In Madhya Pradesh’s Sagar district, two out of four marsh crocodiles were rescued from a pond at the home of Harvansh Singh Rathore, a former MLA from the BJP. This happened while the Income-Tax (I-T) department was searching his property on Friday. The other two crocodiles are set to be rescued on Saturday.
Aseem Srivastava, the Head of Forest, said they will file a case under the Wildlife Protection Act after investigating the situation. He explained that they learned about the crocodiles from the I-T department, who initially said there were none at Rathore’s home. However, the story changed when a video of the crocodiles went viral online.
Before being released into a nearby dam, the rescued crocodiles will get checked by vets, but they need court approval first. Rathore’s family has distanced themselves from the pond where the crocodiles were found, saying it was given to temple priests many years ago. They also claimed they had asked the forest department to remove the crocodiles, sending a letter as long ago as 2014.
The forest department is looking into the ownership of the pond. If Rathore’s family did ask for help, they’ll still need the forest department to take responsibility.
The I-T department was at Rathore’s home investigating a possible tax scam involving a businessman named Rajesh Kesharwani. They found gold and cash at the homes of Rathore’s family members and relatives. The raid brought to light a tax evasion racket, along with documents about other properties that weren’t registered properly.
Rathore, who used to be the MLA from Banda in Sagar, also wanted to be the BJP district president. His father was a minister in the previous state government. So far, authorities say they have discovered assets worth over Rs 200 crore, including 14 kg of gold and Rs 3.8 crore in cash. While the search at Rathore’s place has wrapped up, the I-T department is still looking into Kesharwani’s properties. The investigation continues
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