ED searches residence of MLA Satish Sail
The ED team reached the house early in the morning and the search continued till late night.
At the time of the raid Mr. Sail was not home and his family members were cooperating with the searches, sources said.
The Special Court recently convicted Mr. Sail for MLAs and MPs in the Belekeri illegal iron ore export case, but the High Court issued a stay on the conviction, and he is out of prison now.
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Hindustan Times
27 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
High drama marks Panchayat polls in Nainital
Dehradun: Uttarakhand high court on Thursday took cognizance of allegations that five elected representatives in Nainital district panchayat were missing ahead of voting. However, police said that affidavits submitted by the five elected members claimed they were staying away voluntarily. Counting of votes underway for Uttarakhand Panchayat Elections, in Nainital, on July 31 (PTI) Congress leaders alleged that they were abducted to influence the outcome of election of district panchayat president for which voting was underway on Thursday . A division bench of chief justice G Narendar and Justice Alok Mahra, hearing a public interest litigation, questioned the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Nainital PN Meena on whether the missing representatives had been traced. The SSP said security personnel had visited their homes as per earlier court directions to provide protection 10 days before voting, but were told by relatives that the representatives were visiting family and did not require security. Polling was held on Thursday for the posts of district panchayat presidents as well as vice presidents and Block Pramukhs. The SSP added that the police had received affidavits from the five representatives stating they were travelling and had asked that no case be registered if anyone reported them missing. Two more similar affidavits were received on Thursday. Advocate General SN Babulkar told the court that all representatives had confirmed they were abstaining from voting on their own will. However, senior counsel DS Patni presented a pen drive with video footage allegedly showing one of the representatives, Dikar Singh Mewari, being dragged away by unidentified men, some of whose faces were visible, while an armed policeman looked away. Another video purportedly showed three more affidavit signatories being forcibly removed from a polling booth. The bench directed that both videos be handed over to the Nainital SSP and District Magistrate Vandana Singh for examination. Counsel DS Mehta told the court that an attempt to file a kidnapping complaint naming the alleged abductors was rejected by the Tallital SHO. The SSP assured the bench that action would be taken against any police personnel found guilty of dereliction of duty. Family members of three missing representatives — Uma Bisht, sister of Deep Singh Bisht; Vinod Kotalia, brother of Pramod Singh; and Sanjeev Jantwal, son of Vipin Singh Jantwal-appeared before the court — each detailing how their relatives were taken away. Kotalia alleged that his brother was abducted by a group . Jantwal said he had seen a video of his father's abduction on a Facebook account. The court ordered that its directions be sent immediately to the district magistrate and SSP, with affidavits kept in the safe custody of the Registrar (Judicial). The matter will be heard next on August 18. Earlier, high drama was witnessed during the election for district panchayat president and block Pramukh in Nainital, turned tense on Thursday with clashes, allegations of kidnapping and even firing between supporters of the BJP and Congress. Congress leaders Yashpal Arya, Khatima MLA Bhuvan Kapri, Haldwani MLA Sumit Hridayesh, former MLA Sanjeev Arya, district panchayat president candidate Pushpa Negi, and 10 members arrived at the High Court while a hearing was underway before Chief Justice G Narender and Justice Alok Mahra. They alleged before the bench that 'people of the ruling party' assaulted them and 'tried to kidnap some members.' Showing election result certificates for 15 members, they claimed that 'five of their local leaders were missing.' The court directed District Magistrate Vandana Singh and SSP Nainital PN Meena to appear virtually within minutes. It ordered both officers to 'maintain law and order' and ensure 'peaceful and fair elections,' instructing that members be brought to the polling station in police security. High Court security officer Rakesh Bisht was tasked with escorting the 10 district panchayat members who were in court to the polling station under police protection. In the block pramukh election at Betalghat in Nainital districts, three rounds of firing were reported amid clashes between supporters of both parties. Police dispersed the crowd and began an investigation. Both sides accused each other of instigating violence. BJP state president Mahendra Bhatt alleged that Yashpal Arya was 'trying to influence the voting,' while Congress state president Karan Mahara accused the BJP of 'assaulting Congress leaders.' District Magistrate Vandana Singh, who appeared in the court in the evening again, told the court that she will recommend repolling for zila panchayat elections to the state election commission (SEC)
