In a sudden development, CBI sleuths raided former Karnataka chief minister B S Yeddyurappa's residence in Dollar's colony, an upmarket area in Bangalore, in connection with his involvement in illegal mining and business transactions. The raids started at 6.15 AM on Wednesday and are likely to continue throughout the day.

Simultaneous raids are also being conducted at five other places including residednces of both his sons BY Raghavendra, BY Vijayendra and his son-in-law R Sohan Kumar. Raids were also conducted on South West Mining Company's offices in Tornagal in Bellary district. The company had made payments of Rs 20 crore to Yeddyurappa's family run concerns in lieu of sanction of mining licences. CBI filed FIR against Yeddyurappa, his sons Raghavendra, Vijayendra, son-in-law Sohan Kumar and JIndal company.

A nine-member team headed by Hyderabad based Deputy Director of CBI VV Lakshminarayana commenced the raids at Yeddyurappa's residences in Dollars Colony and Race Course Road besides a firm owned by one of his sons, the sources said. The raids come in the wake of the CBI registering a case against Yeddyurappa and others in line with the May 11 Supreme Court directive ordering a probe by the central agency into alleged undue favours shown by him to firms involved in illegal mining in lieu of donations to a charitable trust run by his kin when he was the chief minister.