Rs110m cash seized in raids on Karnataka minister properties
bengaluru/new delhi — Cash of over Rs110 million has been seized till now by the Income Tax Department as part of the ongoing searches at multiple premises linked to Karnataka Energy Minister D. K. Shivakumar and his associates in connection with a case of alleged tax evasion.
The minister has been overseeing the stay of 44 Gujarat Congress MLAs at a resort on the outskirts of Bengaluru, who have been brought to the Karnataka capital in view of the Rajya Sabha polls in their state.
The raids that are continuing at many locations for the second day on Thursday, saw I-T sleuths seizing a number of documents, account books and financial papers.
About Rs83.3 million cash has been seized from Delhi, Rs25 million from Bengaluru and Rs6 million from Mysuru till now, a senior official said.
“About Rs114.3 million cash has been seized till now from various locations. Some searches and surveys are still on,” the official said.
He added that the valuation of some jewellery found during the searches is being done as of now.
Documents related to investments in real estate, including some alleged benami ones, are being analysed by the department, the official said.
In a swoop down that raised a political storm, the I-T department had on Wednesday conducted searches at 64 locations and properties linked to Shivakumar.
He has been put in charge of 44 MLAs lodged in the Eagleton resort to keep the flock together for preventing the BJP from “poaching” on them ahead of the Rajya Sabha polls in Gujarat where Ahmed Patel, political secretary to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, is facing a tough battle. — PTI