JANHVI KAPOOR
Sukash’s wife Leena invited Janhvi to inaugurate her salon, Nail Artistry, in Bengaluru on July 19, 2021. Unaware of their background, she did it in lieu of Rs 18.94 lakh as professional fees. Janhvi told the ED that on that day, she was also gifted a Christian
Dior tote bag by Leena’s mother.
Inside Delhi’s Rohini jail complex, Sukash was allotted an entire barrack (No. 204), usually shared by 15-20 inmates. He enjoyed several luxuries, including his own BMW car inside the prison to ferry the occasional guests. The car reportedly had a sticker of the Tihar Jail. He had amenities such as air-conditioning, smartphones and television while other inmates washed his clothes and utensils. CCTV cameras in his barrack were blocked using curtains and mineral water bottle boxes. When he was out on interim bail in November 2020 to perform his father’s last rites, he allegedly stayed out of jail for six months “under mysterious circumstances”.
These privileges came for a price. According to the Delhi Police chargesheet, deputy jail superintendent D.S. Meena used to collect Rs 60-75 lakh every fortnight from Sukash’s aides Deepak Ramnani and Pradeep Ramdanee. Of that money, around Rs 50 lakh was given to officers above the rank of assistant superintendent and Rs 10 lakh to those below that rank, the chargesheet states, quoting Meena’s confessional statement to the police. Meena allegedly collected kickbacks 35 times.
Following Sukash’s arrest in August 2021 in the Aditi Singh extortion case (wherein he conned her of over Rs 200 crore), and the subsequent ED probe, he was sent to Tihar jail. In February 2022, he was back in the news with fresh charges of bribing three officials in Tihar’s Jail No. 4. He was then shifted to Jail No. 1. Later, he and his wife Leena moved the Supreme Court, seeking transfer out of Tihar Jail, claiming a threat to their lives there. The apex court ordered transfer to Mandoli Jail, an extension of Tihar Jail only. Sukash is now moving court seeking transfer to a jail not under the Tihar administration.
Meanwhile, the Economic Offences Wing of the Delhi Police has booked 81 staffers of the Rohini jail on corruption charges. Eight jail officials, including Meena, were arrested for allegedly helping Sukash con Aditi Singh. ■