‘Son of Sardaar’ and 'Jai Ho' actor Mukul Dev dies at 54
Mumbai (PTI): Actor Mukul Dev, best known for his roles in films such as “Son of Sardaar”, “Yamla Pagla Deewana” and “Jai Ho”, has passed away, his brother Rahul Dev said on Saturday. He was 54.
"My brother Mukul Dev passed away peacefully last night at New Delhi due to ailing health," Rahul Dev told PTI.
According to Mukul Dev's close friend Vindu Dara Singh, the actor died at a hospital in the national capital.
“He was unwell for eight to ten days. He was not looking after his health and was depressed after the demise of his mother. We were waiting for Mukul to join us for the photo shoot of ‘Son of Sardaar 2’ but he had stopped answering our calls,” Singh told PTI.
His last rites will be held at Dayanand Mukti Dham crematorium in Nizamuddin West at 5 pm.
Mukul Dev, a former model, is survived by his daughter, Sia Dev, from his marriage to ex-wife Shilpa Dev.
He made his acting debut with the 1996 movie "Dastak", co-starring Sushmita Sen and Sharad Kapoor. He was largely seen playing supporting roles in Hindi, Punjabi, Bengali and Telugu films.
Some of his notable movies included Ajay Devgn's "Son of Sardaar", Salman Khan-starrer "Jai Ho" and "Yamla Pagla Deewana", starring Dharmendra, Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol, as well as "Kohram", "R... Rajkumar" and "War Chhod Na Yaar".
He was also the co-writer of filmmaker Hansal Mehta's critically-acclaimed 2017 movie "Omerta", starring Rajkummar Rao.
Mehta mourned Mukul Dev's death in a post on Instagram.
"Not done Mukul mere dost… so many more stories, so much more laughter. See you on the other side my dear friend," he wrote alongside a photo of the actor.
Actor Manoj Bajpayee posted, "It’s impossible to put into words what I’m feeling. Mukul was a brother in spirit, an artist whose warmth and passion were unmatched. Gone too soon, too young. Praying for strength and healing for his family and everyone grieving this loss. Miss you meri jaan…until we meet again. Om Shanti."
"Rip Mukul bhai. You will always be missed. Stay strong @rahuldevofficial bhai," wrote actor Sonu Sood on social media.
Actor Arshad Warsi also condoled Mukul Dev's death, saying he was "heartbroken".
"I was really fond of him. He was a friend, colleague, a wonderful person with a beautiful soul… may his soul rest in peace," he wrote on Instagram.
On the small screen, Mukul Dev appeared in popular daily soaps such as "Gharwali Uparwali", “Kumkum”, "Kutumb" and "Kasshish".
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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.
