Producer Erneni hospitalised after IT team seeks MMM's payment details

HYDERABAD: Income-tax department officials, who continued raids on the offices of Mythri Movie Makers (MMM) and residences of its management officials for the third day here on Friday, allegedly asked the producers to submit a detailed report on how they pay the actors and the production team.

The officials took photocopies of documents that were bundled in over 10 gunny bags from the producers, including Erneni Naveen, Cherukuri Mohan and Yalamanchili Ravi Shankar. Later, they sought details of payments, including cash, digital, cash and online transactions, to actors in the banner’s previous films.

Minutes after that Naveen collapsed, complaining of chest pain. He was shifted to a nearby hospital, where his condition was found to be stable.

Reportedly, the I-T officials came across many illegal cash transactions. They asked for investments made by MMM on making films in the last seven years and profits apart from collecting copies of I-T returns.

The I-T officials suspect that the producers were into real estate business towards which money was transferred from MMM. The auditors have allegedly been questioned by a team of I-T officials in the presence of Naveen and his family members.

Meanwhile, central forces have been deployed at the MMM office and residences of its producers as a precautionary measure during the raids.