In connection with the alleged Rs 200 crore scam, Delhi Police asked actress Jacqueline Fernandez to respond to a questionnaire containing 100 questions on September 14 in New Delhi.
On September 14, actress Jacqueline Fernandez arrived for questioning at the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Delhi police after being named in the ongoing case against conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar.
The Enforcement Directorate had already filed a charge sheet against the Bollywood star, alleging that she had gained off Sukesh’s extortion case profits with clear awareness. Gifts to the value of Rs 5.71 crore were allegedly given to her, and she was subsequently called to appear before the Delhi police.
Jacqueline had asked EOW to delay her questioning in this instance so that she may attend previously scheduled shoots.
Jacqueline has returned to Delhi after being called there for the third time on Wednesday by the Delhi Police. She had already been asked to appear on August 29 and September 12, but she skipped both. She had informed the department of her request by email.
The actress had been asked to postpone her interrogation twice before due to prior commitments.
According to Special CP (Crime and EOW) Ravindra Singh Yadav, actors Jacqueline Fernandez, and Nora Fatehi are among the four to five people called in for questioning as part of the investigation.
“Investigation is going on to ascertain all the links, (and whether) people engaged in the primary conspiracy and people who accepted gifts were aware of his background or not,” he had stated.
Today at around 11 a.m., Jacqueline and her legal team showed up at the Economic Offences Wing office on Mandir Marg.
She was subsequently subjected to a lengthy questionnaire with at least one hundred questions, most of which, according to the police, was about her relationship with Sukesh Chandrashekhar and the gifts she received from him that were allegedly purchased with illegal funds.
Pinky Irani was also called in to assist with the inquiry by EOW. A source claims that she introduced Jacqueline Fernandez to Sukesh Chandrashekhar. They had met before and were familiar with her. Thus, according to sources, Pinky and Jacqueline may be confronted during questioning in an effort to get more clarity on the case.
While Fernandez was previously questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which has also identified her as an accused in their charge sheet, this is the first time the Delhi Police have questioned her in the matter of the 200-crore scam perpetrated by Chandrashekhar from within Delhi’s Rohini jail.
According to sources, Jacqueline has communicated that her inquiry could take several consecutive days, so she should arrange her stay in Delhi accordingly.
Based on the FIR filed by the Delhi Police, ED has opened a money laundering investigation into suspected fraud.
Previously, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) recorded Nora Fatehi‘s testimony on September 13 and October 14, 2021, in which she confessed to receiving presents from the alleged conman and his actress wife Leena.
And ED had previously alleged that Fernandez admitted to receiving gifts from Sukesh Chandrashekhar in statements recorded on August 30 and October 20, 2021.
ED also stated that Fernandez had utilized criminal earnings to purchase expensive presents for herself and her family in India and overseas, which constitutes money laundering under section 3 of the 2002 Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
Chandrashekhar was arrested for allegedly defrauding and extorting money from prominent individuals, including the wife of the former promoter of Fortis Healthcare, Shivinder Mohan Singh. The Enforcement Directorate has questioned numerous Bollywood stars and models about their suspected ties to Chandrashekhar.
He was arrested again for money laundering in April of last year, this time in connection with the 2017 Election Commission bribery investigation that also involved a former leader of the AIADMK.
Sukesh Chandrashekhar, originally from Bengaluru in the Indian state of Karnataka, has been imprisoned in Delhi after he was charged with more than ten separate crimes.
