Jacqueline Fernandez detained at Mumbai airport

Actor stopped from leaving India since she may be required to join an ongoing money-laundering investigation

Last week, Bollywood diva made headlines after some pictures of the actor with an alleged conman made rounds on social media. According to the Times of India, the Kick actor irked fans and peers over her 'bond' with Sukesh Chandrasekhar.

In the same connection, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Sunday stopped Jacqueline at the Mumbai airport, preventing her from flying abroad. The reason for her detainment was that she may be required to join an ongoing money-laundering investigation against the aforementioned extortionist and others, officials said.

The 36-year-old actor was first stopped by the immigration authorities at the airport on the basis of a Look Out Circular (LoC) issued by the federal probe agency, they said. Agency sleuths then reached the Mumbai airport and disallowed her travel, asking her to remain in the country as she may be required to join the probe, they added.

It is understood that she was either travelling to Dubai or Muscat and after she was stopped, she left the airport around 6pm. The Sri Lankan-origin actor was questioned by the ED in multiple sessions in connection with the over INR2 billion money laundering case being probed against Chandrashekhar and his actor wife Leena Maria Paul.

The agency also filed a charge sheet before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in this case and named Chandrashekhar, his wife and six others in it. It had been alleged in the charge sheet that Chandrashekhar had gifted Jacqueline numerous costly gifts, including some Persian cats and a horse. He has been accused of cheating some people, including some high-profile individuals such as former Fortis Healthcare promoter Shivinder Mohan Singh’s wife Aditi Singh.

According to Bollywood Hungama, it is just a matter of time before Jacqueline is arrested. The publication further added all her so-called close friends have disappeared, preferring not to comment. A co-star of hers told me on condition of anonymity, “She is a very sweet person. But too ambitious for her own good. She always wanted the good life. Only the very best for her, always.”

Another Bollywood actor Nora Fatehi has also been grilled by the ED in this case.

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