Kochi parlour shooting: Cops to summon owner Leena after she fails to give statement

Kochi police will summon the owner of beauty salon Nail Artistry, actor-model Leena Maria Paul, as she has failed to appear at the station and give her statements regarding the stray shooting incident that took place in front of her parlour on Saturday. Leena’s co-operation in giving an initial statement to the police is crucial to the investigation.

The incident happened around 3.45 pm last Saturday when two unidentified men came on bikes and opened fire outside the parlour, which is situated near the walkway at Panampilly Nagar in the city. According to CCTV footage accessed by the police, the two men climbed up the staircase to the first floor where the parlour is located and fired at the parlour door.

The customers inside the parlour suffered no injuries and the men rode away soon after the incident.

Following investigations, the police suspect that the shooters used air guns. Officials have recovered .22 calibre pellets from the site, according to reports.

Leena had agreed to give her statement to the police on Monday. However, she was a no show, reports add.

According to some news reports, Leena had earlier complained about underworld don Ravi Poojari threatening her, and a financial tussle seems to be the most common assumption behind the reason for the strange shooting incident. Leena has had several fraud cases against her in the past. In June 2015, she and her then partner Shekhar Chandrashekhar were arrested by the Economic Offences Wing. Leena, who has acted in several big movies, like John Abraham’s Madras Cafe and Mohanlal’s Red Chillies, was accused of running a fraudulent investment firm that promised investors ten times’ returns. She was arrested after several complaints to the Mumbai Crime Branch were made by investors who were duped. In 2013, Leena and her then partner Balaji had been arrested by the Delhi and Chennai police in a joint operation for allegedly swindling money to the tune of Rs 19 crore from a private bank in Chennai.

Leena was supposed to be in Kochi on Monday to give her statement. However, the staff at Nail Artistry confirmed that she was not present. When TNM tried Leena’s number, her number was not reachable.