Tamil Actor Vijay's immovable properties under scanner : Income Tax Department

Searches conducted by the Income Tax department in Tamil Nadu has led to the recovery of Rs 77 crore in cash. Since Wednesday, I-T officials have been conducting searches in over 38 locations related to the AGS Group, which includes AGS Cinemas and AGS Entertainment.

Chennai (Tamil Nadu): The Income Tax Department which has unleashed search operations at 38 premises associated with film producing company AGS, Tamil Actor Vijay and Distributor Gopuram Anbuchezhiyan in Chennai and Madurai on Thursday said it has seized Rs 77 crore of cash and tracing the immovable assets of the renowned actor.

The department is conducting raids and surveys at Actor Vijay, Financier and Producer Anbu Chezhiyan residences. Around 38 premises have been covered in the raid.

Speaking on the reports of the Actor being intervened during the shooting of the film, the income tax official said, "Actor Vijay was not picked up between his shooting as reported in some media reports."

"The common thread among all these entities was the success of a recent film which was a box office hit collecting around Rs. 300 crores," the IT implicitly tells about the box office hit of actor Vijay's Deepavali release "Bigil"-produced by the AGS group and Anbuchezhiyan was the distributor.

Adding to this, IT said the search has been still undergoing in 38 premises of the group spread over Chennai and Madurai.

"The highlight of the search is the seizure of unaccounted cash of about Rs. 77 crore from hideouts and secret places located at Chennai and Madurai, purportedly belonging to the financier," the IT statement reads.

It further revealed that a large number of property documents, promissory notes, post-dated cheques taken as collateral security was recovered during the search and have been seized.

"As per evidence detected during the search, it is estimated that the concealment, in this case, is likely to exceed Rs. 300 crore. The distributor, who is a part of the group searched, is also a builder. All documents in original, belonging to the distributor have been recovered from a hideout place, which was the house of his friend. Scrutiny of the evidence so unearthed is under progress," the Tax department noted.

It said the film producer, who is also a part of the group searched, is into film production, distribution and film exhibiting Multiplexes and has produced several films.

"Analysis of the accounts available on the office premises is under process. Evidence of actual receipts and expenses booked and remuneration paid to artists is under investigation," IT explained the issue.