Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP) 

Bengaluru, Nov 1: Disqualified MLA from Gokak constituency, Ramesh Jarkiholi, who had engineered the fall of the coalition government in the state with the help of other MLAs, has got shock of his life from income tax (IT) department. 

The IT department has found that Jarkiholi owns Benami assets worth crores of rupees. It has found property valued at Rs 105.61 crore as Benami and impounded them. This step was initiated under the Benami Property Transactions Act, it is said. 

These assets stood in the name of Ramesh's wife, two children, and relatives. A sum of Rs 105 crore has been invested in Saubhagya Sugars of which Ramesh is the managing director. Funds have also been invested in this company in the names of his relatives. Nine crore rupees has been invested by Jayashree, wife of Ramesh Jarkiholi. 

It is learnt that during the questioning by the department, Jayashree said that she does not know anything about these investments. Jarkiholi has invested Rs 7.5 crore each in the names of his sons, Amarnath Jarkiholi and Santosh Jarkiholi. It is said both of them do not know anything about these investments. Similarly, over seven crore rupees has been invested in Saubhagya Sugars by Ramesh's brother-in-law, Shankar Patil and relative, Vasant Patil. Investments have also been made in ten cooperative societies but the IT department found that these societies are not in existence. 

Another surprising discovery is that Saubhagya Sugars itself is a Benami firm. The department officials are undertaking scrutiny of documents.