Cuddalore (TN)(PTI): Sunday may have witnessed a Covid-induced lockdown in Tamil Nadu but that did not deter over 90 couples from entering wedlock at a reverred Vaishnavite shrine near here on January 23 with the roads outside the Tiruvanthipuram Sri Devanathaswamy Temple playing host to the individuals who tied the knot during the ongoing auspicious Tamil month 'Thai'.
As many as 91 weddings were solemnised by priests on roads in front of the popular temple in this northern coastal district on Sunday, temple Executive Officer A Veerabathiran and the priests' association secretary Rathina Sabapathy, told PTI on Monday. The shrine was closed on Sunday as part of the lockdown restrictions.
Places of worship, among others, are closed in the state on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in view of COVID related curbs and a shutdown was observed on January 23 as well to tackle the virus spread.
On Sunday, a total of 91 marriages were solemnised on roads abutting the temple, as it was an auspicious 'Muhurtha naal.' A total of 110 registrations were made for conducting weddings at the temple in this small town, located about 12 km from the district headquarters. It is a much sought after temple for conducting marriages, mainly from people in and around Cuddalore as well as other parts of the state.
The weddings were held between 4.30 AM and 11 AM on Sunday in adherence to 'muhurtham' (auspicious time), with the early morning fixtures being known as 'Brahma Muhurtham.'
Traditionally, conducting weddings in this shrine, dedicated to Lord Vishnu is considered by people as auspicious.
Authorities said the temple, one among the 108 'Divya Desams' dedicated to Lord Vishnu, has a hall inside its premises where 40 weddings can be performed at a time and as such there was no bar on holding marriages on days the shrine is open.
According to the official website of the Cuddalore district administration, "constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, the temple is glorified in the Divya Prabandha, the early medieval Tamil canon of the Azhwar saints from the 6th 9th centuries AD. It is one of the 108 Divyadesam(s) dedicated to Vishnu, who is worshipped as Devanathaswamy and his consort Lakshmi as Hemabhujavalli."
On January 23, Tamil Nadu reported 30,580 fresh COVID cases.
Night curfew from 10 PM to 5 AM continues to be implemented in Tamil Nadu. On Sunday, January 9, a complete one-day shutdown was enforced in the state which was the first in 2022 and also during the third wave of the COVID pandemic.
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.
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.