I-T lens on town planning officer

Pune: The Income Tax department’s Benami Property Unit has started a parallel investigation against joint director of town planning Hanumant Nazirkar, after the state anti-corruption bureau (ACB) found five dubious properties suspected to be held by him.

The five properties have been sealed and Nazirkar’s passport has been impounded, ACB said.

Nazirkar, who lives in Pune, is presently posted in Amravati. The Pune ACB on June 17 launched a probe in a disproportionate assets case against Nazirkar concerning holdings worth Rs2.75 crore. The ACB wrote to the I-T department about the five suspect properties, following which the parallel investigation was launched.

This is the first time the I-T department started an investigation arising from a disproportionate assets case registered by the ACB.

The ACB also booked Nazirkar’s wife and two children in the case and has already seized three cars, including a luxury four-wheeler, two scooters, gold and silver ornaments, totally worth Rs1.18 crore.

“We realized that he was holding five properties — two in Pune and three in Satara — which were in others’ names. We verified the information and realized that these were Benami properties and informed the I-T Department,” superintendent of police (ACB) Rajesh Bansode said.

Bansode said primarily the disproportionate assets were worth Rs2.75 crores, but the special SCB team realized that he holds more property and assets. “The amount might run into hundreds of crores,” he said.