Sukesh Chandrasekhar: A jailed conman who never stopped duping people

He is accused of running an extortion racket worth Rs 200 crore from the inside of Tihar jail. He has also duped people on the pretext of promising them jobs

On Monday, Bollywood actor Jacqueline Fernandez appeared before the Delhi Police's Economic Offences Wing for questioning in connection with Rs 200 crore extortion case for the second time. The case is linked to alleged conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar. 

Chandrasekhar, reportedly aged in his 30s,  is a conman and a native of Bengaluru. According to police officials, he wanted to lead a luxurious life and started duping people at 17.

After starting the forgery from his home turf, he moved to Chennai and, in no time, began duping people in other metro cities. Currently lodged in Delhi's Tihar jail in alleged criminal cases, Chandrasekhar has 15 FIRs registered against him.

He is accused of cheating many people, including high-profile individuals such as former Fortis Healthcare promoter Shivinder Mohan Singh's wife, Aditi Singh and Malvinder's wife Japna Singh, worth over several crores of rupees.

The women claimed that they paid crores of rupees to the conman to secure bail for their husbands and ensure their safety from Chandrasekar, who impersonated an officer from the Union Law Ministry.

In August 2021, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had seized a luxurious sea-facing bungalow in Chennai, over a dozen luxury cars, and Rs 82.5 lakh cash in a money laundering case.

He has also duped people on the pretext of promising them jobs. Chandrasekhar also posed as the relative of a politician and reportedly duped over 100 people to the tune of Rs 75 crore. 

According to a report published in The Indian Express, Chandrasekhar conned people along with his partner, Leena Maria Paul. He has been in and out of jail since 2017 when he was arrested for allegedly taking money from AIADMK rebel leader TTV Dinakaran to bribe an Election Commission official.

From the son of a CBI official to former CMs, Chandrasekhar exploited every opportunity to fulfil his dream of living a lavish life. According to the report, his fascination for fancy and extravagant cars dates back to his school days. 

He also cheated a textile group based in Cochin, duping them Rs 20 lakh in return for bringing Bollywood actor Katrina Kaif for a promotional programme.

Despite being in jail, Chandrashekhar "did not stop conning" people, the ED said.

"He (with a cellphone procured illegally in prison) with the help of technology, made spoofed calls to dupe people as the numbers displayed on the called party's phone number belonged to senior government officers.

"While speaking (from prison) to these persons, he claimed to be a government officer offering to help people for a price," the ED had claimed.