Chennai, Dec. 21 (PTI): The Income Tax department on Wednesday conducted searches at over a dozen locations in connection with its tax evasion probe against the son and few relatives of Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary P. Rama Mohana Rao.

The searches began at 6am.

”A total of 13 premises are being searched,” a senior official said. Premises connected to Rao's son and the relatives are part of the operation.

It is understood that the official residence of Rao in the state capital here is also being searched.

Rao was appointed chief secretary in June this year by the state.

The searches, they said, are related to the department's probe in the biggest haul of cash and gold here after the November 8 demonetisation, in which over Rs 142 crore worth of unaccounted assets have been recovered so far.

The total seizure in the case is over Rs 170 crore in a single case related to action against sand-mining operators in the state and few others including S. Reddy, who was also on the panel of a religious shrine body.

The Enforcement Directorate has also registered a money laundering complaint in this case after the tax department shared official documents with the agency.