Sukesh Chandrashekhar also targeted Sara, Bhumi, Janhvi: ED

Conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar had not only targeted actresses Jacqueline Fernandez and Nora Fatehi, but had also targeted three more actresses – Sara Ali Khan, Janhvi Kapoor and Bhumi Pednekar. The Enforcement Directorate, that has been probing the Rs 200-crore money laundering case against Chandrashekhar and his wife Leena Maria Paul for the past few months, has exposed the modus operandi to target Bollywood actresses.

The ED has alleged that Chandrashekhar gifted Jacqueline Fernandez numerous costly gifts, including some Persian cats and a horse. He is accused of cheating multiple people, including high-profile individuals such as former Fortis Healthcare promoter Shivinder Mohan Singh's wife Aditi Singh.

Sara Ali Khan

Chandrashekhar targeted Sara Ali Khan, daughter of Saif Ali Khan and Amrita Singh, in May 2021, by introducing himself on WhatsApp as Suraj Reddy. He told her that he would like to gift her a car as a gesture. Chandrashekhar mentioned that his CEO Mrs Pinky Irani had tried to contact her too for the same reason. 

Irani’s job was to convince actresses to meet Sukesh. She had introduced Jacqueline Fernandez to the conman. 

Sukesh, who appeared as Suraj Reddy, kept insisting on showering Sara Ali Khan with gifts. In a letter to ED on January 14, the actress said that she continuously refused his gifts. After many attempts, she agreed to receive a box of chocolates from him. Chandrashekhar later sent a Frank Muller watch worth lakhs with the chocolates. 

Janhvi Kapoor

Janhvi Kapoor, daughter of Sridevi and Boney Kapoor, was also targeted by the conman through his wife Leena Maria Paul. Paul approached Janhvi as the owner of a salon – Nail Artistry – and invited her for the opening of the salon in Bengaluru on July 19, 2021. 

Unbeknownst to Kapoor, she inaugurated the salon and was given Rs 18.94 lakh as professional fee into her bank account. The actress told the ED that apart from the money, she was also given a Christian Dior tote bag by Paul’s mother. 

Kapoor submitted her account details along with the statement to the ED. 

Bhumi Pednekar

Irani approached Bhumi Pednekar as the Vice President of HR of ‘News Express Post’ in January 2021. She told the actress that the group chairman Mr Suraj (Sukesh Chandrashekhar) was a big fan and wanted to speak to her about a huge project. Irani also told her that he wants to gift her a car. 

The next day Chandrashekhar contacted the actress himself as ‘Shekhar’ and said that he wanted to talk to her regarding a project and that he wanted to gift her a car. 

Irani, in May 2021, said that Mr Suraj is a billionaire, who loves gifting his friends. He contacted her again the same day as Suraj from NE Group. 

The actress told the ED that she has not received any gifts from Sukesh Chandrasekhar or Suraj or Shekhar or his associates including Pinky Irani.

(With inputs from Munish Pandey)

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