Nagpur, Oct 9 (PTI) The Income Tax Department has found evidence of money laundering to the tune of Rs 1,000 crore in Maharashtra as per a press note it has issued after recent raids in the state, senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis said on Saturday.

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Queried on the IT raids on firms linked to the kin of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and some real estate companies in Pune on Thursday, Fadnavis said the action was not against any one family but against directors of sugar factories.

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There were alleged irregularities in the purchase process of five sugar factories and source of funds, after which the IT conducted raids, he added.

"A press note issued by the IT department should be taken seriously as it has found evidence of money laundering to the tune of Rs 1,000 crore in Maharashtra. They know where the money was transferred, which includes political leaders and many officials," he said.

Queried on allegations leveled by state minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik against the Narcotics Control Bureau post the raid on a Goa-bound cruise ship off the Mumbai coast on October 2, in which film superstar Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan and others have been held, Fadnavis said the issue must not be politicised.

Speaking on Malik's claim that a kin of a prominent BJP leader from Mumbai was let off post the raid by the NCB, Fadnavis said only those who were clean were allowed to go.

"The NCB has clearly stated that it had detained many people and those who were clean were let off. Besides, a person close to an NCP leader was also let off as he was found to be clean. We should stand with the NCB as it battles the drug menace. This issue must not be politicised," the former chief minister said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)