Actress Leena Maria Paul, who was arrested in a joint operation by Delhi Police and Chennai Crime Branch Police on charges of cheating to the tune of several crores, was produced before a Judicial Magistrate here on Friday evening.
Police said Leena, during interrogation, confessed to have been involved in cheating along with her husband Sukash Chandrasekar. Sukash was introduced to her as a film producer when she was acting in Malayalam movies.
She posed as the personal assistant of Sukash who posed as Jayakumar, an IAS officer and Director of Project Development with the Karnataka government. Together, they had approached one Chakravarthi, who ran Sky Lark Textiles and Outfitters at Selaiyur, and had been awarded the contract for stitching of uniform for the employees of Karnataka Health Department and transport corporation in April last year.
The couple demanded `62.47 lakh towards registration fee and refundable deposit and the money was deposited in Sukash’s bank account. However, Chakravarthi never got the order and later learnt that he was duped. He preferred a complaint with the city police who registered a case and arrested Leena Maria Paul from a farmhouse in Delhi.
Sukash, his father Chandrasekar and his mother Mala Chandrasekar, who were part of the conspiracy, are currently absconding. Sukash was also wanted in a case of defrauding a bank to the tune of `19.22 crore, which was pending with CCB.
Meanwhile, Leena reportedly told the investigating officer that she began to trust Sukash after he claimed to be the grandson of a former Chief Minister and had even introduced her to a leading dance master and actor-cum-director in Kollywood.
Leena had acted in five Malayalam movies, including Husbands in Goa, Cobra, Red Chillies and Nandalala. She starred in John Abraham’s Madras Cafe.
The Judicial Magistrate remanded her to judicial custody and she was later taken to be lodged in Puzhal Prison.