I-T crackdown on Sasikala kin’s premises, searched Jaya TV’s present and former offices

Dinakaran worships a cow at his residence in Chennai. (Express Photo)

In a massive income-tax raid on Thursday, officials searched 187 premises in Tamil Nadu as well as Hyderabad, Karnataka, Puducherry and Delhi. Some 100 of these properties were linked to AIADMK general secretary V K Sasikala and her family.

Raids started at 6.30am at the Chennai office of Jaya TV, the AIADMK mouthpiece controlled by Sasikala’s family, followed by several more houses and offices of her close relatives. By 7.30am, I-T sleuths reached at least 67 locations, including the office of Dr Namadhu MGR newspaper, another AIADMK mouthpiece, and the residence and offices of Sasikala’s nephew Vivek Jayaraman, Jaya TV MD. By 9 am, 187 premises were searched by over 1,000 officers, who arrived in most places in taxis.

AIADMK leader T T V Dinakaran alleged that the raids were politically motivated, while a senior I-T officer told The Indian Express that raids were launched as part of “Operation Clean Money” against tax evaders. “The raids have no political motive. We haven’t searched Sasikala’s house. We searched 10 business groups, including three with links to Sasikala’s family. The search is on and it is likely to continue until late night,” the official said.

The officer said the raids sought to seize not cash nor gold but documents relating to some 60 shell companies belonging to 10 business groups that allegedly routed cash through these shell companies after demonetisation and made suspicious cash deposits and transactions.

“We have seized many incriminating documents. We cannot reveal the worth or value of seized items until we have completed the search. The 60 shell companies are all registered in India,” the I-T officer said.

Dinakaran, who addressed the media, said his house in Chennai was not raided. Journalists who reached his house in the morning found him worshipping a cow and a calf as the gates were opened. His wife, Anuradha, who played a major role in running Jaya TV for a long time, was seen helping the puja, holding a lamp besides fruits and garlands for the animals.

Addressing the media later, Dinakaran accused the Centre of targeting his family. “It is obvious that the Centre has a political motive,” he said, accusing it of trying to end Sasikala’s political career.

“Even if they impose cases on us, they cannot hang us, there is no provision for that. I am 55 now. At most, they will put me behind bars for 20 years. I can still come out at 75 and fight back,” Dinakaran said.

“We come from villages… we are not afraid of anyone. Even Amma faced similar challenges. But let me tell you, if you think that you can grow by eliminating us, you are wrong…,” Dinakaran said. He said he has already seen Tihar. “Don’t think that you can scare us… If you send me to prison, I will do party work there,” he said.

He ridiculed I-T sleuths who he said had reached his farmhouse. “Guess what they would have seized from my farm… Cowdung.”

He dared the Centre to “send Income Tax or CBI or anyone”. “I will still tell the truth. Yesterday, I said demonetisation was a failure. Initially, even I had thought it was a good decision. Now we are all suffering… If they launched this raid for telling that truth, I will repeat it,” he said

Opposition leader M K Stalin too questioned the raids. “What happened to the raid at Health Minister C Vijaya Baskar’s premises, what about the I-T raids at former power minister Natham R Viswanathan and former chief secretary Rama Mohana Rao’s houses? What is the outcome of all these searches?” Stalin said.

Searched…
* Jaya TV’s present and former offices
* House and offices of Sasikala nephew Vivek
* Jazz Cinemas office and Phoenix Mall (Velachery) with links to Vivek
* Vivek’s sister Krishnapriya’s house in T Nagar
* Sasikala’s husband M Natarajan’s house in Thanjavur
* Sengamalathaayar College in Thanjavur owned by Sasikala’s brother Divakaran
* Houses of Divakaran, assistant Vinayagam and two business associates in Mannargudi
* T T V Dinakaran’s house in Mannargudi
* Dinakaran’s friend Agri Rajendran’s house in Mannargudi
* Houses of Sasikala relatives Sundaravadanam, late T V Mahadevan (Thanjavur) and Kalia Perumal (Trichy )