Income tax raids on Jyotsna Suri, MD of group that owns LaLit Hotel chain

The Income
Tax department conducted raids on the premises of Jyotsna Suri, MD of Bharat
Hotels, in a tax evasion case on Monday. The group owns The LaLit luxury hotel
chain.

An I-T
official said that eight premises were searched, the premises of Suri’s close
associate Jayant Nanda told sources. The raids started on Sunday night.

It was
re-branded as ‘The LaLiT’ on November 19, 2008. The chain has 12 luxury hotels
and resorts; the company has also launched The LaLit Traveller brand which has
two mid-market segment hotels under it.

Suri took
over as the MD of Bharat Hotels after the death of her husband, and
founder-chariamn of the group LaLit Suri in 2006. She is also the former
president of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FICCI).

More details
are awaited.