Income Tax conducting searches at #JayaTV, Namadhu MGR offices in Chennai

Income Tax officials are searching the office premises belonging to AIADMK mouthpiece Jaya TV in Chennai. In addition, raids are being conducted at nine other firms at various places in Tamil Nadu and across India, The Hindu reported.

The search are a part of a operation called clean money, The Hindu quoted an unknown IT official as saying. According to The Times of India officials are also searching the residence of Vivek Jayaraman, AIADMK leader VK Sasikala’s nephew, who controls Jaya TV. Though started by former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa, the channel has been controlled by jailed AIADMK leader VK Sasikala’s family members. Sasikala is currently serving a four-year term in jail over charges of corruption.

The searches that had started early in the morning were being conducted based on information of concealment of income and evasion of tax, TOI quoted unnamed senior officials as saying. “We have confirmed information about concealment of income and tax evasion. We have been monitoring the activities of the TV channel as well as its senior officials,” an unnamed senior I-T official was quoted as saying.