I-T RAIDS ON KARNATAKA MINISTER, KIN

Unsparing of the rich and powerful, the Directorate of Income Tax (Investigation) Karnataka & Goa on Thursday raided one of the most politically powerful families and sugar barons of Karnataka — minister of small scale industries, Ramesh Jarkiholi, his brother Lakhan Jarkiholi and Lakshmi Hebbalkar, who is also the president of the Karnataka Pradesh Mahila Congress, at around 8 am on Thursday.

The Directorate cracked down on the Jarkiholis and their business associates — S.D. Mullah, official with the Cauvery Neeravai Nigama, and Ali for alleged tax evasion and possession of undisclosed wealth running into crores of rupees.

Simultaneous I-T raids were conducted at multiple locations; at the minister’s official residence at Bengaluru and his private residence in Gokak, the residences of Lakhan, Mullah and Ali in Gokak and at Hebbalkar’s house in Belagavi. While the top officers in the directorate remained incommunicado, according to sources, the raids followed “inputs on alleged discrepancies in the tax returns filed by the minister and his siblings and non-disclosure of their assets,” said an official source.

The income tax officials have reportedly seized some incriminating documents from the premises, which also include property documents of the new sugar factory, which is being commissioned by Hebbalkar at Karikatti village in the district.

The Jarkiholis rule the sugar bowl of Karnataka and own three of Belagavi’s largest sugar factories. Ramesh is a four-time MLA from the Gokak constituency and his brothers, represent the Arabhavi and Yamakanamaradi constituencies in Belagavi.