Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandez has responded to Enforcement Directorate, saying she was “conned and manipulated by Sukesh Chandrasekhar” and asked authorities to release her assets, reported The Indian Express. 

In her reply to a notice issued following provisional attachment order before appellate authority of PMLA in New Delhi, Fernandez said, “Just because she is (a) recipient of certain gifts which were forced on her for forming a connect, can’t be used to ignore fact which record otherwise clearly shows that she was conned by Sukesh Chandrasekhar.

Approach of ED, unfortunately, seems to be highly mechanical and motivated, hence, blinded towards fact that respondent (Jacqueline) has lost more than what can be measured in money”. Asserting that she was a victim of manipulation, for which ED should take a humane approach, Kick star has said, “what she has lost and suffered as a woman cannot be calculated in monetary terms”.  About FDs attached by ED, actress said these were created through reinvestment of maturity proceeds of already existing FDs and “was her professionally earned income generated through blood and sweat and working in industry for so long”.

She said she was lured into forming connect with Chandrasekhar, but never abetted his activities. To lure her, Jacqueline says, Chandrasekhar used Pinki Irani alias Angel (another accused) to connect with her and claimed himself to be “nephew of Jayalalitha (former chief minister of Tamil Nadu) and owns Sun TV”. Previously, Fernandez has been named as an accused in charge sheet in alleged conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar’s INR2 billion extortion case.

Published in The Daily National Courier, August, 26 2022

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