It is intimated that following recovery of incriminating documents and unaccounted cash/jewels, the Income Tax officials are to continue their raids at premises owned by Sasikala (former aide of former chief-minister J. Jayalalithaa), her relatives and friends for the third day today.

As reported earlier, in one of the biggest such exercises, more than 2,000 income-tax sleuths/officials have been raiding the premises/establishments and other places owned by Sasikala’s relatives, friends and acquaintances across the State and in other places across the country including at Bangalore and New Delhi since Thursday morning. The raids continued for the second day yesterday.

Raids have unearthed illegal transaction of several thousand crores of rupees in the name of ‘fictitious’ 60-odd companies and related documents. Part of the ‘Operation Clean Black Money’ in the post-demonetization phase, more than 190 locations were brought simultaneously under the income-tax department’s radar as raids continued unabated. Raids continued late into the night on Thursday and Friday and are likely to continue today for the third consecutive day.

Farmhouse of Dinakaran in Puducherry has been raided and a room (which reportedly served as a ‘secret locker’) has been sealed by the taxmen. Another jewellery store owned by Dinakaran’s relative in Puducherry was also raided. Dinakaran’s supporter Pugazhendhi’s Bangalore residence was another place where raids were conducted, keeping the supporters of Pugazhendi and Dinakaran at bay.