Two unidentified men on a bike opened fire at a beauty parlour owned by actor and model Leena Paul, situated near the walkway at Panampilly Nagar in Kochi city. The shooting happened around 3.45 pm according to the police and the two men left soon after.
According to the police, there were many customers at the ‘Nail Artistry’ parlour at the time of the shooting, but no one was injured as the men did not enter the parlour. Police sources say that someone, perhaps an underworld element, who had a financial tussle with Leena could have opened fire. Some news reports say that Leena had complained recently about threats from underworld don Ravi Poojari.
Preliminary reports suggest that the men on the bike could have used air guns. Police have reportedly seized CCTV footage from the parlour and shops nearby. Leena has been involved in many cases of financial fraud spread across different cities.
CCTV footage shows two men, one wearing jackets and helmets parking the bike and entering the building. Though the beauty parlour is situated on the first floor, the men did not make any efforts to enter. They stood on the staircase and shot at the door. The footage shows them leaving on the bike.
Leena and her partner Shekhar Chandrashekhar were arrested in June 2015 by the Economic Offenses Wing. Leena, who had acted in movies like John Abraham’s Madras Cafe and Mohanlal’s Red Chillies, had been accused of running a fraud investment firm that promised investors ten times returns. This arrest was made on the basis of several complaints to the Mumbai Crime Branch by investors who had been cheated of their money.
In 2013, she and her then partner Balaji had been arrested from Delhi in a joint operation by the Delhi police and Chennai police. The duo were accused of cheating a private bank in Chennai to the tune of Rs 19 crore.