chennai the income tax department on thursday began searches in more than 25 places in and around chennai belonging to jeppiaar educational trust which runs some engineering colleges and a schoolthe searches started in more than 25 places belonging to the trust including the trustee and other important people of the colleges around 150 officials from our department are involved in the searches a senior investigation wing official told toithe official said the main reason for the searches was tax evasion in these educational institutions many transactions have taken place in cash and there are no proper accounts for the money received we received information about tax evasion and we decided to search the premises to check the accounts said the officialthere are a total 12 technical institutions and a school run by the jeppiaar management the searches will continue for a few more days and only after that we will come to know about the total unaccounted cash and the modus operandi of tax evasion the official saidtois repeated attempts to contact officials at jeppiaar institutions including satyabama university for their comment on the it searches went unanswered