Dhanbad, Jan. 24: Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) sleuths today conducted raids in the office of the income-tax department.

The agency claimed to have achieved a breakthrough during the interrogation of the assistant director (investigation) Swarn Singh and his go-between Mrityunjay Chaurasia, arrested on corruption charges on Thursday, who are at present on a four-day CBI remand.

Sources in the agency said about Rs 15 lakh was recovered from one of the lockers owned by Singh in the De Nobili School branch of the CMRI State Bank of India today.

The lockers, owned by Singh in different banks of Dhanbad and Kanpur, were sealed during the simultaneous raids.

The lockers were opened for investigation today. An amount of Rs 1.08 crore was recovered from Singh’s residence by the CBI on Thursday.

The breakthrough came during the interrogation of Swarn Singh and Mrityunjay Chaurasia. Chaurasia reportedly said he used to deliver “lakhs of rupees” to some of the senior-most income-tax officials in Dhanbad on behalf of businessmen.

The recovery of documents related to the delivery orders of coal has exposed another major racket operating in the income-tax department.

Sources said investigations and scrutiny of the documents related to delivery of coal suggested that a commission was being paid to a section of the income-tax officials at the rate of “Rs 10” for each deliver order.

This was done after the department had carried out a survey of the money involved in the coal business in September.

According to sources, instead of taking departmental action against the tax evaders, a section of the officials got their commissions fixed by the coal traders.

Singh accompanied the CBI sleuths during the raids in the office. A briefcase was seized by the agency containing more documents. But sources refused to elaborate on the fresh seizures.

Another point that is reported to have come up during the interrogation was the involvement of another senior officer of the department in Dhanbad.

The matter relates to the income-tax raids on the premises of a coal baron M.P. Bansal two years ago.

Chaurasia is also alleged to have confessed that he had collected the money from Bansal and paid it to an officer of the rank of joint commissioner in the department. A senior official has ordered an inquiry and the re-opening of the M.P. Bansal case. “The file is being reopened to verify what were the initial findings of the income-tax raids on the establishments of the coal baron and the reports later submitted by the joint commissioner sources said.