The Income Tax department today raided properties associated with Tamil Nadu Health Minister Dr C Vijayabaskar.

Reports of the raids, which were carried out at his Greenways Road residence and other places, came out early today morning.

The raids come just days before the bypoll is held for the crucial RK Nagar seat, the constituency of the late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalitha.

A top Income Tax official confirmed that that raids have taken place.

Apart from the state minister, the raids, which are in connection with the RK Nagar byelection, targeted a few Tamil Nadu MLAs associated with him and around a dozen pharmaceutical companies.

The raids are being carried out across Tamil Nadu with a total of 32 premises on the radar.

Puthiya Thalaimurai, a local Tamil news channel, tweeted that I-T officials also raided the house of actor and Samathuva Makkal Katchi chief Sarath Kumar, five rooms in the MLA hostel in Chennai's Chepauk area as well as homes of former AIADMK MP Chitlapaakkam Rajendran and MGR Medical University vice chancellor Geethalakshmi.

Kumar has lent his support to the Sasikala-led AIADMK camp for the RK Nagar byelection.

I-T officials believe that the health minister and others associated with him have used black money for the April 12 RK Nagar byelection.

The RK Nagar by-election has seen fiery campaigning with allegations of votes being bought flying fast and loose.

The warring faction of AIADMK, one supporting former chief minister O Panneerselvam and the other backing current CM E Palanisamy and VK Sasikala.

For the bypoll, the OPS faction is represented by E Madhusudhanan, while TTV Dhinakaran is fighting on the Sasikala-led AIADMK Amma's ticket.

ALSO READ | RK Nagar bypoll: Has AIADMK's OPS faction gone too far by using Amma's coffin replica?

ALSO WATCH | RK Nagar by polls: Rs 2.2 crore seized from Health Minister Vijayabaskar's aide