Jacqueline Fernandez
Conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar spoofed Home Minister Amit Shah's number to befriend Jacqueline Fernandez: ED
New Delhi/IBNS: The Enforcement Directorate has said in its chargesheet that alleged conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar replicated Union home minister Amit Shah's office phone number to make a "spoofed" call to befriend Bollywood actor Jacqueline Fernandez while claiming his links with late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalitha's "political family".
The agency filed the chargesheet earlier this month under anti-money laundering law before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court and named Chandrashekhar, his wife Leena Maria Paul, and six others in it.
"He (Chandrashekhar) was trying to get in touch with her (Fernandez) over many weeks in December (2020) and January, 2021 but she did not respond to him as she got many calls as such and was not sure about who the person was," the agency said, reported NDTV.
"Her makeup artist Shaan Muthathil was then contacted by a government office and was told that Jacqueline Fernandez must get in touch with Shekhaar as he is an important person and would like to speak to her," the agency said.
Fernandez told the agency that Chandrashekhar introduced himself to her as one "Shekhaar Ratna Vela".
She recorded her statement with the ED twice in 2021.
Jacqueline Fernandez is a Sri Lankan national who has acted in a number of Bollywood movies. She later contacted Chandrashekhar who told her that he was the owner of Sun TV along with his family.
Chandrashekhar said he was a big fan of Fernandes and she should act in Southern films and as Sun TV they have many projects lined up, the agency said.
The agency said her makeup artist "got a call from the office of Home Minister Amit Shah whereby he was asked to get in touch with Shekhaar alias Sukesh Chandrashekhar as he was a very important person in government".
"The said call was made from the office of Home Minister Amit Shah which was a spoofed call as per investigation and made by the accused Sukesh Chandrashekhar," the agency said.
The agency said her makeup artist shared Chandrashekhar's mobile number with Fernandez after which they got in touch.
The actor told the federal anti-money laundering agency that she "received" several gifts, including three designer bags from Gucci and Chanel, two Gucci gym wear outfits, a pair of Louis Vuitton shoes, two pairs of diamond earrings and a bracelet of multi-coloured stones and two Hermes bracelets.
She told ED that she returned a Mini Cooper car which she had similarly received.
ED found while investigating that Chandrashekhar was in "regular contact" with Fernandez since February till he got arrested on August 7 this year (by the Delhi Police).
ED has claimed, in a statement, that Chandrashekhar is a "known conman" and is being probed by the Delhi Police in a case of alleged criminal conspiracy, cheating and extortion to the tune of about Rs 200 crore.
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