I-T raids on former Karnataka chief minister SM Krishna’s son-in-law’s firms

Cafe Coffee Day’s main office in Bengaluru’s Vittal Mallya Road along with few other locations were being raided.

Officials of the income tax department on Thursday conducted searches at the properties and homes of VG Siddhartha, chairperson and managing director of Cafe Coffee Day and the son-in-law of former Karnataka chief minister SM Krishna, in Bengaluru and across the country for tax evasion.

A private security personnel stands guard in front of Cafe Coffee Day Head Office building which was raided by the Income Tax Department in Bangalore on September 21, 2017.(AFP)

An I-T official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the raids on India’s biggest homegrown coffee chain. Raids were conducted at 25 locations in Bengaluru, Hassan, Chickamagalur, Chennai and Mumbai, the official said.

In Karnataka, the raids were conducted at the head office of Cafe Coffee Day in the Central Business District in the heart of the city. Siddhartha’s residences in Bengaluru and Chikmagalur were also searched by the officials.

“Raids were ongoing and officials are searching for evidence of tax evasion,” I-T joint commissioner S Ramesh told news agency IANS in Bengaluru.

“The number of locations that were being raided and other details will be disclosed only after the search ends,” Ramesh said.

Krishna had in January switched to the Bharatiya Janata Party in January, ending his 40-year-old association with the Congress.

Recently, the department had conducted raids at the properties of Karnataka energy minister DK Shivakumar.

(With IANS inputs)