Jacqueline Fernandez named as accused in Sukesh Chandrasekhar's extortion case

Actor and model Jacqueline Fernandez has been named as an accused in the charge sheet in the alleged conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar's INR2 billion extortion case.

According to a report by the Times of India, the Bachchhan Paandey actor may not be arrested immediately as the court is yet to take notice of the charge sheet. However, she may not be allowed to travel outside India. It is also alleged that Fernandez spoke to Chandrasekhar while he was in jail.

Fernandez has been under investigation for the extortion case since December 2021. The investigation is being carried out by the law enforcement agency Enforcement Directorate (ED), which has questioned Fernandez on several occasions before on her relationship with Chandrashekhar, including for over ten hours on December 9.

According to a report by The Indian Express, the agency believes she is a "beneficiary" of Chandrashekhar's suspected extortion schemes, which he reportedly executed by defrauding money from several high-profile individuals. The report elaborates that during the alleged relationship between Chandrasekhar and Fernandez, he gifted the Miss Universe contender many expensive gifts, including designer handbags and jewellery.

The actor's spokesperson had stated earlier that she would testify 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. Amid the investigation, Fernandez is set to appear on the big screen this year in Cirkus, starring Ranveer Singh, and Ram Setu, starring Akshay Kumar.

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