Even as Actor Amala Paul has been asked to be present in front of the crime branch for investigation, the actor has now alleged before the HC that the case alleging tax evasion in registering her luxury vehicle at Puducherry is false and that the documents are forged. The actor has now filed for an anticipatory bail.
The case against the actor for the alleged tax evasion for her luxury car was registered by Thiruvananthapuram unit of the crime branch on the basis of the complaint filed by the transport commissionerate.
In the petition filed, the actor claimed that the Mercedes Benz of registration number PY-05-D-0500, was registered at Puducherry and she has rented a home there. The petition also added that the vehicle was registered at the address of the rented house in Puducherry and the vehicle is used in Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and Bengaluru mainly, reports TOI. The report also added that a rent of Rs 5,500 is being paid for the house in Puducherry.
Amala Paul had bought her S class Benz worth Rs 1.12 cr on August 4. The vehicle was registered in Puducherry, for which Amala had paid only Rs 1.75 lakh as tax, saving nearly Rs 20 lakh. The address given by Amala Paul is currently occupied by an engineering student, who was unaware that a vehicle was registered under his name.
Meanwhile, actor Fahadh Faasil had also filed an anticipatory bail petition at Alappuzha District Session Court. The move came after the Crime Branch issued a notice asking the actor to appear for further interrogation in the case. The sessions court which concluded the hearing on the anticipatory bail petition by actor Fahadh Faasil, will deliver its verdict on Thursday.
After the tax evasion case stirred up controversy in the state, Fahadh had paid a tax amount of Rs 17.68 lakh to the Motor Vehicles Department. The actor was accused of tax evasion after an investigation by Mathrubhumi News revealed that he had paid only Rs 1.5 lakh as tax, as opposed to the Rs 14 lakh he would have had to pay had he registered his SUV in Kerala.
The actor’s Benz E Class, which is worth Rs 70 lakhs, was allegedly registered in Puducherry under a fake address. The family living in the address has claimed that they are unaware of the actor and the registration.
Actor turned MP Suresh Gopi had also appealed for an anticipatory bail after which the Kerala High Court asked the actor-politician to appear before the Crime Branch on December 21. This is in connection to the case filed against him for allegedly forging the documents related to registering his luxury car in Puducherry. The actor had reportedly registered his Audi Q7 in Puducherry by paying only Rs 1.5 lakh as road tax. Registering a luxury car in Kerala will cost the owner anywhere around Rs 14 lakh to Rs 20 lakh.
In an earlier clampdown done by the Kerala Motor Vehicle Department (MVD), it was discovered that as many as 700 vehicles are registered in Puducherry, resulting in a revenue loss of over Rs 60 cr to the state exchequer.