Income-tax officials carried out simultaneous raids on more than 50 premises across the country on Thursday in connection with alleged corruption in the recently concluded Commonwealth Games here.
An official said more than 50 teams, comprising nearly 300 sleuths, raided the premises of contractors who executed landscaping and beautification works and supplied sports equipment and gear for the Games.
The raids were carried out across Delhi and the National Capital Region and in Kolkata, Mumbai, Bangalore and Jamshedpur.
Officials said the Income-Tax Department was specifically looking into the contracts awarded by the Games Organising Committee and the role of its officials and contractors.
Documents related to tenders and contracts granted to various consortiums were seized and scrutinised to detect possible tax evasion. Discrepancies in invoicing and possible fudging of accounts and the tax returns of these firms for the previous years were also being investigated.
On October 19, the department conducted searches on the premises of four consortiums that had won contracts worth over Rs.600 crore. A Jamshedpur-based builder, whose premises were searched, told a news agency that it was not a raid but a routine survey. No document was seized from his firm, he said.
Other agencies involved in the investigations include the Central Bureau of Investigation, the Enforcement Directorate and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, besides the Central Vigilance Commission and the Comptroller and Auditor-General (CAG).
A special committee, led by the former CAG, V.K. Shunglu, is also looking into tardy execution of the Games projects.
