Actor Sonu Sood, Associates Involved In Tax Evasion Of Over ₹20 Crore: I-T Department

Mumbai: Actor Sonu Sood and his associates have evaded tax worth over ₹20 crores, Income Tax Department said. This comes after the department surveyed several premises linked to the actor, including his Mumbai residence, for over three days.

According to the tax department, Sood’s non-profit organization raised Rs 2.1 crore from foreign donors in violation of the Foreign Contribution (Regulatory) Act within the ambit of the law.

“During the searches of the premises of the actor and his associates, incriminating evidence relating to tax evasion has been found. The main modus operandi followed by the actor had been to route his unaccounted income in the form of bogus unsecured loans from many bogus entities,” said the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) in the statement.

“Investigations so far have revealed use of 20 such entries, the providers of which, on examination, have accepted on oath to have given bogus accommodation entries. They have accepted to have issued cheques in lieu of cash. There have been instances where professional receipts have been camouflaged as loans in the books of accounts for the purpose of evasion of tax. It has also been revealed that these bogus loans have been used for making investments and acquiring properties. The total amount of tax evaded unearthed so far, amounts to more than ₹ 20 crores,” the tax department further added.

According to the IT department against the actor who captured the public imagination for his philanthropic activities, his non-profit organization Sood Foundation collected a donation of Rs 18 crore during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in July 2020, out of which only Rs 1.9 crore was spent, while Rs 17 crore is lying idle in the non-profit’s bank account.

According to reports, a real estate deal between Sonu Sood’s company and a Lucknow-based real estate firm is also under question. Based on this deal, the I-T survey started.

Simultaneous search operations at various premises of an infrastructure group in Lucknow in which the actor has entered into a joint venture real estate project and invested substantial funds has resulted in the unearthing of evidence relating to tax evasion and irregularities in books of account,” the tax department said in the statement on Saturday.

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