Taxman seizes 9 top-end cars from 'conman' Sukesh

The income tax department has confiscated nine expensive cars and a super bike from high-profile 'conman' Sukesh Chandrashekhar.

Now in a Delhi jail, Sukesh is making the rounds of courts across the country under police escort.

Tax sleuths from Bengaluru raided a property in Kochi on November 10 and seized seven cars: a Porsche, Lamborghini, Rolls Royce, Range Rover, BMW, Fortuner, Prado. They also seized a Ducati bike.

Sukesh shot into the limelight earlier this year when the political drama in Tamil Nadu was at its peak, and he was arrested on the charge of trying to bribe Election Commission officials for an election symbol.

Sukesh is said to be close to TTV Dhinakaran, nephew of Tamil Nadu politician V K Sasikala. Both Dhinakaran and Sasikala, convicted in a disproportionate wealth case, are in jail in Bengaluru.

An undertrial housed in Tihar jail, Sukesh was brought to Bengaluru on October 10.

Tax sleuths had gathered information that the Delhi police team escorting him had allowed him to meet his business associates and shop at the plush UB City mall.

Unknown to him, a team of tax sleuths from the Karnataka Investigation Wing was closely monitoring his activities.

They raided a service apartment on Vittal Mallya Road and an apartment in Nagarabhavi and seized two luxury cars, a Bentley and a Jaguar, in addition to what they had already seized in Kochi.

They also confiscated expensive wrist watches, said to be worth crores, in Bengaluru.

Cash purchases

Sources said Sukesh went about business even under arrest. He received cash from his contacts in Bengaluru, and splurged Rs 5 crore, also in cash, to buy some luxury cars in August this year.

Navas, Sukesh's confidant in Kochi, is said to have been the custodian of his cars.

The team from Bengaluru carried out searches in Kochi between November 8 and 10. It got the keys to a locked property in that city from Navas. The property is owned by an NRI.

Navas has stated that all expensive articles, including the cars, belong to Sukesh.