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The Income Tax Department on Thursday launched search operations and raids at multiple locations including those DF. As per reports, premises linked to Deputy CM Ajit Pawar were also searched. 

Ajit Pawar informed that the homes of his sisters were searched by the IT officers. “Raids were carried out on my sisters’ houses. Jarandeshwar sugar factory directors have been raided. This is very low-level politics. Just because they are related to me, they are being harassed. Sharad Pawar was also troubled in a similar manner. I don’t know why these raids are being conducted,” he said.

Ajit Pawar further added, “my only grief is that they conducted raids on the premises related to my three sisters. One of them stays in Kolhapur and the other two in Pune.” 

As part of the operation, raids were conducted at the premises of some real estate developers and homes of directors of sugar mills in Maharashtra. These include Daund Sugar, Jarandeshwar Sugar, Pushpadanteshwar Sugar, Ambalika Sugar in the Pune district. 

Income Tax Department raids underway at multiple locations in Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur of some real estate developers having close links with a senior minister of Maharashtra government: Sources

— ANI (@ANI) October 7, 2021

Additionally, the premises of a builder linked to the minister in Goa and Mumbai is also being searched along with some entry operators. 

ED attaches Sugar Mill properties linked to Deputy CM Ajit Pawar

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) in July had attached assets worth over Rs 65 crores belonging to Jarandeshwar Sahkari Sugar Karkhana (SSK), a Koregaon, Satara-based sugar cooperative factory linked to Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit Pawar.

According to the reports, the ED provisionally attached the land, machinery and buildings of the company under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in a case related to the fraud at Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank (MSCB).

As per ED, the funds used to purchase the Jarandeshwar SSK were routed through another sugar mill, which is in turn funded by Sparkling Soil Private Limited, a company linked to Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and his wife Sunetra Pawar. 

During an investigation, the ED had found that MSCB sold Jarandeshwar SSK in 2010 in an auction at a lower price than fair value.

Prior to this, the Income-tax department had concluded raids of builders having close links to Congress leader Ashok Chavan.