Inside the Gupta home – officers describe the Hawks raid

Officers have described what it is like inside the luxurious Gupta home in Saxonwold‚ Johannesburg‚ which the Hawks targeted on Wednesday morning as part of the elite unit's investigation into state capture.

A police source with knowledge of the operation said officers were looking for specific documentation and electronic devices.

“These guys are searching all the rooms‚ literally going through the place inch by inch. It's very specific items that they are looking for here and elsewhere‚” the source said.

“The concern is that because the Guptas have known about this (state capture investigation) things might have disappeared. But so far things are looking good.”

A separate Hawks source said they had carried out other raids away from the media spotlight‚ which had yielded good results.

“You wouldn't believe the size of the compound. It's like a rabbit warren. Dozens of rooms‚ nooks and crannies. It is going to be a long process to find what we are looking for.”

The raids began at 6:30am‚ with heavily armed police officers sealing off the Guptas' expansive home and blocking the road outside.

TimesLIVE understands that the operation is also headed for the Guptas' Sahara Computers facility in Midrand‚ as well as premises elsewhere in the country.

A source with knowledge of the Guptas' movements said the family hadn't been around for months.

“They packed up stuff awhile ago‚ both here and elsewhere. I'm not sure what the police will find. If anything‚ they should be looking for stuff on computers.”

Hawks spokesman Hangwani Mulaudzi said the raids were part of the larger state capture investigation.

“We are not playing around. We take this investigation very seriously‚” Mulaudzi said.