The Income Tax Department has raided the Delhi office of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Phones of employees have been seized, according to sources. Employees have also been asked to leave the office and go home early.
Over 100 employees, who were working in the morning shift, have been held back at the Delhi bureau office. The majority of them belong to editorial teams. Those in the afternoon shift at the Delhi office have been asked to work from home. During the raid, two people associated with BBC Urdu services as well as finance department officials were inside the office premises, according to sources.
The Income Tax Department’s Delhi team is also monitoring the BBC premises in Mumbai’s Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) area. BBC also has another Mumbai office in Khar, where employees were asked to go home. Employees are not allowed to enter the Mumbai office of the BBC at present due to the ongoing search. The Income Tax Department is carrying out searches across BBC premises over allegations of irregularities in international taxation and transfer pricing.