The Income Tax Department on Wednesday raided premises linked to the filmmakers, including Anurag Kashyap, who launched production house Phantom Films, and Bollywood actor Taapsee Pannu, among others, officials said.
The searches are being carried out in over 30 locations in Mumbai and Pune, officials said. Some executives of celebrity and talent management company KWAN are also being raided.
The action is part of a tax evasion probe and sources said some inter-linked transactions between the entities searched are under the scanner of the department and the raids are aimed at gathering more evidence to further probe tax evasion allegations.
The Internet was quick to respond and drew parallels between the IT raids and demolishing of Kangana Ranaut’s office by the BMC.
People who were smirking and joking when BMC demolished Kangana’s property are outraging over IT raids at Taapsee and Anurag Kashyap’s places.Bhai maza aa raha hai
— chacha monk (@oldschoolmonk) March 3, 2021
BMC demolishes Kangana’s house.Liberals: “She deserves it!! Way to go BMC”Tapsee’s house raided by IT dept.Liberals: “Fascist Mudi shud regine. End of Democracy. Saffron terrorism. Hitler was better.
Me: ♂️
— Madhur (@ThePlacardGuy) March 3, 2021
Today raid on Taapsee Pannu, tomorrow they might ask me to vacate my Lutyens bungalow. This govt will go to any lengths to force their critics to follow laws and regulations.— Eminent Intellectual (@totalwoke) March 3, 2021
Why the brouhaha?Income Tax raids on @anuragkashyap72 & @taapsee have nothing to do with vendetta,as is being projected,but everything to do with alleged #TaxChori& concealment of income!Why should bona-fides of our tax authorities be questioned?They are simply doing their job!
— Sanju Verma (@Sanju_Verma_) March 3, 2021
Victim card #toolkit already out. Leftists cabal already on the job of questioning the raids!Ab Income Tax wale inse poochh kar raid karenge kya? https://t.co/VZ8eD9E5pV
— Sudhir️♂️ (@seriousfunnyguy) March 3, 2021
So don’t fall for propaganda. Raids r done after following due course of law & only as the last option when Tax Payer is totally non cooperative and involved in tax evasion. Tax Law of the land empowers officers to conduct such search process.Do not trust ecosystem narrative
— Chhayank Mehta (@chhayank) March 3, 2021
Founded in 2011, Phantom Films produced films such as Lootera, Queen, Ugly, NH 10, Masaan and Udta Punjab. Pannu, 33, has worked in numerous Hindi, Tamil and Telugu movies.