Houses, commercial establishments of supporters of JD(S) Ministers H.D. Revanna, C.S. Puttaraju and D.C. Thammanna targeted

Mandya/ Hassan/ Uttara Kannada: Income Tax (I-T) raids were carried out at the residences of close associates of Mandya District Minister C.S. Puttaraju, Public Works Department (PWD) Minister H.D. Revanna and Transport Minister D.C. Thammanna at different places in these districts, yesterday.

Teams of I-T officials, who swooped down on the house, fuel station and saw mill of Zilla Panchayat Member Thimmegowda, a close aide of Minor Irrigation Minister C.S. Puttaraju in Pandavapura taluk of Mandya district simultaneously, verified various documents at these places.

Thimmegowda was present in the house when the raid took place. His son Chethan was also questioned at the saw mill. The fuel station is owned by Thimmegowda’s younger son Anil.

I-T officials also conducted raids on houses and commercial establishments of the supporters of Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and Minister Thammana at Somanahalli Industrial Area in Maddur. They searched the houses, guest house and the fertiliser company of Sadolalu Swamy, husband of Mandya ZP President Nagarathna. Swamy is also the JD(S) Observer for Mysuru region.

Simultaneous raids were carried out at the houses, guest houses, factories and offices of Swamy, located at Mandya, Mysuru and Bengaluru. The I-T officials have seized various documents including details of bank accounts.   

The I-T sleuths also carried out raids at the house of Papanni, a supporter and a relative of Revanna, at his native place Haradanahalli in Holenarsipur, Hassan.

A 15-member team of I-T officials also raided the residences of Revanna’s supporters — District Cooperative Central Bank President Karle Indresh, former President Honnavalli Satish, former MLC Patel Shivaram and N.R. Ananthkumar in Hassan.

In Hangarahalli, the officials raided the stone crusher unit, office and house of former Holenarsipur Taluk Panchayat President N.R. Ananth Kumar. The officials have seized some documents.

Since the announcement of the LS Polls, several I-T raids have been conducted in the premises of various contractors in Mysuru, Mandya and Hassan districts. Some of them are said to be supporters of JD(S).

Acting on a tip off that cash was being distributed to lure voters, the I-T officials are said to have carried out the raids.

The I-T Dept. which conducted raids at Mandya and Hassan, ahead of the second phase of LS elections has drawn flak from Congress and JD(S) leaders.

Addressing a press conference in Mysuru yesterday, Congress Legislature Party leader and former CM Siddharamaiah criticised I-T Officials for carrying out raids only on the houses of JD(S) and Congress supporters.

BJP leader raided

Meanwhile, I-T sleuths raided the house of Uttara Kannada District BJP President K.G. Naika in Hanajibylu of Siddapura  on Tuesday.

A team of eight officers descended on his residence in four vehicles by about 3 pm.

Election Squad personnel — Taluk Panchayat Executive Officer Dinesh and Tahsildar Geetha — were also seen entering his house. It is said that the search lasted till evening.

I-T statement

In a release, the I-T Department (Karnataka and Goa region) said that five residences in Hassan, one in Bengaluru and one in Mandya and related business premises were being searched by I-T sleuths.

“The taxpayers covered in today’s search operations are engaged in the business of real estate, quarrying and stone-crushing, executing Government contracts, operating petrol bunks, saw mills and managing Co-operative Banks,” the release said.

The searches, according to the release, were based on credible intelligence of tax evasion                         by some businessmen, the release added.