Income Tax Department has conducted searches at residences of actress Taapsee Pannu and director/producer Anurag Kashyap and Vikas Bahl. Residence of producer Madhu Mantena was also searched. The IT department is conducting searches on people related to Phantom Films over allegations of tax evasion. Searches are on at nearly 20 locations in Mumbai and Pune, including premises linked to a talent agency as well as Phantom Films, co-promoted by Mr Kashyap and producer Vikas Bahl, and producer Madhu Mantena, who is also linked to the production house, sources said.
Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane, producer Madhu Mantena, and Vikas Bahl came together to found film production company Phantom Films in Mumbai. In March 2015, Reliance Entertainment procured 50 per cent stake in the company.
After a series of movies comprising both hits and misses, the company was dissolved in 2018 facing a sexual assault allegation on Vikas Bahl, brought by a former employee of Phantom.
In its seven years of operation, Phantom Films worked with several top Bollywood actors, directors, co-producers. Taapsee Pannu worked with Phantom Films in 2018's Manmarziyaan.
