Shraddha to Shilpa Shetty, more names under ED scanner in Sukesh Chandrashekhar money laundering case

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The Enforcement Directorate (ED), probing conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar in the Rs 200 crore money laundering case has mentioned that he has an association with several Bollywood celebrities including actor Shraddha Kapoor and Shilpa Shetty. According to the disclosure statement of Sukesh Chandrashekhar, he has disclosed that he knows Sharadha Kapoor since 2015 and helped her in Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) case. Speaking about other Bollywood celebrities, Chandrashekhar told to ED that he knew actor Harman Baweja and was planning to co-produce his next movie "Captain" starring Kartik Aryan. 

Chandrashekhar's disclosure statement also mentioned that he also contacted actor Shilpa Shetty for husband Raj Kundra's conditional release. 

Earlier, ED had questioned actor Jacqueline Fernandez and Nora Fatehi for their alleged connection with Sukesh Chandrashekhar. The central agency stated that Jacqueline Fernandez and Nora Fatehi received top models of luxury cars and other expensive gifts from the accused.

Patiala House Court recently took cognizance of the ED's chargesheet filed against Sukesh Chandrashekhar, wife Leena Maria Paul and others in the Rs 200 crore money laundering case. All the accused are presently in judicial custody. The ED, a financial probe agency, has recently arrested them under the PMLA in the extortion racket which was being run from a Delhi jail.

According to ED, during the investigation, searches were conducted at various places linked to Chandrashekar and his associates. During the search, 16 high-end vehicles were seized under section 17 of the PMLA and these cars are either in the name of firms of Leena Maria Paul or in the name of third parties. It is further submitted that it has emerged that Chandrashekar knowingly created the structure for layering and transferring proceeds of crime and thus, actively participated in the process of money laundering. 

Chandrashekar and Leena Maria Paul along with several others accused were earlier arrested by Delhi Police. The police have recently also invoked the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) in the case. Delhi Police had alleged that Leena, Chandrashekar with others used hawala routes, created Shell companies to park the money earned from proceeds of crime. 

Delhi Police's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) had registered an FIR against Chandrasekhar for allegedly duping the spouses of former promoters of Ranbaxy, Shivinder Singh, and Malvinder Singh, of Rs 200 crore besides ongoing investigations against him in several cases across the country.

(ANI)