Uttarakhand's Pawandeep Rajan wins 'Indian Idol' 12
Mumbai, Aug 16: Singer Pawandeep Rajan has won the twelfth season of singing reality show "Indian Idol" and he says the victory has given him the confidence to work harder.
Rajan, who hails from Champawat, Uttarakhand, was announced as the winner of the show late Sunday evening following a 12-hour musical extravaganza billed as 'The Greatest Finale Ever' on Sony TV.
The singer said winning the title of Indian Idol season 12--judged by Anu Malik, Himesh Reshammiya and Sonu Kakkar-- was "unbelievable."
"I am overwhelmed and feel so fortunate. This is a responsibility and I will ensure to take the glory ahead. This has made me more confident to work. I was so nervous during the audition, I thought I would not even get selected. But the journey was nice.
"I learnt a lot from the judges, the team. 'Indian Idol' acted as a bridge to my dreams. I hope the fans continue to shower me with love," Rajan said in a statement.
The singer was awarded with a cheque of Rs 25 lakh from Sony Entertainment Television and a Maruti Suzuki Swift car.
Finalists Arunita Kanjilal and Sayli Kamble were declared as the first and second runners-up respectively. They were awarded Rs 5 lakh each.
The third and the fourth runners-up, Mohd. Danish and Nihal Tauro were awarded Rs 3 lakh each.
The "Indian Idol" season 12 was hosted by singer Aditya Narayan.
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ED arrests Sandeepa Virk, 'cosmetologist' for alleged money laundering
New Delhi, Aug 13 (PTI): The Enforcement Directorate said on Wednesday it has arrested a woman, who claims to be an actor and a cosmetologist, under the anti-money laundering law in a case of alleged fraud and misrepresentation.
The agency said the purported links of the woman, Sandeepa Virk, with a Reliance Group executive, Angarai Natarajan Sethuraman (President, Corporate Affairs), are also under its scanner. Sethuraman, in a statement, denied any connection with Virk or any transactions related to her.
Virk was taken into custody under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on Tuesday after searches were conducted against her and her associates in Delhi and Mumbai over the last two days.
A special court sent her to the ED's custody till August 14, the agency said. The woman claims to be the owner of a skin care products selling website named hyboocare.com, which the ED claimed was a "front" for money laundering.
She and her associates are being probed for allegedly exerting undue influence through "misrepresentation" and "defrauding" individuals by soliciting money under false pretences.
According to an Instagram ID of Virk, she is an actor and entrepreneur and the founder of the said website.
The federal agency said in a statement that the woman was also "in touch with" Sethuraman, former director of erstwhile Reliance Capital Limited.
She was communicating with him regarding "illegal liaisoning", the ED claimed, adding that the searches at Sethuraman's residence "confirmed" these allegations.
"Besides, diversion of funds for personal benefit has also been unearthed during the course of the search action," it said.
The ED alleged that public money worth about Rs 18 crore belonging to Reliance Commercial Finance Limited (RCFL) was disbursed to Sethuraman in 2018 by "flouting" prudent lending norms.
The funds were lent under terms that allowed a deferment of the principal amount as well as the interest, with multiple waivers granted and no due diligence conducted, it said.
The ED claimed that besides this, a home loan of Rs 22 crore was provided by Reliance Capital Limited by "violating" the prudential norms. "A large part of these loans are seen to have been eventually siphoned off and remained unpaid," it alleged.
Sethuraman, in a statement, dismissed the allegations as "baseless". He denied any connection with Virk or any transactions related to her.
Detailing about Virk's web portal, the agency said it purportedly sold FDA-approved beauty products. However, the ED said the products listed on the website have been found to be non-existent and the portal lacks a user registration option and is plagued by persistent payment gateway issues.
A scrutiny of the website uncovered minimal social-media engagement, an inactive WhatsApp contact number and an absence of transparent organisational details, all of which reinforce the finding of "non-genuine" commercial activity, the ED claimed.
"These factors, including limited product range, inflated pricing, false claims of FDA approval and technical inconsistencies, indicate that the website serves as a front for laundering funds," it said.
Another social media-hosted bio data of the woman said she is a certified cosmetologist.
The ED said several "incriminating" documents were seized during the searches and the statement of a man named Farrukh Ali, stated to be an associate of Virk, was recorded.
The money-laundering case stems from an FIR lodged by the Punjab Police.
Sethuraman said that the home loan he received from Reliance Capital was granted following due process and was secured by the property offered as collateral.
