IT officials search Red Chillies Mumbai office

MUMBAI - The Income Tax department sleuths Thursday called on Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s company Red Chillies Entertainment to inquire about its dealings and involvement in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

A team of around 10 IT officials Thursday afternoon visited the Khar (western suburb) offices of Red Chillies which has interests in the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), which Khan co-owns with Bollywood actress Juhi Chawla, an official said.

The search operations Thursday were part of the ongoing IT action against various groups, companies, franchisees and individuals connected with the IPL to trace out suspected financial irregularities in the cricketing event - the third and most controversial season, which draws to a close this week.

Earlier Thursday afternoon, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and IT officials grilled IPL commissioner Lalit Modi on the alleged slush funds from abroad which are believed to have found their way into the IPL.

The IT officials Wednesday evening also questioned Modi briefly after a major action on the IPL’s media partners in north-west Mumbai suburbs.

On Wednesday, the IT raided the premises of Multi Screen Media, Malad, the World Sports Group at Khar and Pat Magnarella Management in Bandra.

This was followed by a top-ranking IT official leaving for New Delhi Thursday to submit a report on the outcome of the investigations into the IPL here over the past one week.

Simultaneously, the ED Mumbai also registered a case against “unknown persons” under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) to probe unauthorised transfer of huge foreign funds without permission of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

The ED move was prompted by information that huge funds have found their way into the IPL from international tax havens and it would inquire into the root of the IPL finances from dubious sources, officials said.