Raids on Dalmiya's premises end

The raids conducted by the Income Tax department on the former ICC President, Jagmohan Dalmiya's house and offices finally concluded on Friday. The IT department, however, did not term the raids as complete. A spokesman of the department said, "We had to suspend our work simply because one of our inspectors controlling the raid died of cerebral haemmorage.''

Jaleswar Mandi, the inspector controlling the raid from the control room of the tax department, collapsed at midnight on Friday. He was immediately transferred to hospital where he passed away in the morning. "As a result most of the officers conducting the raids rushed back to the office. It was a sad moment for all of them. Mandi has left behind his wife and an eight-year-old daughter."

Sources at the Income Tax office said that Dalmiya's lockers have been sealed and will be opened at the end of next week. However, both sides are not ready to talk about the raids. While the IT department is planning a press conference on Monday, the former ICC president, who is also the President of the Cricket Association of Bengal has been maintaining a stoic silence regarding the raids, except for making a short statement to the largest selling vernacular daily in Calcutta. In that statement, Dalmiya has said, "If the raids help to cleanse the game of cricket, I welcome it. However, if anyone has instigated the raids for carrying out a personal vendetta, then, I have to say that the entire episode is quite sad."

However it is learnt that the raids were conducted to investigate the tax returns regarding the leather complex that the CAB President is building on the outskirts of the city. A senior IT official in Bengal clarified that the raids on Dalmiya's house and office had nothing to do with the match fixing and betting scandal.