Tightening noose around fire cracker dealers, accused of obstructing the income tax (I-T) officials during discharging their duties, attacking on them with an intention to kill as well as abducting them during a raid conducted at their outlet at Upper Bazaar, Kotwali police have started a hunt on Friday to arrest the three accused in the case – Kamal, Vimal and Jai Kumar Singhania.

“Today, we conducted raid on the wholesale outlet of Trade Friends, but no one could be found there; all staff members of the outlet have been changed deputing some ladies in the shop,” said Kotwali police station Arvind Kumar Sinha. “Hunt will be continued till they are in the police net,” he added.

FIR was lodged late in the night on Thursday by Assistant Commissioner (Income Tax) Vidyacharan Kishore charging Singhania brothers of manhandling the I-T sleuths while conducting a survey at the outlet. Kishore has alleged in his FIR that the Singhanias tried to obstruct them as soon as they entered the outlet after disclosing their identity.

“Kamal Singhania started calling someone on his mobile which was objected by the I-T officials saying that he could not make any call during the survey. When we stopped them of making call, they became violent and asked his staff members to remove cash and documents from there. When the team tried to stop them, they started shouting at the I-T men,” says the FIR.

According to the FIR, Vimal and Jai Singhania alongwith their bodyguards attacked the team with sticks and started shouting at them. They locked the outer door and thrashed the team very badly. When they tried to get away from them, Singhanias deliberately pulled them inside the shop and took away their mobile phones and government documents.

Kishore has further alleged in his FIR that Kamal Singhania kept hold on him while one of his bodyguards was hitting on him with his stick. Despite disclosing his identity as Assistant Commissioner of I-T, Kishore was beaten up by both Kamal and Vimal Singhanias. Meanwhile, a body guard hit him hard on his legs by a stick. They kept on beating us till the police came in, Kishore complained.

“They also threatened us that we will have to face dire consequences and took away our mobile phones and documents, and refused to return saying they don’t have it with them,” the official has written in the FIR. They however, returned those things after the police dealt with them strictly, he added.

The I-T official alleged that it seemed that they wanted to kill them then and there as they did not want any paper or money to go out from the outlet.

The whole episode also appeared to be preplanned, Kishore alleged. The police have lodged the FIR and started taking actions in this regard, he added.

“We have registered the FIR under section 307, 353, 34,341, 323, 353 and 342 of IPC charging them of obstructing government officials while discharging their duties, attacking on them with an intention to kill as well as abducting them during a survey was being conducted on the outlet,” added Sinha.

The sources however said that the request for warrant of arrest will soon be prayed in the court after the primary investigation.   

Meanwhile, the raids by the I-T officials on the cracker dealer’s premises continued for the second consecutive day.