I-T searches premises of Aaditya aide, Sena says attack from Delhi

Officials said the tax department searched premises linked to Yuva Sena leader Rahul Kanal, a close aide of Sena leader and minister Aaditya Thackeray; Sadanand Kadam, brother of Shiv Sena leader Ramdas Kadam; and Regional Transport Officer (RTO) Bajrang Kharmate, who is known to be close to Shiv Sena minister Anil Parab.

Twelve premises in Mumbai and seven in Pune were searched.

A tax official said the search on Kanal was a “fallout” of its probe into the alleged hawala transactions by Yashwant Jadhav, chairman of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) standing committee. Kanal is a member of BMC’s education committee and a trustee of Shri Sai Baba Sansthan Trust, Shirdi.

According to sources, the searches at premises linked to Kadam and Kharmate are not connected to Jadhav’s case and pertain to a separate instance of alleged tax evasion.

“Maharashtra has earlier faced attacks and this is an attack from Delhi. Over the last few months, when there were indications that we would go to polls, the BJP, threatened by the MVA, has started this. They have done this in UP, in Hyderabad and in Bengal, and with elections slated in the state, they are doing this here. The central agencies have, in a way, become publicity machinery of the BJP. Maharashtra will not bow down,” said Aaditya Thackeray.

On February 25, I-T officials had searched Jadhav’s premises and claimed to have uncovered benami properties worth Rs 130 crore. In a statement, the department had said that it also searched four BMC contractors and found undisclosed income of Rs 200 crore. I-T officials said they had found “evidences” that indicate a “close nexus” between Jadhav and these contractors.

Sources said Sadanand Kadam and Kharmate are both close to Anil Parab. Kharmate was earlier searched and questioned by the ED in connection with the allegations by dismissed police officer Sachin Waze. Waze, in his statement, had alleged that Parab received crores of rupees as bribe from Kharmate for transfers of 10 police officers in Mumbai last year. The agency had also recorded statements of witnesses in its case against Kharmate and Parab.

The tax searches came on a day when Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said at a press conference that the Mumbai Police would investigate a complaint against four Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials for allegedly running an extortion racket. Raut said some ED officials were acting as the BJP’s “ATM”.

“Certain ED officials are bound to go behind bars after this investigation,” he said. He, however, did not reveal the names or designations of these ED officials.