I-T raids Duraimurugan’s premises in Vellore

At the first instance, the officials did not have proper documents and gave conflicting replies, immediately nearly 300 DMK cadre gathered at the spot and become restive early on Saturday.  I-T department sources indicated that the searches were carried out to detect suspected tax evasion vis-a-vis use of unaccounted money for electioneering. The sources said tax investigation wing was requested by Vellore district election authorities to accompany them to hold searches. When the teams arrived at the DMK leader›s house they faced opposition from DMK’s legal team.

Officials told the DMK legal team that they had an “official memorandum” issued by top authorities and later the tax officials also got search warrants issued. The DMK legal cell functionaries refused to allow teams of the tax department’s election surveillance and monitoring and district static surveillance and flying squads to hold searches without a “warrant.”  Senior tax officials, later, armed with search warrants conducted the raids.

The Income Tax sleuths on Saturday seized Rs 10 lakh of alleged “excess” cash. Incriminating material, including electronic data storage devices were seized and the search operations have been concluded, income Tax department sources said.

Searches have been conducted at Duraimurugan’s residence, where some printouts with ward numbers written over them were found but the “main person,” indicating assessee, has dismissed them as “junk.”

About Rs 19 lakh cash was found.  After allowing cash declared in election affidavit, an amount of Rs 10 lakh was “determined as excess” and seized, the source said.

“We did not conceal anything,” Duraimurugan said adding all his family members are income tax assessee.

He confirmed that Rs 10 lakh was seized and said it was common to have cash on hand.

Tax department sources said searches were carried out in the campus of a college run by the DMK’s leader’s family, including in the teaching and hostel blocks. The administrative block is “being searched,” the sources added. A farmhouse said to be belonging to a close confidant was also searched. Duraimurugan said that the I-T officials after a 12-hour search in the engineering college have given on writing that all accounts were correct and properly maintained.