Road rage: Labourer beaten to death over rash driving in central Delhi; 3 nabbed
New Delhi (PTI): A labourer was beaten to death allegedly by three drunk people in road rage in central Delhi's Mori Gate area, police said on Saturday.
The three were identified as Ritesh Kumar, 27, Vicky, 25, and Anil, 33, and arrested, they said.
The incident took place on the evening of June 30, when the deceased, Bunty, and his colleague, Gokarn alias Raja, were returning from Naya Bazar after delivering PVC wire rolls in a three-wheeler.
"Around 8.35 pm, as they reached near Khoya Mandi on Nityanand Marg, Mori Gate, an e-rickshaw carrying three men intercepted their vehicle. An argument broke out over rash and zigzag driving, following which the confrontation turned violent," Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Raja Banthia said.
According to the officer, one of the e-rickshaw passengers slapped Gokarn, while the other two dragged Bunty out of the three-wheeler and kicked, punched, and thrashed him until he collapsed on the spot. The three fled as a crowd began to gather.
Gokarn, with the help of a passerby, rushed Bunty to a nearby hospital, where he was declared dead.
A case was registered at Kashmere Gate Police Station on July 1 in connection with the matter.
Police analysed several footage to trace the e-rickshaw's route.
Footage confirmed that three passengers riding the e-rickshaw had attacked the two men and were seen headed towards Yudhishthir Setu via Kashmere Gate.
More footage revealed that earlier, the three had bought alcohol from a liquor shop near Tis Hazari Courts, and boarded the e-rickshaw at SPM T-point, Lahori Gate, the DCP said.
The trail led the police to the Lahori Gate Chowk, an area the suspects were likely familiar with, he said.
A still from CCTV footage captured Ritesh Kumar, who was nabbed from a dry fruits shop in the Lahori Gate area on July 3. At his instance, police arrested the other two, Anil and Vicky, from other shops.
"All three confessed to the crime, telling police that they had consumed liquor earlier that evening and were on their way home to Khajuri Khas and Mandoli when the altercation took place. They claimed that the three-wheeler was being driven in a reckless manner, which led to the argument," the officer said.
Ritesh confessed to slapping the Gokarn, while Anil and Vicky assaulted Bunty, causing him to fall unconscious. He said they then fled the spot, unaware that the man would die later.
All three are workers at dry fruits shops in the Lahori Gate area, and were not known to the victim.
Police said the assault appeared to be impulsive and alcohol-fuelled.
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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.
