Mumbai: A Bollywood actor told the The Free Press Journal on Tuesday that she was misled into performing at the wedding of the main accused in the Mahadev App case, Saurabh Chandrakar, in Dubai earlier this year.
The actress said the celebrity management firm that hired her had told her that she would be attending the wedding of a businessman named ‘Hritik’.
It was only after reaching the venue that she realised that the ‘Hritik’ was none other than Chandrakar, she claimed.
Cash payment
The actress told the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which recently summoned her for questioning, that the company gave her an upfront cash payment. Before departing for Dubai, the remaining payment was transferred to her bank account in Mumbai, with a 20% deduction, which the company took for arranging her appearance.
Meanwhile, the ED has obtained videos of a party held in Thailand to celebrate the success of Fairplay App, a subsidiary of Mahadev App. The party was held at the JW Marriott Khao Lak Resort & Spa in Phuket in April 2023, officials said.
Badshah, the main performer at the event
Rapper Badshah was the main performer at the event, which was attended by several celebrities, including TV stars, south Indian actors and social media influencers.
The clips show a few foreign VIP guests and social media influencers at poker, roulette and teen patti tables.
The organisers had issued strict instructions to everyone to not upload any footage on social media, the officials said.
Promotional and endorsement videos
Several promotional and endorsement videos featuring Badshah, along with a rap song about Fairplay, are available on social media. In one of the videos, Badshah says he does not understand investments, mutual funds, SIPs and other financial matters. However, he emphasises that Fairplay is a simple market to understand and it can generate substantial earnings.
An actress who attended the party told the FPJ on condition of anonymity that several TV celebrities, including herself, were contacted by a company in Andheri (West) in April.
They had oral discussions before signing up for the party, she said, adding that payments were made in cash and in the form of digital wallets. Other celebrities told FPJ that the organisers had arranged payments, which might have run into several crores.
The ED also has a videos in which actors Heena Khan and Mauni Roy can be seen promoting Mahadev App.
