Dilip Suryavanshi and Sudhir Sharma bank lockers opened

Bhopal, June 28, 2012 (HMNS): Prominent politicians and bureaucrats of the state had also parked their money in the companies of businessmen Dilip Suryavanshi and Sudhir Sharma, income-tax (I-T) investigations have revealed.

I-T sleuths had raided some 60 premises of Suryavanshi, Sharma, and their 18 associates last week. Taxmen on Wednesday opened two lockers of Narendra Tripathi, an associate of Suryavanshi, and one locker of Seema Singh, a local BJP leader. Tripathi and Seema's husband Bharat Singh are directors in Suryavanshi's companies.

Gold and diamond jewellery weighing 650 gm and Rs 10,000 in cash were found in Seema Singh's locker with the Shahpura branch of Punjab National Bank in Bhopal. Similarly, gold and diamond jewellery weighing 600 gm and two kg of silver items were found in Tripathi's two lockers with the MP Nagar (Zone-II) branch of the Bank of Baroda.

Seema Singh was present at the bank while her locker was being opened. But to avoid an interaction with media persons present outside, she remained inside the bank itself even after it was shut for the day. She did not come out even after the staff members of the bank, including the bank manager, Seema's associates, her husband, left the compound. It was only an hour later that the bank manager came back along with Seema's bodyguards and opened bank's entrance shutter and she came out.