Income Tax officials seized hard cash of Rs.100 Cr from the basement of Centrestage Mall in Noida during a raid on Wednesday.

The mall was owned by liquor baron Gurpreet Chadha, a close aide of UP Chief Minister Mayawathi. Gurpreet Chadha, also known as Ponty Chadha, kept the cash bundles in an old big size wooden box.

The special teams of the Directorate of Criminal Investigation of Income Tax department also raided 16 other locations including offices, houses, farmhouses, multiplexes owned by him in and around Delhi and Noida.

Mr Chadha shot into limelight when Mayawathi awarded him the distribution contract of liquor for the entire state of UP. Chadha also owns a chain of multiplexes, under the brand name ‘Wave’ in the National Capital Region.

The searching teams have arrested two persons in connection with the seizure. The arrested, Lalith Kapoor and Gurjeet Kochar from Delhi, are known to be well known hawala businessmen. (JUBS)