The Income Tax Department has seized land registration records worth more than ₹150 crore from sub-registrar offices in Jaisalmer and Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan's strategically sensitive border districts, as part of a widening crackdown on suspected benami transactions, unaccounted cash, and illegal funding in property markets. The operations, carried out on 17 July, were conducted by the department's Intelligence and Criminal Investigation (I&CI) Wing under directions to tighten scrutiny of suspicious land dealings in border zones.

What Was Found in Jaisalmer

Investigators in Jaisalmer flagged 170 land registration files with significant irregularities during a two-day inspection. According to officials, a large number of these registrations lacked mandatory Permanent Account Number (PAN) details of buyers — despite involving high-value transactions. The individual registrations reportedly ranged from ₹2 lakh to ₹50 lakh, with several payments allegedly made entirely in cash rather than through banking channels. Authorities suspect suspicious transactions exceeding ₹80 crore in the district alone.

The Jaisalmer team comprised Assistant Director Laxmi Narayan Meena, Income Tax Officers Mahesh Kulhari and Anil Bhambhani, and Inspectors Paras Prakash and Abhinash Kumar. A detailed report has been prepared for submission to the Jaipur headquarters for further investigation.

Sri Ganganagar: Records Seized Across Two Financial Years

In Sri Ganganagar, a nine-member special team from Jaipur inspected the Sub-Registrar office and seized records relating to major property registrations carried out between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2026. The team was led by Income Tax Officer Sumit Tiwari and included Rajesh Kumar Chaudhary, Satyendra Sharma, Pradeep, Vinod Godara, Gayatri, Sandeep Dhalia, Yogesh Dhaka, Pankaj Raheja, and Abdul Rahman.

Officials have compiled a detailed digital database of the seized registrations and will seek original records from the DIG (Stamps) for further verification. This operation follows an earlier probe into the Anupgarh Sub-Registrar office, where suspected irregularities involving nearly ₹75 crore worth of property registrations were detected.

What the Department Will Scrutinise Next

The Income Tax Department will focus on transactions involving cash payments exceeding ₹2 lakh, particularly cases where PAN details or other mandatory documents are absent. Where irregularities are established, the department may issue show-cause notices and initiate proceedings under the Income Tax Act. Officials indicated that if taxpayers fail to provide satisfactory explanations for the source of funds, authorities may recover tax, penalties, and applicable interest as per the Act's provisions. The final liability will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

The Broader Border-District Surveillance Drive

The latest seizures form part of a wider surveillance effort spanning Rajasthan's border districts — Jaisalmer, Sri Ganganagar, Barmer, and Bikaner — where land prices have risen sharply in recent years. Security and financial agencies are examining whether unaccounted money or funds from suspicious sources are being channelled into land purchases in these strategically sensitive areas. The department had previously conducted confidential verification exercises in Barmer and Bikaner as part of the same ongoing surveillance initiative.

The action has reportedly triggered concern among builders, investors, and property dealers operating across the region. With a broader enforcement pattern now visible, further raids and notices across Rajasthan's border belt are expected in the weeks ahead.