This Article is From Apr 30, 2022

Actor Jacqueline Fernandez's Rs 7 Crore Frozen Over Conman Links: Sources

The Enforcement Directorate has alleged that Sukesh Chandrashekar gave gifts worth Rs 5.71 crore to the actor

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Enforcement Directorate alleges that Chandrashekhar gave gifts worth Rs 5.71 crore to the actor

New Delhi:

A Rs 7-crore fixed deposit under actor Jacqueline Fernandez's name has been attached as part of the investigation into the Rs 200-crore money laundering case against alleged conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar, sources have said.

The Enforcement Directorate has attached assets worth Rs 7.27 crore - this includes the Rs 7.12-crore fixed deposit and an amount of Rs 15 lakh that was paid by Chandrashekhar to a script writer on the actor's behalf.

The Enforcement Directorate alleges that Chandrashekhar gave gifts worth Rs 5.71 crore to the actor from the Rs 200-crore he allegedly extorted from the family of Shivinder Singh, former owner of Ranbaxy who was jailed in 2019 in a money laundering case.

The two, Chandrashekhar has claimed, were in a relationship.

The case against Chandrashekhar was registered following a complaint by Aditi Singh, wife of Shivinder Singh, who accused him of taking the money from her after promising her that he would arrange for her husband's release.

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As the investigation against Chandrashekhar widened, an uber-luxe lifestyle of a flamboyant con man came to the fore - a seaside mansion in Chennai, a fleet of 23 cars including a Ferrari, a Bentley and a Rolls Royce.

Investigators have questioned the actor over her links with the conman. She is learnt to have confessed to receiving a 1.5 lakh dollar loan from Chandrashekhar, along with gifts that included a horse worth Rs 52 lakh, a Persian cat worth Rs 9 lakh, gem-studded earrings and an Hermes bracelet. She reportedly also "received" a Mini Cooper car which she later returned.

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The central agency, sources said, has also found that Chandrashekhar gave huge amounts to the family members of the Bollywood actor.

Earlier this year, Chandrashekhar's lawyer released a letter he wrote inside the jail in which the conman said his gifts to the actor were normal as in any relationship.

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"As I have mentioned before, I and Jacqueline were in a relationship, seeing each other, and the relationship was not based on any kind of monetary benefits like the way it's projected, commented, and trolled in a bad light (sic)," he wrote.

"The relationship has lots of love and respect for each other without any expectations. Kindly requesting everyone to stop projecting her in a bad way, as it's not easy on her, who has only loved without expecting anything. As I have mentioned before that she has no involvement in the ongoing money-laundering case," the letter added.

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"I have gifted her things and done things for her family, are normal things one would do for his loved one in a relationship. It's personal. I don't understand why it's being made such a big deal. At the same time, I would like to again certain that none of this was 'proceeds of so-called crime'. It's all from legitimate earnings and the same would be proved in the court of law very soon," Chandrashekhar wrote.

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