Hardik Pandya’s two watches worth 5 croreshave been confiscated by the customs department on his arrival in India late onSunday (November 14) night. The watches were seized by the customs officialafter they noticed a discrepancy in the serial numbers mentioned on the watchesand invoice.
This incident took place at the airport whenteam India returned home from UAE after showing a disappointing game in ICCWorld T20I tournament 2021.
After the luxury watches were seized, sourcessaid that the cricketer pre-owned the watches, but as per customs the seriesnumber of the watches did not match and the amounts disclosed were alsowrong.
"The cost of the watch is Rs 1.50 croreand not Rs 5 crore as per the rumours floating around on social media. I hadvoluntarily declared all the items that I'd lawfully purchased from Dubai andwas ready to pay whatever duties that needed to be paid… All allegationsagainst me of crossing any legal boundaries are totally unfounded," saidPandya.
"I am a law-abiding citizen of thecountry and respect all government agencies. I have received all thecooperation from the Mumbai Customs department and I have assured my fullcooperation to them with whatever legitimate documents they need to get thismatter cleared," Pandya said.
On the other hand, Virat Kohli was involvedin a controversy over the admittance of 'gay' persons into his restaurant 'One8commune,' netizens said it was 'quite shameful.' The star cricketer has arestaurant franchise with locations in Pune, Delhi, and Kolkata. "Stagsare not allowed," their Zomato listings state. This sparked outrage amongnetizens, who accused Kohli of discrimination.
On social media, he was chastised and toldthat his behaviour was wrong. Following the criticism, the LGBTQIA+ activitygroup 'Yes, We Exist' demanded that the restaurant chain make the 'necessarychanges as soon as possible.’
One8 Commune, the restaurant chain, deniedall of the charges, claiming that their policy had been misunderstood. Itstated that 'stag entry' is prohibited, implying that 'individual boys are notpermitted.' Taking to Instagram stories, the chain said,"At one8 Commune,we believe in welcoming all people irrespective of their gender and/orpreferences with utmost respect and honour. As our name denotes, we have alwaysbeen inclusive in serving all communities since our inception."
It further claimed, "Similar to industrywide practice and in conformity with government rules, we obviously have aprohibition of stag entry. policy (subject to necessary relaxation) in place soas to ensure a safe and enjoyable environment for our guests. That does not inany way. mean that our company policy provides any discriminatory entry rulesfor/against any particular community"