Ranchi: The investigation wing of the Jharkhand Income Tax Department has unearthed a massive tax evasion scam involving over ₹2,000 crore routed through political donations. More than 500 young IT professionals from Jharkhand and Bihar have been found guilty of using donations to Gujarat-based Aam Janmat Party as a means to evade taxes.

According to officials, most of the professionals involved hail from Bihar’s Madhubani, Purnia, Supaul and Champaran districts, while many others are from Ranchi, Jamshedpur and Dhanbad in Jharkhand. These professionals, employed in top IT companies with crore-plus salary packages, allegedly misused the income tax exemption available on political donations.

The Modus Operandi

The probe revealed that IT professionals donated large sums to Aam Janmat Party and later received the money back through hawala channels, after the party deducted a 5% commission. This allowed the professionals to falsely claim tax exemptions while retaining most of the amount.

So far, the Income Tax Department has interrogated over 500 professionals, many of whom have admitted their role in the scam. Several have already begun depositing the actual tax dues along with interest and penalties into the government treasury.

Political Links Under Scrutiny

A special team of the Income Tax Department has also conducted raids at the residences of the President, Vice President, and Treasurer of Aam Janmat Party in Ahmedabad, suspecting their direct involvement in facilitating the fraud.

Officials said that this is one of the biggest tax evasion scams ever detected in eastern India involving highly paid IT professionals. Investigations are ongoing to identify additional beneficiaries and networks connected to the hawala operations. DeshGujarat