06 March,2021 08:20 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Taapsee Pannu File.Pic/Yogen Shah
On March 3, The Income Tax Department raided premises linked to actor Taapsee Pannu, filmmaker Anurag Kashyap and the promoters of his now-dissolved production house - Phantom Films. Officials said the searches were part of a tax evasion probe against Phantom Films. NCP leader Nawab Malik said the raids were an attempt to suppress the voices of those speaking against the Narendra Modi-led government.
The I-T department searches were carried out across 30 locations in Mumbai and Pune, also covered Reliance Entertainment group CEO Shibhasish Sarkar and some executives of celebrity and talent management company KWAN, officers said. The raids began in the morning and were continuing till late evening.
The action is part of a probe against Phantom Films, which was dissolved in 2018, and its then promoters Kashyap, director-producer Vikramaditya Motwane, producer Vikas Bahl and producer-distributor Madhu Mantena.
Now, tweeting about the same, Pannu's boyfriend and badminton player Mathias Boe has stated how this has impacted the Pink actor's family. This is what he had to say in his tweet- "Finding myself in a bit of turmoil. Representing India for the first time as a coach for some great athletes, meanwhile I-T department is raiding Taapsee's houses back home, putting unnecessary stress on her family, especially her parents." [SIC]
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The I-T department sources said some inter-linked transactions between the entities raided are under the scanner of the department. The raids, they added, are aimed at gathering more evidence to further investigate the tax evasion allegations against them.
The business transactions of films made under the banner of Phantom Films, founded in 2011, are also being probed, the sources said. Pannu's last tweet was on March 1, when she spoke on the Supreme Court asking a man accused of repeated rape whether he was willing to marry the 18-year-old victim. The actor, 33, put out a strong-worded post on the matter.