The income-tax department has been conducting search operations at premises of mobile phone manufacturers on charges of tax evasion, sources told CNBC TV-18.
The raids are being carried out pan-India at premises of major phone manufacturers, including Oppo, Xiaomi, and OnePlus. "Major dealers of Oppo, Xiaomi, and OnePlus covered under search operations across the country," sources said.
Reacting to the development, Oppo said 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, as quoted in a PTI report.
Another mobile phone maker, Xiaomi, also 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," the report quoted Xiaomi spokesperson as saying.
More details about the specific grounds on which the searches were being carried out and the seizures and recoveries made during the operation are not yet available.
