Hyderabad: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has served a notice to South Superstar Mahesh Babu in connection with its probe into the money laundering case of one of the top real estate firms, Sai Surya Developers and Surana Projects. The actor has been summoned to appear before the ED on April 28 in connection with the investigation.
The two companies involved in this case are allegedly part of a money laundering network. Mahesh Babu is linked in this case because he is the brand ambassador of these companies. Naseeruddin Shah reportedly charged 5.9 crore for promoting the Green Meadows project. Of this amount, 3.4 crore was paid by cheque, and the rest, 2.5 crore, was given in cash.
One of the associated companies, Sai Surya Developers, is already embroiled in a fraud case. The owner of the company is Satish Chandra Gupta, a prominent real estate businessman based in Hyderabad, who has been accused of conning the investors of the Green Meadows project. The ED has also uncovered details of land plots being sold without permission multiple times along with fake registrations ensured to buyers.
Although there have been names of Mahesh Babu in this case, nowhere is it clear that Mahesh Babu has committed any misconduct. The project had attracted buy-side bidders based on the public persona of the actor, which they believed reflected core confidentiality in the quote process. The transactions which were allegedly connected to this scam were more than 100 crore, and how Mahesh Babu is connected to the scam [in the title here we say ‘alleged scam] is not yet known, say the investigators.
The actor being issued a summons by the ED is a crucial moment in this investigation that revolves around the real estate and money laundering racket associated with these firms.