Lankan HC in Delhi so far steers clear of case involving our ex-Miss Universe contestant’s tryst with Indian gangster

By Shamindra Ferdinando

The Sri Lankan High Commission in India says Indian authorities haven’t informed it of the involvement of Sri Lankan actress Jacqueline Fernandez, 36, in the high profile INR 2 bn extortion and money laundering case linked to conman named Sukesh Chandrashekhar.

Fernandez’s father is Sri Lankan and her mother is of Malaysian-Canadian descent.

The Island

yesterday (07) sought clarification from the Sri Lankan mission in New Delhi as regards the unprecedented involvement of a prominent Sri Lankan in such a case. The official said that Indian authorities hadn’t contacted the mission and it had not intervened in the matter.

India’s Enforcement Directorate (ED) has asked Fernandez to appear before investigators today (08).

When The Island asked whether the mission would take up Fernandez’s case with Indian authorities as she had been prevented on Sunday (05) from leaving for Dubai for a show, the official said that the mission was closely following the case.

The Indian media reported that Fernandez had received a gift of a horse estimated to be worth INR 5.2 mn and a Persian cat worth Rs INR 900,000 conman Chandrashekhar. According to these reports Fernandez who won the 2006 Miss Universe Sri Lanka pageant and represented the country at Miss Universe the same year had received gifts estimated to be worth INR 100 mn from the conman.

The official asserted that an intervention could be made in case an arrest was made.