Jacqueline Fernandez appears before ED; records statement
New Delhi, Oct 20: Actor Jacqueline Fernandez appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday for questioning in connection with an over Rs 200 crore money laundering case being probed against alleged conman Sukesh Chandrashekar, officials said.
The actor deposed before the federal agency around 3:30 pm after skipping its summons at least three times earlier.
Her statement was recorded under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), they said.
Fernandez, 36, has once appeared before the federal agency in this case in August and had recorded her statement.
It is understood that the agency wants to confront her with some new evidence and question her along with the main accused in the case Chandrashekhar and his actor wife Leena Maria Paul.
Sources said some funds were allegedly transferred by Chandrashekhar from accounts linked to him to those related to the family members of Fernandez. In this connection, some bank accounts in India and in Dubai are under the scanner of the agency.
The agency, the officials said, wants to understand some trail of funds and transactions that are allegedly linked to Fernandez in this case.
Actor and dancer Nora Fatehi, 29, recorded her statement with the ED last week in this case.
Fatehi's representative had said that she is the victim in the case and being a witness, she is cooperating and helping officers in the investigation.
Chandrashekhar and Paul were recently arrested by the ED while being lodged in a local jail after they were taken into custody by the Delhi Police on charges of cheating some people, including some high-profile individuals like former Fortis Healthcare promoter Shivinder Mohan Singh's wife Aditi Singh.
In August, the ED had raided some of Chandrashekhar's premises and seized a sea-facing bungalow in Chennai, Rs 82.5 lakh cash and over a dozen luxury cars.
It had claimed in a statement that Chandrashekhar is a "known conman" and is being probed by the Delhi Police in a case of alleged criminal conspiracy, cheating and extortion to the tune of about Rs 200 crore.
"Chandrasekhar is the mastermind of this fraud. He has been part of the crime world since the age of 17. He has multiple FIRs against him and is presently lodged in Rohini jail (in connection with the Delhi Police case)," the ED had said.
Despite being in the jail, Chandrashekhar "did not stop conning" people, it had said.
"He (with a cellphone procured illegally in prison) with the help of technology, made spoof 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 people, he claimed to be a government officer offering to help people for a price," the ED had claimed.
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Metro ridership in Haryana sees over 13 pc rise in 2025-26
Chandigarh (PTI): Haryana's urban transit system witnessed a strong growth in 2025-26, with metro ridership registering a robust 13.55 per cent increase, the state government said in a statement on Thursday.
The progress was reviewed in the 64th board meeting of Haryana Mass Rapid Transport Corporation (HMRTC) chaired by Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi.
Between April 2025 and February 2026, the metro network recorded over 1.74 crore passengers, compared to 1.53 crore in the corresponding period the previous year.
July recorded the highest monthly growth at 22.93 per cent, while all months showed consistent positive trends.
Financial performance has also remained strong, with fare revenue rising 12.64 per cent till January 2026, the statement said.
Non-fare revenue surged by 108 per cent, driven by effective monetisation of station spaces, advertisements and commercial activities, resulting in an operating surplus for Rapid Metro.
Further initiatives, including the auction of station naming rights and additional advertisement sites, are expected to strengthen HMRTC's financial position, the statement said.
Appreciating the performance, Rastogi stated that the consistent rise in ridership and revenue reflects the success of Haryana's integrated transport strategy, rising commuter confidence and a clear shift towards public transport.
HMRTC Managing Director Chander Shekhar Khare said that, alongside operational gains, the state is making steady progress on an ambitious pipeline of metro and regional transit projects.
Metro connectivity from Gurugram Sector 56 to Panchgaon is under active consideration, with Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited studying the Detailed Project Report (DPR) and layout plan, and finalising a depot location in Sector 36A near Sihi village, he said.
The Gurugram-Faridabad Namo Bharat corridor has achieved a key milestone, with alignment and station locations finalised and approved by the Haryana government. The National Capital Region Transport Corporation is preparing the DPR, he added.
Similarly, the Delhi-Kundli metro extension is proposed to be placed before the Haryana Cabinet for approval.
The 136.3-kilometre Delhi-Panipat-Karnal RRTS Corridor has also progressed, with the revised DPR submitted for financial concurrence ahead of Haryana Cabinet consideration.
Within Gurugram, DPR preparation has been approved for key intra-city corridors, including the 17.09-kilometre Bhondsi-Subhash Chowk-Rajeev Chowk-Sohna Chowk Railway Station corridor, enhancing connectivity along Sohna Road, Khare said.
