Hyderabad: The income tax department’s searches targeting prominent figures in the Telugu film industry entered the fourth day on Friday, with raids extending to properties and offices linked to top producer Dil Raju.
Officials reportedly took Dil Raju, who is also chairman of the Telangana Film Development Corporation, to his production house, Sri Venkateswara Creations (SVC), as part of the ongoing investigation.
The IT officials seized documents from Dil Raju’s residence and production office during the searches. According to sources, the raids are part of a probe into suspected discrepancies between income earned by his production banner and the taxes paid.
The searches also extended to other production companies, including Mythri Movie Makers and Mango Media, with investigations focusing on reported mismatches in tax filings. The case reportedly stems from initial evidence of irregularities in revenue declarations.
Dil Raju’s recent films, ‘Game Changer’ and ‘Sankranthiki Vasthunnam’, are under scrutiny. Sankranthiki Vasthunnam, which was released last week, has emerged as one of his highest-grossing productions.
The IT officials also conducted searches at Mythri Movie Makers, focusing on the blockbuster ‘Pushpa 2: The Rule’, starring Allu Arjun, which reportedly generated business worth over Rs 2,000 crore. On Wednesday, the IT department also searched the properties of Pushpa 2 director Sukumar.
Additionally, Dil Raju’s wife, Tejashwi, was taken to a bank on Tuesday where officials examined lockers. The ongoing raids highlight increasing scrutiny of the financial dealings within the Telugu film industry.
