Cooking meat, fish, egg banned on Meerut Kanwar Yatra route, says DM
Meerut (UP), Jul 11 (PTI): To maintain the sanctity of the Kanwar Yatra route and ensure its peaceful conduct, the Meerut district administration has banned the cooking of meat, fish, and eggs in hotels, dhabas, and restaurants along the yatra route, an official said on Friday.
Meerut District Magistrate Dr VK Singh told PTI, "Cooking of meat, fish and eggs has been banned in eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route. More than 10 teams of the Food Safety Department have been deployed for inspection."
The move comes as part of extensive preparations for the holy month of Sawan, during which lakhs of Kanwariyas undertake the annual pilgrimage.
Police have stepped up surveillance, dividing the yatra route into 57 zones and 155 sectors. Over 8,000 policemen, including 1,166 women personnel, have been deployed in the region. Drone and CCTV surveillance is also in place, officials said.
Preparations for 'Jalabhishek' have been completed at major temples, including Baba Augharhnath, Nageshwar Mahadev, and Mahabileshwarnath.
According to the Augharhnath temple committee president Satish Singhal, over two lakh devotees are expected this year.
The administration has set up 838 camps across the district, including 464 on highways, providing facilities such as bhandaras and health check-ups.
Meerut Divisional Commissioner Dr Rishikesh Bhaskar Yashod said that all food establishments along the route must display rate lists, owners' details, and valid food safety registration certificates.
Additional Director General of Police (ADG Zone) Bhanu Bhaskar has issued duty plans for police personnel, similar to those used during the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj. He warned that officers found making videos and sharing them on social while they are on duty, will face departmental action against them.
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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.
