In what is being described as the fallout of the infamous coalgate scam during the UPA regime, sleuths of the Income Tax department on Wednesday raided the residences and business establishments of Swamikkannu Jagatrakshakan, former Union Minister and a close associate of M Karunanidhi, the DMK chief.
Sleuths of the Income Tx Department stormed into the residences of Jagatrakshakan at Adyar and Nungambakkam in Chennai and business establishments, including Bharat University, Sree Balaji Medical College and Sri lakshmi Narayana Institute of Medical Sciences at Puducherry and distilleries and inspected all official registers maintained in the premises.
Though there were no official word from the Income Tax department at the time of going to Press sources in Tamil Nadu Police which provided security cover to the sleuths said evasion of tax too could be one of the reasons.
“The IT officials who charged into the residences and business establishments locked the doors from inside and disconnected all communication links. Several incriminating documents have been seized from the houses as well as the business premises,” said the police source.
Jagatrakshakan (68) is one of the money bags financing the DMK in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. His name hogged the national limelight when the news on coal-gate hot the headlines. It was reported that Jagatrakshakan used his political clout for illegal coal field allocation to JR Power Gen Pvt ltd, one of the companies owned by him. He was also in the news when a sting operation brought to light the collection of capitation fee by one of the medical colleges owned by him for admission to MBBS course.
Though he had contested the 2014 lok Sabha from his forte Sriperumbudur, he was defeated by the AIADMK candidate by a big margin.