Income Tax officials carried out simultaneous searches at more than 25 locations, most of them residences of close relatives of deposed AIADMK (Amma) general secretary V.K. Sasikala and supporters of sidelined deputy general secretary T.T.V. Dhinakaran across the central region on Thursday.
Split into multiple teams, the well-coordinated operation was launched early in the day at various places in Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, Tiruchi, Pudukottai and Nagapattinam districts. In most places, the operation continued all through the day and late in the evening.
Mannargudi, the native town of the Sasikala family, was abuzz as searches were conducted at as many as 18 places in Tiruvarur district, which included a couple of residences of Sasikala’s brother V. Dhivakaran at Mannargudi and a private college belonging to him in the town.
The teams carried out intense searches at the farm house of Mr. Dhivakaran at Sundarakottai and at his other house at Mannai Nagar in Mannargudi. Mr. Dhivakaran is also understood to have been subjected to extensive questioning at the farmhouse.
In a brief interaction while being taken to the Mannai Nagar house from Sundarakottai, Mr. Dhivakaran just nodded in the affirmative when asked whether he felt that the I-T raids had “ulterior political motives.”
When quizzed further, Mr. Dhivakaran said he was not supposed to talk, and left abruptly promising to hold a briefing after the completion of the search.
Searches were also conducted at 12 other places allegedly owned by Mr. Dhivakaran and his relatives in and around the town, including a sprawling farm house located just opposite to the Sengamala Thayar College, owned by his family-managed trust.
Searches were conducted at the residence of S. Kamaraj, who was appointed by T.T.V Dhinakaran as the AIADMK (Amma) Tiruvarur district secretary, after ousting Food Minister R. Kamaraj from the post. A former councillor, Rasupillai, was also came under scrutiny.
Income Tax officials from Kerala and Karnataka were said to been involved in the operation in Tiruvarur district.
In Thanjavur, searches were conducted at the house of M. Natarajan, Sasikala’s husband, at Arulananda Nagar and six other places. Sources said the houses of Mr. Natarajan’s nephew Venkatesh, Sasikala’s nephews T.V. Mahadevan, who died a few months ago, and Thangamani, Sundaravadanam’s son Dr. Venkatesh, party advocate Velu Karthikeyan, and the State joint secretary of Amma Peravai Rajeswaran, were searched.
Tiruchi raids
In Tiruchi, a day-long search was carried out at the residence of Kaliyaperumal, a relative of Sasikala at K.K. Nagar. Mr. Kaliyaperumal was a retired superintending engineer in the State Highways Department.
Another team searched the house of Sivakumar, a physician and relative of Sasikala, at Raja Colony in Tiruchi city.
