The Income Tax (IT) department on Wednesday conducted raids on multiple locations in Uttar Pradesh at the offices of Ghanaram Constructions, a real estate company owned by Samajwadi Party (SP) leader and former Member of Legislative Council (MLC) from Jhansi, Shyam Sundar Singh Yadav, and his relatives.
Teams from the I-T department reached the corporate office of the company in Jhansi and the residence of the directors in the morning. Searches began simultaneously at other places, including Lucknow and Kanpur.
In Kanpur, the residence of one Rajesh Yadav, believed to have a close transactional relationship with Ghanaram Constructions, were searched. Local police personnel were also deployed for additional security.
The I-T teams also raided the residence and other premises in the Jhansi-Kanpur region related to builders Rakesh Baghel and Virendra Rai. Both are considered close to Mr. Shyam Sundar. Though there has been no official statement from the I-T department, sources have indicated that the raids are likely to go on for a few days. According to sources, it is alleged that Ghanaram Construction has made cash transactions worth more than ₹100 crore.
Mr. Shyam Sundar is a two-term legislator and is considered an influential SP leader in the Jhansi-Kanpur region. He also fought the 2019 Lok Sabha election from Jhansi constituency and polled more than four lakh votes.
