I-T raids tobacco businessman in Varanasi

A team of Income Tax (I-T) Department officials conducted raids at the house of Varanasi-based tobacco businessman Lakshmikant Pandey who has been accused of tax evasion.

Pandey, also known as 'Pammi' is the owner of the Aashiqui brand of gutkha and runs his office from Varanasi where the ongoing raid began on Friday night.

The brand is famous in western Uttar Pradesh and Pandey supplies his products in Lucknow, Jaunpur and Pratapgarh.

The I-T officials said that they received information that Pandemic was involved in huge tax evasion.


After discussing the matter with higher authorities, a team of elite officials of the Department was formed to carry out the raid.

The team reportedly found that Pandey was also allegedly running private schools. He had taken franchise of private school which he allegedly didn't show in his I-T filings.

The officials asked every employee to switch off their phones during the raids and asked them not to go outside.


The IT team examined laptops, computer hard disks, real estate papers, ledgers accounts, bank accounts details, passbook and transction, paper related to bank lockers and other property property documents.

The I-T team also checked the raw materials kept at his house and factory, while trying to ascertain if the paper of purchasing of raw materials matched with the items or exceeded.

The team found that Pandey was running his several factories at Premchand Nagar, Goithwah village, Nakhi Ghat and Soipur.


The I-T officials have claimed that they have recovered few incriminating documents.

The team is likely to question Pandey's Chartered Accountant, regarding his dealings with other businessmen and will go through the last several years of his transctions.-IANS