M
ahesh Babu, a 49-year-old Telugu actor, has been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering probe into Hyderabad-based real estate firms. The agency is investigating alleged non-delivery of real estate projects on time, specifically targeting Surana Group and Sai Surya Developers.

    The ED's investigation was triggered by a Telangana Police complaint against Sai Surya Developers' owner Kancharla Satish Chandra Gupta and others for allegedly defrauding investors through unauthorized land layouts, selling plots to multiple customers, and accepting payments without proper agreements. The accused also provided false assurances of plot registrations.

    Mahesh Babu, who was the brand ambassador for one of the affected projects, 'Green Meadows', is not being investigated as an accused at present. However, the ED is looking into transactions worth ₹5.9 crore that the actor received from the companies as endorsement fees via cheques and cash. The agency aims to understand whether Mahesh Babu was aware of the alleged fraud when he endorsed the realty projects.

    Mahesh Babu has been asked to appear before the ED's office in Hyderabad on April 28, nearly a week after the agency carried out raids at multiple locations in the city as part of their investigation.