Sources said Sengupta sent a communiqué to the central agency officials expressing his inability to appear for questioning due to his commitments outside the country.

However, sources said, the actress also said that since she is ready to cooperate fully in the investigation, she will appear at a later date to face questioning by the ED.

On May 30, the ED had summoned Sengupta for questioning in the ration distribution case, asking him to appear at the Salt Lake office on Wednesday.

However, the ED has maintained silence on the links linking him to the case.

To recall, in 2019, Sengupta was summoned by officials of the central agency in connection with the multi-crore Rose Valley chit fund scam in West Bengal.

He was called to appear in some entertainment projects including films promoted by Rose Valley Group. It was alleged that the films were produced using money laundered by the Rose Valley Group through various marketing schemes promising attractive returns to investors.