From secret vaults in Kanpur to mountains of cash hauled in trucks from perfume traders’ homes, India’s Income Tax Department has carried out some of the most jaw-dropping raids in history. These high-stakes operations expose the depth of tax evasion and the growing scale of unaccounted wealth in the country.
A History Etched in Cash: 1981 Kanpur Raid That Set the Precedent
India’s tryst with high-voltage income tax raids began long before digitization. On July 16, 1981, one of the most iconic tax operations was launched in Kanpur against businessman and former parliamentarian Sardar Inder Singh. Over 90 Income Tax officers, accompanied by 200 police personnel, raided Singh’s properties across Kanpur—including Tilak Nagar, Lajpat Nagar, Arya Nagar—and even extended the operation to factories in Panki and Fazalganj owned by Singh Engineering Works Pvt. Ltd.
The raid, which lasted three nights and two days, revealed a staggering stash:
- ₹92 lakh in cash (a record at the time)
- Gold bars and jewellery
- Fixed deposits and other undisclosed assets
- Properties in Delhi with another ₹1.3 crore in unaccounted wealth
The meticulous operation included counting gold bars worth ₹30 lakh over 18 hours, with assets frozen and sealed. It not only rocked political circles but established a template for future raids—swift, expansive, and deeply revealing.
The Modern Gold Rush: 2021–2023 Raids Reveal India’s Hidden Economy
In recent years, income tax raids have broken records and headlines. Among the most startling was the 2021 Kanpur raidon perfume baron Piyush Jain, a man known for living modestly—riding an old scooter and maintaining a low profile. But inside his Kidwai Nagar residence, officers found a treasure trove:
- Over ₹250 crore in cash
- Cash-counting machines deployed in bulk
- Trucks used to transport the currency
- A 120+ hour operation to document and seize everything
Jain’s case shocked the public imagination—how could a man running a seemingly small perfume business hoard such enormous wealth?
But it didn’t stop there. In December 2023, the IT department raided premises linked to Rajya Sabha MP Dhiraj Sahuin Jharkhand and Odisha. The result?
- ₹351 crore in unaccounted cash
- 3 kg of gold jewellery
- The largest single seizure of cash in Indian tax history
These two cases alone underline the magnitude of modern tax evasion and the urgent need for systemic reform and enforcement.
Sahara, Engineers & Contractors: When High Profiles Fall
The IT department’s crackdown hasn’t spared corporate giants or government-linked contractors.
In one such case, the Sahara Group’s offices in Delhi and Noida were raided in a tax evasion probe. Findings included:
- ₹135 crore in cash
- Jewellery worth ₹1 crore
- Legal troubles that later led to the arrest of group chief Subrata Roy
In 2016, a surprise raid in Bengaluru targeted two engineers and two government contractors. This operation led to the seizure of:
- ₹5.7 crore, including ₹4.8 crore in newly circulated ₹2,000 notes
- 7 kg of gold and 9 kg of jewellery
- Several high-end luxury vehicles
This operation, during the post-demonetization period, raised eyebrows on how large sums of new currency could be amassed so quickly.