India, April 15 -- The CBI on Tuesday conducted searches at 77 locations across eight States after registering 22 new cases in connection with the builders-financial institutions nexus case, officials said.

The searches were spread across Delhi, Chennai, Puducherry, Bengaluru, among other locations, they said. "The cases relate to an alleged nexus between certain builders and officials of financial institutions, leading to the cheating and defrauding of innocent homebuyers," a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) spokesperson said in a statement.

These coordinated search operations conducted across different States are part of a nationwide crackdown, the statement said, adding that the operation resulted in the seizure of incriminating...