Income Tax Department officials carried out searches at well-known textile shops operating across several districts in Tamil Nadu, following complaints alleging tax evasion and the hoarding of cash for election-related distribution.
The raids were conducted in coordination with election flying squad teams in districts including Salem, Ramanathapuram, Ooty, Tiruchirappalli, Pudukkottai and Cuddalore. In Salem’s Four Roads area, a popular textile outlet was searched by more than 10 officials for over six hours.
In Ramanathapuram, officials sealed a textile shop on Agraharam Road around 9 am and conducted a search; the owner’s residence was also searched. In Tiruchirappalli, more than 20 officials began a search at a prominent shop on NSB Road around 8 am, leading the outlet to declare a holiday for the day.
Officials also searched a shop in Ooty and seized documents linked to alleged tax evasion, while a similar operation was reported at a textile shop in Pudukkottai. Senior Income Tax officials said they were probing unaccounted cash and offline cash movement after noticing unusually large cash transactions at certain outlets in recent weeks.
Authorities said the seized documents and data are being analysed, including whether funds were routed to political parties under the guise of textile business. They added that monitoring and searches would continue until the election process concludes.
