The Income Tax Department carried out search & seizure operations on 06.10.2021 on a major Pharmaceutical group based out of Hyderabad. This Pharmaceutical group is engaged in the business of manufacturing of intermediates, Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) and formulations. Majority of the products are exported to foreign countries i.e. USA, Europe, Dubai and other African countries.  The search operation was carried out at about 50 locations in 6 States.

During the searches, hideouts were identified where second set of books of accounts and cash were found. Incriminating evidence in the form of digital media, pen drives, documents, etc. have been found and seized. Incriminating digital evidences were gathered from SAP @ ERP software maintained by the assessee group.

During these searches, issues relating to discrepancies in purchases made from bogus and non-existent entities and artificial inflation of certain heads of expenditure were detected. Further, evidence of on-money payment for purchase of lands was also found. Various other legal issues were also identified such as personal expenses being booked in the company’s books and land purchased by related parties below government registration value.

During the search, several bank lockers have been found, out of which 16 lockers have been operated. The searches have resulted in seizure of unexplained cash amounting to Rs. 142.87 crore so far. The unaccounted income unearthed is estimated to be in the range of about ₹ 550 crore till now.

Further investigations and quantification of undisclosed income detected is in progress.

Cash seizure prompts tax probe into pharmaceutical group's alleged bogus purchases, inflated expenses and undisclosed income. Income-tax search and seizure operations on a Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical group uncovered cash and documentary digital evidence including data from SAP/ERP and a second set of books; seizures include multiple bank lockers and unexplained cash with preliminary estimates of substantial unaccounted income under further investigation.