A former Karnataka state minister was taken by surprise when Income Tax officials conducted a raid at his residence and office on Wednesday.
Simultaneous raids were conducted by 30 IT sleuths at former state cabinet minister for Horticulture and Agro Marketing Shamanur Shivashankarappa's residences both in Davangere and Bengaluru.
The officials from Hubbali and Shivamoga districts in five separate teams dropped in at the ex-minister's and also his relatives' residence. They also raided the homes of Shivashankarappa's three sons - SS Mallikarjun, SS Bakkesh and SS Ganesh.
Shivashankarappa has been the chairman of Bapuji Educational Association which owns a chain of quality educational institutions such as Bapuji Institute of Engineering and Technology and a host of other professional colleges in Davangere.
The ex-minister is an educationist and also owns a group of industries such as sugar factories and distilleries.