The Enforcement Directorate on Friday recorded the statement of actor Nora Fatehi for more than five hours as part of an ongoing money-laundering probe against alleged conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar and his associates, official sources said.
Fatehi, 30, has been questioned by the federal agency in the case a few times in the past. The Canadian-born artiste came to India about seven to eight years ago to work in the Hindi film industry.
Sources said the actor, who featured in popular Bollywood dance numbers such as 'Naach Meri Rani' and 'Kamariya', will be questioned about some more issues related to Chandrashekhar. Her statement was being recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and she left the ED office in central Delhi after spending over five hours.
She is understood to have been questioned on some new facts that have emerged in the case.
The ED, in its earlier charge sheets filed in this case, had named actor Jacqueline Fernandez as an accused while Fatehi's statement was included in the same prosecution complaint.
In a statement, Fatehi had told the agency that Chandrashekar's wife Leena Maria Paul (Leena Paulose) had invited her to a charity event at a five-star hotel in Chennai in December 2020 and was offered a new iPhone, a Gucci bag and a BMW car.
"I had received the bag and phone on the spot in front of everyone but the procedure to gift the car was done after the event," she had told the ED. Fatehi added the car was given to her brother-in-law who sold it in February 2021 due to "some financial issues".
"I did not receive anything else besides the items mentioned above (Gucci bag and mobile phone). Also, the BMW was not given to me, it was given to Bobby (cousin's husband) instead," Fatehi told the agency.
Asked if she purchased any bag from a Mumbai mall, the payment for which was "arranged" by Chandrashekhar, the dancer denied the charge and said in her statement: "No HELL No." The agency has alleged that Chandrashekhar, 32, used illegal money to purchase gifts for Fernandez which he had extorted by cheating high-profile people including former Fortis Healthcare promoter Shivinder Mohan Singh's wife Aditi Singh to the tune of about Rs 200 crore.
Chandrashekhar and his wife Paul were arrested by the ED. The ED had said in a statement that Chandrashekhar is a "known conman" and is being probed by Delhi Police in a case of alleged criminal conspiracy, cheating and extortion to the tune of about Rs 200 crore.
"Chandrasekhar is the mastermind of this fraud. He has been part of the crime world since the age of 17. He has multiple FIRs against him...," the ED had said.
Despite being in jail, it said, Chandrashekhar "did not stop conning" people.
"He (using a cellphone procured illegally in prison) with the help of technology made spoofed calls to dupe people as the numbers displayed on the called party's phone number belonged to senior government officers.
"While speaking (from prison) to these persons, he claimed to be a government officer offering to help people for a price," the ED had claimed.
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