Taxman digs out Rs 3.6 crore from former waiter

NEW DELHI: A former waiter in Delhi’s Centaur Hotel has been found to have Rs 3.60 crore in cash. This former waiter, Srichand, is one of the main accused in the Delhi co-operative group housing scam.The seizure of the cash, the first in the scam, was made by Income-Tax (I-T)department from different bank accounts of Srichand.

Sources said there are about 20 more such big fish in the co-operative scam who have amassed huge wealth out of reviving defunct housing co-operatives in collusion with the then registrar of co-operative societies, N Diwakar.

Investigations are on and more seizures are likely to be made soon. Srichand himself has properties worth Rs 30 crore, sources said.

All his bank accounts and properties have been sealed by the CBI, the agency entrusted by the Delhi High Court to investigate the scam.Srichand and six others — Ashwini Sharma, Ashutosh Pant, Gokul Aggarwal, Anna Wankhade and registrar, co-operative societies official, U S Bhatnagar — were arrested by CBI in connection with the Rs 4,000-crore housing scam and sent to judicial custody by a city court till January 7.

Around 135 defunct societies were revived by a few builders with the help of then registrar of co-operative societies, N Diwakar. The scam accused reportedly enjoyed the support of some senior politicians who might have made investments in these societies through them, sources added.

While investigating the case, CBI had found that a number of these co-operative housing societies were registered in Delhi between 1970 and 1980.

An FIR filed by the agency in this case mentioned that many of these societies became defunct because of non-operation and lack of proper membership lists made available to the registrar of societies.