Leena Maria Paul, the Malayalam actor known for featuring in the 2013 Hindi film Madras Cafe, has been arrested by the Delhi Police’s Economic Offences Wing for helping her partner Sukesh Chandrashekhar in a Rs 200 crore extortion scam, Manorama Online reported.
Paul allegedly helped Chandrashekhar in cheating former Fortis Healthcare promoter Shivinder Mohan Singh’s wife, Aditi Singh. The police have invoked stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime (MCOCA) Act against her. However, further investigation is still underway.
The Enforcement Directorate is also probing the case based on the FIR filed by EOW against Chandrashekhar and others over alleged criminal conspiracy, cheating, and extortion of about Rs 200 crore.
Last week, the ED summoned and questioned Hindi actor Jacqueline Fernandez, who was one of many victims in the Rs 200 crore scam.
The agency has also seized a sea-facing bungalow in Chennai, along with Rs 82.5 lakh in cash and over a dozen luxury cars, in connection with the case. This bungalow, worth Rs 15 crore, is owned by Paul and Chandrashekhar.
Earlier, based on information received from the manager of a bank, who was arrested in connection with the case, Paul’s house was searched.
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Chandrasekhar, who has till now been slammed with around 20 cases, was arrested in 2017 for attempting to bribe the Election Commission. He was accused of taking money from TTV Dhinakaran to bribe Election Commission officials in order to get the AIADMK’s ‘two leaves’ symbol for the Sasikala faction in a by-election for the RK Nagar Assembly seat in Tamil Nadu. He was jailed in Delhi’s Rohini jail for this.
Chandrasekhar was allegedly running the extortion racket from behind bars. His associates have informed the Additional Commissioner of Police of the EOW that they were helped by the Rohini jail officials.
Paul has also been involved in cheating cases prior to this. Back in 2013, she was arrested along with Chandrashekhar for duping the Ambattur branch of Canara Bank in Chennai of Rs 19 crore and for extorting Rs 76 lakh from a businessman by posing as an IPS officer.