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Charge sheet against ED ex-Deputy Director in Unipay case
Chandigarh, Dec 7 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a charge sheet against its former Deputy Director Gurnam Singh alleging that he misrepresented the case of investors of Unipay ponzi schemes in collusion with an advocate, and took a bribe of Rs 4.5 crore from the promoters of the firm, the agency said on Friday.
The charge sheet, filed in a sessions court on Wednesday under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), also mentions the names of Singh’s wife Dalip Kaur and advocate Puneet Sharma, who was counsel of Unipay investors and represented the writ petitions before the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
The move came a day after the ED issued orders for attachment of Rs 4.8 crore worth of properties belonging to Singh, his wife and Sharma.
The probe agency said that Singh was in the habit of misusing his official position and power for his personal benefits, hence was repatriated back to his parent department on January 20, 2017.
“Singh extracted money from the investors through Sharma by misrepresenting and making false claims of his proximity to people in positions of power, authority and at the same time took bribe from the promoters of the ponzi schemes,” said the ED.
“He had received bribe ranging between Rs 3.5 crore and Rs 4.5 crore from the accused persons with a fraudulent promise to settle the writ petition in the High Court as well as ongoing investigation in the instant case registered by the ED,” said the agency.
“The bribe illegally obtained by Singh was structured in the form of immovable properties in his name and of his wife and was later on projected as being untainted.”
The ED said it had conducted searches on March 22 and 23 at the residences of Singh, Sharma and accused persons and recovered documents relating to possession of movable and immovable properties.
The FIRs were registered in Haryana, Punjab and Chandigarh against the agents of Unipay2U Marketing Pvt Ltd and Unipaygateway2U Trading Pvt Ltd based in Chennai, and having offices in Bengaluru.
The companies had Managing Director Mugundham Gangam, a Malaysian national, besides other Indian directors.
The company floated online investment scheme on the basis of various complex marketing level techniques of referral and binary system.
The investors were lured with assured return of 21 per cent for 10 months. Initially, the company paid back the money to the investors to gain their confidence but after sometime it fled with the money of the investors.
The aggrieved investors approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2011 by filing various writ petitions against the company and its agents through advocate Sharma.
The High Court entrusted the investigation with ED Chandigarh in 2012 and the agency filed a case on March 7, 2012.
The first charge sheet in the case was filed on September 27, 2017 and the other one on July 17.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.