Karnataka minister grilled, raids on

Bengaluru/New Delhi: For the second day running, income-tax officials on Thursday searched the offices and homes of the kin, close aides and business associates of Karnataka energy minister D.K. Shivakumar across Bengaluru and New Delhi.

While no cash was found in Bengaluru, I-T sleuths said they seized hundreds of documents related to the minister’s business and other financial transactions that raised questions about his business enterprises.

In Delhi, I-T officials raided four places, including an address in Safdarjung Enclave and another one at R.K. Puram, sources said. Around '8.33 crore in cash was recovered from Mr Shivakumar’s Delhi offices and residences on Wednesday over which he was grilled in Bengaluru. The minister claimed he knew nothing about the cash and that the house in Delhi did not belong to him.

Meanwhile, CM Siddaramaiah, upset over the state intelligence wing’s failure in providing information in advance about the shock raids on Mr Shivakumar, has taken the head of the intelligence wing, DGP Ashit Mohan Prasad, to task.

Mr Siddaramaiah questioned Mr Prasad on why the intelligence wing did not have information about the I-T department officials bringing CRPF personnel during raids on the energy minister’s residence and other places.

“They were camping in the city for nearly 10 days and the intelligence wing had absolutely no information about it. If not such important information, what intelligence does your staff gather,” he reportedly asked Mr Prasad. According to I-T officials, some of the documents recovered during Delhi raids are being scrutinised by its special wing to track alleged illegal transactions of the minister. These documents will be used in the questioning of the minister and his close associates.

There is suspicion that the minister may have allegedly bought property through a benami route in the city. The I-T department is looking into benami transactions and may book the minister under the Benami Transactions (Prohibtion) Act. I-T official are also looking to take the help of the Enforcement Directorate in alleged instances of money laundering by the minister in Singapore and other foreign countries. In Bengaluru, besides the minister’s plush home in Sadashivanagar, I-T officials continued to sift through documents and attempted to open lockers at his farmhouse in Ramanagar and his home in Kanakapura.