Bhubaneswar, April 2: For the second consecutive day, the Income Tax (I-T) Department has been conducting searches at six different locations, including premises associated with a coaching institute founded by BJD leader Subrat Chhatoi, over allegations of tax evasion. 

Sources reveal that ten teams of I-T department investigators are currently engaged in raids across various sites, including Chhatoi’s residence in Bhubaneswar and a hotel in Jajpur. Suspicions have arisen that the coaching institute may have evaded tax obligations by reporting significant losses and fictitious expenses, while also investing illicit funds in the hotel.

The operation, which commenced at 4 am on Monday, targeted the coaching institute's facilities and also extended to senior personnel such as directors and account officers.

The timing of the raid on Chhatoi's properties has attracted attention in certain quarters, given his reported association with a prominent BJD figure contesting elections.

This isn't the first time such allegations have surfaced. In March 2023, a team from the Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST) had conducted multiple raids on various branches of the private coaching institute, which offers preparatory courses for exams like IAS, OAS, UPSC, and others. The institute has branches spread across Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Berhampur, Sambalpur, Balasore, Rourkela, and Kolkata.

Powered by Froala Editor