"Chandrashekhar is the mastermind of this fraud."
Nora Fatehi has been summoned in connection with a Rs. 200 Crore (£19 million) money laundering case against alleged conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar.
Chandrashekhar and his actress wife, Leena Maria Paul, are being linked to criminal conspiracy, cheating and extortion.
Fatehi was summoned under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) provisions after allegedly being one of those conned by the couple.
The actress appeared before India’s Enforcement Directorate (ED) in New Delhi on Thursday, October 14, 2o21, to record a statement amid the ongoing probe.
The agency had previously seized a sea-facing bungalow in Chennai worth around Rs 82.5 Lakh (£80,000) and over a dozen luxurious cars during a raid in August 2021.
It is believed that the alleged criminal currently has over 20 other cases of extortion registered against him.
The ED said in a statement: “Chandrashekhar is the mastermind of this fraud.
“He has been part of the crime world since the age of 17.
“He has multiple FIRs against him and is presently lodged in Rohini jail.”
Nora Fatehi’s summoning comes after fellow Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandez was also questioned under PMLA provisions for five hours in August 2021.
According to reports, the “known conman” had been in touch with an actor from Sri Lanka through calls and messages. Fernandez is originally from Sri Lanka.
She was summoned again for questioning but skipped it and is now due to reappear before the agency on Friday, October 15, 2021.
However, the ED added that despite being in jail, Chandrashekhar “did not stop conning people”.
They said: “He (with a cellphone procured illegally in prison) with the help of technology, made spoofed calls to dupe people as the numbers displayed on the called party’s phone number belonged to senior government officers.
“While speaking to these persons, he claimed to be a government officer offering to help people for a price.”
Chandrashekhar and Paul were also accused of cheating other high-profile individuals, including former Fortis Healthcare promoter Shivinder Mohan Singh’s wife Aditi Singh.
Four other associates of theirs as well as some jail officials were arrested by Delhi Police’s Economic Offences Wing.
Fatehi, from Canada, who is also a dancer, model, singer and producer, has appeared in Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam and Tamil films.
She last appeared in the historical drama Bhuj: The Pride of India (2021) alongside Ajay Devgn and Sanjay Dutt.
Nora Fatehi will next star in Satyameva Jayate 2 with John Abraham.
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