Over the past few days, the pictures of tax officials from the Directorate-General of GST (DGGI) sifting through piles upon piles of currency notes have riveted the nation. This was at the Kanpur house of Piyush Jain, the supplier of raw material for pan masala. SBI officials had to be summoned with cash-counting machines to count the money, which totalled a staggering Rs 177.45 crore.
As many as 14 machines were used, which finished counting the cash in 36 hours. The money was stashed in wardrobes, neatly wrapped in paper and plastic, and secured with coloured tape. At his Kannauj house, a further Rs 19 crores, 23 kg of gold, and 600 kg of sandalwood were found. The cash was hidden in the bed, the basement (in two secret chambers) and inside the walls. The raid lasted five days.