Contractors under the lens as IT raids continue for the 2nd day

Bengaluru: Income tax (IT) sleuths continued their raids in connection with alleged corruption and income tax evasion in government works, including the irrigation department. till late night on Friday, October 8.

On October 7, premises of former CM B.S. Yeddyurappa’s close friend Umesh, BJP vice president B.Y. Vijayedra’s friend Aravind, the home and offices of first-grade contractors and auditors were searched. For the second straight day, searches were conducted at more than 40 locations in Bengaluru, Tumkur, Koppal, and elsewhere.

Sources said documents, lakhs of rupees cash, contract files related to the irrigation department, computer hard disk, pen drives have been confiscated for further analysis.

IT officials were reportedly searching four places connected to BSY’s confidant Umesh including his house and office in Bengaluru. were also raided on four sides, First-grade contractor D.Y. Uppara from Sadashivanagar, Rahul Enterprises in Shakara Nagar, and the establishments that supplied steel and cement to it, Aravind’s property in Uttarahalli, Heggade Nagar based auditor Amala, Vidyaranyapura based contractor Lakshmikanth, Basaveshwar Nagar based Somashekhar were the others, sources said.

Sources said that crores of rupees changed hands between Umesh and Somahekhar through cash and bank accounts. This triggered searches at Somashekhar’s residence. At Umesh’s house, a pen drive, files belonging to the irrigation department, details of bank accounts, and fixed deposits have been collected. sources said.

300% rise in Umesh’s income?

In the two-day searches, it was repeatedly found that BSY’s close aide Umesh’s income had risen by a whopping 300 percent. Umesh is allegedly involved in corruption at the Cauvery Irrigation Corporation and Krishna upper bank project.

Rented accommodation!

Even though Umesh’s wealth is in crores, he still lived in a rented house because he considered it to be his lucky charm, sources said. reportedly, another tenant Krishnayya Shetty had built his wealth when living there. Umesh believed in the lucky house and continued his stay despite building a new house himself. Ironically, Krishnayya Shetty had been arrested later for his involvement in a scam.