Udupi: A team of nearly 40 officials from Income Tax Dept. descended upon and raided on Manipal University administration office from morning till night on April 12. The research for finance and documents was carried out at the residence of DR.T.Ramdas M Pai a leading educationist who heads over 60 institutions in Manipal and is the Chancellor of Manipal University.
The Bangalore office of the MU was also reported to have been raided simultaneously. The IT officials came from New Delhi, with local official assistance. They proceeded to the University building and DR.Pai’s residence near Tiger Circle here, in 2 groups.
The entire gamut of financial deals of MU has come under the scanner of IT Dept. now.
Admissions given to NRI students, capitation fee collected on various courses from foreign and Indian students, and other such many matters, are under the eagle eye of IT raiders. A local source said that large scale purchase of land in the name of MU is being looked into. Such purchases have been going on in around Udupi and Manipal; it is pointed out since long.
The search team came fully prepared with relevant details for the raids, but whom these officials have interrogated on Income Tax issues so far involved, is kept a secret.
Even documents have seized by them or not, is not known. Many at the Manipal University had no inkling about the raids conducted during the day. Some officials in the University treated the raids as routine checking done on the documents relating to financial transactions made by MU. This was playing down on the complaints received on MU, a source claimed.
The IT officials have raided real estate brass hats in Bangalore and elsewhere previously at both their offices and residences in Karnataka, enquiring into large incomes accumulated by individuals, when taxes were not paid, MU sources clarified.
Recently large scale advertisements appeared on DR. Pai and MU in dailies of the coastal belt.