Sara Ali Khan, Janhvi Kapoor And Other Bollywood Stars Targeted By Conman

New Delhi:

Sara Ali Khan, Janhvi Kapoor and Bhumi Pednekar had been amongst Bollywood stars within the crosshairs of a jailed con artist as not too long ago as final 12 months and the grifter met varied feminine fashions and actors pretending to be a enterprise tycoon inside Delhi’s Tihar jail in 2018 – two sensational new episodes within the Sukesh Chandrasekhar saga have emerged courtesy a not too long ago filed cost sheet by the Enforcement Directorate.

Most of the actors and fashions had been launched to the fraudster by an affiliate Pinky Irani also referred to as Angel, 53, who herself took a few of them to satisfy Sukesh Chandrasekhar in jail, the company has mentioned. She had been arrested by the company in December final 12 months and was not too long ago granted bail by a Delhi courtroom.

Irani has been accused by the Enforcement Directorate or ED of laundering cash and serving to Chandrasekhar set up contact with actor Jacqueline Fernandez and sending her costly presents on his behalf.

A supplementary cost sheet, detailing the function of Mumbai-based Irani within the cash laundering case towards 32-year-old Chandrasekhar and others, was filed by the Enforcement Directorate earlier this month earlier than a courtroom.

The company, on this prosecution criticism, has connected replies despatched to it by Bollywood actors Bhumi Pednekar, Sara Ali Khan and Janhvi Kapoor, who had been equally approached by Chandrasekhar allegedly by Irani.

Chandrasekhar and his spouse Leena Maria Paul are being probed by the Delhi Police in addition to the ED for allegedly dishonest and extorting cash from rich people like former Fortis Healthcare promoter Shivinder Mohan Singh’s spouse Aditi Singh.

Investigators discovered that Chandrasekhar, whereas he was at Delhi’s Rohini jail, allegedly ran an extortion racket utilizing cellphone spoofing know-how. He was later shifted to the Tihar jail.

The Enforcement Directorate is monitoring individuals who allegedly obtained proceeds from this rip-off and making an attempt to unearth the cash path. To date, the company has not named these actors or fashions as accused as they might be known as upon as witnesses.

Based on the cost sheet, Bollywood actor Bhumi Pednekar – amongst these on Chandrasekhar’s record – submitted her reply to the company early this 12 months stating that Irani messaged her saying she was the “vice chairman (of) HR Information Specific Put up and knowledgeable her that their group chairman (Chandrasekhar) is a fan of hers and wished to talk together with her about an enormous venture and in addition wished to reward her a automobile.”

The 32-year-old actor advised the company that “she didn’t obtain any presents from Chandrasekhar or his associates, together with Pinky Irani, nor has she ever met or had any kind of private interplay, both social or skilled, with them.”

Sara Ali Khan advised the ED that she didn’t know anybody by the identify of Sukesh Chandrasekhar or Shekhar however somebody within the identify of “Mr Suraj Reddy did WhatsApp her on 21.05.2021 saying he want to reward her a automobile as a household gesture and talked about that his CEO Mrs Irani had tried to contact her.”

Khan, 26, mentioned the Reddy particular person continued to insist on giving her presents and he or she always refused the identical.

“Nonetheless, after many makes an attempt of refusing him, she did agree on receiving a field of sweets from him and thereafter he despatched a Franck Muller watch together with the sweets,” the ED mentioned.

Janhvi Kapoor advised the ED that whereas she was not approached by Chandrasekhar or Irani, she was contacted by a girl who recognized herself as Leena from an organization known as Nail Artistry concerning being a star visitor on the launch of a salon in Bengaluru.

She wrote to the company saying she inaugurated the salon in July final 12 months and obtained a Christian Dior luxurious bag and an expert charge of Rs 18.94 lakh in her checking account. She despatched an announcement of the transaction to the ED.

Nail Artistry is acknowledged to be the enterprise enterprise of Leena Maria Paul.

“…it was established that by projecting Sukesh Chandrasekhar as a enterprise tycoon she (Irani) established his contacts with varied fashions/actresses and hid his actual identification and acquired varied fashions/actresses in contact with Chandrasekhar.

“She took a few of them to Tihar Jail to satisfy Sukesh Chandrasekhar and he or she impersonated as Alka Kumar, P Kumar, Angel Okay, CFO of Jaya TV/Solar TV and CFO of Information Specific Put up for contacting these fashions/actresses,” the ED alleged within the cost sheet.

The identical modus operandi was utilized by Irani and Chandrasekhar to method Jacqueline Fernandez by her make-up artist S Muthathil, it mentioned.

The company additionally recorded the statements of some younger fashions of whom no less than three advised the ED that they had been “launched” to Chandrasekhar by Irani and so they even met him unrestricted on the Tihar jail in 2018 alongside together with her.

“Pinky Irani was a detailed confidant and advisor of Chandrasekhar. Not solely did she create a facade of being a businessman for Chandrasekhar, she additionally allowed him to venture himself as a person of means and a free man by guaranteeing that he might ship what he wished,” the ED has claimed.

The ED has arrested Chandrasekhar, Paul, Irani, two different co-accused, Pradeep Ramnani and Deepak Ramnani on this case.

In August final 12 months, it had raided a few of Chandrasekhar’s premises and seized a sea-facing bungalow in Chennai, Rs 82.5 lakh in money and over a dozen luxurious vehicles.

In an announcement, it had claimed that Chandrasekhar is a “identified conman” and is being probed by the Delhi Police in a case of alleged felony conspiracy, dishonest and extortion to the tune of about Rs 200 crore.

“Chandrasekhar is the mastermind of this fraud. He has been a part of the crime world because the age of 17. He has a number of FIRs towards him…,” the ED had mentioned.

Regardless of being within the jail, it mentioned, Chandrasekhar “didn’t cease conning” individuals.

“He (utilizing a cellular phone procured illegally in jail) with the assistance of know-how made spoofed calls to dupe individuals because the numbers displayed on the known as social gathering’s cellphone quantity belonged to senior authorities officers.

“Whereas talking (from jail) to those individuals, he claimed to be a authorities officer providing to assist individuals for a worth,” the ED had claimed.

(With inputs from PTI)