Tamil Nadu Health Minister C. Vijaya Baskar’s house was raided by the CBI who is investigation the Gutka Scam. The CBI teams began their search at 7:00 A.M., this morning at 40 places in Chennai. Apart from the TN Health Minister, the Director General of Police T. K. Rajendran’s house was also raided.
The CBI is investigation the bribes given to top officials to get away with possession of chewing tobacco which was made illegal. Former police commissioner S. George’s house was also raided.
The gutka scam relates to the illegal sale of the chewing tobacco with bribes amounting to Rs. 40 crores. These bribes were allegedly paid to influential people in the Government. The scam came to light in July 2017 during tax raids on gutka manufacturing centers. It was found that the tobacco barons were evading tax worth Rs. 250 crores.
During the investigation, the CBI found a log book at businessman Madhava Rao’s home. The book revealed names of those who had accepted bribes. The names including the Health Minister and Director General of Police.
In 2013, the usage, storage and sale of gutka and pan masala was banned in Tamil Nadu. Last week, the CBI held MDM gutka brand owner Madhava Rao for questioning. The investigation team managed to get a list of the names leading to the raids this morning.
