Jacqueline Fernandez has claimed that her association with jailed conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar was one based on manipulation and deceit. “He played with my emotions and made my life hell” is what she has said in her latest statement. The actor has been embroiled in the Rs. 200-crore extortion case after she received gifts from the latter that he allegedly paid for with extorted money.

According to an India Today report, the 37-year-old added in her statement that the two started speaking after “Pinky Irani (who introduced the actor to Chandrashekhar) convinced my makeup artist that he was an important official from the Home Ministry”.

“He introduced himself as the owner of Sun TV and claimed J Jayalalithaa was his aunt. Chandrashekhar said he was a big fan, and said I should do films in south India too, and as the owner of Sun TV, they had many projects lined up,” the actor said in her statement.

Fernandez added that they would talk on phone calls and video calls at least three times a day. “He never mentioned he was calling from jail. He used to call from one corner with a curtain and a sofa in the background,” she adds, maintaining that they last spoke on call on August 8, 2021.

In a chargesheet recorded as part of the Rs. 200-crore extortion case, actor Nora Fatehi claimed that conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar wanted her to be his girlfriend. “Sukesh said he’d finance my life, family, career if I agreed to be his girlfriend,” Fatehi claimed. In return, he would take care of her financially, according to the copy of the chargesheet in news reports.

According to an India Today report, Fatehi also claimed that Pinky Irani — who reached out to her cousin with the offer — told her that Fernandez was waiting in line for Sukesh’s offer but he wanted to date Nora. “Many actresses are dying to be taken care of by Sukesh,” the actor quoted Irani’s statement.

“Initially, I did not know who Sukesh was. I neither had any personal contact nor any conversations with him,” said Fatehi, who also received a luxury car from the conman, which she returned.

The 30-year-old claimed that she got to know his conman identity only when she was summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). “The only time I saw him was when the ED confronted me with him at its office,” she said.