Enforcement Directorate questions Jacqueline Fernandez in money-laundering case

Actress Jacqueline Fernandez was questioned by officers of the Enforcement Directorate of the Union finance ministry in New Delhi yesterday.

Fernandez was called in for questioning as a witness in connection with a case of money laundering against a man named Sukesh Chandrashekhar. 

Sukesh has been arrested on charges of criminal conspiracy, extortion and cheating to the tune of Rs200 crore. The directorate raided some of his residences in Tamil Nadu and recovered Rs82.5 lakh in cash, in addition to several luxury cars.

Fernandez was reportedly questioned for over four hours and her statement recorded. The news agency ANI quoted an Enforcement Directorate officer as saying, "Chandrasekhar is the mastermind of this fraud. He has been part of the crime world since the age of 17. He has multiple FIRs [first information reports] against him and is currently lodged in Rohini jail in connection with a Delhi Police case."

A report on the website NDTV.com said Fernandez is among the many victims of Sukesh's racket. However, that has not been confirmed by officials.

The Delhi police have accused Sukesh of continuing to run his racket from Rohini jail, where he has been lodged since his arrest in 2017. An Enforcement Directorate team raided the residence of his wife, Malayalam actress Leena Marie Paul.

Fernandez is currently awaiting the release of Bhoot Police on 17 September. She will be seen next alongside Akshay Kumar in Ram Setu. The actress recently completed shooting for her first Kannada film, Vikrant Rona.