Mumbai: The income tax (I-T) department carried out searches in about 20 locations in Mumbai and Pune on Tuesday, of premises linked to people associated with leaders of the Shiv Sena. The premises searched were linked to businessman Sadanand Kadam in Mumbai and Regional Transport Officer (RTO) officer Bajrang Kharmate in Pune and Rahul Kanal, close confidant of Sena minister Aaditya Thackeray.
“Our searches are related to tax evasion matters. The seized documents and digital evidence will be examined to ascertain if there was any tax violation,” said an I-T official.
Last year, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had recorded statements of Kharmate, former RTO officer from Wardha and state transport minister Anil Parab in connection with a money-laundering case registered by the ED against former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh. Kharmate is known to be a close aide of Parab. The ED had been probing the allegations of cash for transfer and postings in the RTO department.
The I-T action came a week after the department searched the premises of Shiv Sena leader and corporator Yashwant Jadhav, who heads the standing committee of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. After three days of raids at over 33 locations, the department alleged Jadhav, his associates, and some civic contractors had acquired three dozen immovable properties worth Rs 130 crore. The I-T sleuths also claimed that the contractors involved are suspected to have evaded income of about Rs 200 crore.
