The CBI today carried out searches at 19 places across Tamil Nadu, including the residence of DMK chief M. Karunanidhi’s son M.K. Stalin in Chennai in a case of alleged tax evasion of imported cars.
The CBI team reached the house of Stalin in Chennai, who is alleged to be one of the beneficiaries of importing foreign cars, agency officials said.
The raids come close on the heels of the DMK pulling out of the UPA alliance and its five ministers resigning.
An FIR was registered yesterday against one senior intelligence officer of directorate of revenue Murganandam and two others for allegedly abusing their official position by not taking any action when the import of foreign cars, including some Limousines, was made.
According to the FIR, the officials have allegedly entered into a criminal conspiracy with unknown people and caused a loss of Rs 20 crore to the exchequer.
One of the imported cars is being used by Stalin’s son, officials said, adding after further investigation names of beneficiaries of importing the car would be included in the FIR.
The CBI said that the FIR was registered on the basis of a “source information” as the agency had been probing the leads in the case for quite some time.
Raids were going on at other places, including a business house, house of an owner of a medical college and others, the sources said.
Meanwhile, Stalin dubbed the CBI raid as a “political vendetta” and said he would face the case legally.
“I am not aware of the reasons for the raid. We will face the case legally,” 60-year-old Stalin, considered the political heir of Karunanidhi, told reporters in Chennai.
Reports had suggested that Stalin had prevailed over his father in the decision to pull out from the UPA.
As the news of CBI raids spread, senior DMK leaders and a large number of party supporters gathered at the residence of Stalin.