KOCHI: Is the recent alleged firing incident at a beauty parlour at Panampilly Nagar once again bringing forth the question of links between the world of glitz ‘n’ glamour and the underworld. It is the alleged ‘underworld links’ of Leena Maria Paul and her live-in partner that put her in trouble.
IS the recent alleged firing incident at a beauty parlour at Panampilly Nagar once again bringing forth the question of links between the world of glitz ‘n’ glamour and the underworld. If the cues from the police are taken into account, it is the alleged ‘underworld links’ of her live-in partner that put south Indian actress Leena Maria Paul in trouble recently. Sukesh alias Shekar, whom the actress claimed to have married, is currently lodged in Tihar jail related to financial fraud cases.
The investigators are of the view Sukesh, who is named accused in around 70 cheating cases, in Chennai, Bengaluru and other cities across the country, had duped crores of rupees from investors and business firms. As he is now behind the bars, Leena is dealing the assets of the conman and the business transactions related to this created an enmity towards her from the rivals of Sekhar, it is learnt. Leena is involved in around 20 criminal cases along with Sekhar all related to financial fraud. In most of these cases, inquiry is underway.
“Those who have fallen victims to the fraud of Sekhar may have targeted the actor by triggering a fear with the shooting incident at her beauty parlour, The Nail Artistry,” an officer with the investigation team told Express. Meanwhile, the police received clues that Sekhar along with Leena stayed in Kochi for a while in June this year. However, the police have not achieved a major breakthrough yet in tracing the miscreants behind the shooting incident. The investigators are awaiting the forensic examination of the 0.22 caliber pellet recovered from the spot.
There is no development in the inquiry to ascertain the veracity of the audio clipping received by a vernacular television channel claiming to be a threatening call of Mumbai underworld don Ravi Poojari. Though the police ruled out the links of Poojari, the mafia links of Sekhar and the actress is under the scanner. The actor and her friend had amassed immense wealth through illegal means like hawala transactions. She had been receiving threatening calls since November 3.
The caller had demanded a ransom of R25 crore. Leena was in the news for all the wrong reasons. She was first arrested in 2013 from a farmhouse in New Delhi along with Sekhar in a bank fraud case. At the time of Leena’s arrest, the police had recovered nine luxury cars. However, she was arrested again in 2015 after several complaints were registered against the duo for cheating investors across the country.
The two had started an investment firm which promised a return on investment of up to 10 times the invested amount in a short period of time. Sekhar is in jail in a case related to a bid to bribe the Election Commission, involving AIADMK leader T T V Dinakaran.
HC declines to interfere in plea seeking police protection
Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Thursday declined to interfere in the petition filed by actor-businesswoman Leena Mariya Paul seeking police protection in the wake of the firing by two unidentified persons near her beauty parlour at Panampilly Nagar here . According to the HC, the police can indeed proceed with the investigation into the case filed in connection with the incident of firing. When the petition came up for hearing, counsel for the petitioner pointed out that she was ready to engage armed bodyguards for personal protection. But the police had objected to the proposal. However, the government pleader submitted that the police had at no point of time taken any objection to engaging security guards by the petitioner. Besides, the police are patrolling the area.