IT sleuths swoop down on houses of ‘Pushpa 2’ makers and Dil Raju

Hyderabad: The Income Tax (IT) department on Tuesday conducted searches at the properties of prominent filmmaker and Telangana State Film Development Corporation (TSFDC) Chairman Dil Raju, his relatives and some other Tollywood personalities. The IT sleuths also conducted searches in the houses of the Mythri movie makers which produced the recent blockbuster ‘Pushpa 2’ movie.

Several teams of IT officials began simultaneous searches early on Tuesday at different places in Hyderabad. The searches were conducted at Dil Raju’s residence in Ujas Villas, Jubilee Hills and at the offices and other properties of production house Mythri Movie Makers.

The IT officials were believed to be looking into financial transactions of Dil Raju and others related to production of movies. They were also checking the bank lockers as part of the investigation.

Dil Raju’s wife was taken to a bank where lockers were opened in her presence. Dil Raju is one of the top producers of Tollywood with diverse business interests in both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, including film production, distribution, and real estate.

The Telangana government last month appointed him as the chairman of State Film Development Corporation. The IT searches are believed to be related to Dil Raju’s recent movies ‘Game Changer’ and ‘Sankranthiki Vasthunnam’ under the banner of Sri Venkateswara Creations.

The film, starring Venkatesh, Aishwarya Rajesh, and Meenakshi Chaudhary, has become one of the highest-grossing films of Dil Raju.

The IT searches were also conducted at the properties of Dil Raju’s family members including daughter Hansita Reddy, producer Sireesh, who is co-owner of Sri Venkateswara Creations, and director Anil Ravipudi.

Searches were also on at the properties of Mythri Movie Makers, the makers of ‘Pushpa 2’. The searches targeted houses of Mythri Movie Makers’ founder Naveen Yemeni, and other key people associated with the leading production house.