Tamannaah Bhatia had reportedly accepted a fee to attend an event of ‘HPZ Token’. Sources said there were no “incriminating” allegations against him.
Actress Tamannaah Bhatia was questioned by the ED in Guwahati on Thursday in connection with its probe into the money laundering case linked to ‘HPZ Token’ mobile app, in which several investors were allegedly duped on the pretext of mining Bitcoin and some other cryptocurrencies, official sources said. Was cheated. ,
Sources further revealed that the actress had appeared at an event of HPZ Token for which she was paid an appearance fee, but there were no “incriminating” allegations against her.
In a significant development, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in March filed a chargesheet charging a total of 299 entities in a money laundering case linked to a cyber crime operation.
Of these, 76 entities are controlled by Chinese nationals, of which ten directors have been identified as being of Chinese origin. Additionally, two entities are managed by other foreign nationals.
The case arose from a First Information Report (FIR) filed by the Cyber Crime Unit of Kohima Police. The FIR alleges that various persons defrauded investors by promising extraordinary returns through Bitcoin mining and other cryptocurrency ventures.
According to the ED, the accused used the ‘HPZ Token’ mobile application as a tool to defraud investors. The agency revealed that several “shell entities” were created with “dummy” directors to facilitate “layering” of illicit funds.
These accounts were allegedly opened to funnel funds derived from illegal online gaming, betting and cryptocurrency investments.
Investors were promised substantial returns – specifically, an investment of Rs 57,000 was said to yield Rs 4,000 per day for three months. However, the payment was made only once, after which the accused started demanding additional funds from the investors.
In a nationwide operation, the ED conducted searches which resulted in the seizure of immovable properties and bank deposits worth a total of Rs 455 crore, throwing light on the scale of the alleged fraud.
