New Delhi, Nov 24 (DHNS): The Rs 3.5 crore cash in demonetised currency that was seized from Dimapur airport has gone missing, and it has now emerged that the money is linked to a son-in-law of a former chief minister, who is now a sitting Lok Sabha MP.

A source in the government said the businessman son-in-law claimed before authorities that the Rs 3.5 crore cash, seized by Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) Deputy Commandant Pushkar Parashar, was part of “Rs 5 crore meant to purchase agricultural land at Hisar in Haryana”, but the deal failed.

The politician’s relative certified that since “this deal could not be done”, he deputed Amarjeet Kumar Singh to bring back Rs 3.5 crore to Dimapur by flight. He claimed it was legal money and was earned from agricultural sources.

He also claimed to have Income Tax (I-T) exemption certificate issued on May 16 – which is given to the local Schedule Tribes (ST).

Interestingly, the cash went missing after it was handed over to I-T sleuths by the CISF officer, the “seizure memo” accessed by DH revealed.

Parashar seized the cash from Singh in the presence of two witnesses Sharavan Kumar and ITO Meghajit Khumantham. I-T inspector Imlinukshe Imbong wrote “received” on the seizure memo but the cash is now missing.

Diphupar police station in-charge S Bokato Sema summoned Parashar on Wednesday for recording his statement.

A source in the CISF said Parashar did not appear as he was away in Kolkata on duty. The source also suspects collusion at the local level to let the politician’s kin off the hook.

Suspecting it as an attempt to convert black money into white, a CISF officer wondered if it was legal, then what was the need to send such a large volume of cash in a chartered flight.

State government officers said I-T exemption to local STs is being exploited to park black money. In a similar incident about six months ago, cash was recovered at the airport from a person bound for New Delhi.