Mumbai Police crime branch has arrested actor Leena Paul and her partner Sekhar Chandrashekhar in an alleged case of cheating.
The economic offences wing of the Mumbai Police crime branch has arrested actor Leena Paul and her partner Sekhar Chandrashekhar in an alleged case of cheating. They have been sent to police custody till June 4. Four other have been arrested as well.
A case has been registered under sections 420, 120 (B) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) along with Sections 3 and 4 of the Prize Chits and Money Circulation Scheme (Banning) Act 1978.
Joint Commissioner of Police (Economic Offences Wing) Dhananjay Kamlakar told reporters, "They used to impress gullible investors with their lifestyle. People believed that if he led such a lifestyle he definitely had money. The investors wanted high returns, so they were drawn towards him."
"She does not have any known source of income. In the earlier case as well the police had seized expensive watches and luxury cars from her. She has a penchant for these things," Mr Kamlakar added.
According to officials of the agency, the two had started an investment firm which promised a return on investment of up to 10 times the invested amount in a short period of time. The police say they were operating from an office in Andheri suburb of Mumbai.
Documents like investment certificates and handwritten calculations have reportedly been seized from the premises during a raid by the police. 117 imported watches worth approximately Rs 1.17 crore, and Rs 3,50,000 in cash were reportedly seized as well.
According to the police "Nine luxury cars which include Audi, Mercedes, Bentley, Maserati, Tata Safari, and Nissan with a total worth of Rs 6.5 crore have also been seized."
The arrests was made after several complaints were registered in Mumbai's Crime Branch by those who were cheated by the duo. According to the police the accused have allegedly cheated over 1,000 people who invested varying amounts ranging from Rs 5000 to Rs 30 lakh.
26-year-old Leena Maria Paul has acted in National Award winning Bollywood film Madras Cafe. She is a popular actress in Kerala.
Reports suggest that the actress was arrested in 2013 as well in connection with a fraud case for allegedly cheating a bank in Chennai of Rs 19 crore.