CHENNAI: A team of income tax officials on Wednesday morning began raids at Jaya TV office in Chennai, late Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa's Kodand estate and several premises belonging to the family members of jailed AIADMK leader V K Sasikala and her supporters.
I-T officials were searching the residence of Sasikala's husband M Natarajan in Thanjavur.
The residence of sidelined AIADMK leader TTV Dhinakaran at Mannai Nagar in Mannargudi, Sasikala's brother Dhivakaran's house at Sundara Kottai and the premises of their supporters were also being searched. A total of 187 places were being searched in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Puducherry, I-T officials said.
Around 1,800 I-T officials, including six in the rank of commissioners, were involved in the searches.
An official from the I-T department visited Dhinakaran's house in Chennai. However, no searches were conducted.
READ ALSO: Dhinakaran says I-T search is an attempt to get rid of him from politics
IT sleuths entered the house of TTV Dhinakaran's relative Dr Sivakumar in Raja Colony in Trichy after breaking open the door. However, there was no one in the house. Sivakumar was the personal physician of Jayalalithaa.
They searched a branch of a nationalised bank in the Nilgiris where the Kodanad estate has accounts.
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It all began with around 10 officials of the income tax investigation department entering the office of Jaya TV+ at Ekkatthuthangal in Chennai around 6am. They also searched the office of AIADMK mouthpiece "Dr Namadhu MGR" situated on the same building.
I-T officials were searching the residence of Sasikala's nephew Vivek Jayaraman, who controls Jaya TV, and Jazz Cinemas owned by her family members.
Income tax officials told TOI that the searches were being conducted based on information of concealment of income and evasion of tax. "We have confirmed information about concealment of income and tax evasion. We have been monitoring the activities of the TV channel as well as its senior officials and others," said a senior I-T official.
Though started by former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa, Jaya TV, has been controlled by Sasikala's family members, led by her nephew Vivek. The channel has been highly critical of the functioning of the AIADMK government after the unification of the factions led by chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and former chief minister O Panneerselvam in August.
The searches come at a time when the AIADMK symbol case is pending with the Election Commission. The Sasikala camp is a stumbling block for the EC to defreeze the symbol.
Read this story in Tamil
Read this story in Marathi
I-T officials were searching the residence of Sasikala's husband M Natarajan in Thanjavur.
The residence of sidelined AIADMK leader TTV Dhinakaran at Mannai Nagar in Mannargudi, Sasikala's brother Dhivakaran's house at Sundara Kottai and the premises of their supporters were also being searched. A total of 187 places were being searched in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Puducherry, I-T officials said.
Around 1,800 I-T officials, including six in the rank of commissioners, were involved in the searches.
An official from the I-T department visited Dhinakaran's house in Chennai. However, no searches were conducted.
READ ALSO: Dhinakaran says I-T search is an attempt to get rid of him from politics
IT sleuths entered the house of TTV Dhinakaran's relative Dr Sivakumar in Raja Colony in Trichy after breaking open the door. However, there was no one in the house. Sivakumar was the personal physician of Jayalalithaa.
They searched a branch of a nationalised bank in the Nilgiris where the Kodanad estate has accounts.
Read this story in Kannada
It all began with around 10 officials of the income tax investigation department entering the office of Jaya TV+ at Ekkatthuthangal in Chennai around 6am. They also searched the office of AIADMK mouthpiece "Dr Namadhu MGR" situated on the same building.
I-T officials were searching the residence of Sasikala's nephew Vivek Jayaraman, who controls Jaya TV, and Jazz Cinemas owned by her family members.
Income tax officials told TOI that the searches were being conducted based on information of concealment of income and evasion of tax. "We have confirmed information about concealment of income and tax evasion. We have been monitoring the activities of the TV channel as well as its senior officials and others," said a senior I-T official.
Though started by former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa, Jaya TV, has been controlled by Sasikala's family members, led by her nephew Vivek. The channel has been highly critical of the functioning of the AIADMK government after the unification of the factions led by chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and former chief minister O Panneerselvam in August.
The searches come at a time when the AIADMK symbol case is pending with the Election Commission. The Sasikala camp is a stumbling block for the EC to defreeze the symbol.
Read this story in Tamil
Read this story in Marathi
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