Maharashtra: IT raids at construction businessman Anirudh Deshpande's Pune office

The Income Tax department is conducting raids at the office of construction businessman Anirudh Deshpande's office in Pune.

Pune (Maharashtra): The Income Tax sleuths are conducting a raid at the office of Anirudh Deshpande, a construction businessman who is believed to be a close aide of Nationalist Congress Party President and MP Sharad Pawar, on Wednesday. The IT sleuths raided the office premises of the City group, the construction business group of Anirudh Deshpande.

Anirudh Deshpande is a popular name in the construction business in Pune and is known for his township project, Amnora town in Hadapsar. According to the primary investigation, the sleuths are checking all the documents at the office. However, it is unclear whether Anirudh Deshpande was present at the office premises at the time of raids. The IT department has raided eight places in Pune, including Deshpande's office. The IT department has been conducting raids on construction companies for the last few days across the Country.

On Tuesday, the IT department conducted a 'survey' at the British Broadcasting Corporation's Delhi and Mumbai offices. The officials continued their survey throughout the night at the offices. Government sources alleged that these surveys were undertaken due to BBC's non-compliance with the norms, making it a repeat offender.

The raids assumed significance in the wake of the recent controversy surrounding the telecast of the documentary "India: The Modi Question" on the Gujarat 2002 riots. The government of India had earlier blocked the documentary, released last month, examining Prime Minister Narendra Modi's role during the 2002 anti-Muslim riots.