In the raids conducted by Income Tax officials, Tamil Nadu Health Minister C. Vijay Bhaskar’s house, gold worth Rs 4.5 crore and cash worth 85 crores has been recovered. In the raid on Friday, several documents have also been seized from the minister’s house.
Significantly, on Friday there were raids in many places in Chennai and surrounding districts. The investigation campaign was started from 4 o’clock in the morning. 10 Income Tax Officers arrived at Vijay Bhaskar’s official residence to seek a search. 10 CRPF troopers were deployed for their protection.
Those who were searched in their homes included Tamil Nadu’s Health Minister and their relatives. IT officers have complained that Vijaybhaskar was involved in distributing cash in large numbers during the election campaign in RK Nagar assembly constituency. There will be a sub-election on this seat on April 12.
When the supporters of the minister got the information, they gathered outside the house and started shouting slogans against IT officers and former chief minister Panneerselvam. In this crowd, Minister of State R. Kamaraj, along with Udumalai Radhakrishnan, had some other big faces of politics, who were beating the main gate of Vijay Bhaskar’s bungalow.
These people were also debating the CRPF jawans deployed there. After much debate and sloganeering, these leaders were allowed to enter the bungalow, though it was against the rules of IT for allowing ministers to go inside during the raids.
According to the report of TOI, a statement of senior IT officer has also come in the matter that it will be investigated why the ministers were allowed to enter inside during the raid. Shortly after this, Vijaybhaskar came out with his daughter and talked to the media. It was also against the rules. During this, the CRPF jawans tried to stop them from talking to the media but their efforts remained unsuccessful.
Vijaybhaskar said that the IT officers are torturing me from 4 a.m. onwards. I do not even have 10,000 rupees but still, I am being tortured. I was not allowed to send my children to school.
The Income Tax Department conducted search operations in 19 places in Chennai. On the same, a search operation was conducted at 13 places in the districts of Trichy and Pudukottai.
