Bollywood actor Jacqueline Fernandez found herself in hot soup on Wednesday as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) named her as one of the co-accused in a Rs. 200-crore money-laundering case. The actor had an affair with the main accused, Sukesh Chandrasekhar, who had given her gifts worth crores of rupees. The ED believes that Fernandez had accepted the gifts despite knowing that they were purchased using ill-gotten money.

Fernandez was interrogated by the ED for the first time in August 2021 regarding her affair with Chandrasekhar, who had reportedly called her on multiple occasions from Tihar Jail.

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In September 2021, the 37-year-old actor was summoned once again, and it was during this time the ED revealed that she might have been among the people scammed by Chandrasekhar. The case took an interesting turn the following month when Chandrasekhar’s lawyer said that the Housefull 3 actor was having an affair with his client. However, Fernandez’s spokesperson refuted the statement.

In November 2021, private pictures of Sukesh and Fernandez found their way to social media, adding fuel to speculations that the two were romantically involved. While Fernandez was trying to leave the country in December 2021, she was stopped by the ED at a private Mumbai airport.

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More pictures of the two came to light in January 2022, prompting the Sri Lankan national to request the media to stop circulating her private pictures. The actor said in an Instagram post, “I’m currently going through a rough patch but I’m sure that my friends and fans will see me through it. It is with this trust that I would request my media friends to not circulate images of a nature that intrude my privacy and personal space”.

Chandrasekhar, via his lawyer in February, reiterated Fernandez’s request regarding their pictures while confirming that the two of them were indeed in a relationship. He also said that the gifts that were given to the actor were out of love and not for any monetary gain.

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The value of Fernandez’s assets (around Rs 7.27 crores) came to light when the ED attached the same in connection to the money-laundering case in April this year. The actor was allowed to leave the country in May to attend the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards. She received the biggest blow yet on August 17 when the ED named her in a supplementary chargesheet as a co-accused in the money-laundering case.