Guwahati: Press Trust of India reported citing its sources, actor Tamannaah Bhatia was questioned by the ED Guwahati on Thursday in relation to a money laundering case probe linked to the ‘HPZ Token’ mobile app, in which several investors were allegedly conned into mining Bitcoins and some other cryptocurrencies.
The 34-year-old actor’s statement was reportedly recorded at the Enforcement Directorate’s zonal office here in accordance with the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
As to PTI, Ms. Bhatia was purportedly paid for her “celebrity appearance” at an app company event, and no “incriminating” accusations were brought against her.
She was also contacted previously, but according to PTI sources, she decided to show up on Thursday instead of responding to the summons because of work.
The charge sheet submitted by the ED in this matter in March names 299 entities as accused, including 76 Chinese-owned firms with 10 directors of Chinese origin and two entities controlled by other foreign persons.
The Kohima Police’s cybercrimes unit filed a FIR, accusing several people of violating the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act after misleading “gullible” investors with false promises of enormous profits from mining Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. This led to the money laundering case.
Authorities alleged that the accused “cheated” the investors using the “HPZ Token” smartphone application.
According to the agency, different “shell entities” with “dummy” directors opened bank accounts and merchant IDs with the intention of “layering” the proceeds of criminal activity.
It stated that these monies were obtained “fraudulently” for investments in Bitcoin mining as well as unlawful online gambling and betting.
The ED stated that although investors were promised returns of ₹ 4,000 per day for three months on an investment of ₹ 57,000, the money was only provided once, and the accused then asked the investors for more money.
In this instance, the ED conducted nationwide searches that resulted in the confiscation of savings and real estate valued at ₹ 455 crore, the statement stated.
In this instance, the ED conducted nationwide searches that resulted in the confiscation of savings and real estate valued at ₹ 455 crore, the statement stated.