Scam 2021 starring Jacqueline Fernandez and Sukesh Chandrasekhar: Rs 200 crore case in 7 points

On December 4, Jacqueline Fernandez was stopped from boarding a flight from the Mumbai international airport. Fernandez was stopped by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Why? It was in connection with her involvement in a Rs 200-crore money laundering case. It wasn't Jacqueline's first encounter with the ED. She was questioned in the same case several times in the past too, for her links with conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar. This conman is currently lodged in Tihar Jail. But how and why is Jacqueline part of this money laundering case?

Here's a look back at the Rs 200-crore scam.

ED, on December 17, disclosed that the conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar had by deceitful means spoofed the Home Ministry’s phone number and called Jacqueline Fernandez when the actress had refused to talk to an unknown person. Sukesh had earlier tried to contact Jacqueline but she denied talking to any stranger. So, who is Sukesh Chandrasekhar and what relation does he share with Jacqueline Fernandez?

Here's a brief glance at the sensational case in 7 points:

1. THE LINK-UP

Jacqueline Fernadez came into the picture when her images with conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar were leaked a few days ago. Sukesh, who is lodged in Tihar Jail on money laundering charges, is believed to have transferred huge sums of the laundered Rs 200 crore to Jacqueline Fernandez’s bank accounts. ED has also found that the conman gifted expensive items worth Rs 10 crore to the actress. The gifts include 4 persian cats, each cat worth Rs 9 lakh; a horse worth Rs 52 lakh, expensive gold ornaments and imported crockery. 

Sukesh claimed to ED that he gifted Jacqueline 15 pairs of earrings, bangles and rings from Cartier, and a bracelet from Tiffany. Jacqueline also received 5 Birkin bags from Sukesh. A bag from Birkin costs Rs 30 lakh to 4 crore.

Sukesh also sent gifts from Gucci, Chanel and watches from Rolex. Sukesh also gifted the Fernandez family a fleet of luxury cars. A Mini Cooper to Jacqueline, which the actress claims she returned; a BMW X5 for Jacqueline's sister in the US; and Maserati and Porsche for Jacqueline's parents. Sukesh also loaned Rs 1.13 crore to Jacqueline's sister, and Rs 37.8 lakh to her brother who lives abroad.

Jacqueline disclosed to the ED that she visited stores of luxury brands, prepared a list of items she wanted, and then sent it to Sukesh, who would then get these items delivered to her by one of his aides.

The conman also spent crores on arranging chartered flights for the actress. He even arranged a chartered plane for Jacqueline from Mumbai to Delhi and from Delhi to Chennai. In Chennai, the two are said to have stayed in a hotel. 

2. HOW SUKESH CONNED JACQUELINE

Sukesh got his aide, Pinky Irani, to call Jacqueline’s make-up artist Shaan Mutthathil to connect him to Jacqueline.

In January 2021, Shaan revealed to ED that he received a call from a woman named Angel (Pinky Irani), who introduced Sukesh as Shekhar. 'Shekhar' then requested Shaan to introduce Jacqueline Fernanadez to him. But, the actress refused to talk to an unknown person.

After a few days, Sukesh made a spoof call to Shaan pretending to be an official from the Home Ministry. The caller asked Shaan to get in touch with Sukesh Chandrasekhar, who was also a 'government official'.

“The said call was made from the office of Home Minister Amit Shah, which was a spoofed call as per investigation, and [was] made by the accused Sukesh,” ED said in the chargesheet.

After this, Shaan shared Sukesh’s phone number with Jacqueline, after which they got in touch. This was February 2021. Sukesh introduced himself to Jacqueline as ‘Shekhar Ratna Wale’. ED has also said that Jacqueline and conman Sukesh were in touch with each other until Sukesh got arrested on August 7, 2021.

3. WHO IS PINKY IRANI?

On December 9, 2021, India Today reported that a woman called Pinky Irani had introduced Sukesh to Jacqueline, as revealed by the actress to ED. ED arrested Pinky Irani and upon grilling her, found that Sukesh had paid her crores of rupees to introduce him to Jacqueline Fernandez. Irani's phone was examined by the ED, and her Whatsapp conversations showed that she was in touch with Sukesh Chandrasekhar.

It is also learnt that the ED, after taking permission from the court, took Pinky Irani to Tihar Jail, where she was made to confront Sukesh Chandrasekhar. Both of them were asked around 50 questions and their statements were recorded.

4. RS 500 CRORE SUPERHERO MOVIE

Apart from presenting Jacqueline with other expensive gifts, Sukesh had also promised Jacqueline a Rs 500 crore superhero movie which he said would be made in three installments, India Today reported. He lured Jacqueline into his trap by doing considerable research on films and names of A-list producers. He used fake alibis and then coaxed Jacqueline into believing that she resembled Angelina Jolie, and that she would star in a Rs 500 crore superhero movie. He even said that Hollywood VFX artists would be roped in for the special effects of the movie and that it would be a three-part movie.

The insider also revealed that Sukesh was well aware of the fact that Jacqueline wasn’t signing too many movies in Bollywood and that she needed work. He told her that the movie would be produced on a global scale. Jacqueline, though initially hesitant, eventually believed that Sukesh would indeed produce a big budget movie for her.

5. WHAT JACQUELINE TOLD ED

In her statement to the ED, Jacqueline Fernandez said that she was first conned by Sukesh when he introduced himself as a relative of late Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalitha, and he is the owner of SUN TV. Jacqueline said that Sukesh asked her to come down South to do movies. He also said that he could get her to work in many projects of SUN TV.

6. CONWOMAN LEENA MARIA PAUL

Leena Maria Paul is a conwoman, and wife of Sukesh Chandrasekhar, who was arrested by the ED in the money laundering cases filed against the couple. Leena is accused of masterminding her husband’s frauds and deceptions, news agency ANI reported.

The report said that Paul destroyed several pieces of evidence and deleted all the crucial data once Sukesh was arrested. As per the first chargesheet filed by the ED, it was Paul who would select gifts for actress Jacqueline Fernandez and once Sukesh paid for the gifts, would collect it from the centres and deliver it to Jacqueline.

7. THE 200 CRORE MONEY LAUNDERING CASE

Sukesh Chandrasekhar is accused of extorting Rs 200 crore from former Ranbaxy promoter Shivinder Mohan Singh’s wife Aditi Singh. There too, he had spoofed calls, pretending to be someone calling from the office of Home Minister Amit Shah. He promised he would help her husband get bail if she cooperated with him. Chandrasekhar extorted Rs 200 crore from the businessman’s wife in 30 installments. Shivinder Singh is lodged in Tihar Jail since 2017.