Surat: The Income Tax Department conducted search operations last month at premises linked to the Mirrikh Group, Opera Group, and several land brokers, including Agam Vadecha. It has now come to light that during the probe, officials found that the chain worn by a pet dog at one of the premises was reportedly made of gold, leaving even IT officials astonished.

Investigators suspect that large amounts of unaccounted money may have been invested in gold. The department is now gathering details of the person’s alleged investments in Dubai and Ghana.

According to reports, the IT investigation has uncovered suspected benami transactions worth around Rs 400 crore. Officials have also seized a diary containing the names of more than 100 land brokers. Notices are likely to be issued to them in the coming days, and they may be summoned for questioning.

During the raids, officials also found that a dog kept at the premises was wearing a gold collar, further indicating heavy investment in gold.

Officials suspect that instead of paying taxes on money earned from land deals, large amounts were used to purchase gold. Authorities are now trying to identify the sources from whom such large quantities of gold were purchased, as it is believed that more than 50% of the proceeds from land deals were converted into gold.

The probe also revealed a fondness for luxury cars, with a large fleet of high-end vehicles found during the raids. DeshGujarat