Kochi: The motor vehicle department has found actor Amala Paul guilty of tax evasion after the probe by a four member-team in Puducherry revealed she had registered her luxury vehicle using a fake address at Puducherry.
The team also unearthed 35 similar cases of tax evasion that includes actor Fahadh Fazil and Nellimattom Joseph, president of Kerala torres and tipper lorry association, among others.
"Another notice has been doled out to actor Amala Paul asking her to appear in person and submit valid reasons along with documents before November 10," said a senior MVD officer. The actor bought the Mercedes Benz car on August 9 and the fake records show she was a tenant at a house there from August 3.
Earlier, a special squad of the MVD went to Puducherry to investigate the tax evasion charges and found that her car was registered in a fake address there to evade tax worth Rs 18.5 lakh. "Interestingly, another Kannur native too was found to have registered his luxury car in the same address that was given by the actor. One Akhil P. V. too registered his Benz car in the address 'No 6, Saint Therasa Street, Puducherry'. We suspect functioning of a lobby that helps in evading tax payable in the home state," the officer said.
The probe team headed by C. S. Santosh Kumar, assistant secretary, state transport authority, Biju James, joint RTO, and motor vehicle Inspectors George Thomas and Vinod Kumar N. would submit a report to the transport commissioner recommending strict action to stop the practice.
Meanwhile, actor Fahadh Fazil informed the MVD that he was ready to remit the additional tax and would also apply for an NOC from Puducherry RTO office to re-register the vehicle at Alappuzha, his home town.
