Income Tax department officials searched around 44 premises of three construction firms and a finance firm in Gujarat's Rajkot city Wednesday, an official said. The searches were being conducted on the business and residential premises of the city-based construction groups, the senior IT official said.

"Nearly 150 IT sleuths have been deployed in the search operations being carried out at as many as 44 places," he said. "The searches were being carried at the premises of Decora group, Swagar Group, Ladani Group (all involved in construction business) and a finance firm," the official said, without divulging any more details.