I-T raids on top IAS officers uncover crores in ill-gotten wealth

An Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer in Chhattisgarh has been found to have 220 bank accounts and assets worth millions of rupees. This has come to light following an income tax department raid at his residence, official sources reported today.

The I-T department conducted raids on the houses of some IAS officers and businessmen in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh in the last two days.

The BJP government in Chattisgarh is awaiting a final report from the I-T department about the officer, agricultural secretary, B L Agrawal's assets to initiate action against him.

On Thursday, I-T officials searched the residence of Agrawal as also business establishments of his close relatives and followed the action up with similar raids on his chartered accountant Sunil Agrawal's house. They came across documents suggesting that the officer had amassed assets vastly disproportionate to his known income.

Agrawal opened at least 220 bank accounts, several of them bearing fake names and addresses and a few in the names of his menials.

According to IT department sources, the documents were being analysed and some documents suggest the officer might have been involved in hawala transactions.