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
ED to court: Former Vasai-Virar civic chief and his junior used code names and fixed rates in talks with builders
Mumbai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has said that former Vasai-Virar municipal commissioner Anil Pawar and his junior, deputy director of town planning Y S Reddy, operated under the code names 'C' and 'D', respectively, during discussions with builders regarding bribe amounts. An architect of a builder said in his statement that when he informed Reddy about the total area of one of his projects, Reddy fixed the bribe amount at Rs 50 lakh for clearing the file and also determined the amount for 'C'. The ED reported that a relative of Pawar collected Rs 3.4 crore in cash at his Dadar office, believed to have been delivered by an angadia. The ED said Pawar bought expensive sarees, pearls and gold and diamond jewellery through Reddy and the settlement happened in cash. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai | Gold Rates Today in Mumbai | Silver Rates Today in Mumbai Special public prosecutor Kavita Patil informed the court about all these details on Thursday and sought the custody of Pawar and Reddy along with two others, Sitaram Gupta, a former corportor of the BVA, and Arun Gupta, who was arrested the previous day. Special judge R B Rote remanded the four accused in ED custody till Aug 20. In the remand application, calling the scam "colossal", the ED stated that Reddy used an intricate codeword system for the collection of commissions and bribes from builders, architects and local liaisoners. An in-depth analysis of WhatsApp chats of Reddy with the commissioner, liaisoners, architects, builders and others established who were the persons behind the code names 'C' and 'D', said the ED. The remand application included a portion of a statement from an architect representing a builder that the ED recorded during the case investigation. It stated, "Reddy asked me how much money I had to pay him. I gave him the figure of 1.95 lakh square feet, which was the total area of my last case (project) wherein permission was granted by VVCMC (Vasai-Virar City Municipal Corporation). So the total amount was Rs 48.75 lakh at the rate of Rs 25 per square foot, which is rounded off to Rs 50 lakh. This was the amount to be given to Reddy as DDTP. 'D' in the chat meant DDTP. Then I asked how much money was to be given to the commissioner VVCMC. In the chat, 'C' is meant to be the commissioner VVCMC, who was Anil Pawar." The ED said that Pawar charged large commissions and bribes for granting various development permissions required from VVCMC for starting different residential, commercial and other projects. This was fixed at the rate of Rs 20-25 per sq ft of the built area of the project. It could increase to Rs 50 per sq ft depending on the complexity of the project and the wherewithal of the concerned builder. This was revealed based on statements from various builders, architects, VVCMC officers, and liaisoners, the ED informed the court. The ED said that Pawar incorporated various firms to channelise and utilise the proceeds of crime and also to integrate the proceeds of crime into the financial mainstream of the economy. A large amount of cash was suspected to be infused in all the projects, entities, investments by the accused in the multiple entities floated in the name of his wife, daughters and distant relatives. These entities were engaged in the construction of residential projects wherein a large amount of cash was suspected to be infused by the accused. "The cash so collected by distant relatives was invested in properties situated at various locations in Maharashtra," the plea said. Seeking Pawar's custody, the ED's remand plea said that it was necessary to prevent him from tampering with evidence. The plea said that during a search operation at his home on July 29, Pawar initially refused to open the door for over two hours. During this time, he deleted call logs and WhatsApp data from his mobile phone, a clear attempt to destroy crucial evidence, the ED submitted. Referring to Pawar and Reddy, the plea said, "Owing to the power and influence associated with such a position, there exists a grave and reasonable apprehension that accused…may exert undue influence, inducement, threat, or coercion upon builders, architects, liaisoners, and officials of VVCMC," the remand plea said. The money laundering case pertains to the unauthorised construction of 41 residential and commercial buildings on govt and private land under the jurisdiction of the VVMC, which included land spanning 30 acres designated for sewage treatment and dumping facilities. The 41 buildings were demolished only after a recent court order, resulting in financial and housing losses for those who purchased flats in the structures. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Happy Independence Day wishes , messages , and quotes !
