After establishing itself as a key player in the tobacco industry, the Banshidhar Company has come under the radar of Income Tax authorities who are working round the clock to unravel the company’s web of deception. The department today carried out raids at the home and offices of the company’s head KK Mishra.

Banshidhar Tobacco Private Limited is a major player in the tobacco industry and is known for supplying products to major pan masala groups. Reports suggest that the company has a declared income of Rs 20 to 25 crore when the actual turnover was pegged at Rs 100-150 crore. The searches so far have revealed a trail of clandestine dealings and opulent lifestyles.

In today’s raids, the agency seized several expensive watches belonging to Shivam Mishra, the scion of the tobacco company. One of the watches, diamond-studded, is worth nearly Rs 2.5 crore rupees, sources in the agency said.

Seven crore rupees in cash, along with jewellery and other assets, have also been seized, intensifying the scrutiny on the group’s financial affairs.

The agency has already seized a collection of luxury cars, all bearing the number plate ‘4018’, from Shivam Mishra’s home in Delhi’s Vasant Vihar.

Fifteen to 20 teams carried out raids across five states, metaphorically shaking down every tobacco leaf linked to Banshidhar Tobacco Company, to stumble upon a treasure trove of luxury cars worth a staggering Rs 50 crore; among them, a Rolls-Royce Phantom, priced at a cool Rs 16 crore, found at Shivam Mishra’s home in Delhi’s Vasant Vihar.

The raids, being executed with military precision, reveal an empire built on deceit and financial manipulations. There is a major gap between the company’s declared income and the actual turnover and the officials believe that they hid their money using offshore accounts and manipulated ledgers, sources said.

KK Mishra, the once-untouchable patriarch, now finds himself entangled in a web of his own making. The Banshidhar Tobacco Limited, once an impenetrable fortress, now stands exposed, its foundations cracked, and its secrets laid bare.

BJP MP Jayant Sinha has asked the party to relieve him of electoral duties, signalling that he does not want an active role or a ticket for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Mr Sinha’s announcement came just hours after another party leader, Gautam Gambhir, hinted at his exit from electoral politics.

Both the MPs have requested BJP president JP Nadda to relieve them so that they can focus on their other commitments. 

In a post on X, the MP from Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh wrote, “I have requested Honourable Party President JP Nadda to relieve me of my direct electoral duties so that I can focus my efforts on combating global climate change in Bharat and around the world. Of course, I will continue to work with the party on economic and governance issues.”

I have requested Hon’ble Party President Shri @JPNadda ji to relieve me of my direct electoral duties so that I can focus my efforts on combating global climate change in Bharat and around the world. Of course, I will continue to work with the party on economic and governance…

— Jayant Sinha (@jayantsinha) March 2, 2024

The announcements come amid reports that the two leaders may not get a ticket for the upcoming 2024 polls. The BJP is said to be contemplating giving tickets to several new leaders and some other sitting MPs also are understood to have told the party that they would like to focus on other organisational work.

The party has conducted extensive surveys to find out which leaders are popular among the masses. Sources told NDTV that both Gautam Gambhir and Jayan Sinha didn’t fare well in the surveys and were not likely to get a ticket to contest in the 2024 elections.

The BJP is expected to release a first list of candidates – over 100 names, which will include heavyweights like Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah – for the 2024 Lok Sabha election soon. The party held marathon overnight meetings in Delhi, including one led by the Prime Minister at his Delhi residence that began 11 pm Thursday and finished at 4 am Friday.

Earlier today, BJP’s East Delhi MP Gautam Gambhir also said he said asked the party to relieve him from political duties so that he can focus on his upcoming cricket commitments.

“I have requested Hon’ble Party President JP Nadda ji to relieve me of my political duties so that I can focus on my upcoming cricket commitments. I sincerely thank Hon’ble PM Narendra Modi for giving me the opportunity to serve the people. Jai Hind,” Mr Gambhir wrote.

Google has initiated the process to restore Indian mobile apps which had been dropped from the Play Store over a dispute over service fees. The decision was taken after the company’s officials held a meeting with IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, sources said.

On Friday, Google had removed apps belonging to 10 Indian companies, sparking controversy in one of its fastest-growing markets. Google dominates the Indian market as 94% of phones are based on its Android platform. The list included well-known names such as Bharatmatrimony and Naukri.

The dispute primarily revolves around Google’s imposition of fees ranging from 11% to 26% on in-app payments. Indian startups have long protested against what they deem as unfair practices by the US tech giant.

Matrimony.com, the founder of Bharat Matrimony, Christian Matrimony, Muslim Matrimony, and Jodii, expressed dismay as its matchmaking apps were taken down from Google’s Play Store. Founder Murugavel Janakiraman referred to it as a dark day for India’s internet, emphasizing the potential widespread impact on matrimony services.

“Our apps are getting deleted one by one. It literally means all the top matrimony services will be deleted,” Mr Janakiraman said as quoted by news agency Reuters.

Earlier today, Mr Vaishnaw said there is a need to protect Indian startup ecosytem and the government is trying to convey the same to Google.

“We have a very big and vibrant startup ecosystem. We should take all steps to see that this ecosystem is protected. Google has been a good adopter of Indian technologies. I am quite hopeful that Google will be reasonable with its approach,” the minister told NDTV before he met Google representatives.

In 2020, Google briefly removed popular Indian payments app Paytm from its Play Store citing some policy violations. The move led to the company’s founder and the wider startup industry joining together to challenge Google by launching their own app stores and filing legal cases.