The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a charge sheet in the Sukesh Chandrasekhar case which states that an alleged associate of the alleged conman “projected him as a business tycoon” to introduce him to actors and models including Sara Ali Khan, Bhumi Pednekar, and Janhvi Kapoor, PTI reported.
The agency had arrested Pinky Irani (aka Angel) in the case and the charge sheet claims that Irani took models and actors to meet Chandrasekhar inside Tihar jail in 2018. Irani was granted bail by the Delhi court.
The ED claimed, “Pinky Irani was a close confidant and advisor of Chandrasekhar. Not only did she create a facade of being a businessman for Chandrasekhar, she also allowed him to project himself as a man of means and a free man by ensuring that he could deliver what he wanted.”
"She took some of them to Tihar Jail to meet Sukesh Chandrasekhar and she impersonated as Alka Kumar, P Kumar, Angel K, CFO of Jaya TV/Sun TV and CFO of News Express Post for contacting these models/actresses," the ED alleged.
The ED has accused Irani of taking Jacqueline Fernandez, who has been questioned by the ED in the case, to meet the conman. She has also been accused of money laundering and sending expensive gifts to Fernandez on Chandrasekhar’s behalf.
Other than Fernandez, actor Nora Fatehi was also questioned by the agency in the past.
Bhumi Pednekar, Janhvi Kapoor, and Sara Ali Khan’s Statements
The agency hasn’t labelled the actors and models involved in the case as accused since they could be witnesses in the case and help the investigation. When the ED recorded the statement of some models linked to the case, many alleged that they were introduced to Chandrasekhar by Irani and they even met him at Tihar jail.
The ED had filed a supplementary charge sheet before a Delhi court earlier in February about Irani’s alleged involvement in the Rs 200 crore money laundering case in which Chandrasekhar is an accused. In the prosecution complaint, the agency had attached replies from Sara, Bhumi, and Janhvi.
In the recent charge sheet, the ED attached Bhumi Pednekar’s reply to the agency. She stated that Irani texted her by pretending to be the "vice president (of) HR News Express Post” and told her that “their group chairman (Chandrasekhar) is a fan of hers and wanted to speak with her about a huge project and also wanted to gift her a car."
The actor added that "she did not receive any gifts from Chandrasekhar or his associates, including Pinky Irani, nor has she ever met or had any sort of personal interaction, either social or professional, with them."
Janhvi Kapoor told the agency that she wasn’t approached by Irani or Chandrasekhar and was instead contacted by a Leena from ‘Nail Artistry’. Leena reportedly asked Janhvi to be a celebrity guest at the launch of a salon in Bengaluru.
She added that she went for the inauguration in July and received Rs 18.94 lakh as fees and a luxury bag. She submitted the transaction statement. ‘Nail Artistry’ is purportedly Leena Maria Paul’s business.
Sara Ali Khan also denied knowing Chandrasekhar but revealed that she was contacted by one Suraj Reddy who texted her on 21 May 2021 saying that “he would like to gift her a car as a family gesture and mentioned that his CEO Mrs Irani had tried to contact her.”
Sara added that Reddy remained persistent but she refused to take any gifts. The ED claimed, "However, after many attempts of refusing him, she did agree on receiving a box of chocolates from him and thereafter he sent a Franck Muller watch along with the chocolates.”
Context
The investigation into Sukesh Chandrasekhar and his wife Leena began after the wife of a former Ranbaxy promoter Shivinder Singh filed a complaint alleging that a person posing as a Ministry of Law official claimed he could ensure her husband’s bail and took Rs 200 crore from her. The Delhi Police uncovered that Chandrasekhar was making spoof calls to con people from prison.
The ED has earlier arrested Chandrasekhar, Paul, Irani, two other co-accused, Pradeep Ramnani and Deepak Ramnani.
The agency had also, in August, raided Chandrasekhar’s properties and seized a sea-facing bungalow in Chennai, several luxury cars, and Rs 82.5 lakh. The ED had claimed that Chandrasekhar is a “known conman” and has been conning people since he was 17.
(With inputs from PTI)
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