Sleuths from the Income Tax Department on Wednesday raided five premises of three private education institutions in and around Nagpur.

However, official sources described the action as 'survey operations' and said these were not raids. Among the institutions raided were two managed by former Maharashtra minister Ranjit Deshmukh.

The operation was carried out at the Lata Mangeshkar [Images] Medical College at Sitabuldi, the N K P Salve Institute of Medical Sciences at Wanadongri, a suburb of Nagpur, the G H Raisoni group's colleges in Sadar and Hingna, another suburb of Nagpur, and the Kavikulguru Institute of  Technology and Science.

While the Lata Mangeshkar Medical College and the N K P Salve Institute of Medical Sciences are managed by Deshmukh, KITS is managed by a relative of former prime minister P V Narasimha Rao, it is learnt.

There was no official word on the operation. The raids were said to have been carried out on complaints that the institutions were illegally charging hefty fees and donations from students.

Central India News Service