Govt checks cash deposits in last 10 days of note ban

Expanding scrutiny of suspicious transactions post demonetisation, the government has begun analysing deposits in new accounts and loan repayments as well as transfers to e-wallets and advance remittance for imports during the last 10 days of the deadline to turn in junked notes.

After analysing cash deposits made in bank and post office accounts during the 50-day window provided to get rid of the junked Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, authorities are now examining term deposit and loan accounts that were opened after the November 8 demonetisation decision.

“The Income Tax Department is already taking actions in cases where cash deposits above Rs 50,000 have been made without quoting of PAN. The department is using tools and its sources to identify each of these persons, and is confident that there would be a big expansion in the tax base and a quantum jump in direct tax collection,” a senior government official said.

A close watch has been kept on persons making cash deposits in the last 10 days of the demonetisation scheme, e-wallets, advance remittance for imports etc, and continues to work on collecting and analysing more data regarding cash deposits, he said.

The focus is also on non-cash deposits in various bank accounts by way of RTGS and other means, and would continue to share its findings with the concerned law enforcement agencies.

“Analysis of the deposits made, by way of cash and non-cash, in various kinds of new accounts including term deposit accounts and loan accounts that have been opened during the period of demonetisation is being done,” he said.

“The I-T Department and other agencies like ED are taking action based on the analysis.” Besides, regular reporting by the banks through Suspicious Transaction Reports has seen more than a four-fold increase in this period, and the same are being analysed for dissemination. On analysis, details of more than 60 lakh accounts which have cash deposits of Rs 2 lakh and above have been disseminated and the total amount deposited in these accounts is more than Rs 7.34 lakh crore.

Also, details of cash deposits totalling more than Rs 10,700 crore in different accounts in the North-Eastern states have also been disseminated. The official said that the I-T Department and ED have been provided with the details of cash deposits of more than Rs 16,000 crore in different accounts of various kinds of cooperative banks, as well as more than Rs 13,000 crore deposits made in Regional Rural Banks.