Gunman who killed at least 12 people in shooting rampage in Montenegro dies by suicide
Podgorica (Montenegro) (AP): A gunman who fatally shot at least 12 people, including two children, in Montenegro has killed himself while surrounded by police, officials said Thursday.
At least four others were wounded in the shooting rampage in the western town of Cetinje on Wednesday that followed a bar brawl, officials said.
The shooter, identified as 45-year-old Aco Martinovic, killed the owner of the bar, the bar owner's children and his own family members, Interior Minister Danilo Saranovic said.
The attacker, who fled after the rampage, was later located and surrounded by police. He died after shooting himself in the head, Saranovic said.
Police had dispatched a special unit to search for the attacker in the town, which is located about 30 kilometres northwest of the capital, Podgorica. All the roads in and out of the city have been blocked as police swarmed the streets.
Saranovic said that Martinovic had died while being taken to a hospital in the capital and succumbed from the “severity of his injuries.”
The government has declared three days of national mourning starting on Thursday, with Prime Minister Milojko Spajic describing the shooting as a “terrible tragedy.”
“The level of rage and brutality shows that sometimes such people ... are even more dangerous than members of organised criminal gangs,” Saranovic said.
Martinovic was at the bar throughout the day with other guests when the brawl erupted, Police Commissioner Lazar Scepanovic said. He said that Martinovic then went home, brought back a weapon and opened fire at around 5:30 pm.
“He killed four people” at the bar before heading out, and then continued shooting at three more locations, Scepanovic said.
He said that the suspect received a suspended sentence in 2005 for violent behaviour and had appealed his latest conviction for illegal weapons possession. Montenegrin media have reported that he was known for erratic and violent behaviour.
The small country of Montenegro, which has a population of around 6,20,000 people, is known for its gun culture and many people traditionally have weapons.
Wednesday's shooting was the second shooting rampage over the past three years in Cetinje, Montenegro's historic capital. An attacker killed 10 people, including two children, in August 2022 before he was shot and killed by a passerby in Cetinje.
President Jakov Milatovic said that he was “shocked and stunned” by the tragedy.
“Instead of holiday joy ... we have been gripped by sadness over the loss of innocent lives,” Milatovic said in a post on X.
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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.
