Arrested actor Leena Maria Paul’s boyfriend Sukesh Chandrasekar might be only 24 but his six-year-long career in crime saw him claiming kinship with the Chief Ministers of all four Southern States. And, the case in which he is on the run is not his first offence in Chennai. In 2010, he had siphoned off Rs. 5 lakh from two people in the city.
After a string of cheatings in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, Sukesh reached Chennai in 2010 and posed as the grandson of then Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi and on few occasions, as a relative of his son K. Alagiri.
“Sukesh conned a spa owner and a Tamil comedy actor of over Rs.5 lakh after promising to help them purchase government cars for lesser prices. He travelled in a car with beacon lights and gained the trust of his targets after he rented an entire cinema hall in the city and screened a Vijay-starrer, first day first show, for just 35 persons including his victims,” said an officer attached to Chetpet police.
On another occasion, in 2011, Sukesh was arrested in Bangalore after a tip-off by Leena herself. Sources with the Bank Fraud Wing of Central Crime Branch team, who arrested Leena from Delhi, said the actor had befriended Sukesh when she was a dental student and part-time model in Bangalore. “Leena told us that Sukesh had posed as a director and cheated her by promising modelling jobs in ad films. She claimed to have tipped off the Bangalore police when she realised he was a serial conman,” R. Vasunthara, Assistant Commissioner, Bank Fraud Wing told The Hindu .
Leena soon moved to her native village in Thrissur only to be tracked down by Sukesh who had managed bail within a month of his arrest. Sukesh lured Leena into a relationship after promising to marry her. He promised to help her with her career in acting and took her to meet a famous actor-dance master in Chennai and an ace director in Bollywood. Over time, Leena became his accomplice in the various frauds he committed mainly in Chennai but also in other parts of South India, the officer added.
Sukesh, a native of Bangalore, began a life of crime as a teenager by posing as a relative of politicians and cheated innocents to the tune of crores by promising government contracts and property. Cars and racing were a passion and he purchased quite a few luxury sedans with the money.
The CCB team has intensified the hunt for Sukesh, who according to Leena, does not have four fingers on his left hand which were lost in an accident at a young age, sources added. He is accused of cheating a businessman of over Rs. 12 crore. There are nearly 50 cases against Sukesh in various States.
Leena was remanded to judicial custody on Friday and sent to Puzhal prison.
