Income Tax searches at 12 Mumbai sites linked to Rakul Preet Singh, Vashu Bhagnani

The Income Tax Department has started searches at around 12 locations in Mumbai connected to actor Rakul Preet Singh, her father-in-law and producer Vashu Bhagnani, and the production banner Panorama Studios. Several teams are going through documents and financial records at these places. When the news broke, the searches were still going on.

The action is about suspicious money transactions. Officials are reportedly checking whether money was sent abroad in the name of paying for film projects. Reports say the department acted on information that large sums had been sent overseas and recorded as film shoots, foreign distribution and production costs. Investigators are said to be looking for possible tax evasion or other money problems.

Reports also say a search is taking place at the office of filmmaker Ali Abbas Zafar, who directed Sultan, Tiger Zinda Hai and Bharat. The department has not officially announced any findings. The searches are part of an investigation that is still going on, and nothing has been decided so far.

Rakul Preet Singh is one of the leading actors in both Hindi and South Indian cinema. She reportedly joined the Bhagnani family in 2024, when she married actor and producer Jackky Bhagnani, the son of Vashu Bhagnani. Vashu Bhagnani is a well-known Hindi film producer who backed films such as Coolie No 1, Hero No 1, Biwi No 1 and Bade Miyan Chote Miyan.

Panorama Studios is run by Kumar Mangat Pathak and Abhishek Pathak. The banner has made films like Pyaar Ka Punchnama, Raid and Shaitaan. The timing matters, because the banner is reportedly set to release Drishyam The Conclusion in theatres this Friday, October 2. More details about the searches are expected as the work continues.