ED Questions Actress Tamannaah Bhatia In Money Laundering Case (Image:Instagram/tamannaahspeaks)

Tamannaah Bhatia, a prominent Bollywood and Tollywood actress was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Guwahati on Thursday regarding her involvement with the ‘‘HPZ  Token’ mobile app. This app is accused of duping investors by promising unrealistic returns from Bitcoin and cryptocurrency mining.

The ED recorded Tamannaah’s statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) at their Guwahati office. According to PTI, she received payment for making a “celebrity appearance” at an event associated with the app which is currently under investigation for money laundering. No incriminating charges have been filed against her.

Tamannaah Bhatia was summoned earlier but deferred her appearance due to work commitments. Now, she finally appeared on Thursday accompanied by her parents. The ED’s charge sheet filed in March, names 299 entities as accused including 76 Chinese-controlled firms with 10 Chinese-origin directors.

It was said that the ‘HPZ Token app allegedly cheated investors by promising Rs 4,000 daily returns for three months on an initial investment of Rs 57,000.

However, payments stopped after the first instalment and the accused continued to solicit additional funds. The ED has seized immovable assets and deposits worth Rs 455 crore in connection with the case.

As per the PTI report, the investigation stems from an FIR filed by Kohima Police’s cybercrime unit accusing multiple individuals of defrauding “gullible” investors through the app. The accused used shell companies with dummy directors to hide their illegal activities including fraudulent online gaming and betting.

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