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I-T raids at Jayalalithaa's Poes Garden home, Sasikala's rooms searched

Search operation was launched in office block, room used by Sasikala. TTV Dhinakaran called raids 'betrayal of Amma's soul'.

Chennai: Days after raids at Jaya TV and multi-city searches in 187 locations linked to ten income tax assessed groups which include those linked to Sasikala, her kin and some associates, income tax officials, on Friday evening, conducted searches in the office block of the Poes Garden residence of late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.

Following inputs, a search operation was launched in the office block and a room used by jailed and deposed VK Sasikala at "Veda Nilayam," the Poes Garden residence.

Sasikala, Jayalalithaa's long-time aide, had continued to live at the Poes Garden house after Jayalalithaa's death in December, 2016 till she was sent to jail by the Supreme Court in a corruption case.

"We have not searched the entire Poes Garden premises. Our team went at 9 pm and only Poongundran's room, records room and other room used by Sasikala were searched," the top Income Tax official told PTI.

Poongundran had served as an aide of the former chief minister.

The seizure included a laptop and the search would be concluded soon, the official added.

NDTV reported an official saying that along with a laptop, a desktop computer and four pen drives had been seized and were being scrutinised.

TTV Dhinakaran, who has been sidelined in the AIADMK following a dramatic year of political turmoil within the party since the death of Jayalalithaa, said the tax raids at Poes Garden "for whatever reason is a betrayal to Jayalalithaa's soul". Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edapaddi Palanisamy and his deputy O Panneerselvam are "behind this betrayal", he tweeted.

Speaking on the issue, V P Kalairajan, a supporter of TTV Dhinakaran and a former MLA was heard saying that it was “just political vendetta and targeting of one family.”

Supporters of Sasikala also flocked to Poes Garden against the raids but a large posse of policemen deployed around the house kept them at a distance and later detained them.

Protests at Poes Garden. (Photo: Twitter | ANI)Protests at Poes Garden. (Photo: Twitter | ANI)

( Source : Deccan Chronicle. )
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