The Crime Branch police on Monday arrested actor Fahadh Faasil on the charge of having used phoney documents to register his super luxury cars in the Union Territory of Puducherry to dodge the steep tax on opulent vehicles in Kerala.
S. Sreejith, IG Crime Branch, and K.V. Santosh Kumar,SP, questioned the actor for over two hours and released him on bail.
Mr. Faasil arrived at the CB headquarters on Christmas Day, dressed in white and sporting a full beard. Passers-by flocked outside the office to catch a glimpse of the star. Earlier, the actor had procured an anticipatory bail order from the District Court, Alappuzha, to pre-empt arrest.
Investigators said Mr Faisal “admitted” to his “crime” and pleaded ignorance of the law. His office had handled the registration of his super luxury vehicles. He had recompensed the Kerala Government for its loss.
Two persons who accompanied Mr Faisal stood as guarantors for his bail. They executed two bail bonds with a surety of ₹50,000 each.
In a related development, Mr. Sreejith held discussions with Finance Minister Thomas Isaac and Transport Commissioner Anil Kanth to assess the quantum of the spectacular tax fraud that has cost the State exchequer dear.
Mr. Isaac reportedly flagged up the evasion as a massive loss of revenue that could have benefitted the government’s developmental and social welfare programmes.
Earlier, the CB had arrested actor and Rajya Sabha member Suresh Gopi on similar charges. Actor Amala Paul is scheduled to present herself before investigators in a comparable case on January 5. She has also moved for anticipatory bail.
An investigator said the vehicle tax fraud cases registered so far were just the tip of the iceberg. More celebrities and businesspeople who sought to save on automobile tax similarly were under the scanner.
So were scores of automobile agencies, which facilitated the fraud to drive up sales. The CB has already charged an automobile showroom in Kochi for tax fraud. The Motor Vehicle Department has suspended the firm’s licence to sell vehicles. Investigators said more indictments were in the offing.
The CB case is that the actors had defrauded the State of lakhs of rupees by registering their vehicles in Puducherry. They allegedly used forged records, including affidavits and notarised documents, to show permanent residence in the Union Territory to evade the 20% tax levied by Kerala on automobiles priced ₹20 lakh and upward.
The Crime Branch has charged the actors with cheating, forgery and use of forged documents as genuine ones under Section 420, 468 and 471 of the Indian Penal Code. The offences are non-bailable and carry a punishment of up to seven years of rigorous imprisonment.
