BHOPAL: When a company of 150 CRPF jawans was moving down to Madhya Pradesh from Delhi on Saturday, little did the state intelligence officials know that it was to guard a major crackdown on the close aides of chief minister Kamal Nath .

When state intelligence unit sought an explanation from the Centre on the mobilisation of CRPF jawans, they were told that it was for elections and some “collaborative” work, sources said.

“Collaborative work was not explained in the written communication,” said an official privy to the communication between the state and the Centre.

The official added that the state intelligence unit was misled about the strategic ‘crackdown’ which started simultaneously at around 23 locations in MP along with some locations in Goa and Delhi.

Searches were carried out at residential and office premises of Kamal Nath ’s former Officer on Special Duty Praveen Kakkar at Indore and Bhopal where cash worth around Rs 9 crore was confiscated, said sources.

Two houses at Ansal Apartment in Bhopal and a flat in Platinum Plaza - which belongs to Ashwin Sharma - are also being searched. Documents pertaining to investments by some IAS and IPS officers have allegedly been found at one of the locations.

The income tax department launched pre-dawn searches against the people linked to Kamal Nath on charges of alleged tax evasion and suspected movement of hawala money, officials said.

The department had roped in CRPF personnel to keep a vigil. Generally, the I-T department takes the help of the local police during such operations.

Locations in Indore, Bhopal and Delhi (Green Park) were being raided and those being searched included Nath's former adviser Rajendra Miglani , executives linked to his brother-in-law's firm and his nephew Ratul Puri's company, they said.

Both Kakkar and Miglani resigned from their posts just before the Lok Sabha polls were declared.

In Indore, the raids were conducted by a team of officials at Kakkar's residence in Vijay Nagar area and other places associated with him, sources in the I-T department said.

Searches were also conducted at Kakkar's house in Bhopal's Nadir Colony and a couple of other places in the state capital, they said.

They said documents seized during the searches were being scrutinised in detail.

Raids are also being conducted against Kolkata-based businessman Paras Mal Lodha, the sources added.

Kakkar, a former Madhya Pradesh police officer, was appointed OSD to Nath after the Congress-led government came to power in the state last year.

He earlier served as OSD to former Union minister Kantilal Bhuria during the UPA regime.

Bhuria is contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha poll from Ratlam-Jhabua seat in MP.

Kakkar's family is associated with a number of businesses, including hospitality.

Ratul Puri was last week grilled by the Enforcement Directorate in Delhi in connection with the Rs 3,6000 AgustaWestland helicopters purchase probe.

Reacting to the raids, a Congress leader in MP accused the BJP-led central government of targeting opposition leaders for "political vendetta".

MP Congress' media cell vice-president Bhupendra Gupta, also a former OSD to Nath, charged, "The BJP government has been targeting opposition leaders across the country due to political enmity. Due to such act of political vendetta, Andhra Pradesh chief minister (N Chandrababu Naidu) and DMK leader M K Stalin had to stage protest against the Centre."

However, the BJP hit back, saying thieves were now having a complaint against the 'watchman'.

"Black money worth crores was recovered during the Income Tax department's raid at the house of private secretary of Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath. This has made one thing clear that those who are thieves have a complaint against the watchman," BJP's national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya said.

(With inputs from PTI)

In Video: Indore: I-T dept conducts searches at residence of MP CM Kamal Nath’s OSD