Despite denial by Jaqueline, it has now become obvious that the actress and Sukesh knew each other well. Going by what the ED has unearthed so far, the actress is set to face some serious grilling by the investigating agency soon.
Sources associated with the investigation said, “In the two rounds of questioning previously, the replies given by the actress were not satisfactory. She’ll be summoned for detailed investigation shortly.”
Though Jacqueline has tried to distance herself from Sukesh, the mounting evidence, especially in the form of expensive gifts running into crores of rupees, is something that the actress is struggling to defend. The ED is also interested in knowing from the actress whether she introduced the conman to other Bollywood personalities using her contacts and whether there were any financial deals that were done or in the making.
The expensive items Sukesh gifted the Bollywood actress (as per the ED charge sheet against Sukesh) are worth Rs 10 crore.
What raised the hackles of the investigators are pieces of evidence that show Sukesh continued to be in touch with Jacqueline even after coming out on bail. He reportedly booked a chartered flight for the actress from Mumbai to Delhi. There is evidence suggesting both Sukesh and Jacqueline stayed at a hotel in Chennai. It’s also alleged that Sukesh sent money to the actress’ family members. The charge sheet states that Sukesh and Jacqueline have been regularly in touch since January 2021.
“We cannot say how many more rounds of questioning Jacqueline may undergo. There are a lot of questions ED is asking,” sources said, indicating the actress has a lot to answer to the agency.
At the moment, the agency is unwilling to believe that Sukesh was not in touch with other Bollywood personalities. The possible connection could be through Jacqueline and Nora. One line of investigation is the possibility of the actress receiving the gifts in return for favours, primarily introducing other Bollywood personalities to the conman.
Anant Malik, the lawyer for Sukesh Chandrashekhar, had told the media, “Jacqueline and Sukesh were dating; these are my instructions. This is straight from the horse’s mouth.” The ED said that Sukesh, the alleged mastermind of the racket, had hidden his real identity and talked to the actor by posing himself as a big personality. He used to reveal his identity as something other than Sukesh Chandrashekhar. He’d tell Jacqueline on the call that he’s powerful and in a great position.
They also revealed that Sukesh’s wife and associate, Leena Maria Paul, brought the 36-year-old actor in his radar. The ED also raided Leena’s residence, suspecting her involvement in the case. According to sources, when Jacqueline fell into his trap, Sukesh started sending her and her family members expensive flowers and chocolates. ED officials have more than two dozen call recordings of Sukesh.
