Stuart Binny announces retirement from first class and International cricket
New Delhi(PTI): India all-rounder Stuart Binny, who owns the record of the best bowling figures in ODI format, on Monday announced his retirement from first class and international cricket.
The 37-year-old Binny began his career with his state Karnataka and represented India in six Tests, 14 ODIs and three Twenty20 Internationals.
"I would like to inform you that I have decided to retire from first class and international cricket," Binny, whose father Roger also represented India, said in a statement.
"It has given me tremendous joy and pride to have represented my country at the highest international level."
While he did not get many international runs under his belt, Binny returned exceptional bowling figures against Bangladesh when he took six wickets for just four runs in an ODI in June 2014 in Dhaka.
It remains the best bowling performance in the ODIs till date. He had bettered the record of his compatriot Anil Kumble, who had also taken a six-wicket haul against the West Indies in 1993 but had conceded 12 runs.
A handy all-rounder, with experience of 95 first class matches, iconic skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni tried him out in a few Tests with reasonable success.
In his debut Test against England in July 2014, he scored 78 in his second innings and that remained his only fifty in his six Tests.
A 31-run over in a T20 game against the West Indies in Florida effectively ended his international career where Evin Lewis hit him for five sixes. He was viciously trolled.
Once the conflict of interest became a catch phrase in Indian cricket, his father Roger was forced to relinquish his selection committee post.
With advent of Hardik Pandya as an explosive batting all rounder, Binny's chances of national comeback dwindled and he played a season of first class cricket in the North East.
He will be remembered as a player who punched above his weight and did his best as per his abilities.
Binny thanked the BCCI, his various teams, fellow players and coaches for the role played in his growth as a 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.
