To speak to Jacqueline Fernandez, Sukesh posed as ministry official: ED chargesheet

It has claimed in the chargesheet that Sukesh gave expensive gifts to Fernandez and actress Norah Fatehi, which were part of the proceeds of the crime. The chargesheet further states that Chandrashekhar tried to contact Fernandez through her make-up artist and when she declined, he made a “spoof call” and posed as a “very important person in the Government”.

The agency stated that Sukesh had claimed he was from “Jayalalithaa’s political party and owner of Sun TV…”

He was in touch with Fernandez till his arrest and had “provided various gifts to her and her family members, arranged chartered flights for her to fly within India and her hotel stay, made payments in cash to a script writer on (her) behalf… All these expenses/payments were made by Sukesh Chandrashekhar out of proceeds of crime acquired through criminal activities related to a scheduled offence,” the ED stated.

The ED claimed that Fernandez, during questioning, stated that she “received gifts viz three Gucci and Chanel designer bags, two Gucci outfits for gym wear, a pair of Louis Vuitton shoes, two pairs of diamond earrings and a bracelet of multi-coloured stones, and two Hermes bracelets. She also received a Mini Cooper, which she returned.”

The ED further stated that Sukesh had gifted a BMW car to Fatehi in December 2020.

It said Sukesh’s wife Leena Maria Paul had claimed she and her husband were fans of Fatehi, and that “they were going to gift her a brand-new BMW car as a token of love and generosity”.