Actor Tamannaah Bhatia was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate in Guwahati in connection to a money laundering case linked to a mobile app. The probe agency is investigating the case of ‘HPZ Token’ app which is accused of duping large number of investors in Assam on the pretext of mining bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies.
Tamannaah Bhatia allegedly received some funds for making a “celebrity appearance” at event organised by the company behind the app to promote it. However, there is no “incriminating” charges against her, ED officials said.
The Enforcement Directorate said the statement of the 34-year-old actor was recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) at its zonal office in Guwahati. She was summoned earlier, but requested to defer it due to work commitment, and appeared before the agency on Thursday.
The HPZ token cryptocurrency scam involved a fraudulent scheme operated through an app-based token called “HPZ.” It promised users large returns on investments in cryptocurrency mining, particularly for Bitcoin and other digital currencies. Victims were lured into investing with the promise that their money would double through these investments.
However, after initial payouts to investors, the scam operators stopped payments, and the platform became inaccessible. Investigations by the ED and CBI revealed that entities behind the HPZ token, such as Shigoo Technology and Lillion Technocab, were involved in money laundering activities. These entities had ties to Chinese-controlled companies and were also running unregistered gaming apps.
ED’s investigation has revealed the alleged role of 299 accused persons and entities in the scam, including 76 Chinese-controlled entities, 10 of whose directors are of Chinese origin, and two other entities controlled by other foreign nationals.
The ED has seized or frozen large sums of money, amounting to hundreds of crores, from various bank accounts and payment gateways like Razorpay, EaseBuzz, and Paytm, connected to the scam. The authorities continue to investigate this multi-layered fraud under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The probe was started based on an FIR registered by the Cyber Crime Police Station, Kohima, Nagaland, for alleged cheating of gullible investors through the app.
