Latest news with #SandeepaVirk
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Who is Sandeepa Virk? Instagram influencer under ED scanner
Sandeepa Virk, a popular Instagram personality who claims to be an actor and a cosmetologist, has been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) under the anti-money laundering law in a case of alleged fraud as well as misrepresentation, reports said on Wednesday, citing the agency. According to an Instagram ID of Sandeepa Virk, she is an actor and entrepreneur and the founder of a skincare product website Sandeepa Virk, is also under scanner for her purported links with Reliance Group executive, Angarai Natarajan Sethuraman (President, corporate affairs), according to a PTI news agency report. The money-laundering case stems from an FIR lodged by the Punjab Police. Who is Sandeepa Virk According to an Instagram ID of Sandeepa Virk, she is an actor and entrepreneur and the founder of a skincare product website which the ED claims was a "front" for money laundering. The Instagram handle, which also reads 'god's favourite child' in bio, has 1.2 million followers. Another social media-hosted bio data of the woman said she is a certified cosmetologist. The ED took Sandeepa Virk 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, the PTI report said. Sandeepa Virk and her associates are being probed for allegedly exerting undue influence through "misrepresentation" and "defrauding" individuals by soliciting money under false pretences. A special court sent her to the ED's custody till August 14, the agency said. The agency said in a statement that the woman was also "in touch with" Sethuraman, former director of erstwhile Reliance Capital Limited and was was communicating with him regarding 'illegal liaisoning', The ED said 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," the report quoted ED as saying. The ED alleged that public money worth about ₹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. In addition, a home loan of ₹22 crore was provided by Reliance Capital Limited by "violating" the prudential norms, ED claimed. "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", denying any connection with Sandeepa Virk or any transactions related to her. 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. Non-existent products Sandeepa Virk's web portal purportedly sold FDA-approved beauty products. however, the the things listed on the website have been found to be non-existent, ED said, adding that the portal lacks a user registration option and is plagued by persistent payment gateway issues. A scrutiny of the website revealed minimal social-media engagement, an inactive WhatsApp contact number and an absence of transparent organisational details, all of which suggested "non-genuine" commercial activity, according to the ED. "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," ED said. The federal agency said several "incriminating" documents were seized during the searches and the statement of a man named Farrukh Ali, stated to be an associate of Sandeepa Virk, was recorded.
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
ED arrests Sandeepa Virk, ‘cosmetologist' with 1.2M Instagram followers, in money laundering case
Sandeepa Virk, who claims to be an actor and a cosmetologist with over 1.2 million followers on Instagram, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate under the anti-money laundering law in a case of alleged fraud and misrepresentation, the probe agency said on Wednesday. Sandeepa Virk on Instagram. The ED added that Sandeepa Virk's purported links with a Reliance Group executive, Angarai Natarajan Sethuraman (president, corporate affairs), are also under its scanner. Natarajan Sethuraman, in a statement, has denied any connection with the woman or any transactions related to her, news agency PTI reported. The ED took Virk into its 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. The woman has been sent to the ED's custody till August 14 by a special court in Delhi. Who is Sandeepa Virk and what are allegations her? Sandeepa Virk claims to be the owner of a skin care products selling website named which the ED claimed was a 'front' for money laundering. According to an Instagram ID of Virk, she is an actor and entrepreneur and the founder of the said website. Another social media-hosted bio data of the woman said she is a certified cosmetologist. Virk and her associates are being investigated for allegedly exerting undue influence through 'misrepresentation' and 'defrauding' individuals by soliciting money under false pretences. In a statement, the ED said she was also "in touch with" Natarajan Sethuraman, former director of erstwhile Reliance Capital Limited. Virk was allegedly communicating with him regarding 'illegal liaisoning'. The ED claimed 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 ₹ 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. 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 ₹ 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. 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 also issued a statement, dismissing the allegations as 'baseless'. He denied any connection with Virk or any transactions related to her. 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. What ED said about According to the ED, it purportedly sold FDA-approved beauty products. However, 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. 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. (With inputs from PTI)
United News of India
3 days ago
- United News of India
ED arrests influencer for scamming people post searches in Delhi and Mumbai
