Raipur, Feb 27 (IANS): The Income-Tax (IT) department officials on Thursday searched top aides of the Chhattisgarh government, including an IAS officer, a former bureaucrat, a liquor baron, an ex-MLA and the Raipur Mayor.

The meticulously planned search at multiple locations began early hours of the day and was on in the night till the filing of this report.

The raid was conducted on the state government big-wigs just a day after the Congress-led state government's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) registered an FIR against former principal secretary Aman Singh, the long-time top associate of former Chief Minister Raman Singh of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The prominent figures raided by the IT Department included former Chief Secretary Vivek Dhand, who is Chairman of the Real Estate Regualtory Authority (RERA), 'tainted' IAS officer Anil Tuteja, Raipur Mayor Aijaz Dhebar, liquor baron Pappu Bhatia and former MLA Gurumukh Singh Hora.

Dhand, Tuteja and others hold considerable clout in the Congress-led state government and speculation was rife that the raid was linked to "political funding".

The I-T department is yet to make any statement about the raid.

According to reports, about 300 officers are taking part in searches. While the state police was kept out, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers were deployed at the raid sites.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel refused to make any remark on the issue, saying he would say anything on the matter only after getting full information.

Though senior BJP leader and former Minister Brijmohan Agrawal played down the political hype linked to the matter and described it "a routine exercise of the I-T Department against tax evasion".