Sonu Sood evaded 20 crore tax: IT department

Mumbai: The Income Tax department on Saturday said actor Sonu Sood has evaded taxes to the tune of Rs 20 crore. The department had searched 28 premises in Mumbai, Lucknow, Kanpur, Jaipur, Delhi and Gurgaon in connection with the Bollywood actor and a Lucknow-based real estate firm on September 15. The IT department said Sood camouflaged professional receipts as loans to evade taxes. The department also alleged that the 48-year-old actor used the amount to acquire properties.

According to IT officials, Sood's charity foundation raised Rs 18.94 crore in donations from April 2021 till date and spent only Rs 1.7 crore in relief work. The remaining Rs 17 crore has been lying unutilized, the tax department claimed. The department also said Sood's charity foundation raised Rs 2.1 crore from outside India in violation of FCRA norms.