The Income Tax department on Wednesday searched over 13 places in Chennai, Coimbatore and Tiruchi belonging to sidelined AIADMK general secretary V.K. Sasikala and her family members. The team deployed for the search operation scrutinised lockers that were under prohibitory orders. These lockers were found during a massive raid called Operation Clean Money that the I-T department conducted in November.
A senior IT official told The Hindu , “There were some lockers and almirahs that were under prohibitory orders. Such orders have to be relaxed within 60 days. The operation today is mainly to open those sealed lockers,” he said.
Sources said that the searches were organised after a careful analysis of documents seized during the raids conducted on the business and residential premises of Sasikala’s family members in November.
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Another senior official from the I-T investigations wing said that a locker at Midas Golden Distilleries Private Ltd, one of the main suppliers of liquor to the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation Limited (Tasmac), was also searched.
The taxmen refused to share details on the seizures made from these lockers. An investigating officer said that the teams were still on the job. When asked whether Veda Nilayam, the residence of former Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa at Poes Garden was part of this search, the official said, “No.”
Last month, the I-T department searched over 187 places across Tamil Nadu, including offices and premises belonging to family members of Sasikala, with the help of over 1,000 officials. After the five-day raids, the department detected tax evasion on income of ₹1,430 crore.
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