When Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy anticipated the I-T search on the associates of JD(S) by a few hours on Wednesday night, it set off speculation on how he knew of the impending raids. Speaking on Wednesday night, Mr. Kumaraswamy said he came to know about it after a tip-off of the bulk hiring of over 200 cabs at the international airport. However, speaking at the protest in front of the I-T offices on Thursday, he told officials not to underestimate him and he had abhimani s (fans) within the department as well. Sources in the Chief Minister’s Office said the CM received a tip-off by around 6 p.m. on Wednesday. However, Minor Irrigation Minister C.S. Puttaraju, whose residence in Mandya was searched, claimed it was BJP leaders who gave the tip-off. JD(S) sources said they had received information that Ministers S.R. Mahesh and D.C. Thammanna were also under the radar, along with Mr. Puttaraju.
