The Income Tax department detained Gujarat-based real estate dealer Mahesh Shah who had declared Rs 13,860 crore as undisclosed income under the Centre’s Income Declaration Scheme, reported Mint. In an interview with ETV Gujarati, Shah had claimed he declared the amount on behalf of several influential people, including politicians, entrepreneurs and government officials in return for a commission.

Shah cited greed as a motive for his actions and said he was willing to clear the first tax instalment amounting to Rs 1,560 crore, but said that the Income Tax department had cancelled his Income Declaration application. Shah said, “The people on whose behalf I was dealing also backed out.”

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He said he would reveal the details of undisclosed income to the officials concerned. Shah was found missing after his application was declared “null and void” on November 28, The Indian Express reported. He claimed he was in Mumbai and had “switched off his cellphones as he was scared.”

Shah’s chartered accountant Tehmul Sethna, who is a partner in Apaji Amin & Co, said, “When he told me that he had such a huge amount to disclose and was ready to pay the government [before the scheme’s deadline of September 30], I took him to senior I-T officials,” Mint reported. I-T officials conducted raids at properties owned by Shah, his relatives and the chartered accountancy firm that made the declaration.

Officials had said Shah’s recently-declared income was categorised as black money after he failed to pay the first instalment of his tax dues.

On November 8, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes will not be legal tender anymore. He said it was a step to fight black money, corruption and the circulation of counterfeit currency in the country. The government had also announced an Income Declaration Scheme in June, where it had allowed black money holders to declare their undisclosed income by September 30.