Income Tax Department officials conducted simultaneous searches at educational institutions and other properties linked to Minister for Public Works Department, Highways and Minor Ports E.V. Velu on Friday, November 3, 2023, in his native Tiruvannamalai and elsewhere.
The officials also conducted searches at the premises of some of the contractors dealing with the Minister’s departments.
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This is the second time that the I-T Department has brought Mr. Velu under its scanner. Earlier, it had conducted searches at his house in Chennai and a few other places during the run-up to the 2021 Assembly election.
On Friday, the taxmen landed in Kilnachipattu village near Tiruvannamalai town on the Vellore-Thoothukudi Highway. The searches began around 6.30 a.m. Around 200 sleuths came in 20 cars and two tempo travellers to the spacious campus of the Arunai group of educational institutions in the village.
Close to 100 personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), including armed guards and women constables, were deployed on the campus as part of the searches.
The searches in Tiruvannamalai town were restricted to the Minister’s camp office and Arunai group of educational institutions that are linked to Mr. Velu’s family members.
The Arunai group of educational institutions campus houses medical, engineering and pharmacy colleges and schools. Despite the searches, the educational institutions on the campus were allowed to function. The CRPF personnel checked the identity cards of students and staff members before they were allowed into the campus. The searches were under way till late at night..
Two I-T officials whom The Hindu contacted confirmed the searches at Mr. Velu’s properties. “It is too early to share details,” an official said.
Searches in Karur
Income Tax officials also conducted searches in Karur on the premises linked to the Minister and persons associated with him.
According to sources, the searches were being carried out at least at four places. The house of the Minister’s personal assistant, Suresh, at Gandhi Nagar, the house of Padma, the sister of former DMK MLA Vasuki Murugesan, at Periyar Nagar and a finance firm were among the premises where searches were under way.
