CHIKKAMAGALUR, HASSAN: The Income Tax Department raided the residence and office of Congress leader Gayathri Shantegowda in the city on Thursday morning. The officials arrived in more than 10 vehicles and are scrutinising all records. He residence at Nagarbhavi in Bengaluru was also searched.
Meanwhile, the I-T officials also raided Gayathri’s son-in-law’s residence at Belur in Hassan district.
Raids were also conducted on houses of three people working for Gayathri and stone crusher unit at Marle in Chikkamagalur taluk. Gayathri Shantegowda is a former MLC and KPCC general secretary. She and her husband are on a three-day visit to Tirupati and her daughter Kavya was at home at the time of the raid.
As news of the raid spread, some of her supporters gathered in front of her house and stage a protest, raising slogans against the BJP and the party’s national general secretary C T Ravi, who also hails from Chikkamagalur. Later, they moved to MG Road and demanded that the I-T officials raid Ravi’s residence too.
In Belur, Gayathri’s son-in-law Santhosh’s house on Chennakeshava Gowda Road was raided and officials were checking documents. The I-T officials arrived in two vehicles at 5.30 am, posing as a wedding party.
Santhosh is the son of late JD(S) leader B C Manjunath and his mother Hemavathy Manjunath is former president of the Hassan Zilla Panchayat.
Santhosh and his mother Hemavathy were in the house when the team of five I-T officials arrived.