Mumbai: The Income Tax (I-T) department has carried out raids on doctors working in private hospitals in Maharashtra. The raids have been carried out at six places across the state; department sleuths have raided reputed privately-run hospitals and diagnostic centres. The raids are being carried out upon suspicion that the doctors are involved in the practice of “cuts”.
IT sleuths have seized unaccounted cash worth Rs 6 crore and documents and receipts during the raids conducted at around 40 premises belonging to 20 doctors across Nashik, Jalgaon and Dhule.
A senior IRS officer said, “Based on a tip-off, we have taken action but we are expecting to recover more unaccounted inco-me from these doctors who are allegedly invol-ved in the practice of cuts. The analysis of documents is taking some time and the raids will take some time to complete. Our searches will continue for one more day.”
Over 200 sleuths of the I-T department from Mumbai, Pune and Nashik started simultaneous raids at establishments belonging to private medical practitioners since Thursday morning. Sources stated that raids were being carried out to ascertain whether the medical practitioners were paying taxes or evading them.
“A section of private medical practitioners, lawyers and builders were on the radar of the I-T department after demonetisation and searches are being planned at their offices and residences,” the official said.
In Nashik, raids were carried out on 20 premises belonging to 10 doctors while in Jalgaon and Dhule, search operations were conducted at 20 places belonging to 10 doctors.
“We had information that these doctors were evading tax by concealing their income. The seized documents would be examined by the department to ascertain whether they have concealed their income and the amount of unaccounted wealth,” the official said.
The Nashik region of I-T covers four districts of north Maharashtra, that is Nashik, Dhule, Jalgaon and Nandurbar districts and eight districts of Ma-rathwada, Aurangabad, Beed, Jalna, Osmanabad, Nanded, Latur, Parbhani and Hingoli.
