LUCKNOW: The income-tax department on Wednesday conducted multi-city searches against several companies linked to a Lucknow-based businessman and his associates on charges of tax evasion, official sources said. About 50 premises located in the Uttar Pradesh capital, Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi-NCR were raided, they said.

A number of real estate companies that allegedly acted as ''fronts'' for the businessman and his financial transactions were being searched by tax authorities apart from some ''entry operators (hawala dealers) and linked entities, a source said.

The political links of the businessman in Uttar Pradesh are also under the scanner, according to sources.