Betting case: Actor Ankush appears before ED

KOLKATA: A day after former TMC MP Mimi Chakraborty appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) over her alleged endorsement of an online betting app, her ‘Raktabeej 2’ co-star Ankush Hazra was also questioned by the agency in Delhi on Tuesday.

Mimi had faced over nine hours of grilling on Monday, while Ankush was reportedly at the ED office for more than six hours. The agency is investigating the money trail linked to the betting racket, which has pulled several big names into the spotlight. Former cricketers like Suresh Raina, Shikhar Dhawan and Robin Uthappa have already been questioned, and Bollywood actress Urvashi Rautela has been summoned too. Sources say the ED suspects large chunks of money from the illegal betting operations were funneled abroad.

The summons quickly snowballed into a political slugfest in Bengal. TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said: “The law will take its own course.

I have nothing to say about the notice. But on behalf of Bengali film audiences, I’d like to thank the agency for giving free publicity to Raktabeej 2. Once the film becomes a superhit, Mimi will also thank them.”

Coincidentally, Mimi and Ankush star in Bengali Puja release ‘Raktabeej 2’.

The BJP hit back. Party leader Dilip Ghosh said: “Many actors and politicians are involved in such illegal activities, and most of TMC’s leaders are involved in them. TMC’s politics is all about making money, they don’t care about rules.”