Jacqueline Fernandez given bail in extortion case

(NDTV) Actress Jacqueline Fernandez was granted interim bail in connection with a Two billion Indian rupee extortion case linked to alleged conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar. 

The Indian Enforcement Directorate had filed a supplementary charge sheet before the Prevention of Money Laundering Act court naming her as an accused.

The actor was summoned twice for questioning by Delhi Police for her alleged role in the case. She has been accused of accepting gifts worth million from Sukesh at a time when he was in Tihar Jail and was being investigated for money laundering.

Last week, Fernandez's stylist Leepakshi Ellawadi was questioned by the Economic Offences Wing of Delhi Police for nearly eight hours in connection with the case.

During questioning, Leepakshi Ellawadi admitted that she knew about the relationship shared by Jacqueline Fernandez and Sukesh Chandrashekhar.

Investigation had revealed that Chandrashekhar had on his birthday offered a motorcycle to Fernandez's agent Prashant, but he declined to take it. 

Chandrashekhar, who is currently in jail here, is accused of cheating many people, including high-profile individuals such as former Fortis Healthcare promoter Shivinder Mohan Singh's wife Aditi Singh.

Here's a recap of the case

1. From June 2020 to May 2021, Sukesh Chandrashekhar, using some mobile apps and voice modulation software, made several calls to Aditi Singh, wife of former Ranbaxy owner Shivendra Singh who is in jail. The conman posed as high-ranking officer of the Union Home Minister and the Prime Minister's Office and extorted Rs 215 crore from Aditi on the pretext of helping her husband get out of jail. He made these calls while he was lodged at Delhi's Rohini jail.

2. Following the arrest of his wife and actor Leena Maria Paul, the ED surfaced Sukesh Chandrashekhar's links with Bollywood celebs like Jacqueline Fernandez and Nora Fatehi. The ED questioned Jacqueline for seven hours over her alleged involvement in the Rs 215 crore extortion case.

3. In October 2021, Sukesh Chandrashekhar's lawyer Anant Malik told the media that Jacqueline and Sukesh were dating each other. However, Jacqueline categorically denied being in a relationship with the conman. She was also called for questioning by the ED for the first time.

4. Weeks after she denied dating Sukesh Chandrashekhar, intimate pictures of Jacqueline Fernandez with the conman surfaced. The pictures were allegedly taken in April-June of this year, when the millionaire conman was out on interim bail.

5. During a questioning by the ED in April 2022, Jacqueline Fernandez admitted that she received several luxury gifts from the conman, including expensive bags, clothes, jewellery, etc, worth Rs 5.71 crore. The actor also told the ED that Sukesh Chandrashekhar had hired private jets as well as booked helicopter rides for her.

6. Jacqueline Fernandez told the ED that Sukesh Chandrashekhar had introduced himself as the owner of Sun TV and that he belonged from the political family of Jayalalitha.

7. Jacqueline Fernandez told the ED that Sukesh Chandrashekhar had tried to get in touch with her during December 2020-January 2021 but she did not respond to his calls. The actor claimed that she was contacted by someone from the government office and was told to get in touch with Sukesh Chandrashekhar, who posed as one Shekhaar Ratna Vela.

8. On April 30, 2022, the ED attached assets worth Rs 7.27 crore belonging to Jacqueline Fernandez. Sources said Jacqueline was the beneficiary of the proceeds of the money extorted by Sukesh Chandrashekhar.

9. Jacqueline Fernandez, who was on a Look Out Circular (LOC), had to furnish a security amount of Rs 50 lakh to fly to Abu Dhabi in May this year. Jacqueline Fernandez had sought permission from a Delhi court to travel to Abu Dhabi to attend the IIFA awards.

10. On August 17, 2022, the ED named Jacqueline Fernandez as an accomplice in the Rs 215 crore extortion case. Sources said that Jacqueline was aware that Sukesh Chandrashekhar was an extortionist and she was a beneficiary of the proceeds of the extorted money.