MP: Protesters, Journalist forced to strip down to undergarments inside lock-up, photos go viral
Sidhi (MP), Apr 7: A journalist and a few activists who were protesting against the arrest of an artist were detained and forced to strip down to their undergarments while in police custody in Madhya Pradesh's Sidhi district.
After the photos of the detained persons in underwear went viral on social media, two local police officials were transferred, a senior police official said on Thursday.
A local journalist and some activists were protesting "in unauthorised manner" in front of the Kotwali police station here against the arrest of Neeraj Kunder, director of Indravati Drama School, on April 2.
Kunder had been arrested for allegedly posting defamatory posts on Facebook using a false identity against local BJP MLA Kedar Nath Shukla and his son Gurudutt Sharan Shukla, said Kotwali police station in-charge Manoj Soni.
A group of activists along with local "YouTube journalist" Kanishk Tiwari staged a protest in front of the Kotwali police station, shouting slogans against MLA Shukla and Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
According to police officer Soni, they were detained for protesting without permission and disrupting peace, and released on April 3.
But on Thursday, the photos of the protestors in their underwear went viral.
Asked about the viral photographs, Soni said they were asked to strip down to underwear because sometimes people hang themselves in custody using their clothes and this was a preventive measure.
After the photos showing the protesters getting humiliated in this way caused outrage, Soni and sub-inspector Abhishek Singh were `line-attached' (shunted out from field duty) on the chief minister's order for leaking the photographs, said a senior police official.
Congress leader Ajay Singh, in a statement, condemned the treatment meted out to journalist Kanishk Tiwari.
This behaviour of the cops with a journalist not only reflects terror of police, but also the BJP government's attitude towards the media fraternity and its thinking, he said, terming the incident as a direct attack on democracy's fourth estate.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
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.
