New Delhi | Bureau Report: India’s income tax system has seen many actions in the last 165 years, but a special raid in Odisha in the year 2024 created history. During this raid, the Income Tax Department recovered unaccounted cash worth ₹351.8 crore in a ten-day campaign against a distillery group, which is considered to be the country’s biggest income tax raid till date.
💼 Decisive attack against black money
The Income Tax Department, which plays an important role in making the country’s financial system transparent and strong, has proved with this action that no tax evader is above the law. This raid has become an example of not only the recovery of money but also the successful coordination of technical efficiency, secret planning and accurate information.
📅 When and how did this action start?
The whole incident started on 6 December 2024 when an alert officer of the Indian Revenue Service informed the Income Tax Department about the suspicious activities of a major distillery group of Odisha. The information was so accurate and serious that the department immediately formed a special team and prepared a confidential strategy.
🕵️♂️ ‘Operation Black Money’ lasted for ten days
This raid started simultaneously at the locations of the distillery group spread across various districts of the state. In the search operations that continued day and night, the department not only recovered huge cash but also recovered property worth crores of rupees from secret underground hideouts.
👉 During this, the help of special scanning equipment and metal detectors was taken, as a large amount of cash was hidden underground.
🔢 Counting became the biggest challenge
The cash was so much that counting it itself became a separate challenge.
40 currency counting machines were called
The help of employees of many banks was taken
The counting of notes continued for several days continuously
This scene also went viral on social media, where people were stunned to see the pile of notes on the tables.
🏆 Special team got national honor
In a special program organized on 21 August 2025, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman honored the team that carried out this historic raid with the CBDT Certificate of Excellence. This honor not only became a matter of pride for that team, but also a source of inspiration for the entire Income Tax Department.
📈 What is its effect?
This historic raid is special in many ways:
It is a strong message to tax evaders that it is impossible to escape the law
It will lead to a major increase in government revenue
It will boost the morale of honest taxpayers
This action has set an example for future campaigns
🔍 Conclusion:
The Income Tax Department of India has once again shown that when honesty, technology and determination come together, no illegal property can escape. This raid in Odisha is not only record-breaking, but it will also prove to be a milestone in making the country’s tax system more transparent and accountable in the times to come.
