Tollywood superstar Mahesh Babu has landed in legal trouble after the actor-producer received a notice for endorsing Sai Surya Developers, a real estate firm facing allegations of fraud. According to a NDTV report, a Hyderabad based doctor filed a complaint, claiming she was defrauded of Rs 34.8 lakh after purchasing plots that allegedly did not exist.. Mahesh has reportedly been named as the third respondent, accused of promoting the firm Sai Surya Developers and misleading buyers. The actor and his team are yet to issue a statement on the entire matter.
For the unversed, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) questioned Mahesh in a money laundering case involving Sai Surya Developers and Surana Group. According to PTI, Sai Surya Developers' owner, Kancharla Satish Chandra Gupta, was facing a police probe for alleged delivery default of a project named Green Meadows.
Mahesh Babu was the project's brand ambassador and was reportedly paid ₹5.9 crore for it via cheques and cash. Sources had told the news agency that the actor was not being investigated as an accused and may not have been involved in the scam. They stated that he may have ‘endorsed the realty projects of the accused companies without knowing about the alleged fraud.’
On the work front, Mahesh was last seen in Trivikram Srinivas’ 2023 film Guntur Kaaram, which starred Prakash Raj, Ramya Krishnan, and Sreeleela. The actor is now shooting for SS Rajamouli’s yet-to-be-titled jungle adventure film SSMB 29, which also stars Priyanka Chopra and Prithviraj Sukumaran.