Tax sleuths continued to search properties linked to Energy Minister D K Shivakumar, his family and friends in Bengaluru, Mysuru, Mandya and Hassan.

They concentrated on the premises of his family astrologer Dwarakanth ‘Guruji’ in Bengaluru, MLC S Ravi in Kanakapura and his father-in-law Thimmaiah in Mysuru. Ravi is also related to Shivakumar.

The action against the Congress strongman began early on Wednesday and continued late into the night on Thursday.

It was reported on Wednesday that sleuths had seized about Rs 11 crore from places associated with Shivakumar in Delhi, Bengaluru and Mysuru.

The co-ordinated action has led to the seizure of documents relating to his various businesses, besides bank statements and cheques.

Sources said the documents reveal investments in Singapore and other foreign locations, and a property deal involving the son of a former chief minister from the BJP.

Unconfirmed reports said the tax officials found ownership documents relating to shopping complexes in Dubai and Singapore and a property in Birmingham near London.

According to a panchnama report, the search party only seized books of accounts from the residence of D K Suresh, MP and Shivakumar’s brother.

The report, which does not refer to any cash or jewellery, names Vittal Rao Nalige, a resident of RMV Extension, and Partha K R, a resident of Magadi Main Road, as witnesses.

Grilled for two hours

Tax officials questioned Shivakumar for about two hours about his connections with some solar power equipment firms.

A note maintained by Shivakumar came to light later in the day; it purportedly talks about Rs 3 crore being paid to the Congress high command through a hawala channel.

DKS’s mom blames CM

D K Shivakumar’s mother Gowramma suspects Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is behind the raids. “He used my two sons and backstabbed them. He is behind the I-T action,” she told reporters.

She said Siddaramaiah had remained mum till late afternoon on Wednesday, although the raids began in the morning. “He just tweeted against the action. Some people are jealous of the growing political stature of my sons and are troubling them. My sons are pure and will come out clean,” she said.

What’s in the ACs?

I-T officials got an electrician to open up the ACs at Shivakumar’s house: they suspected he stashed away cash inside. They had found three lockers at his house on Wednesday. They could not open one of them, an electronic locker, as they did not have the password. They called a locksmith to break it open as Shivakumar refused to share the password. The locker contained investment documents, a source said.

As I-T dept began raiding his aides, Shivakumar knew he was next

Energy Minister D K Shivakumar saw it coming a few months ago when Income Tax sleuths started raids on his close aides, business associates and firms where he has financial investments.

Sources close to the minister told DH that Shivakumar had been making frequent trips to Delhi in the past five months when he sensed the I-T department casting its net wide around people and firms close to him.
He is also said to have used his proximity with a top BJP functionary in the state and a former national party functionary in Delhi to escape the I-T net.

In fact, raids on the minister’s associates started in January 2016 when I-T sleuths, who were probing irregularities in electrical contracts for electricity supply companies (Escoms), raided a businessman’s flat in Malleswaram.

The businessman, Uday, with interests in casinos in India and Sri Lanka, is a close associate of Shivakumar and has business interests in real estate. Again, Shivakumar came under the I-T scanner after demonetisation in November 2016. There were several raids on his associates and associate business firms including a well-known jewellery chain and a real estate company where Shivakumar is said to had made investments.

The raids became more evident when one of his school administrators Lepaksha’s house was targeted by I-T sleuths. Later, it was followed by a raid on one of his close aides in January this year.

Sources said that after these two raids, Shivakumar was very worried and wanted to come out clean. He is said to have pulled all his resources and relations in the BJP to wriggle out of the situation. It is said that at one point in time, the minister was even grilled by the Enforcement Directorate but nothing came out of it.

‘I will make the choice’

Meanwhile, according to the grapevine in the BJP, a few senior leaders in the Congress would be coerced to join their ranks in the coming days. When one of Shivakumar’s men asked him about this soon after the recent Cabinet meeting, the minister is said to have told him that there was pressure on him for the past two months. “But, I will make my choice on what to do,’’ he is said to have told his associate.