A sensational case of black money laundering and fraud has come to light in Jharkhand, after the Income Tax (IT) Department uncovered a racket where a Gujarati couple used fake documents to claim cash seized by investigative agencies.
The racket was exposed during the probe into the robbery of ₹5 crore in Giridih last year.
According to official records, Neena Shah and her husband Kamlesh Rajnikant Shah, both residents of Ahmedabad, ran a nationwide operation of reclaiming seized cash on behalf of black money holders.
Their modus operandi involved filing claims in courts and before enforcement agencies, supported by fabricated documents that showed the seized money as legitimate business income. Once the cash was released, the couple would deduct a hefty commission and return the remaining amount to the real owners.
The revelations emerged during the investigation of a midnight robbery on June 21, 2023, when unidentified assailants looted ₹5 crore from a Creta car in Jamua, Giridih district.
The car, allegedly transporting money from a Patna-based firm, DY Company, to Kolkata, was intercepted by a group of robbers in an SUV. The gang escaped with the cash, abandoning the vehicle nearby.
Following the FIR filed by the driver, Mayur Singh, Giridih police managed to recover ₹4.01 crore. However, the ownership of the seized cash soon became the subject of a prolonged legal tussle.
The IT Department sought custody of the money, arguing that it was unaccounted wealth. But surprisingly, Ahmedabad-based Neena Shah, through her representatives, also staked claim to the recovered amount, asserting it belonged to her firm, M/S MECTEC.
During the proceedings in Giridih’s Sessions Court, the IT Department presented extensive evidence showing that M/S MECTEC was a shell company. Investigators discovered that on paper, the Shahs had shown transactions worth crores through fictitious sales of fruits, vegetables, milk, and animal feed. But, ground checks revealed no genuine business activity.
Despite repeated summons, Neena Shah failed to appear before investigators. Eventually, during raids and questioning, she admitted that her husband claimed seized money in different cases by producing fake ownership documents.
Once courts or agencies released the funds, the couple would return the bulk of it to the actual black money owners after deducting their cut.
Even driver Mayur Singh’s testimony strengthened the IT Department’s case. He revealed that the ₹5 crore cash consignment was arranged by middlemen in Gujarat and routed through Patna to Kolkata using a hidden compartment in the vehicle.
He was instructed by handlers to lodge an FIR after the robbery to cover the tracks of the money movement.
On August 22, 2025, Additional Sessions Judge Hariom Kumar ruled that the ₹4.01 crore recovered by police could not be linked to M/S MECTEC or the Shahs.
The court ordered the entire sum to be deposited in the government account of the IT Department to enable a deeper probe into the real source of the funds.
With the Shah couple’s operations laid bare, investigators now hope to unravel the larger network of businessmen and agents who benefitted from the scam.
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