ED summons Prakash Raj in Rs 100 crore ponzi-linked money laundering case

Actor Prakash Raj has been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for questioning in connection with a money laundering case tied to an alleged Rs 100 crore ponzi and fraud case against a jewelry group based in Tiruchirapalli, according to official sources on Thursday.

The investigation pertains to a case against Pranav Jewellers, a partnership firm based in Tiruchirapalli, whom it had raided on November 20 and claimed to have seized "unexplained" cash of Rs 23.70 lakh and some gold jewellery.

Raj (58) has been a brand ambassador of this company. He has been asked to depose before the federal agency in Chennai next week. The actor, who has played various roles in Hindi and South Indian movies, has been an outspoken critic of the BJP. ED case stems from an FIR of the Tamil Nadu Police Economic Offences Wing.

According to the police complaint, Pranav Jewellers and others collected Rs 100 crore from the public under the guise of a gold investment scheme with the promise of high returns, the federal agency said in a statement on Wednesday.