Minister's quarry in Pudukottai district being searched by IT officials

Chennai: The Income Tax department is conducting raids at 35 locations in Tamil Nadu includng Heath Minister C Vijaybhaskar's residence and quarry in Pudukottai, the residence of his partyman Chitlapakkam Rajendran and the residence of Dr S Geethalakshmi, vice chancellor of Dr MGR Medical University, in Chennai, on April 7.

IT sources said the raids were still on, though details were not available.

Nearly 35 locations were being searched, including 23 places in Chennai, and 11 other places in Tamil Nadu.

The minister's quarry in Pudukottai was among the places being searched.

At Pudukkottai, two teams of I-T sleuths, accompanied by CRPF personnel, were conducting searches at the minister's residence and the stone quarry at Thiruvenkaivasal in Pudukkottai district.

Sources said a team of about 50 IT personnel landed at Rasi Blue Metals quarry at Thiruvenkaivasal near Pudukkottai, shocking the staff.  

Simultaneously, another team landed at Vijayabaskar's house on Sourashtra Street in Iluppur.

The IT sleuths were also searching the residence of Dr S Geethalakshmi, the vice-chancellor of Dr MGR Medical University.

Similar raids were on at the residences of AISMK leader, actor Sarathkumar and AIADMK man Chitlapakkam Rajendran.  

This is the second round of high-profile raids in Tamil Nadu after the then chief secretary Rama Mohana Rao came under scrutiny for alleged links with sand mining mafia.