Did former TN Chief secy lie about Income Tax conducting raids at gunpoint?

Chennai:

Did former Tamil Nadu chief secretary P Rama Mohana Rao lie that his son was taken at gunpoint from Shree Ramachandra Medical University?

A top Income tax department official told Express that Rao’s son Vivek Pappisetti was never threatened by the Central Reserve Police Force as made out by Rao during the Press conference. On the contrary, it was Rao’s wife who asked him to open the house at Rajaji Nagar in Tiruanmiyur as Income Tax sleuths were waiting outside his premises since 5.30am.

“Rao’s son opened the premises at around 8.30am only,” said the top official stating that such a disciplined force won’t stoop to such low level as claimed by Rao. “We never went near the hospital at all,” said the official.

Contrary to Rao’s outburst that CRPF personnel were posted at his premises when a search warrant was issued on his son’s name at 5.30am, the official said that the CRPF arrived at the scene only by 11.30am. Secondly, the search warrant had the address of the house although it was in his son’s name. “Thus, we had the powers to search the house for incriminating documents and he also was courteous enough to allow us in,” the Income Tax official said.

“We requisitioned CRPF for our safety in case we are attacked by mob if we come across some substantial evidence. There was strict instruction that they should not enter inside the premises. They came only at 11.30am from Avadi. On their arrival, they were divided into two teams and posted to other destination for the safety of assessment officers,” the Income Tax department official said.

To a query on raid being termed extra-constitutional since the office of chief secretary was raided, he said that Chief secretary is just a bureaucrat. “He is first among equals. We allowed him to use his mobile phone. He summoned his personal secretary Shekar and drawer keys were given to collect the mobile phone which he said are being kept in the drawer in his chamber in secretariat. The loose sheets were collected as they had incriminating evidence,” said the official. 

“We never collected anything and even Rao corroborated it. Where is the question of taking in other documents when we weren’t given keys. The search was only targeted towards the office drawer,” he said