The Income Tax (IT) Department on Friday conducted simultaneous searches on the offices of the Indrani Patnaik Mines and houses of concerned persons in Rourkela, Bhubaneswar and different parts of the State.
Although the exact reason behind the raid was yet to be ascertained, it was suspected that the searches were conducted on the charge of tax evasion.
Reports said the IT officials carried out the searches in at least 16 places across the State including the owner of the mining company and industrialist Indrani Patnaik’s and her husband Dipti Ranjan Patnaik’s residences and offices in Rourkela and Bhubaneswar.
Sources said an 18-member team of IT Department conducted the raids since Friday morning and might continue the operations on Saturday.
The company’s mines and offices in Joda of Keonjhar district were also being searched by the officials, the reports added.Notably, for the past few years, Dipti Ranjan Patnaik is the highest taxpayer in the State.