Rs 2.5 Crore Cash Payment? Here’s Why Actor Mahesh Babu is Facing ED Heat Over Rs 5.9 Crore Real Estate Endorsement Deal

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned Telugu superstar Mahesh Babu for questioning on April 27 in connection with a high-profile money laundering case linked to two Hyderabad-based real estate firms - Sai Surya Developers and Surana Group.

As per reports, ED under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) is investigating allegations that both companies duped homebuyers by collecting advance payments for plots in unauthorised layouts and failing to deliver promised projects. Mahesh Babu, who endorsed several projects of Sai Surya Developers, including the now-controversial ‘Green Meadows’ project, reportedly received Rs 5.9 crore as payment for his promotional work. As per local reports, the actor received Rs 3.4 crore through formal banking channels and the rest of Rs 2.5 crore allegedly in cash.

The ED officials are reportedly examining the nature of these payments and the actor's links to the firms, as investigators probe the financial irregularities that came to light during raids earlier this month. The raids, conducted at multiple locations in Secunderabad, Jubilee Hills, and Bowenpally, revealed unaccounted cash transactions estimated at over Rs 100 crore, including Rs 74.5 lakh seized in cash from the premises of the Surana Group.

While there are no reports of Mahesh Babu’s direct involvement in the alleged scam, the ED is probing whether celebrity endorsement was used to lend credibility to the developers' fraudulent schemes and the details of payments the actor received from the firm. 

Kancharla Satish Chandra Gupta, the owner of Sai Surya Developers, is also under the scanner for allegedly defaulting on the delivery of the 'Green Meadows' project.