RAIPUR: Income Tax officials on Friday launched raids at 20 locations in connection to coal suppliers in Raipur, Durg, and Bhilai an official source said. As per sources in the know, the raids are being conducted ‘on tax evasion’.

“As many as 50 IT officers arrived on Friday morning, said a source interacting with the reporters”.

It added that search is being conducted at the premises of RK Roadways, Swastik Group, and Bansal Infra Private Limited, Devendra Nagar in Raipur. In Durg-Bhilai, the house of Kamlesh Vaidh is being raided. Kamlesh is a businessman who also supplies coal.

A month ago, Enforcement Directorate conducted searches at 75 locations including mining departments at DC offices of Chhattisgarh. The ED team collected several pieces of evidence and recorded statements of more than 90 individuals from the raid site in the alleged extortion case. The agency had also arrested a top bureaucrat of the state, Soumya Chaurasi, in the coal extortion case. The IAS officer was designated as Deputy Secretary in CM Baghel-led administration.