I-T raids continue on JD(S) aides in Mysuru region

Income Tax raids continued in the Mysuru region on Tuesday - all on the premises of persons related to JD(S) and known supporters of JD(S) ministers.

I-T department personnel swooped down on the house, office, sawmill and petrol bunk of JD(S) Zilla Panchayat member from Chikkade constituency, Thimmegowda, at Pandavapura town in Mandya district on Tuesday morning. Thimmegowda is said to be a confidant of district in-charge Minister C S Puttaraju.

It has to be noted that Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy had visited the house of Thimmegowda a couple of days back.

A similar raid was conducted on the house and office of Sadolalu Swamy, husband of ZP president Nagarathna. The office of Someshwara Fertilisers at Somanahalli in Maddur taluk and houses at Bengaluru and Mysuru were searched simultaneously.

Swamy, a confidant of Transport Minister D C Thammanna, is a JD(S) observer for the Lok Sabha polls in Mysuru-Kodagu constituency. Supporters of Swamy blocked the Bengaluru-Mysuru highway for nearly half an hour protesting against the raids.

Hassan dist

In Hassan district also, I-T officials conducted raids at Hardanahalli and Hangarahalli in Holenarsipur taluk. In Hangarahalli, the officials conducted a raid on the house of former ZP member and DCC Bank director H N Devegowda (Papanni). Papanni is also a contractor. Hardanahalli is the native of JD(S) supremo Deve Gowda. Papanni is said to be a confidant of district in-charge Minister H D Revanna. He is also a relative of the Deve Gowda clan.

In Hangarahalli, the officials raided the stone crusher unit, office and house of former Holenarsipur Taluk Panchayat president N R Ananth Kumar. The officials have seized some documents.

Since the announcement of the Lok Sabha polls, several I-T raids have been conducted on the premises of various contractors in Mysuru, Mandya and Hassan districts. Some of them are said to be supporters of the JD(S).

BJP leader raided

Meanwhile, Income-Tax sleuths raided the house of Uttara Kannada district BJP president K G Naika in Hanajibylu of Siddapura on Tuesday.

A team of eight officers descended on his residence in four vehicles by about 3 pm. Election squad personnel - taluk panchayat executive officer Dinesh and tahsildar Geetha - were also seen entering his house. It is said that the search lasted till evening.

I-T statement

In a release, the Income Tax department (Karnataka and Goa region) said that five residences in Hassan, one in Bengaluru and one in Mandya and related business premises were being searched by Income Tax sleuths.

“The taxpayers covered in today’s search operations are engaged in the business of real estate, quarrying and stone-crushing, executing government contracts, operating petrol bunks, sawmills and managing cooperative banks,” the release said.

The searches, according to the release, were based on credible intelligence of tax evasion by some businessmen, the release added.