Sapna Gill's molestation allegation against cricketer Prithvi Shaw false: Police tells court
Mumbai, Jun 26: Social media influencer Sapna Gill's allegation that Indian cricketer Prithvi Shaw had molested her at a pub in suburban Andheri in Mumbai is "false and unfounded", the police told a court here on Monday.
The investigating officer appeared before the magistrate, presiding over the case, on Monday and submitted a report about the matter.
After the police submitted the report, Gill's lawyer Ali Kaashif Khan requested the court to allow him to present the video footage of the alleged brawl that Gill's friend had recorded on his phone, which went viral in the media. He also sought a CCTV grab of the incident that occurred outside the pub.
The court asked the police to submit the footage of the entire incident and adjourned the matter to June 28.
Gill had lodged a complaint before a magistrate court in Andheri seeking registration of FIR under IPC sections 354 (Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty.), 509 (Word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) and 324 (Voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means) against Shaw and his friend Ashish Yadav for assaulting her with a bat in February.
Before moving the court, Gill had approached the Airport police station in Andheri for registration of a molestation case against the cricketer and his friend.
Police told the court that examination of the CCTV footage of the pub shows that Gill and her friend Shobit Thakur were drunk and dancing.
Thakur wanted to record Shaw with his mobile phone but the cricketer stopped him from taking videos. On perusal of the footage, it doesn't appear that Shaw and others molested Gill in any way, the police said.
Police said they have recorded statements of witnesses present in the pub where the alleged incident occurred and they stated that no one touched Gill inappropriately.
Police also examined CCTV footage of the Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower, which is in the vicinity, and it is seen that the social media influencer was following Shaw's car with a baseball bat in her hand. The footage shows that she smashed the windshield of the cricketer's car, the court was told.
The report also mentioned that police have recorded statements of CISF officials and they too said no such incident had taken place as claimed by Gill.
According to a CISF official, they were alerted about a scuffle in the area. Upon reaching the spot, he saw a car's windshield smashed. The car driver said an argument broke out inside the pub and the manager had asked them to leave and that he wanted to lodge an FIR, as per the report.
The official saw a woman holding a baseball bat in her hand. Her male friend took the bat from her and threw it to the side when they saw police approaching the spot. None of the men at the spot was assaulting the woman, stated the report citing the statement of the CISF official.
The investigation conducted in accordance with the complaint of Gill revealed that the allegations against Prithvi Shaw and others are false /unfounded, police said.
Gill was arrested in February along with some others in connection with an alleged attack on Shaw following an argument over clicking selfies at a suburban hotel.
After securing bail, Gill approached the Airport police station with a complaint against Shaw, his friend Ashish Yadav, and others, for alleged molestation and outraging modesty.
She later moved the court after the police didn't register a case against the cricketer.
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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.
