Kolkata, May 3 (IANS): Three joint teams of Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Income Tax department on Wednesday launched raid and search operations on the premises of Krishna Kalyani, the MLA from Raiganj constituency and the chairman of the public accounts committee of West Bengal Assembly.

Kalyani got elected as a BJP legislator in the 2021 state Assembly elections but shifted to ruling Trinamool Congress soon after.

Officially, he continues to be a BJP legislator and by virtue of that he became the chairman of the public accounts committee, a chair by convention occupied by an MLA from the opposition bench.

Sources said that three joint teams of ED and income tax sleuths started simultaneous raid and search operations at three places including Kalyani's residence, office and oil factory at Raiganj.

The central agency officials, escorted by central armed forces personnel, first locked the main entry gates of the three places that they raided.

The raid and search operations started from around 9 a.m and are still continuing, sources said.

It is learnt that before the raid and search operations, the central agency sleuths took possession of the mobile phones of all present within the three premises.

As per preliminary information, the Income Tax department has identified massive discrepancies between the actual income of the legislator from the business owned by and what he declared in the income tax returns certificate.

Till the time the report was filed there was no political reaction either from BJP or from Trinamool Congress on this count.