Actor Jacqueline Fernandez seems earlier than ED for questioning in ‘conman’ case

By PTI

NEW DELHI: Actor Jacqueline Fernandez on Monday appeared earlier than the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for a contemporary spherical of questioning and recording her assertion in a cash laundering case linked to alleged conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar and others, officers mentioned.

The company had in April provisionally hooked up Rs 7.27 crore funds of the Bollywood actor underneath the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The 36-year-old actor has been questioned two-three instances by the company within the mentioned case earlier.

The actor was issued contemporary summons for recording of her assertion on Monday because the company is tracing the remaining proceeds of crime on this case, officers mentioned.

A provisional order was issued towards her for attaching fastened deposits value Rs 7.

12 crore aside from Rs 15 lakh money because the company referred to as these funds as “proceeds of crime”.

“Sukesh Chandrasekhar had given various gifts worth Rs 5.71 crore to Jacqueline Fernandez from the proceeds of crime generated by criminal activities including extortion.”

“Chandrasekhar had put Pinky Irani, his long-time associate and co-accused in this case to deliver the said gifts to her,” the ED had then mentioned in a press release.

In addition to those presents, it mentioned, Chandrasekhar additionally gave “funds to the tune of USD 1,72,913 (about Rs 1.3 crore as per current exchange rate) and AUD 26740 (approx. Rs 14 lakh) to the close family members of Fernandez out of the proceeds of crime through co-accused Avtar Singh Kochhar, an established and well known international hawala operator.”

The company mentioned its probe discovered that Chandrasekhar had “delivered cash to the tune of Rs 15 lakh to a scriptwriter on behalf of Fernandez as advance for writing a script of her webseries project.”

Fernandez is a Sri Lankan nationwide and she or he made her debut within the Hindi movie trade in 2009.

The ED has alleged that Chandrashekhar used unlawful cash to buy presents for Fernandez which he had extorted by dishonest high-profile folks together with former Fortis Healthcare promoter Shivinder Mohan Singh’s spouse Aditi Singh.

He is alleged to have conned Aditi Singh and her sister by impersonating because the Union house secretary and in addition because the Law secretary over the cellphone.

The ED mentioned its investigation discovered that an individual “was contacting people spoofing calls to dupe them as the numbers reflecting on their phone were from government officers and he claimed to be a government officer offering to help people for a price.”

“Adopting this modus operandi, the said person contacted Aditi Singh, wife of Shivinder Mohan Singh, by impersonating himself as Union home secretary, Union law secretary, officer from prime ministers office (PMO) and other junior officials and extorted more than Rs 200 crore from her over a period of one year on the pretext of contribution to party funds.”

“The said person was conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar who was running his illegal extortion business from central jail in Delhi (Tihar jail) in connivance with jail officials,” the ED mentioned.

The actor advised the ED, in her assertion recorded in August and October final 12 months, that she “received” presents like three designer baggage from Gucci, Chanel, two Gucci outfits for gymnasium put on, a pair of Louis Vuitton sneakers, two pairs of diamond earrings and a bracelet of multi-colored stones and two Hermes bracelets from Chandrashekhar.

Fernandez additional mentioned she returned a Mini Cooper automotive which she had equally acquired.

The company present in its probe that Chandrashekhar was in “regular contact” with Fernandez since February until he received arrested on August 7 final 12 months (by the Delhi Police).

The ED has arrested a complete of eight folks on this case until now together with Chandrshekhar, his spouse Leena Maria Paul, Irani and others and has additionally discipline two cost sheets earlier than a Delhi courtroom.