Anca Verma (née Neacșu, born 8 August 1987) is the Romanian

supermodel A supermodel, also spelled super-model or super model, is a highly paid fashion model who usually has a worldwide reputation and often a background in ''haute couture'' and commercial modeling. The term ''supermodel'' became prominent in the po ...

, businesswoman and wife of

arms dealer The arms industry, also known as the arms trade, is a global industry which manufactures and sells weapons and military technology. It consists of a commercial industry involved in the research and development, engineering, production, and servi ...

Abhishek Verma.

Career

Verma graduated from the University of Galați with a master's degree in engineering. After leaving modelling, she joined Atlas Telecom Network Romania, a mobile service provider, and was appointed the Deputy general manager of Bucharest operations. Upon her marriage to Abhishek Verma in 2006, she became his lieutenant in his global weapons trade and defense supplies business; in 2011 she bought into 51% equity and was appointed the Managing Director of

SIG Sauer Several brother companies that design and manufacture firearms use the brand name SIG Sauer . The original company, ''Schweizerische Waggon-Fabrik'' (SWF), later ''Schweizerische Industrie-Gesellschaft'' (SIG), went through several selloffs, ...

India, a joint venture with the multinational weapons contractor. Verma is the Chairperson of Olialia World a

fast moving consumer goods Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), also known as consumer packaged goods (CPG), are products that are sold quickly and at a relatively low cost. Examples include non-durable household goods such as packaged foods, beverages, toiletries, can ...

multinational corporation A multinational company (MNC), also referred to as a multinational enterprise (MNE), a transnational enterprise (TNE), a transnational corporation (TNC), an international corporation or a stateless corporation with subtle but contrasting senses, i ...

. Verma was awarded the contract to construct & own

Maldives Maldives (, ; dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ, translit=Dhivehi Raajje, ), officially the Republic of Maldives ( dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ, translit=Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa, label=none, ), is an archipelag ...

International Airport with an investment of US$500 million. This airport would be known as 'Olialia International Airport' for 50 years. Close to the

international airport An international airport is an airport with customs and border control facilities enabling passengers to travel between countries around the world. International airports are usually larger than domestic airports and they must feature longer ...

in Maldives, Verma is developing another island into a

five star Five Star (also styled as 5 Star) are a British pop group, formed in 1983 and comprising siblings Stedman, Lorraine, Denise, Doris and Delroy Pearson. Between 1985 and 1988, Five Star had four top 20 albums and 15 top 40 singles in the UK, ...

hotel called the Olialia Island

Resort A resort (North American English) is a self-contained commercial establishment that tries to provide most of a vacationer's wants, such as food, drink, swimming, lodging, sports, entertainment, and shopping, on the premises. The term ''resort ...

. Verma is involved in philanthropic activities in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

. In March 2020 Verma donated millions of facemasks, sanitizers and medical supplies to hospitals in India to protect

healthcare professionals A health professional, healthcare professional, or healthcare worker (sometimes abbreviated HCW) is a provider of health care treatment and advice based on formal training and experience. The field includes those who work as a nurse, physician (suc ...

and patients from Corona Virus flu.

Arrest and imprisonment

Verma and her husband have been accused of corruption and money laundering and were arrested by the CBI for supposedly

bribing Bribery is the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official, or other person, in charge of a public or legal duty. With regard to governmental operations, essentially, bribery is "Corr ...

Indian defense officials to secure billion-dollar weapons contracts. On 8 June 2012 they were both imprisoned in

Tihar Jail Tihar Prisons, also called Tihar Jail and Tihar Ashram, is a prison complex in India and the largest complex of prisons in South Asia. Run by Department of Delhi Prisons, Government of Delhi, the prison contains nine central prisons, and is one ...

, Delhi. Verma was the inspiration for author Sunetra Choudhury who wrote a book Prison Tales published by

Roli Books Roli Books is an Indian publishing house that produces books pertaining to Indian heritage. It was founded in 1978 by Pramod Kapoor and is jointly run along with his family. Its imprints include Lustre Press for illustrated books, India Ink ...

and featured Verma as the

VIP A very important person or personage (VIP or V.I.P.) is a person who is accorded special privileges due to their high social status, influence or importance. The term was not common until sometime after World War 2 by RAF pilots. Examples inc ...

inmate who wore 24K gold plated

Louis Vuitton Louis Vuitton Malletier, commonly known as Louis Vuitton (, ), is a French high-end Luxury goods, luxury fashion house and company founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton (designer), Louis Vuitton. The label's LV monogram appears on most of its produc ...

high heel shoes in prison. Verma's bail plea was rejected by the

Delhi High Court The High Court of Delhi (IAST: ''dillī uchcha nyāyālaya'') was established on 31 October 1966, through the ''Delhi High Court Act, 1966'', with four judges, Chief Justice K. S. Hegde, Justice I. D. Dua, Justice H. R. Khanna and Justice S. ...

in March 2015, but on 20 May 2016 the court granted her bail after four years in prison. According to Indian investigators, their attempts to freeze Verma's offshore bank accounts in the

tax haven A tax is a compulsory financial charge or some other type of levy imposed on a taxpayer (an individual or legal entity) by a governmental organization in order to fund government spending and various public expenditures (regional, local, or n ...

Principality of Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constitutional monarch ...

had been unsuccessful as the Liechtenstein government rejected the request from

Enforcement Directorate The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) is a law enforcement agency and economic intelligence agency responsible for enforcing economic laws and fighting economic crime in India. It is part of the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, Gover ...

India, calling it a '

fishing expedition A fishing expedition is an informal, pejorative term for a non-specific search for information, especially incriminating information. It is most frequently organized by policing authorities. Media In the UK, Abu Hamza and Yaser al-Sirri, Jim Dav ...

' as no charges had been brought forward that could constitute a criminal offence in Liechtenstein or the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

. In April 2017, Verma was

exonerated Exoneration occurs when the conviction for a crime is reversed, either through demonstration of innocence, a flaw in the conviction, or otherwise. Attempts to exonerate convicts are particularly controversial in death penalty cases, especially w ...

Special court An extraordinary court, or special court, is a type of court that is established outside of ordinary judiciary, composed of irregularly selected judges or applies irregular procedure for judgment. Since extraordinary court can be abused to infrin ...

of CBI in New Delhi from all charges of corruption and moneylaundering and the two cases against Verma were dismissed.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Verma, Anca Living people 1987 births People from Galați Romanian female models Romanian women in business Romanian emigrants to India Romanian expatriates in India Romanian people imprisoned abroad Inmates of Tihar Jail Prisoners and detainees of India 21st-century Romanian women