Malayalam actor Leena Maria Paul (25), who was arrested by the city police in Delhi on Tuesday on charges of cheating people to the tune of Rs. 12.72 crore, will be brought to Chennai by train on Friday morning to be produced before a court here.
Earlier this year, Leena had posed as a personal assistant to her boyfriend Sukesh Chandrasekar (34), who posed as an IAS officer, and together the duo cheated a city-based businessman. Detainee Leena will arrive in Chennai by train on Friday morning to be produced in court.
Sources with the central crime branch (CCB) who probed the case said Sukash is from Bangalore and Leena is from Thrissur. Leena has acted in Malayalam films including ‘Red Chillies’, ‘Cobra and ‘Husbands in Goa’. The two were contacted by a businessman, Chakravarthy of New Balaji Nagar, Selaiyur, in early 2013 after he spotted an online advertisement placed by them seeking dealers who would be able to cater to bulk orders for uniforms for various departments in the Karnataka government.
“Sukesh posed as Jayakumar, IAS, director of Karnataka project development commission, and Leena as his secretary. They met Chakravarthy and placed bulk orders for the supply of uniforms for the traffic police and Corporation and medical staff in Karnataka. They took a sum of Rs. 72 lakh from him as a commission,” said an investigating officer.When Sukesh and Leena fled with the money and did not respond to repeated phone calls, Chakravathy lodged a compliant with the CCB on May 5. An investigating team found out that apart from defrauding the businessman, the actor and her boyfriend had also fraudulently obtained a bank loan of Rs. 19 crore from Canara Bank’s Ambattur branch.
“Sukesh, through his Chennai-based accomplices, a couple, Balasubramanian and Chitra, contacted the bank’s Ambattur branch manager, Jagadeesa, who illegally sanctioned the loan even though Sukesh was not eligible for it. Sukash managed to siphon off Rs. 12 crore, while investigators blocked the rest of the money,” added the officer. Following a complaint lodged by Canara Bank, CCB officers arrested Jagadeesa, Balasubramanian and Chitra on March 19. Sukesh and Leena managed to flee.
After receiving information on the whereabouts of Sukesh and Leena, a CCB team went to Delhi on Saturday. On Tuesday evening, the team, along with Delhi police officers, rounded up the duo at a farm house in Fatehpur Beri but Sukesh managed to slip away.
Leena was arrested and nine luxury cars in her possession, suspected to be stolen, were seized. The CCB team is bring the actor by train from the capital to be produced before a magistrate here, sources added.
