Sandeepa Virk Granted Bail: Key Highlights From The Delhi High Court Order

The Case: Film Roles and Fake Beauty Products

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Virk in August 2025 following a money laundering probe based on a 2016 Punjab Police FIR.

• The Allegation: Virk and the main accused, Amit Gupta, allegedly duped a woman of nearly ₹6 crore between 2008 and 2013 by promising her a lead role in a film.
• Money Laundering: The ED alleged that Virk received ₹1.03 crore of the “proceeds of crime” in her bank accounts, which she used to purchase a luxury flat in Andheri West, Mumbai, and two properties in Tilak Nagar, Delhi.
• The “Front”: Investigators claimed Virk used a fake e-commerce website, hyboocare.com, which purportedly sold FDA-approved beauty products, as a front to project illicit funds as legitimate income.

Why the Court Granted Bail

Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma noted several critical factors that favored Virk’s release:

1. Significant Delay: The court pointed out that while the alleged transactions occurred between 2008 and 2013, the ED only recorded the case (ECIR) in 2025—nearly 12 years later.
2. Clean Record in Predicate Offence: In the original 2016 FIR, Virk was neither charge-sheeted by the police nor summoned by a magistrate during private complaint proceedings.
3. Gender-Based Proviso: Under Section 45 of the PMLA, women are eligible for relaxation from the “twin conditions” for bail. The court exercised this discretion, evaluating the plea on ordinary bail principles.
4. Principal Accused at Large: While Virk has been in custody for over four months, the alleged mastermind, Amit Gupta, has been declared a “proclaimed offender” and remains at large.

Bail Conditions

The High Court directed Virk’s release subject to the following:

• Financial Bond: A personal bond of ₹2 lakh with two sureties of the same amount.
• Travel Restrictions: She must surrender her passport and cannot leave the country without court permission.
• Cooperation: She must provide her permanent address and mobile number to the investigating officer and appear for all trial proceedings.

Who is Sandeepa Virk?

Sandeepa Virk is a popular social media personality with over 1.2 million followers on Instagram. She describes herself as an actor, entrepreneur, and certified cosmetologist. Prior to this case, she was also under the scanner for purported links to high-ranking corporate executives regarding “illegal liaisoning” and the siphoning of funds.