Sasikala-Dinakaran's relatives, connected firms raided by IT

Relatives of jailed AIADMK leader V.K. Sasikala, her nephew T.T.V. Dinakaran and organisations connected to them in several cities, said a senior IT official.

Ten groups of IT officials were involved in the "search exercise taking place across Tamil Nadu, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Delhi and other places" which began at 6 a.m., the IT official, who did not want to be identified, told IANS.

Among the places raided were the residence of M. Natarajan, Sasikala's husband, in Thanjavur, Kodanad Tea Estate belonging to late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, Jazz Cinemas, Midas Distilleries, Sharada Paper and Boards, Senthil Group of Companies, Nilgiri Furniture in Coimbatore, Jaya TV and Namadhu MGR.

The IT official said the search is in connection with unexplained routing of cash post-demonetisation through shell companies connected to Sasikala and Dinakaran, adding that the IT department will look at routing of funds within India and there are other agencies looking at routing of funds outside India.

Jaya TV, a satellite channel, and Namadhu MGR, a Tamil daily, which is the mouthpiece of the AIADMK, are now under the management control of the Sasikala faction.