Chennai: Income tax officials on Wednesday morning started raids at Jaya TV office in Chennai, former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa’s Kodand estate and several premises belonging to the family members of jailed AIADMK leader VK Sasikala and her supporters.
The IT department officials were also searching the residence of Sasikala’s husband M Natarajan in Thanjavur.
A total of 80 places were being searched and this includes the residence of Sasikala’s nephew TTV Dhinakaran at Mannai Nagar in Mannargudi, Sasikala’s brother Dhivakaran’s house at Sundara Kottai and also the premises of their supporters.
The income tax investigation team entered the office of Jaya TV at Ekkatthuthangal in Chennai at around 6 am.
The IT department has also searched the office of AIADMK mouthpiece “Dr Namadhu MGR” which is situated in the building from which Jaya TV operates.
The residence of Sasikala’s nephew Vivek Jayaraman, who controls Jaya TV, and Jazz Cinemas owned by her family members is also being searched by the IT department officials.
Sources in the IT department said that the searches were being carried out on the basis of information about concealment of income and evasion of tax.