Sunny Leone under Karnataka CID lens in ₹2,400 crore Shivam Associates fraud case

Actress Sunny Leone is in the spotlight amid the alleged ₹2,400-crore Shivam Associates investment fraud, with the Karnataka Criminal Investigation Department questioning her on Wednesday about payments linked to her appearance in a film produced by the scheme’s key accused.

The state CID is examining the financial transactions of Shivam Associates and its promoter, Shivanand Neelannavar, who is accused of collecting money from 407,000 individuals through allegedly unapproved investment and deposit schemes. Officials familiar with the matter said Leone was paid about ₹1 crore to appear in the song ‘Dingara Billi Naanu’ in Champion, a 2023 Kannada film produced by Neelannavar.

As part of its investigation into Shivam Associates, the CID has sent Leone a notice seeking details on the nature and purpose of the transfers made to her. According to The Hans India, CID Deputy Inspector General Bhimashankar Guled said some of the money received from investors was paid to several artists and actresses, including Leone.

Investigators said material drawn from a single bank account ran to 36,200 pages of transactions and showed that 40,700 small investors had sent money to a Belagavi businessman, with funds then moving towards the film industry. The probe relates to the collapse of Shivam Associates, which is alleged to have involved around ₹2,400 crore in unapproved deposits.

According to investigators, around ₹540 crore was invested in the stock market, of which about ₹170 crore was lost. The remaining funds were spread across more than 30 bank accounts, and officials said forensic reconstruction of those transactions is still under way. The case now includes scrutiny of payments made to film personalities, including Leone, as the CID continues to trace the flow of investor money.