The Income Tax Department raided the residence of Congress leader and former Minister of Chhattisgarh, Amarjeet Bhagat, on Wednesday.
The searches by a joint team from Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh began at his house in Ambikapur at around 6 am today and are currently underway.
Over 10 officers of the central agency reached the former Minister’s residence and they are checking documents inside the house.
Heavy security has been deployed outside Bhagat’s house, news agency ANI reported.
Bhagat was the Cabinet Minister for culture, planning, economics and statistics and food and civil supplies in the previous Bhupesh Baghel government.
The Income Tax officials have not divulged the reasons behind today’s action, but he was one of the 35 accused named in an FIR lodged by the state’s Economic Offences Wing/Anti-Corruption Bureau in an alleged coal levy scam, based on a complaint of the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The ED had launched a probe into the scam during the previous Congress government.