Actor Jacqueline Fernandez skips ED questioning, gets 3rd summon in Rs 200-cr money laundering case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) issued a third summon to Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandez as she skipped the questioning on Friday in connection with its ongoing probe in Rs 200 crore money laundering case linked to conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar.

As per official sources, Fernandez has now been asked to be present at the ED office by 11 am on Saturday as her questioning is significant in the case as a witness in the alleged multi-crore extortion racket operated by Chandrasekhar.

This is the second time when the actress did not turn up to ED summons. Fernandez was summoned to appear last month too but she did not join the investigation that time due to some reason. She was again summoned earlier this month with direction to appear before the investigators today (October 15).

Earlier, the ED questioned the actress here in August.

The federal agency recorded Fernandez's statement in its more than six-hour questioning here in August end.

Another actress Nora Fatehi was also questioned by the ED here in connection with the same case for the second time on Thursday.

ED is looking into various people who are directly or indirectly connected to this case.

Reports suggest that the ED is looking into the possibility that money was invested abroad and it was led by Chandrasekhar, who is accused in 21 cases.

This ED case is based on an FIR filed by Delhi Police's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) against Sukesh Chandrasekhar who is accused of cheating and extorting Aditi Singh, wife of the former promoter of Religare Enterprises Shivinder Mohan Singh, who was arrested in October 2019 in a case related to alleged misappropriation of funds at Religare Finvest Ltd.

Chandrasekhar and his associates reportedly took money from Aditi after posing as government officials and promising to get bail for her husband. Chandrasekhar reportedly persuaded Aditi to transfer money by impersonating a central government official over a spoof call while he was lodged in Rohini jail and promised to manage bail for her husband.

Both Chandrasekhar and his actor wife Leena Maria Paul were arrested by the Delhi Police last month for their alleged role in the duping case. The Delhi Police has so far arrested 13 people in connection with the case.

The ED suspects that Chandrasekhar had extorted money from several people while he was in jail.

ED officials had recently conducted raids at Chandrashekhar's sea-facing bungalow in Chennai and had found a fleet of 16 luxury cars worth crores of rupees.

At the time of the incident, Chandrashekhar was lodged in Delhi's Rohini jail and was running an extortion racket from behind the bars.

A Delhi court on Tuesday extended the ED remand of Chandrasekhar for a further period of 11 days, and that of Leena Paul by 16 days. On October 9, both were sent to three-day ED remand.

Earlier this month, the ED had arrested two aides of jailed conmen against whom the Delhi Police recently invoked stringent provisions of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).

Chandrasekhar was allegedly running the cheating and extortion racket in connivance with jail officials and some associates outside.

( With inputs from ANI )

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