The Enforcement Directorate questioned actress Jacqueline Fernandez for more than ten hours today in connection with a $200 million money laundering inquiry involving alleged conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar and others. Her interrogation will resume on Thursday.
According to a report in NDTV, the 36-year-old actor was spotted arriving at the probe agency's office in Delhi at 11 am. She left the office around 9.30 pm. After missing at least three summonses, the actor was deposed before the federal authorities in October.
Fernandez was denied boarding at the Mumbai airport on December 5 by the agency. The agency believes she is a "beneficiary" of Chandrashekhar's suspected profits of crime, which he reportedly obtained through defrauding and extorting money from a number of high-profile individuals.
The actress' spokesperson had previously stated that she will be testifying as a witness before the agency. "Jacqueline Fernandez is being called to testify as a witness by the ED. She has duly recorded her statements and in future will also be completely cooperating with the agency in the investigations," the spokesperson said.
Chandrashekhar, his wife, Leena Maria Paul, and six others were named in a charge sheet submitted last week before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in New Delhi.
Chandrashekhar said in the charge sheet that he gave Fernandez a number of expensive gifts, including Persian cats and a horse.
In this case, the agency has also questioned Bollywood actress and dancer Nora Fatehi.
According to officials, Chandrashekhar allegedly ran an extortion ring while imprisoned in Delhi's Rohini jail using phone spoofing technology.
The agency raided Chandrashekhar's home in August, seizing a sea-facing mansion in Chennai, $82.5 lakh in cash, and a fleet of luxury cars. It had claimed in a statement that Chandrashekhar is a "known conman" and is being probed by the Delhi Police in a case of alleged criminal conspiracy.
