The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday questioned actress Tamannaah Bhatia in connection with a money laundering case alleged to be connected with a mobile application called ‘HPZ Token’. The case is in reference to several investors who have been allegedly cheated with fake promises regarding Bitcoin and other digital currencies.

ED questioned Tamannah Under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act or PMLA. As per sources, the actress had been paid for a “celebrity appearance” at an event organised by the app company in question. Sources also reveal that there is no “incriminating” charge against her as of now. Although the actress had been summoned earlier, Tamannaah postponed her appearance due to her work commitments and chose to come in and appear before the ED on Thursday.

A total of 299 entities, including 76 that are controlled by the Chinese nationals have been named in the charge sheet filed by the ED. The charge sheet also revealed that 10 of the directors involved are of Chinese origin, while two other entities are linked to other foreign nationals.

The case originated from an FIR filed by the Kohima Police’s cyber crimes department. In the FIR, several people were booked under sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act for allegedly cheating “gullible” investors on the promise of unrealistic returns from cryptocurrency mining.

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According to police, it was the ‘HPZ Token’ app that was used by the accused to defraud the investors. According to the ED, “shell entities” with “dummy” directors were created for opening new bank accounts and merchant IDs, facilitating the layering of illicit funds.

These funds were reportedly obtained through online gaming, betting, and investment schemes for Bitcoin minings. ED officers report that investors were promised a return of Rs 4,000 per day for three months on the initial investment of Rs 57,000. Many investors, however, received a payment only once and were hassled for more money.

The ED has carried out searches all over the country based on this investigation and has seized assets and deposits worth Rs 455 crore.

With inputs from PTI.