated with the grain business, with one of them being a well-known rice mill owner in the city.
The early-morning operation led to the immediate sealing of premises, restriction on movement, and intensive scrutiny of business records.
Officials began a detailed examination of documents, account books, transaction records, and digital data.
The operation was not limited to a single site.
The Income Tax team also took control of a warehouse located in the Manpur area, where additional records were seized and examined.
Sources indicate that the department suspects large-scale concealment of income under the guise of business operations, pointing to alleged long-term tax evasion.
Strict security arrangements were put in place during the raids.
Local police were deployed to prevent any disturbance or external interference.
Income Tax officials are maintaining complete confidentiality, with particular focus on cash transactions, investment-related documents, and bank records.
Although no official statement has been issued by the Income Tax Department so far, the scale and coordination of the raids suggest that the investigation involves more than a small operation.
The simultaneous searches at multiple locations indicate a probe into a potentially large financial network.
Speculation is rife in Gaya ji that the raids could continue for an extended period and may lead to significant disclosures in the coming hours.
The operation has caused visible unease among traders and industrialists, with the entire business community closely watching to see what revelations emerge and who may be implicated next.
(IANS)
