The ED i.e. the Enforcement Directorate has summoned Telugu star Mahesh Babu for questioning how the money laundering related to an alleged real estate fraud case. Mahesh, 49, has been asked to reach the office of the Federal Investigation Agency on 28 April and record his statement under the Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The case is related to Sai Surya Developers, Surana Group and some others, a prominent real estate firm in Vengal Rao Nagar. The ED searched the premises in Secunderabad, Jubilee Hills and Bowenpalli on 16 April in this case.
Babu is currently not being investigated as an accused and may not be involved in the scam. He said that he may have supported the realty projects of the accused companies without knowing about the alleged fraud.
He said that the agency is checking a transaction of Rs 5.9 crore, which the actor received from companies as advertising fees through checks and cash. The actor could not be contacted to comment.
The ED case is based on a complaint by Telangana police, according to which Sai Surya Developers owner Satish Chandra Gupta and Bhagyanagar Property Limited Director Narendra Surana and others are accused of cheating their hard-earned money from innocent investors in the name of advance amount for the sale of plots.
The agency said in a statement issued after the search that the accused made plans for “unauthorized land layouts, selling the same plot to various customers, accepting payment without proper agreements and giving false assurance of plot registration.”
It said that many investors suffered financial losses due to the acts of the accused. The ED had said, “By cheating the general public with predetermined and dishonest intentions, they earned the income of crime, which was diverted and laundered for wrong benefits for themselves and related institutions.”
It said that objectionable documents related to the amount deposited by the investors and the raids of about Rs 100 crore have been reported during the raid. The statement said, “Narendra Surana and Surana Group companies seized a unaccounted cash of Rs 74.50 lakh.”
