Actress Tamannaah questioned by ED in HPZ Token money laundering case
Hyderabad: Tollywood actress Tamannaah Bhatia was interrogated by the Guwahati Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday, October 17, 2024, as part of an investigation into a money laundering case linked to the ‘HPZ Token’ mobile app. This app allegedly duped numerous investors under the pretext of mining bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies.
According to PTI reports, Tamannaah Bhatia’s statement was taken at the Enforcement Directorate’s zonal office under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Actress Tamannaah Bhatia allegedly received payment for a “celebrity appearance” at an event organised by the app company, and the ED also confirmed that there are no “incriminating” charges against her.
Tamannaah had previously postponed her appearance due to work obligations but opted to meet with the ED on Thursday. The investigation includes 299 entities, 76 of which are controlled by Chinese nationals, as detailed in a charge sheet filed by the ED in March.
This money laundering case started with an FIR lodged by the Kohima Police’s cybercrimes unit. The FIR accuses several individuals, under sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act, of defrauding “gullible” investors with promises of high returns from Bitcoin and cryptocurrency mining.
Authorities reported that the ‘HPZ Token’ mobile application was used by the accused to “deceive” investors. The ED revealed that various “shell entities” with “fake” directors were established to help “layer” the proceeds of crime. It is alleged that funds were fraudulently acquired for illegal online gaming, betting, and bitcoin mining investments. Investors who contributed ₹57,000 were promised returns of ₹4,000 per day for three months; however, they only received a single payment before the perpetrators requested additional funds.
As part of the investigation, the ED carried out nationwide searches, leading to the seizure of immovable assets and deposits totaling ₹455 crore.
Tamannaah Bhatia is a prominent Indian actress recognised for her work in Telugu, Tamil, and Hindi cinema. She has appeared in 85 films and has received multiple awards, including two Santosham Film Awards, two SIIMA Awards, and the Kalaimamani Award. Noted as one of the highest-paid actresses in the Telugu and Tamil film industries, Tamannaah began her acting career with the Hindi film Chand Sa Roshan Chehra (2005) and made her Telugu debut with Sree (2005) and Tamil debut with Kedi (2006).
