Bengaluru, Oct. 25: Just as the dust over the political battles in the state seemed to be settling down, the income-tax department on Monday opened up a new front, raiding simultaneously some 60 places belonging to the closest aides and allies of ministers and mine barons of Bellary, the Reddy brothers, including the health minister, Mr B. Sreeramulu’s premises, for reportedly possessing unaccounted wealth. It’s the first time a serving Cabinet minister has come under the I-T scanner.
The raids began early on Monday morning when I-T officials farmed out, in a co-ordinated move, to the homes and offices of Reddy loyalists in Bengaluru, Bellary and Hospet and went on through the day. Every last man in the Reddy camp — from Mr Sreeramulu to the legislators, Mr G. Nagen-dra and Mr T.H. Suresh Babu, to the Reddys’ lawyer and even their personal assistants and transporters — came in the officials’ gunsights. They even raided the rooms occupied by the two MLAs at Legislators’ Home.
While sources alleged that the Reddys had been tipped off about the raids on Sunday evening itself by somebody at the top levels of the state government, the I-T officials seemed to have cast their net surprisingly wider than expected, raiding their long-time lawyer, Mr Raghavacharlu, personal aides, Mr Ali Khan and Mr Madhusudan and the ILC Minerals proprietor, Mr Somashekhar, who is named in the Belekere scam.