Tollywood superstar Mahesh Babu has been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate on April 28 in connection with a real estate scam in Hyderabad. Two Hyderabad-based real estate groups have been accused of defrauding buyers and indulging in money laundering practices.
According to reports, Mahesh endorsed the projects of the two real estate groups -- Sai Surya Developers and Surana Group. He reportedly received Rs 5.90 crore for the endorsements, out of which Rs 3.40 crore was paid through cheque, while the remaining Rs 2.50 crore was paid via cash.
The cash transaction is now under the ED scanner as officials suspect if the cash was a part of the laundered money collected by the builders through fraudulent practices.
The ED said that while Mahesh might not be directly involved in the scam, him endorsing the projects encouraged several buyers to invest their hard-earned money into it.
Mahesh Babu's team is yet to issue an official statement on the summons.
Mahesh Babu's upcoming films
On the work front, Mahesh will be next seen in SS Rajamouli's magnum opus, tentatively titled SSMB29. The film is even more special as it marks Priyanka Chopra's return to Indian cinema after over six years, her last film being The Sky Is Pink in 2019.
The film is being shot on a massive scale and details have been kept heavily under the wraps. It also reportedly stars Prithviraj Sukumaran, and parts of it were shot in Odisha a month ago.
SSMB29 is reportedly set to hit the silver screens across India in 2026.
