Reportedly, According to sources, “Actor Sonu Sood’s premises in Mumbai and a company in Lucknow linked to him were raided by the Income Tax department today”. “A recent deal between Sonu Sood’s company and a Lucknow-based real estate firm is under the scanner. The survey operation has been initiated on allegations of tax evasion on this deal,” sources in the Income Tax department said.

The tax raids come days after the actor’s high-profile meeting with Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, who declared him the brand ambassador for his government’s mentorship programme for school students in the capital. After the meeting, Sonu Sood had denied any plans for a political debut with Mr Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party. After today’s incident, multiple personalities showed their support for him.

AAP leader Raghav Chaddha said: “An IT raid on a man as upright as Sonu Sood, somebody who has been called a messiah by lakhs of people, somebody who helped the downtrodden. If a man like him can be politically targeted in a well thought out witch-hunt shows that the current regime is insensitive and politically insecure.”

“I am shocked. The way Sonu Sood has helped lakhs of people, for tax people to search his properties… I don’t think he can do anything illegal,” said Anand Dubey, Shiv Sena leader.