Income Tax Department on Thursday conducted concurrent search operations at a residence in Surya Residency Bhilai and at various other places in State. The I-T officials also mounted the search operations at the residence and official premises of a businessman Suryakant Tiwari and at the premises of his close aides.

As per sources the I-T team had conducted the raid at more than four places including Bhilai.

According to the sources in the Income Tax Department, Thursday morning, the joint team of I-T officials from different places reached the residence of a Deputy Secretary in the government of Chhattisgarh Soumya Chourasya at Surya Residency in Bhilai and at the residence of the businessman Suryakant Tiwari in Anupam Nagar, Raipur. The IT team was accompanied by CRPF personnel and as the search operations started the roads in front of the houses were blocked so that the movement of outsiders can be restricted. Suryakant Tiwari and his associates are associated with coal, transport and real estate business. And it is learned that he has an ancestral home in Mahasamund. Income tax team simultaneously conducted operations at Mahasamund. Apart from this, income tax investigation is going on at places of the close aides of the businessman. There are also reports of the search operations by the income tax investigation wing in the residence and office premise of a transporter who is also linked to Tiwari. According to Income Tax sources, Income Tax investigation is going on at 4 places and more officers are expected to join investigation. Meanwhile the IT officials are tight lipped over whether any seizures have been made in the search operations conducted by them. The sources informed that the operations are continuing even late at night. Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has earlier indicated that the BJP government will be using the central agencies to suppress the voice of opposition as they have been doing. The BJP cannot tolerate the voice of dissent and they are using all tools under their disposal to politically suppress the opposition in the country and the I-T and ED raid was anticipated by the chief minister in Chhattisgarh to create disruption and malign the image of the government.