Hawala accused Koda admitted to hospital

Former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda, who is facing intense heat from the Income Tax Department in connection with alleged hawala transactions, was on Tuesday admitted to a hospital in Ranchi after he complained of illness.

"He was admitted to hospital around noon after he complained of some ailment. He is in the intensive care unit. The doctors are attending on him and only after getting the pathological report can we say anything about the ailment," a spokesman of the Abur Razzak Memorial Weavers Hospital Javed Akhtar told PTI.

As raids continued in the premises of Koda for the fourth day on Tuesday, a top income tax official alleged non-cooperation by him resulting in delay in the conclusion of investigation.

Asked if Koda was cooperating with the IT sleuths, Director-General (IG-Investigation), Anjani Kumar, told mediaperons, "Not much. If I get proper support and cooperation, the investigation will conclude soon."

38-year-old Koda was being questioned by IT officials in connection with alleged huge hawala transactions and illegal investments. The raids began on Saturday on 70 places in nine cities across the country with the IT department claiming to have found evidence of hawla transactions and illegal investments running into more than Rs 2,000 crore.

Department also set a November 6 deadline for six of Koda's alleged aides to appear before them 'to explain certain transactions and events.' It warned that if they failed to appear, strict legal actions would be taken as permissible under various laws.

Binod Kumar Sinha, a close aide of Koda, is among six persons against whom the deadline for appearance has been set. Both Koda and Sinha were booked by the Enforcement Directorate, which had filed an Enforcement Case Information Report, equivalent to an FIR, in connection with hawala transactions a fortnight ago.