Ranchi, Oct 31 (IANS) The Income Tax Department, which is probing a disproportionate assets allegation against former Jharkhand chief minister and MP Madhu Koda, Saturday conducted raids at 70 places in eight Indian cities, an official said.

"We are conducting search operation at 70 places of eight cities of the country. The search operation is going on against Madhu Koda and his associates Vinod Kumar Sinha and Sanjay Chaudhary," IT Department Director Ujjal Kumar Chaudhary told reporters here.

"We have associated Enforcement Directorate (ED) in our search operation. The search operation is going on based on our intelligence reports," he added.

The raids were conducted in Koda's properties in Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Chaibasa, New Delhi, Mumbai, Nasik, Lucknow and Kolkata. In Ranchi alone, raids were conducted at 25 places.

"The search operation is based on our reports when Madhu Koda was mines and geology minister and Arjun Munda was chief minister. Many deals took place then which indicates transaction of money," said Chaudhary.

He refused to reveal the materials and documents seized in the raids. According to an official, the IT sleuths seized documents related to huge investment and millions of rupees in cash.

Scores of graft cases have been pending against Madhu Koda. The Jharkhand vigilance department had lodged an FIR against the former chief minister for amassing wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income.

According to reports, Madhu Koda invested more than Rs.4,000 crore in mines in South Africa.

Madhu Koda, who was operated upon last week after he complained of stomach ache, was shifted to his house in Ranchi Friday. He was Jharkhand chief minister from September 2006 to August 2008.