ED Arrests Actor Leena, Sukesh In Extortion Case

A Delhi Court on Saturday sent Sukesh Chandrasekhar and actress Leena Maria Paul to three days Enforcement Directorate (ED) remand in connection with a Rs 200 crore extortion case.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED), a financial probe agency, had arrested them today under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in the extortion racket which was being run from a Delhi jail.

Patiala House Court’s Additional Sessions Judge Anil Antil on Saturday sent Sukesh, Leena for three days ED remand. ED has sought 14 days of remand to unearth the truth as well as the involvement of other persons in the offence, interrogation of both the accused.

Sukesh and Leena Maria Paul along with several others accused were earlier arrested by Delhi Police. The police, recently also invoked the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) in the present case. Two co-accused Pradeep Ramdani and Deepak Ramnani have been also arrested by the ED in case.

According to ED during the investigation, searches were conducted at various places linked to Sukesh Chandrashekar and his associates. During the search, 16 high-end vehicles were seized under section 17 PMLA and these cars are either in the name of firms of Leena Paul or in the name of third parties.

It is further submitted that it has emerged that Sukesh knowingly created the structure for layering and transferring proceeds of crime and thus, actively participated in the process of

money laundering.

Earlier Delhi Police alleged that Leena, Sukesh with others used Hawala routes, create Shell companies to park the money earned from proceeds of crime.

Delhi Police’s 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.

Accordingly, the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Delhi Police has extended its investigation into the case related to extortion of over Rs 200 crore, by Rohini jail inmate Sukesh Chandrasekar for allegedly duping wives of former Religare promoters Malvinder and Shivinder Singh, who are currently in Tihar jail.

“At least two separate FIRs have been registered in the case so far and 23 Deputy Superintendents have been transferred on August 17,” police said.

Investigation revealed that the accused Sukesh Chandrasekar had duped Shivinder’s wife Aditi Singh and Malvinder’s wife Japna Singh worth over several crores of rupees.

The women claimed that they have paid crores of rupees to the conman to secure bail for their husbands and ensure their safety, posing as an officer from the Union Law Ministry.

“I was assured that the central government would be interested to work with my husband after making him an ‘industry advisor’ on Covid-related committees; he asked me to contribute to the ‘party fund’ and assured to set up a meeting either with the former law minister or home minister,” Aditi Singh alleged in her FIR.

While according to Japna Singh, she paid a total of Rs 3.5 crore to Hong Kong-based account on July 28, 29, 30, and August 6, and has shared proof of the transactions. Afterwards, the police laid a trap and arrested two of his accomplices, Pradeep and Deepak, between August 7 and 8.

A senior official of Delhi Police had earlier said that the matter is quite sensitive and arrested Sukesh from Rohini jail; his two associates Pradeep Ramdani and Deepak Ramnani; two jail officials, deputy superintendent Subhash Batra and assistant jail superintendent Dharam Singh Meena; and three men, Komal Poddar, who is a manager at RBL in Connaught Place, and his two associates Avinash Kumar and Jitender Narula. (ANI)