I-T raids continue for third consecutive day in Karnataka

The Income Tax Department officials have continued the simultaneous raids in Bengaluru, including in the house of BJP leader B Y Vijayendra's classmate Aravind, contractor Samashekar, said to be a close aide of Umesh, the personal assistant of former chief minister B S Yediyurappa and his sons.

According to sources, the I-T officials have seized a large number of documents in the house and office of Somashekar in Basaveshwaranagar. They have also collected the details of tenders of project works taken up by Somashekar. Umesh and Somashekar are said to be in regular contact and allegedly had some transactions.

Aravind was abroad when the officials went to raid his house on Thursday. So, the officials had summoned him to come back for questioning. The raid continued in his house for the second day.

The officials, who had conducted raids on the house of Aravind in Vasanth Nagar, continued the raid on Saturday too, the raid is also continued in Rahul Enterprises in Sahakaranagar and other contractors. The officials, according to sources, are likely to take all the relevant documents to the Delhi office for further verification and accessing the transactions and total income of each individual including Umesh, contractors, chartered accountants and others.

However, the I-T officials refused to disclose if they are going to conclude the raids for now or they still continue with it. They are also tight-lipped on the seizures made in the respective individuals. But, the sources say that they have found several sets of documents relating to properties, movable and immovable properties and the contract works of the government projects majorly of the Irrigation Department.

The raids were conducted in around 50 places, including in Bengaluru, Bagalkot and Tumakuru following the irregularities in major projects in the Irrigation Department between 2019 and 2021.

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