Tihar Conman's Wife Master Con Herself, Deleted Evidence: Probe Agency

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) in its chargesheet in connection with the Rs 200 crore money laundering case stated that Leena Maria Paul, wife of Sukesh Chandrashekhar is a master con woman and strategist and the brain and main actor behind the schemes devised to launder the proceeds of crime.

The charge sheet stated that Paul has put up a front of denying transactions even when confronted with evidence. She had deleted all evidence as soon as the news of the arrest of Sukesh Chandrashekhar reached her.

The chargesheet further states that the accused (Leena) feigns ignorance to transactions and specifically denies laundering proceeds of crime in a bid to distance herself from the crime. She plays smart and any individual who refers to the fact that cash was handled by her is met with pleadings to prove that she has nothing to do with cash and then shifts the onus to Sukesh who at a moment's notice realizing that her closest confidante is in trouble takes responsibility.

Co-accused Arun Muthu, Anand Moorthy and Jagdish have stated specific instances of her threatening them, it stated.

Recently in the case, Pinki Irani, arrested by the Enforcement Directorate, who introduced Chandrasekhar to Bollywood actor Jacqueline Fernandez. Both Irani and Chandrasekhar were learned to be confronted on the same set of questions separately as well as together for more than three hours in the jail, said the source. Earlier, the Enforcement Directorate has also confronted Irani was with Ms Fernandez.

The Enforcement Directorate has earlier questioned Ms Fernandez in Rs 200 crore money laundering case linked to Chandrasekhar. Another actress Nora Fatehi was also questioned by the Enforcement Directorate here in connection with the same case. Enforcement Directorate is looking into various people who are directly or indirectly connected to this case.

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

This Enforcement Directorate 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 in September for their alleged role in the duping case. The Delhi Police has so far arrested 13 people in connection with the case. The Enforcement Directorate suspects that Chandrasekhar had extorted money from several people while he was in jail.

In October, the Enforcement Directorate officials had 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. In September, the Enforcement Directorate had arrested two aides of the jailed conman 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.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)