The Delhi Police Special Cell arrested a man from Hyderabad for allegedly trafficking Indian youths and forcing them to work in fake call centres engaging in cyber fraud. The arrest came after a 2,500-kilometre non-stop chase, an officer said. The accused, Kamran Haider alias Zaidi, carried a reward of Rs 2 lakh on information leading to his arrest, declared by the National Investigation Agency. Zaidi was apprehended near Nampally Railway Station, Hyderabad, Telangana while trying to escape to another hideout.
A 19-year-old Pune student, arrested for a social media post concerning Indo-Pak hostilities, has been released from jail after the Bombay high court granted her bail while rebuking the Maharashtra government for "ruining her life" and turning her into a "hardcore criminal".
The accused, a post-graduate in commerce, who had also worked as a driver at Dubai airport, learnt the theft techniques from information available on social media platforms like YouTube and WhatsApp.
Police personnel in Maharashtra's Beed district will now put up their name plates without surnames, in an attempt to eliminate caste-based discrimination. This follows an earlier directive by the Superintendent of Police (SP) Navneet Kanwat in January to address each other by their first name, and not surname. The move comes in the wake of the murder of a village sarpanch, allegedly by members of a dominant community, which had a caste angle. The new policy is being implemented across police stations and offices in the district, with nearly 100 name plates distributed so far.
Bus services between Karnataka and Maharashtra have been suspended following attacks on buses and their crew. The decision was taken given the tension prevailing in the border district of Belagavi over a sensitive issue. The language row began after a group of people allegedly intercepted a KSRTC bus and assaulted its conductor and driver for not speaking to a passenger in Marathi. The passenger, a minor girl, also filed a complaint stating that the conductor misbehaved with her. However, the family of the minor girl has decided to withdraw the case and urged people to stop escalating the matter into a language dispute between Karnataka and Maharashtra.
Kunal Kamra has accepted money from Uddhav Thackeray and is targeting Eknath Shinde, Mhaske alleged.
A student from Jammu and Kashmir studying at a pharmacy college in Nagpur was thrashed by a group of local residents, prompting police to investigate the incident. The student, who ruled out a hate motive, said he was attacked by "anti-social elements" after being questioned about his origin. The J&K Students Association has called for action against the perpetrators.
Curfew has been lifted in Nagpur after six days of violence that rocked the city. The situation is now peaceful, according to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The violence, which began on March 17, was sparked by rumors that a "chadar" with holy inscriptions was burned during protests by the VHP and Bajrang Dal demanding the removal of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb's tomb. The police have arrested more than 100 people in connection with the violence.
The Bombay High Court criticized the Maharashtra government for arresting a 19-year-old student from Pune for her social media post on Indo-Pak hostilities, calling its reaction "radical." The court granted the student bail and said the state's actions were unwarranted and had turned a student into a criminal. The court also questioned the conduct of the college for rusticating the student, stating that an educational institution's approach should be to reform, not punish. The student had reposted a post on Instagram that criticized the Indian government for provoking a war against Pakistan, but she later deleted the post and apologized for her actions. The college, however, deemed the post to be anti-national and expelled the student. The court emphasized that mistakes are bound to happen, especially at a young age, and urged the college to focus on reforming students rather than punishing them.
If he doesn't apologise, we will speak to him in our own style. Shiv Sena won't leave him. We won't tolerate this insult
Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra, facing backlash for his jokes on Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, has moved the Madras High Court seeking transit anticipatory bail. Kamra, who hails from Tamil Nadu's Vullupuram district, fears arrest by Mumbai Police after being summoned twice for his comments during a recent show.
Refusal to share his mPIN cost the businessman his life.
The Nagpur municipal chief has offered an unconditional apology to the Bombay High Court for the demolition of houses belonging to accused in a riots case, citing ignorance of Supreme Court guidelines on such actions. The civic officials were unaware of the Supreme Court's order, which mandates procedural safeguards before demolishing properties linked to riots accused, the commissioner stated in an affidavit. The court has granted the Maharashtra government two weeks to respond to the matter.
In a video which has gone viral on social media, the store employee is heard telling a customer, "I will not speak in Marathi, I will speak only in Hindi. Do what you want to do."
Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavaraju, the powerful general secretary of Communist Party of India-Maoist killed in an encounter along with 26 others on Wednesday, had masterminded several major attacks on security forces in Chhattisgarh and his death is a big blow to the armed movement, said officials.
A division bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Prithviraj Chavan said there seems to be nothing amiss about the death.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday announced the withdrawal of police cases filed against pro-Maratha reservation protesters in Jalna district, the epicentre of the latest round of stir on the issue, and urged quota activist Manoj Jarange to end his indefinite fast.
The ISI strategy has been to use its proxies to target Hindus in India. They want an outrage and counter-targeting of India's minorities. Further, even the whiff of it restores the Pakistan army's popularity, especially when it's in the dumps, like now, points out Shekhar Gupta.
The administration has introduced 'Maidan Cup' in collaboration with the Mann Deshi Foundation and Sachin Tendulkar Foundation, under which 50 playgrounds will be developed in Dantewada to boost sports culture and talent.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday came down heavily on the Karnataka government over actor Kamal Haasan's film "Thug Life" not being released in the state, saying mob and vigilantes cannot be allowed to take to the streets.
