Mau (Uttar Pradesh) [India], December 19 (ANI): Income Tax Department recovered cash worth Rs 17,500 in the raid that took place at the premises of Samajwadi Party functionary Rajeev Rai's premises, a close aide of party leader Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday.

The IT department also seized call details, email, hard disks and computers in the raid that lasted 15 hours.

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The IT department raided four premises of Rajiv Rai including his residence at Mau's Sahadatpura.

"The Income Tax Department raided at the behest of the government by taking my family hostage," said Rai.

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Earlier on Saturday, Rai had alleged that the action was taken against him as the Central Government did not like him helping people.

According to IT department sources, several raids were conducted at various places in Uttar Pradesh. The premises of RCL Group promoter Manoj Yadav in Mainpuri and that of another close aide of Akhilesh Yadav, Jainendra Yadav, in Lucknow was also searched earlier today. (ANI)

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