Coimbatore: The Income Tax (IT) raids on Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) minister Senthil Balaji have entered their third day, with additional searches being conducted at the residences of his supporters and acquaintances. Today, raids were carried out in the Goldwins area of Coimbatore at the home of the minister's supporter, Senthil Karthikeyan, for the third consecutive day. Simultaneously, raids are ongoing for the third day at the residence of Senthil Balaji's friend Aravind in Coimbatore's Race Course area.
The IT raids commenced on Friday, May 26, spanning 40 locations in Tamil Nadu, mainly targeting residences or offices of government contractors who are allegedly linked to V Senthil Balaji, Tamil Nadu's Minister for Electricity, Prohibition & Excise. The searches, currently taking place in Chennai, Karur, and Coimbatore, are in connection with an alleged cash-for-jobs scam involving Senthil Balaji during his tenure as State Transport Minister in the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) government from 2011 to 2015.
Raids also took place on Sunday at the Sowripalayam office of the minister’s friend, Aravind and at the alcoholic’s rehabilitation centre at Thondamuthur, run by Aravind's wife.
The minister faced controversy when his supporters attacked IT Department officials during Friday's raids. Four officials were assaulted while conducting searches at the residences of TASMAC contractors in Karur. The supporters obstructed the officials and attempted to impede the raids. It was reported that the officials were able to resume their work after a five-hour interruption with the assistance of police. One female official sustained injuries and was hospitalised, while the other three received medical treatment at a local hospital.
Reports indicate that raids are presently underway in Kinathukadavu, Coimbatore, and certain areas of Pollachi. It is expected that the raids will continue on Monday, May 29.