The Income Tax Department has recovered about Rs 22 lakh cash during raids on multiple premises of a hospital group in Haryana's Rewari, related to Swaraj India chief Yogendra Yadav, after it was detected that they allegedly made cash payments to a Nirav Modi firm for purchasing jewellery, officials said.

They said the tax department searched the Kalawati hospital and Kamla Nursing Home and the residences of its main partner Dr Gautam Yadav and others.

"A total of three premises are being searched by the ITD sleuths from the investigation wing of Haryana. A team of about 40 tax officials and a contingent of police personnel executed the action," a senior official said.

It is understood that Gautam Yadav is the nephew of Yogendra Yadav and son of his sister Dr Neelam Yadav.

Officials said the tax department carried out the action acting on inputs received from a dossier of information from the Nirav Modi group, absconding from probe in the USD 2 billion PNB fraud case, and it was found that Gautam Yadav paid Rs 3.25 lakh cash, out of the total Rs 6.50 lakh, in cash for purchase of jewellery from the diamantaire's firm.

They added that the searches also covered Dr Narender Singh Yadav and Rs 22 lakh cash was recovered from the residence of the Yadavs.

"The current cash limit in the hand of a person is Rs 2 lakh and the source of this cash amount of Rs 22 lakh is being probed," an official said.

When asked about the ITD allegations, Yogendra Yadav told PTI "the question is whether this money is unaccounted for? I do not know about the accounts of the hospitals." The department also trashed Yogendra Yadav's allegations that the raiding teams of the department sealed the hospital and the ICU as a few "caesarian section deliveries" also took place during the time of the searches, which is part of the 'panchnama'.

Swaraj India leader Yogendra Yadav today alleged that an income-tax raid was conducted at his sisters' hospital premises in Rewari with an intent to "intimidate" and "silence" him as he had launched an agitation for fair crop price for farmers and against liquor shops in that city in Haryana.

Yadav, who started his campaign with a 'padyatra' (march) two days ago, took to Twitter to allege that the Modi government was "targeting" his family.

"Modi regime now targets my family. Two days after my 9-day padyatra in Rewari and launching of agitation for MSP (minimum support price) and against liquor thekas (shops), a massive IT raid is on at the hospital-cum-nursing home of my sisters in Rewari," he alleged in his tweet.

"Pl(ease) search me, my home, why target my family?," he further tweeted.

In another tweet, the Swaraj India leader said it was an attempt to intimidate him.

"About 100+ force from Delhi raided hospitals at 11 am today. All doctors (my sisters, brother in law, nephew) detained in their chambers. Hospital sealed, including ICU for newly born babies. A clear attempt to intimidate. Modiji you can't silence me," Yadav tweeted.