The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned Telugu actor Mahesh Babu in connection with a money laundering probe into Hyderabad-based real estate companies, PTI news agency reported on Tuesday.
The 49-year-old Mahesh Babu has been asked to appear before the Federal Investigation Agency’s office in Hyderabad on April 28.
The development comes about a week after the Enforcement Directorate conducted raids at several locations in Hyderabad as part of its probe against Surana Group and Sai Solar Developers.
According to PTI, the investigation under the PMLA is being conducted for non-delivery of real estate projects on time.
Kancharla Satish Chandra Gupta, the owner of Sai Solar Developers, is facing a police probe in connection with a delivery default in a project called ‘Green Meadows’. Mahesh Babu was the brand ambassador of the project.
Sources quoted by PTI said that the actor is not currently being investigated as an accused and may not be involved in the scam.
He had approved real estate projects of the accused companies without knowing about the alleged scam, they said.
According to PTI sources, the agency is looking to unearth deals worth Rs 5.9 crore, in which the actor received approval fees from the companies through cheques and cash.
The ED case stems from a complaint filed by the Telangana Police against Sai Surya Developers owner Satish Chandra Gupta and Bhagyanagar Properties Ltd director Narendra Surana and others for allegedly “frauding” and “swindling” investors of their hard-earned money in the name of advances for the sale of land involving huge sums of money, according to PTI.
The accused organised “fraudulent” schemes that included unauthorised land layouts, selling the same land to different clients, accepting payments without proper agreements and forging certificates of land registrations, the agency said in a statement issued after the searches.
“By deceiving the public with premeditated and dishonest intent, they diverted and laundered the proceeds of crime to make ill-gotten gains for themselves and their respective entities,” the ED said.
