Mayawati recently appointed her brother as the national vice president of her Bahujan Samaj Party

A plot of land in Noida near Delhi worth Rs 400 crore, said to belong to Uttar Pradesh politician Mayawati's brother, was seized by the Income Tax department today.

A government order said the seven-acre plot was "beneficially owned" by Mayawati's brother Anand Kumar and his wife Vichiter Lata.

An order to seize the plot was issued on Tuesday by the Delhi-based Benami Prohibition Unit of the Income Tax department.

Mayawati recently appointed her brother as the national vice president of her Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).

The order, accessed by the Press Trust of India, said Anand Kumar and his wife were benami or proxy owners of the property.

The tax department is investigating high value properties in New Delhi and Noida linked to the couple, and investment in companies promoted by the couple.

According to the law, those charged with violating the Benami Act can face rigorous imprisonment for up to seven years and will be liable to pay up to 25 per cent of fair market value of the' property.

With inputs from PTI