New Delhi, Aug 13 (UNI) A team of the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) conducted a two-day search operations ending today at multiple locations here and Mumbai and arrested social media influencer Sandeepa Virk for allegedly defrauding individuals by soliciting money under false pretences. According to the agency, she was arrested yesterday under the provisions of PMLA, 2002 and produced before the competent court which has granted custody to the ED till tomorrow, for further investigation. The anti-money laundering agency launched an investigation on the basis of an FIR registered by Police Station Phase-8, SAS Nagar, Punjab, under Sections 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code, 1860. An ED probe revealed that an individual allegedly acquired immovable property in her name by making false promises and cheating, while she claimed to be the owner of a website purportedly selling FDA-approved beauty products, the agency said. As per the probe by the ED, the products listed on the site have been found to be non-existent, while the website lacks a user registration option and is plagued by persistent payment gateway issues. Scrutiny of the website by the agency uncovered minimal social media engagement, an inactive communication platform contact number, and an absence of transparent organisational details, all of which reinforce the conclusion of online fraud. Other factors which include limited product range, inflated pricing, false claims of FDA approval, and several technical inconsistencies, indicate that the website serves as a front for laundering funds, the agency probe points out. ED has claimed that one person with whom she was allegedly in touch with was Angarai Natarajan Sethuraman, a former director of an erstwhile financial services company Reliance Capital. The agency alleged that back in 2018, a large sum of public money belonging to RCFL was disbursed to Sethuraman by flouting prudent lending norms. However, Sethuraman has said that the allegations are entirely baseless. Sethuraman has also said that the home loan he received from Reliance Capital was granted following due process and was secured by the property offered as collateral. He has firmly denied any connection or involvement with Sandeepa Virk or any transactions related to her. UNI AGR ANV SSP
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Indian Express
ED arrests Sandeepa Virk, beauty influencer with 1.2 mn Insta followers, in money-laundering case
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested social media influencer Sandeepa Virk — the beauty brand HybooCare founder with around 1.2 million Instagram followers — in connection with an alleged money laundering case. The ED says Virk was taken into custody on August 12 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, and a court has remanded her to the agency's custody until August 14. On August 12 and 13, multiple ED teams conducted coordinated raids in Delhi and Mumbai. The agency said: 'These operations are part of an ongoing investigation into Virk and her associates, who are alleged to have exerted undue influence through misrepresentation and defrauded individuals by soliciting money under false pretences.' During the searches, the ED says it seized incriminating documents and recorded statements from key persons associated with Virk. The probe follows an FIR filed by the Punjab Police. ED alleges that Virk acquired immovable property through deceptive promises. She purported to be behind * a portal claiming to sell FDA-approved beauty products—which, according to the ED, were 'non-existent.' 'The website lacks user registration, has persistent payment gateway issues, low social media engagement, an inactive WhatsApp contact, and no transparent organisational details—signs that it was primarily a front for laundering funds,' said an ED spokesperson. The agency further claimed that Virk maintained regular contact with Angarai Natarajan Sethuraman, former director at the now-defunct Reliance Capital. The ED says searches at his residence corroborated links to 'illegal liaison work' and exposed diversion of funds for personal benefit: Rs 18 crore disbursed in breach of lending norms and a Rs 22 crore home loan issued without due process. 'Large parts of these loans were siphoned off and remain unpaid,' alleged the ED. Sethuraman has denied the allegations, stating the home loan was granted following due process with adequate collateral and that he has 'no connection or involvement' with Virk or her activities
News18
4 days ago
- News18
Likes And Lies: Influencer Sandeepa Virk Arrested For Duping With 'Fake' Beauty Products Site
Last Updated: Sandeepa Virk was arrested on August 12 following searches in Delhi and Mumbai under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested Instagram influencer Sandeepa Virk, owner of the beauty products website in connection with an alleged money laundering case. Virk was arrested on August 12 following searches in Delhi and Mumbai under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, and was remanded to ED custody till August 14 by a court for further investigation. According to the agency, Virk, who has 1.2 million Instagram followers, is accused of misrepresentation, cheating, and acquiring properties through fraudulent means. 'Allegations are that Virk and her associates have exerted undue influence through misrepresentation and defrauded individuals by soliciting money under false pretence," said ED in a statement on Wednesday. Sources said ED filed a money laundering case on Punjab Police FIR. Investigators claim that which Virk promoted as a seller of 'FDA-approved" beauty products, offered items that were non-existent. She had duped customers and amassed immovable properties, the investigators alleged. 'The limited product range, inflated pricing, false claims of FDA approval, and technical inconsistencies indicate that the website served as a front for laundering funds," the ED alleged. view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
