I-T dept conducts raids on entities linked to Chinese mobile phone manufacturers across country

New Delhi: The income-tax department on Wednesday conducted pan-India searches against entities engaged with Chinese mobile phone manufacturers on charges of tax evasion, official sources said. The raids are being carried out at premises in the National Capital Region, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad, among others, they said. Vendors and distribution partners of four to five such prominent firms in the mobile handset manufacturing and sales business are being searched as part of the operation, the sources said. Handset manufacturer Oppo reacted to the development saying it will assist the agencies. “As an invested partner in India, we highly respect and abide by the law of the land. We will continue to fully cooperate with authorities concerned as per procedure,” a company spokesperson said. Another mobile phone maker, Xiaomi, said it was in compliance with Indian laws. “As a responsible company, we give paramount importance to ensuring that we are compliant with all Indian laws. As an invested partner in India, we are fully cooperating with authorities to ensure they have all the required information,” a Xiaomi spokesperson said. Tax officials refused to share details about the specific grounds on which the searches were being carried out and the seizures and recoveries made during the operation that is understood to have begun on Tuesday.