Income Tax Dept. seizes Rs. 1 crore from CPM Thrissur District Committee's bank account, freezes account

THRISSUR: The Income Tax Department has seized Rs. 1 crore withdrawn from a Bank of India account in the name of the CPM Thrissur District Committee. The seized amount was deposited back into the same account, which was subsequently frozen. CPM district secretary MM Varghese and office secretary Prajeesh arrived at the Bank of India branch on MG Road yesterday at around 2:30 pm.

After some time, CPM district secretariat member PK Shajan also arrived at the bank. Upon the leaders' arrival, the bank officials notified the Income Tax Department officials in Thrissur. Subsequently, the Income Tax Department officials arrived and seized the money. The matter was confirmed by the district secretary of the CPM after ensuring that the Rs. 1 crore comprised the same notes that had been withdrawn earlier. The CPM leaders concluded the process, which took approximately five hours, before leaving the bank.

It is alleged that the act of depositing Rs. 1 crore into the frozen account violated the election code of conduct. CPM holds four accounts for various purposes in the Bank of India branch. District Secretary MM Varghese withdrew Rs. 1 crore from one of these accounts on April 2. All four accounts were frozen by the Income Tax Department due to non-filing of Income Tax returns.

The previous day, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had questioned CPM district secretary MM Varghese in connection with the Karuvannur bank fraud. He was summoned to appear again today, but cited inconvenience due to Labor Day.

MM Varghese stated that he had provided a written statement to the media, clarifying that the income tax department had only inquired about the transaction and nothing further. He characterized this as a continuation of the Enforcement Directorate's inquiry. In response to questions about repaying the money, the district secretary indicated that the issue was not whether the money had been repaid or not.