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
ED action on Reliance official, influencer part of ramped-up probe into Rs 20,000-crore loan scam
The searches on Angarai Sethuraman, a key official of the Anil Ambani group, and the arrest of Chandigarh-based influencer Sandeepa Virk come at a time when the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is switching to the second phase of its probe into what they now describe as a Rs 20,000 crore loan scam, The Indian Express has learnt. The agency has alleged that Sethuraman and Virk were together trying to 'influence' their probe into the Anil Ambani group in relation to the alleged scam. The ED had, in a statement Wednesday, alleged that Sethuraman had 'siphoned off' Rs 18 crore in loan he took from Reliance Commercial Finance Ltd (RCFL) and that he had been in contact with Virk for 'illegal liaising work'. Sethuraman, Group President (Corporate Affairs), Reliance Group, told The Indian Express that his residence was searched for over 30 hours the past two days and that the allegations were 'baseless'. He emphasised: 'I did meet Sandeepa Virk twice this month but that was for different reasons and at public places. It had nothing to do with the ED's probe. As far as the Rs 18 crore loan from RCFL is concerned, it was for building the house in Delhi where I now live. It is a fully secured loan and has been part paid back by me. It has not been siphoned off.' Sethuraman is also director of six companies, including Thales Reliance Defence Systems Ltd. Days after questioning Anil Ambani at the ED headquarters in New Delhi on August 5, top officials said the 'very complex' nature of transactions involved would take months to analyse. Following scrutiny of the alleged loan scam documents, the officials said, they will turn their attention to the defence companies and offshore entities set up by the Group Chairman. The sleuths pointed out that they have found the 'loan exposure'' of two Reliance companies — RCFL and Reliance Home Finance Limited (RHFL) — to be allegedly too high. A key official said, 'Prima facie, it appears that the loan amounts taken from the 39 lenders (banks and financial institutions) were routed to Reliance Infrastructure and Reliance Power, and that is how these companies were made debt free. But this was done via a complex money trail and through layers and layers of transactions.' Also under investigation is the reason why none of the 39 lenders, except for Yes Bank, filed police complaints against the Anil Ambani company. During his questioning, Anil Ambani is understood to have allegedly clarified that important decisions on loans given by RCFL and RFHL were taken by his employees and members of the credit committees of the two companies. It is learnt that he was then allegedly confronted with internal company decisions that may have been taken by senior officials but were signed off by him as chairman. The agency was now planning to call members of the credit committees for questioning and put Anil Ambani through another round of questioning. The Indian Express sent a set of questions on the allegations of a Rs 20,000 crore loan scam to the Anil Ambani group's corporate office but received only Sethuraman's statement released to the media Wednesday. In that statement, Sethuraman had denied any connection or involvement with Virk or any transactions related to her, and that the home loan he took was granted following due process. Virk, meanwhile, was arrested on August 12 under the provisions of PMLA, 2002 and produced before a court which granted custody to ED till August 14 for further investigation. According to the agency, Virk and her associates are alleged to have 'exerted undue influence through misrepresentation and defrauded individuals by soliciting money under false pretences'. 'Probe conducted by the ED has revealed that Virk has acquired immovable property in her name by making false promises and cheating,' the ED spokesperson alleged in a statement. The agency also said that Virk claimed to 'the owner of a website purportedly selling FDA-approved beauty products'. However, the ED claimed, the 'products listed on the site have been found to be non-existent' and that 'the website serves as a front for laundering funds'. It claimed that Virk was 'in regular touch with' Sethuraman 'with whom she had been communicating regarding illegal liaising work'. In Punjab, Virk has been linked to an FIR filed at the Phase-8 police station in Mohali in November 2016 against a man identified as Amit Gupta, alias Nageshwar Gupta, accusing him of fraud amounting to Rs 6 crore committed under the pretext of investment in a film production company. Following the FIR, based on a complaint from Chandigarh resident Jasneet Kaur, Gupta was arrested in 2017 and a charge sheet was filed against him. During trial, he was declared a Proclaimed Offender under Section 299 CrPC on October 21, 2024. According to police records, Virk's name was mentioned in the initial complaint as an associate of Gupta but she was not listed as an accused in the case. The Mohali police is now ascertaining the status of court proceedings in the original FIR following the ED's action against Virk. – With ENS, New Delhi
