FIR against Sidhu over communal remarks
Patna: An FIR was lodged against Congress leader and Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu for violating the model code of conduct by exhorting Muslim voters in a Lok Sabha constituency in Bihar to vote en bloc to defeat Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
According to the office of the Chief Electoral Officer here, the FIR was lodged at Barasoi police station of Katihar district on the basis of a complaint lodged by the Election Commission's flying squad.
SHO Barasoi Chandra Prakash confirmed this.
"We have registered an FIR against Sidhu under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code and Sections 123 (III) and 125 of the Indian Penal Code. Sub-inspector Javed Ahmed has been made the investigating officer," SHO Barasoi Chandra Prakash told PTI over phone.
The CEO's office said in a statement, "A report has also been sent to the ECI for necessary action."
Sidhu made the controversial remarks at a public meeting on Monday in Kathihar. He was canvassing for Congress candidate and former Union minister Tariq Anwar.
Excerpts of the speech telecast by news channels showed the cricketer-turned-politician urging Muslims to realise that they have a sizeable population in the area and to be wary of Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM, that he dubbed as a party "propped up by the BJP".
Sidhu asked the Muslim electorate to "vote en bloc" for the Congress candidate.
"Modi will be done for. He will go for a six," the Congress leader was seen telling the audience.
His remarks came on the day when the ECI issued notices to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, BSP supremo Mayawati and Samajwadi Party heavyweight Azam Khan, barring them from campaigning for different periods of time.
Earlier, a nine-member delegation of the BJP, led by its state unit vice president Devesh Kumar, had visited the CEO's office here and submitted a memorandum with the request to take "suo motu cognizance and lodge an FIR" against Sidhu.
Sidhu, who has also featured in a number of television comedy shows, was with the BJP till 2016. He joined the Congress ahead of the 2017 Assembly polls in Punjab and was inducted into the state cabinet headed by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh.
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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.
