Indian restaurant chain Masala is feeling the heat once again... it's now caught up in what's believed to be the largest cache of property ever restrained by police.
RELATED: Masala owners facing more legal troublesÂ
The nationwide brand has had 33 properties seized by police as part of a $34 million dollar asset freeze after allegations of tax fraud to the tune of $7.4 million dollars.
Inland Revenue is investigating 17 companies involved with the Masala chain for allegedly under-reporting earnings.
Investigator Elena Bryleva stated in an affidavit that the owners, Joti Jain, Rupinder Chahil, Rajwinder Grewal and Supinder Singh evaded paying tax by systematically stripping cash from the restaurants and not declaring cash sales in GST returns.
The brand came under scrutiny last year for paying its employees as little as $2 an hour. Co-controller of the Masala chain, Joti Jain, was sentenced to 11 months home detention last October after admitting immigration and exploitation charges. She's also banned from managing a business for that term. According to Immigration New Zealand one of her victims worked 66 hour weeks for months at the Takapuna restaurant and was also told to clean Joti Jain's house - all for no more than $3 an hour.
Masala founder, Rupinder Chahil is already fighting six charges alleging he falsified immigration documents and supplied misleading information contrary to immigration laws.
Properties seized include a $3 million dollar house in Auckland's upmarket Remuera, a two hectare block of land in Takanini and four properties believed to have been used as accommodation for Masala workers.
Some of the restaurants have since been sold and renamed
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