Raids on Viva

The negation of the proposal to sell 963 acres of land in Palghar belonging to the Iranian Zoroastrian Anjuman (IZA) to Bhai Thakur’s Viva Group has proved to be fortuitous.
The Times of India (TOI) of August 13, 2014 states that the Vasai-Virar region income tax department that raided a group of builders claimed that the developers admitted to concealment of Rs 390 crore of earnings.

"The Thane unit of the income tax department had raided Ameya Builders, Swastic Group and its partner Rajiv Patil, the first mayor of the Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation and a relative of former MLA Hitendra Thakur. The department had also seized cash and jewellery worth Rs 5.5 crore in the raids at over 50 premises, an official said,” the TOI report alleged.
"The tax evasion was by way of manipulation of land deals where Thakur’s Viva Group’s role has emerged, officials said. Both Patil and Thakur denied any wrongdoing. Patil said, ‘The income tax department wanted us to produce receipts of the cash transactions and we are in the process of doing it. We have been doing business for the past 30 years and cash transactions are a regular practice.’ Thakur said that he was not aware of any fraudulent land deals through his Viva Group.
"Officials said that they have found money laundering through land transactions by the said companies and Viva Group. The Group has various business interests and also has a trust that runs many educational institutions in the Vasai-Virar region. Thakur enjoys tremendous clout in the Vasai-Virar region.”
The IZA decision to sell the Palghar land had resulted in controversy with IZA president Mehrwan Irani first agreeing and then turning against the proposal. He was ousted from office but the subsequent failure of the Viva Group to reportedly come up with the deposit amount, scuttled the deal.