<span style="color: #222222;">Income Tax Department has conducted searches on a group of individuals, hawala dealers and businessmen in Raipur, Chhattisgarh. In a statement, Finance Ministry said unaccounted transactions of over 150 crore rupees have been unearthed during the searches. The Ministry said, the figure is likely to substantially increase after the seized evidence and leads found during the search are further scrutinized and investigated.<br />''<br />''The search action was mounted on the basis of credible inputs, intelligence and evidence of generation of huge unaccounted cash from liquor and mining business and huge cash deposits during demonetization period. The Ministry said, incriminating documents and electronic data seized during the search show that substantial amount of illegal gratification was being paid to public servants and others. Details of benami vehicles, hawala transfers to Kolkata-based companies and creation of shell companies with huge land bank have also been found and seized.</span><br />