Around Rs 3.5 crore was recovered by Dimapur airport security from a private aircraft.

The Income Tax department has seized almost Rs 10 crore worth of cash and jewellery from Dimapur in Nagaland, in a curious case of money laundering involving the influential son of a politician from the state.Based on a tip-off, around Rs 3.5 crore was recovered by Dimapur airport security on Tuesday from a private aircraft carrying Anato Zhimomi, the son-in-law of former Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and son of lawmaker K Zhimomi.But even after recovering the cash, and income tax department being informed, the money had mysteriously disappeared from the airport.It was only after Mr Zhimomi was grilled by tax officers in Delhi on Wednesday that the money was eventually recovered for the second time - this time from his associates, sources said.According to sources, Mr Zhimomi admitted that he was taking the unaccounted money on behalf of a Delhi-based businessman to deposit into his account in Dimapur. Under local law, if he could prove the money had come from income in Nagaland, he would have received tax exemptions.The Income Tax Department claims, as per text and WhatsApp messages that they have seen, Mr Zhimomi had allegedly transferred Rs 6.7 crore into his account in three trips, after the government banned old 500 and 1,000 rupee notes. The laundered cash was meant to be sent back to the businessman via wire transfer.Income Tax officers have conducted searches at the homes of the businessman at Delhi's Vasant Kunj and Gurgaon and also at his Gurgaon factory on Wednesday.Jewellery worth Rs 1 crore was seized from his home, and his bank account, which had Rs 2.5 crore in deposits, was frozen, officials said.

They have also seized Mr Zhimomi's Dimapur account which had Rs 4.2 crore of the Delhi businessman's money.Tax officers are now probing the source of the money, as they claim neither the Delhi businessman, nor Mr Zhimomi's income justified the amount of money recovered in this operation.