Bengaluru: Karnataka Energy Minister D.K. Shivakumar and his brother D.K Suresh on Monday appeared before the Income Tax (IT) Department officials here over the seizures made at their residences during the three-day searches.
“He (Minister) came to our regional office here with his brother on summons for questioning and recording his statements on the seizures made in the searches last week at his home here and other places,” an IT investigative wing told IANS.
The IT sleuths also raided the houses of the Minister’s brother in-law in the city, father in-law Thimmaiah at Mysuru, about 150 km away, and his business partners at Kanakapura, Hassan and his rented apartment in south Delhi.
Emerging out of the tax office in the city centre, an upbeat Shivakumar told reporters that he had nothing to share with the media on interrogation by the IT officers for over three hours as the investigation was underway.
“The I-T Department has the authority to search the premises of anyone, including businessman and summon them. This is not the first time I have come here,” Shivakumar told reporters.
Assuring the department of cooperating with its investigation on the documents, assets and properties seized from his house here, Kanakapura and New Delhi, the Minister said that he had answered their questions to the best of his satisfaction.
“They (tax officials) have not asked me to come for questioning again immediately. They said they would call me if needed,” reiterated Shivakumar.
The IT sleuths uncovered a huge set of documents, an estimated Rs 300-crore undisclosed income, gold, jewellery and properties from his residences in the city during the over 72-hour raids.
“Our teams have audited the documents and other recoveries from over 60 locations that were searched for the alleged tax evasion and illegal wealth in disproportionate to their income source,” added the official on the condition of anonymity, as he was not authorised to speak to the media.
The minister’s astrologer Dwarakanath Guruji and state legislative (Council) lawmaker S. Ravi also appeared before the IT Department’s probe team.
IANS