I-T raids intensify against Sasikala’s kin and associates
The income tax department called in sleuths from neighbouring states on Friday as it intensified the crack down on friends and family members of jailed AIADMK leader VK Sasikala over possible tax evasion and money laundering.
The raids, launched early on Thursday, continued for the second consecutive day across three states at residential and business premises of close relatives and business associates Sasikala, serving a jail term for corruption. It will also continue on saturday, I-T sources said. The sleuths were also looking at financial trails and shell companies allegedly operated by those under the I-T scanner. Following raids, “some incriminating documents” have been seized. At least 1,800 sleuths were engaged in the raids with some of them called in from Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.
Sources said the IT sleuths have seized incriminating documents from the premises of those people being searched, including Sasikala’s husband M Natarajan in Thanjavur and Siva Kumar, the doctor of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa. The IT sleuths are also likely to open bank lockers of some of the people.
On Thursday, sleuths raided the residence of Sasikala’s nephew TTV Dinakaran. Sasikala and Dinakaran lead a faction of the ruling AIADMK.
Among the business places where the raids are continuing include the Kodanad Tea Estate belonging to Jayalalithaa. Also being searched are the offices of the Jaya TV, a propaganda machine set up by AIADMK’s matriarch Jayalalithaa in the late 90s. It is now owned by Sasikala and is looked after by her relatives in her absence. I-T sleuths allowed employees of Jaya TV to enter office. Only few employees in the HR department were being questioned, sources said. The offices of party mouthpiece Namadhu MGR is also being searched for the second day.
The opposition in Tamil Nadu questioned the raids. DMK working president MK Stalin wondered as to what happened to a series of previous IT raids at the residence of health minister C Vijayabhaskar, former chief secretary P Rama Mohan Rao. “There has been no outcome of the raids,” Stalin said.
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