Income Tax officials arrived at Bollywood actor and philanthropist Sonu Sood’s home in Mumbai Thursday, as per media reports. This comes after the 48-year-old’s offices in Mumbai and Lucknow were searched for about 20 hours on Wednesday. These raids are in connection with an alleged tax evasion probe, official sources said, as per PTI reports. 

The Taxmen reached Sood’s Mumbai residence on Thursday morning, NDTV reported.

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Official sources further said the action is was carried out in at least half a dozen locations in Mumbai and Lucknow. A real estate deal is under the scanner of the department, they added.

The survey operation has been initiated on allegations of tax evasion on this deal, Income-Tax department sources said.

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Opposition leaders termed the raids as a witch-hunt. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that Sonu Sood has the prayers of lakhs of families of India who got his support in difficult times.

The raids came days after the actor 

met Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and was declared as the brand ambassador for the Aam Admi Party government’s mentorship programme — “Desh ka mentor” for school students.

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“There are millions of difficulties on the path of truth, but the truth always wins. With Sonu Sood ji, there are prayers of lakhs of families of India who got Sonu ji’s support in difficult times,” Kejriwal tweeted, tagging a news report of the IT department action.

Sonu Sood came under the spotlight during last year’s lockdown. He helped migrant workers from Mumbai reach their homes by arranging transport for them. In the peak of the second wave of COVID-19 in India, when hospitals were quickly running out of oxygen, Sood turned messiah and sent oxygen to several COVID patients in need.