JOIN USIncome tax officials continued their raids late Wednesday night to detect unaccounted cash and cases of tax evasion. After raiding several contractors and officials a few days ago, the I-T officials on Wednesday targeted Hotel Royal Orchid at Krishnaraja Sagar in Srirangapatna taluk.
Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy often checks into the hotel during his visits to Mandya district where his son Nikhil Kumaraswamy is contesting the Lok Sabha elections.
A few days ago, Kumaraswamy had held a meeting of JD(S) legislators at the hotel. According to sources, Nikhil Kumaraswamy stayed in the same hotel on Wednesday. On Thursday morning, more than 20 I-T officials raided the hotel. The sleuths seized CCTV footage of Kumaraswamy and Nikhil during their stay here. The rooms, where they had stayed were also inspected. I-T officials have been staying in Mandya district for over a month and are monitoring the movement of Congress and JD(S) leaders, according to sources.
Meanwhile, a JD(S) leader from Hoskote in Bengaluru Rural district was also raided. Though the search operation involving 18 officials took place on Wednesday, the incident came to light on Thursday noon. Sources said no cash was recovered during the raid but officials seized several important documents. Elsewhere in Mandya, I-T sleuths raided farmhouses of K R Pet Congress leader K B Chandrashekar’s nephew and former town municipal council member K T Chakrapani at Kuppalli village on Thursday evening.
Chakrapani was working in favour of Independent candidate A Sumalatha. A meeting was held at his farmhouse on Thursday morning.
Rs 6 crore seized from contractor
Income tax officials on Thursday seized unaccounted cash of Rs 6 crore from a contractor in Bengaluru during a raid, DHNS reports from New Delhi.
I-T officials have been conducting raids on houses and business establishments of contractors and business houses linked to politicians for the past few days in the state. The cash, in two bank lockers, was suspected to have been meant to influence voters, said Election Commission sources said.