Search on the premises of Pradeep Reddy came a few days after I-T sleuths inspected the houses and offices of three Congress leaders.
I-T Department and other central agencies are active in Telangana these days. (Supplied)
Continuing its crackdown on alleged tax evaders, the Income Tax (I-T) Department carried out searches on the premises linked to a man, reportedly the benami of the son of a minister in Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao’s Cabinet, on Monday, 13 November.
The search on the premises of Pradeep Reddy on Hyderabad’s outskirts came a few days after the I-T sleuths had inspected the houses and offices of two Congress leaders, including Maheswaram candidate K Laxma Reddy, and a BRS leader V Laxma Reddy.
Following information that both the BRS and Congress candidates were arranging money to fund the election campaign, the department started cracking the whip.
Sources said Pradeep Reddy was involved in settling issues over prime lands in Guttala Begumpet and Narsingi.
With the help of a DCP-ranked officer, Pradeep Reddy indulged in the land settlements in association with a real estate firm. He allegedly played a key role in the Kongara Kalan land encroachment. The I-T Department was also collecting more information on the DCP’s links with politicians.
On 9 November, the department conducted searches at the residences and offices of industrialist and former MP Punguleti Srinivas Reddy in Khammam and Hyderabad.
The raids came a few hours before he filed his nomination papers for contesting from the Paleru Assembly constituency.
The raids did not surprise Srinivas Reddy, who said that the I-T Department would definitely resort to such acts in view of the Assembly elections.
Mild tension prevailed at the residence of Srinivas Reddy in Khammam when his followers protested the I-T Department’s action.
As many as 30 teams from Hyderabad and Karnataka started the searches at 4 am at Srinivas Reddy’s native place at Narayanapuram in Khammam and his residence in Hyderabad to verify documents. His office, too, was searched.
The department earlier inspected the properties of three Congress leaders after the elections to the 119-member state Assembly were announced.
A few days ago, the department searched the premises of K Laxma Reddy, Parijatha Narasimha Reddy, V Laxma Reddy, and other political leaders in the city suburbs.
While K Laxma Reddy is contesting from Maheswaram Assembly constituency on a Congress ticket, Parijatham was a poll aspirant, but the Congress denied him a ticket.
V Laxma Reddy, a BRS leader, had bagged the contract of the famous Balapur Ganesh laddu for ₹24.60 lakh this year.
On 21 October, the I-T department reportedly questioned AMR Group Chairman Mahesh Reddy in connection with the seizure of ₹.3.50 crore by the city police during surprise checking conducted as part of the election bandobust duty in Banjara Hills.
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