Transactions in crores rupees, as payments to Tollywood and Bollywood actors for endorsing casino events organized by one Chikoti Praveen Kumar in Goa and neighbouring Nepal, are under the ED lens. The organizer has been called for questioning over suspected illegal monetary transactions. Chikoti Casino issue which has already created sensation in political circles, is now spread to the film industry. According to sources, several Tollywood and Bollywood heroines acted in promotional videos and received the heavy remuneration.
ED has collated a list of actors from Bollywood and Tollywood and politicians of ruling and opposition parties in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana who attended the casino parties.
The reports are coming that Chikoti has paid Rs 1 cr to Mallika Sherawat, Rs 40 lakh to Dimple Hayati, Rs 80 lakh to Ameesha Patel, Rs 40 lakh to Esha Rebba, Rs 15 lakh to Mumaith Khan. Bollywood actors like Acharya Ganesh and Govinda, also involved in the casino affair and they were paid huge amounts.
More than 10 actors attended a casino event organized by Chikoti Praveen Kumar and Madhav Reddy in Hotel Mechi Crown, in Jhapa of Nepal, bordering West Bengal’s Siliguri district, from 10th 13th June, following which ED initiated a probe earlier this month.
Chikoti Praveen Kumar, with the help of Madhav Reddy, organizes high stakes gambling at the casinos in Nepal, Indonesia, Thailand, and Goa, all places where gambling is legal. The sources said that at least 16 MLAs are involved in the casino, as well as some celebrities who go to Goa to party. However, the names of MLAs have not been made public.