Mumbai-based Pinky Irani, Jacqueline Fernandez's 'personal shopper', was arrested by Delhi Police on Wednesday, 30 November in connection to the Rs 200-crore money laundering case involving the Bollywood actor and conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar. Irani has been remanded to police custody for three days. She joined the investigation at the Delhi Police's Economic Offenses Wing (EOW) on Wednesday, and subsequently was arrested.
Who is Pinky Irani? The chargesheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), in the money laundering case filed against Sukesh and Fernandez in September this year, also mentions the role of Irani. She was called for questioning the same month by the EOW.
The chargesheet claimed that Irani is the “personal shopper” for Fernandez, and also the one who put her in touch with Sukesh.
Who is Sukesh? Bengaluru-based Sukesh Chandrashekhar has been accused of conning people from the age of 17 years. He is currently lodged in Delhi’s Tihar Jail.
He is accused of running an extortion racket of Rs 200 crore from inside the Tihar Jail.
He also conned Aditi Singh, wife of former Fortis Healthcare promoter Shivinder Mohan Singh, on the pretext of getting her husband out on bail.
What is Jacquline's role in the case? The actor was named as an accused in the Rs 200 crore money laundering case filed by ED against Sukesh Chandrashekhar on 17 August 2022.
The central investigation agency has alleged that the 36-year-old actor received expensive gifts worth Rs 5.71 crore from Sukesh, who used proceeds from crime to purchase these gifts, The Indian Express has reported.
Sukesh allegedly extorted high-profile people, including Aditi Singh and used the money to purchase these gifts. The conman allegedly gave funds worth over Rs 1.4 crore to Fernandez's family members out of the proceeds of crime.
What is Pinky Irani’s role in the case? According to a statement by the Delhi Police, Irani is “well connected” in the entertainment industry.
“She allegedly contacted models and actresses on Sukesh’s behalf. She would allegedly ask them to meet Sukesh or talk to him on the phone, and also buy expensive gifts for them (from his money),” The Indian Express reported, citing a source.
Irani, who was once a TV actor, had met Sukesh in 2016-17 on Instagram, Delhi Police told the newspaper.
Even when Sukesh was in jail, Irani helped him buy expensive gifts for Fernandez with the help of a video call, a report by CNN News18 claimed.
Irani allegedly bought gifts such as watches, bags, shoes, accessories, saddle, horse harness and whip from brands such as Christian Dior, Loius Vuitton and Hermes, CNN News18 has reported.
As per reports, Sukesh allegedly offered Rs 10 crore to Irani to iron out the differences between him and Fernandez following an argument.
Heated exchange between the two? Fernandez and Irani had allegedly shared a heated exchange when they appeared for questioning at EOW in Delhi on 15 September this year.
While Irani accused Jacqueline of accepting gifts from Sukesh despite knowing that he scammed people of Rs 200 crore, the actor countered saying she wasn’t aware of Sukesh’s background and accused Irani of lying.
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