An Indian bank employee checks stacks of new 2000 rupee notes. Long queues formed outside banks in India as people crowded in to deposit old currency and withdraw new notes after the two largest denomination rupee notes were taken out of circulation. (Sam Panthaky/AFP/Getty Images)

The Income Tax department has detected over Rs. 250 crore of undisclosed income of hundreds of people who made huge deposits post demonetization but didn’t respond to taxmen’s queries on it under ‘Operation Clean Money.’ – @Siliconeer #Siliconeer #India #Economy #OperationCleanMoney @NaMo #NaMo @Narendramodi #NarendraModi #Demonetization #Demonetisation

Officials said multiple I-T teams have conducted over 230 surveys countrywide, covering only business premises of an individual or entity, till now in states like Punjab, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and in the national capital.

They said the surveys led to the detection of over Rs. 250 crore suspected funds which are now expected to be declared under the Prime Minister Garib Kalyan Yojna, the ongoing black money declaration window, operational till March 31.

Meanwhile, the department has brought on board two firms to conduct a heavy volume data mining of the responses and data received till Feb. 15, when the ‘Operation Clean Money’ expired.

“The survey operations will be intensified based on the results of the data mining. Over 230 such operations have already been launched till now. Over Rs. 250 crore stashed funds have been detected as part of these operations,” a senior Income Tax officer said.

The department had sent SMSes and emails to 1.8 million people who made suspicious deposits of over Rs. 500,000 during the 50-day demonetization period as part of this operation.

Close to 600,000 people have replied on the e-filing portal and have acknowledged to have made such deposits.

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), the policy-making body of the Income Tax department, had recently directed taxmen to ensure there is no “threat, warning or show cause” notice to taxpayers contacted by it under the ‘Operation Clean Money.’

The CBDT has also said verification under this exercise should be completed quickly so that erring taxpayers can avail the one-time window of the Prime Minister Garib Kalyan Yojna that ends on March 31.