Rs 300 cr unearthed in raids on TN film personalities, actor Vijay still under I-T scanner

Income Tax department has seized unaccounted cash of Rs 77 crore from premises belonging to financier-cum-producer Anbu Chezhiyan, but no cash has so far been recovered from actor Vijay, who is being questioned with regard to his remuneration received for his latest movie Bigil.

Searching of residences belonging to Vijay and questioning of the actor is continuing for the second day on Thursday. The popular actor was forced to cancel his shoot on Wednesday and proceed to Chennai with I-T officials who wanted to search his residences and question him regarding his financial transactions with regard to Bigil, which hit screens during Deepavali last year.

“In the context of the issues of the prominent actor, it is stated, that, his investment in immovable properties and remuneration received from the said Producer for acting in the film is the subject matter of investigation in the present search,” the Income Tax department said in a statement, without naming Vijay.

While Rs 77 crore was seized from Chezhiyan, the I-T is analysing accounts available in the office of AGS Entertainment, producers of Bigil, and investigating evidences of actual receipts, expenses booked, and remuneration paid to artists for the movie.

The department said the common thread for the raids at the premises belonging to Vijay, Chezhiyan and AGS was Bigil’ success. The movie made more than Rs 300 crores.

“The highlight of the search is the seizure of unaccounted cash of about Rs. 77 crores from hideouts and secret places located at Chennai and Madurai, purportedly belonging to the financier,” the department said.

Large number of property documents, promissory notes, post-dated cheques taken as collateral security were recovered during the search and the concealment by Chezhian is likely to exceed Rs. 300 crores, officials said.

High drama had prevailed on the sets of Master on Wednesday in Neyveli as I-T sleuths arrived there and began questioning Vijay and later brought him to Chennai.

This is the second time Vijay is being questioned by I-T department – he was last questioned in 2015 on transactions related to Puli. Vijay had then rejected allegations of tax evasion saying he was a diligent taxpayer.

Vijay was targeted by Tamil Nadu BJP leaders in 2017 for comments on GST in his 2017 movie Mersal, while his producers were forced to mute controversial references in 2018 movie Sarkar. For the GST reference, his religion was dragged into question by BJP leader H raja, who tweeted an identity card of the actor whose name read Joseph Vijay.