Mahesh Babu summoned by ED over Rs 100-Crore real estate scam
The actor, 49, has been asked to appear before the agency in Hyderabad on 28 April for questioning.
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Popular Telugu actor Mahesh Babu has been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with an alleged ₹100-crore real estate money laundering case involving Hyderabad-based firms Surana Group and Sai Surya Developers.
The actor, 49, has been asked to appear before the agency in Hyderabad on 28 April for questioning. Although he is not listed as an accused, his name has surfaced during the probe due to promotional work he undertook for the two real estate firms.
According to official sources, Mahesh Babu was paid over ₹11 crore—₹5.5 crore by Surana Group and ₹5.9 crore by Sai Surya Developers. A significant portion of the payment from Sai Surya Developers—₹2.5 crore—was allegedly made in cash, while ₹3.4 crore was paid via cheque. The ED is now examining these payments to determine whether they were made using illegitimate funds linked to proceeds of crime.
The summons follows raids conducted by the ED at four locations across Hyderabad and Secunderabad, targeting properties owned by Surana Group chairman Narendra Surana, managing director Devendar Surana, and Sai Surya Developers. These searches yielded unaccounted cash worth ₹74.5 lakh and documentation pointing to illegal transactions totalling over ₹100 crore.
The investigation stems from multiple FIRs lodged by the Telangana Police, accusing Narendra Surana of Bhagyanagar Properties Ltd and K Sathish Chandra Gupta, owner of Sai Surya Developers, of orchestrating fraudulent schemes.
The accused are alleged to have sold the same plots to multiple buyers, failed to register properties, and taken advance payments without binding agreements. The ED stated that their actions defrauded investors and allowed them to generate and launder illicit funds, which were then allegedly funnelled into related businesses and entities.
Mahesh Babu was the brand ambassador for Sai Surya Developers’ “Green Meadows” project, which is now under investigation for non-delivery and potential misrepresentation. Sources suggest that the actor may have endorsed the project without knowledge of the alleged scam.
The ED is expected to question him on the nature of his association with the developers, the terms of payment, and whether any due diligence was conducted before lending his name to the project.
