Samajwadi Party’s Abu Asim Azmi summoned in Rs 160-cr tax evasion case
Samajwadi Party leader Abu Asim Azmi has been summoned by the I-T department in connection with a tax evasion case.
Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Asim Azmi has been summoned by the Income Tax department in connection with a tax evasion case of over Rs 160 crore. Azmi's role came under scanner after the Income Tax department started investigating the Vinayak Group of Varanasi.
Azmi has been summoned on April 20 in Varanasi by the Income Tax investigations department.
I-T DEPT PROBE SO FAR
Vinayak Group has constructed multiple buildings, commercial shopping centers, malls and residential highrises in Varanasi. As per sources, IT investigation found that there were three partners in the Vinayak Group on paper- Sarvesh Agarwal, Sameer Doshi, and Abha Gupta. Abha Gupta is wife of late Ganesh Gupta, who was said to be close friend and associate of Abu Asim Azmi.
Before his demise, Ganesh Gupta was Samajwadi Party general secretary in Maharashtra and ran his office from Azmi 's building in Colaba.
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According to sources, during the investigation the WhatsApp chats, emails, and statements of the three partners were accessed and it was revealed that the income generated from Vinayak Group was shared in four parts and the fourth part went to Abu Asim Azmi.
The total income generated between 2018 and 2022 was around Rs 200 crores, of which Income Tax disclosure was done of Rs 160 crores, of which it is suspected that Rs 40 crores was sent to Azmi through hawala channels.
Azmi's frontman, Anees Azmi, in Varanasi looks after the business operations and it is through Anees that the hawala transfers were done to Azmi in Mumbai.
Last year, searches were carried out at the premises of Abu Asim Azmi in Colaba. Searches were also carried out at premises of Doshi, Agarwal and Gupta in Varanasi and Mumbai.
Following this, the Income Tax department investigation wing has summoned Azmi in connection with its probe into the case.
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