KOCHI: CBI sleuths on Thursday raided the beauty parlour owned by actress Leena Maria Paul at Panampilly Nagar here. It was the same parlour where two persons allegedly hired by underworld don Ravi Pujari had fired bullets in 2018. CBI officers said the raid was carried out following a directive from Anti-Corruption Bureau, Hyderabad.
“The Hyderabad bureau recently registered a case against two persons who threatened and demanded bribe from a businessperson, while posing as senior CBI officers from New Delhi. During the probe, the bureau received information that one of the accused was familiar to actor Leena Maria Paul,” said a CBI officer. “The businessperson was accused in a corruption case registered last year. The landline number of CBI head office was spoofed and multiple calls were made,” the officer said. The raid started around 9am and ended by noon. “Some documents and bank details were recovered. They will be handed over to CBI Hyderabad unit,” the officer said.
Leena has starred in various Malayalam and Hindi films. She landed in controversy following her involvement in a cheating case in Chennai. In December 2018, two persons hired by underworld don Ravi Pujari shot at her beauty parlour to extort money. The Crime Branch is probing the case in which three persons have been arrested. Though Ravi was intercepted by the police at Senegal, he was later released.