Income-tax Sleuths Search Hyderabad's Biryani Chains

Hyderabad: Special teams from the income-tax department conducted searches at 30 locations linked to three major biryani restaurant chains in the twin cities on Tuesday.

Around 30 I-T teams, which began operations at 8 am, carried out searches at multiple premises of Pista House, Shah Ghouse and the Mehfil Group. The raids covered not only the residences of the owners, but also their restaurant outlets and the business and residential premises of staff members.

It is reported that these restaurant chains — particularly Pista House, which has expanded significantly since 1997 across India, the US, Dubai and other Middle Eastern countries — were allegedly concealing financial information.

Each I-T team, headed by a senior official, thoroughly examined financial records and verified transaction details to detect possible tax evasion. The entries were checked and tallied against the amounts declared during investigations.

Pista House was founded by Hyderabad resident Mohammad Abdul Majid, who opened the first outlet in Shalibanda in 1997. The brand currently operates 44 stores across India, the US, the UAE, Oman and Kuwait. Despite global expansion, its headquarters continued to remain at Shalibanda.

According to sources, Majid had reportedly collected several lakhs of rupees from franchisees in various districts without fully disclosing the financial details in his self-declaration. I-T officials were also informed that he allegedly evaded tax on online orders. Searches are expected to continue as further scrutiny is underway.