Kushalnagar (DHNS): Income Tax Department sleuths on Wednesday conducted searches on the business and residential premises of SLN Group managing directors Vishwanathan and Sathappan in the town.

Vishwanathan and Sathappan are relatives of senior Congress leader and former Union minister P Chidambaram. The officials have seized a few documents.

Tamil Nadu-based Vishwanathan and Sathappan own SLN (Sri Lakshmi Narayana) group of units in Kushalnagar and surrounding areas. The I-T sleuths from Mysuru arrived at 8 am in 12 teams and conducted searches at a coffee processing unit, coffee curing works at Kudlooru industrial area, SLN Timbers depot, and petrol bunk at Madapatna, Purple farm resorts at Bellur, Eden Garden Layout at Theppadagandi and coffee estate office at Polibetta. More than 100 I-T sleuths, who had arrived from different parts of the country, carried out searches till 4 pm.

There was ban on entry of staff during the verification of documents. The works at coffee processing units coffee curing works, timber depot and petrol bunk were suspended during the search operation.

It is learnt that Vishwanathan cooperated with officials and Sathappan was out of town. The I-T officials did not provide details on searches to mediapersons.

Came in decorated cars

To ensure that no one gets wind about the raid, the Income Tax officials entered SLN group of firms in rented cars hired from Mysuru. The cars were decked up and a board with the names Diresh and Kajool was put up on the car.

Looking at the decorated cars entering the resort, the staff thought that they must have come for a wedding. They were surprised when they realised that I-T officials had come to raid them. Even Kodagu police did not have information on the raid. The Mysuru police were brought for security.