IT raids 19 locations linked to late Odisha minister Naba Kishore Das’s family

Raids were conducted in connection with business dealings of ex-health minister’s brother, Braja Kishore Das, and houses of late minister’s children

Published on: Jun 19, 2025, 13:44:58 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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Bhubaneswar: The income tax (IT) department on Thursday conducted raids at 19 locations across Odisha and Delhi linked to family members of former Odisha health minister Naba Kishore Das, who was shot dead in 2023. The operations are part of an ongoing investigation into alleged tax evasion related to transportation and other business activities.

The raids, which began at 5 am on Thursday, were conducted simultaneously at 19 locations, including Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, Sundargarh, and Delhi (Representative photo)

More than 60 vehicles with teams, including 120 IT officers and 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel from Bhubaneswar and Raipur, were deployed across various sites.

The raids, which began at 5 am on Thursday, were conducted simultaneously at 19 locations, including Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, Sundargarh, and Delhi, in connection with the business dealings of the ex-health minister’s brother, Braja Kishore Das.

Also Read: Who was Odisha minister Naba Das who died after being shot by a cop? 10 points

The houses of the late minister’s children — Deepali Das and Bishal Das — were also raided on Thursday.

Braja owns a construction firm, a transport company, mines, and stone quarries, and is engaged in house construction works.

Also Read: Naba Das murder case: SIT questions elder brother of accused ASI

His properties were raided for four days in January to examine alleged tax evasions related to transportation and other business activities. The IT department is yet to complete the assessment of the January raid.

Das was shot on his chest by assistant sub-inspector Gopal Das at Gandhi Chowk police outpost in Brajarajnagar town of Odisha’s Jharsuguda district and died hours later during treatment at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar on January 29, 2023.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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