About 2,000 petrol pumps, mostly in western and northern India, have run out of fuel stocks as the strike by some truckers' associations entered the second day on Tuesday.
Speculations about a rapprochement between Uddhav Thackeray and his estranged cousin Raj Thackeray are gathering steam, but leaders of the Shiv Sena (UBT) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) acknowledge that personal ties and organisational synergy are significant hurdles that need to be overcome. While both parties have expressed a willingness to put aside "trivial issues" and unite, the prospect of a reunion is complex, involving family dynamics, ideological differences, and the potential for internal conflicts. The reunion buzz has come at a time when both parties are experiencing a political nadir, with the Sena (UBT) winning 20 seats and the MNS drawing a blank in the 2024 assembly polls. The prospect of the two cousins coming together has enthused supporters of both parties, but it might not be the case with a section of cadres and party leaders. Key concerns include seat-sharing agreements, potential conflicts in areas with strong bases for both parties, and ideological differences.
The comedian has failed to appear before the Mumbai police for questioning despite three summons issued to him.
Maharashtra assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar on Tuesday said he has asked the state police to maintain strict vigil and seal borders to ensure there is no transportation of cattle from neighbouring states and also no attack on gau rakshaks (cow vigilantes).
Karnataka Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy has expressed his support for a bus conductor, Mahadevappa Hukkeri, who was allegedly assaulted in Belagavi for not speaking Marathi. The incident has reignited the decades-old border dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka. Five people have been arrested in connection with the assault, but the Minister has called for the arrest of others involved. The attack has also led to allegations of a false POCSO case being registered against the conductor.
Fadnavis said, "The 2024 assembly polls results have shown who is a gaddar (traitor) and who is a khuddar (self-respecting). People have put a stamp of approval on Shinde being the true inheritor of (Shiv Sena founder) Bal Thackeray's legacy."
The three gunmen involved in the killing of Nationalist Congress Party leader Baba Siddique in Mumbai practiced firing near a waterfall in adjoining Raigad district before executing the murder, police officials said on Tuesday citing their investigation.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Friday that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Union Home Ministry will decide where 26/11 terror attack conspirator Tahawwur Rana will be taken for probe. Rana was extradited from the US.
Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra failed to appear before Khar police in Mumbai on Monday in connection with a case registered against him for his "traitor" jibe at Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. A police team visited his Mahim "home" to check his availability, but he wasn't there. Kamra later took a jibe at the police, saying the visit was a waste of time and public resources as he had not been living there for the past 10 years. This was the second time Kamra was summoned by the police. Kamra has been granted interim anticipatory bail by the Madras High Court on the condition that he executes a bond in Tamil Nadu, where he currently resides. The case stems from a video lampooning Shinde over the split in the Shiv Sena, which led to Shiv Sainiks ransacking the studio where the video was shot and the hotel where it is located.
Though the police have not found their links in Siddique's murder case as of now, the accused were being further interrogated, she said.
The Whatsapp helpline of Mumbai traffic police received a message from a Pakistan number containing a threat to blow up Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' office in Mantralaya, an official said on Friday.
Violence erupted in central Nagpur on Monday with stones hurled at police amid rumours that the holy book of a community was burnt during an agitation by a right-wing body for the removal of Aurangzeb's tomb, officials said.
Fadnavis further said it was too early to comment on a foreign or Bangladeshi link to the riots as the probe is underway.
Abu Farhan Azmi, son of Maharashtra Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Azmi and husband of actress Ayesha Takia, has been booked by the Goa police for allegedly getting involved in a fight at a public place. The incident occurred in Candolim, North Goa, on Monday night. According to police, Farhan Azmi reportedly threatened the other group with a licensed firearm he was carrying. The police filed a case against Azmi and others under section 194 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for disturbing public peace and causing affray.
Before the violence and rioting that erupted in Nagpur on Monday, March 17, over Mughal emperor Aurangzeb's tomb came provocative statements from various political leaders.
The IMD issued a "Nowcast" warning, forecasting thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and intense spells of rain with gusty winds reaching 50-60 kmph at isolated places in Mumbai in the next three to four hours.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has denied rumours that a cloth with Quranic verses was burnt during a protest in Nagpur. He attributed the subsequent violence to a planned attempt to disrupt social harmony and vowed to punish those who attacked police. Fadnavis stated that the violence was triggered by false rumours about the burning of a 'chadar' with Quranic verses during a protest demanding the removal of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb's tomb.
While acknowledging that they needed strong allies for a chance in the assembly polls, AIADMK cadres seemingly prefer actor-politician Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam to the BJP, owing to the latter's 'communal agenda' and consequent hardline Hindutva image, explains N Sathiya Moorthy.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has said that while certain documents and furniture have been burnt in a fire at its Mumbai office, there is no impediment to probes or trials as files are also stored digitally. The fire broke out on Sunday at the mezzanine floor of the ED's Mumbai Zonal Office-I, located in the Kaiser-I-Hind building. The agency said that the fire was caused by a short circuit and that the office is now operational from a different location. The ED is also in the process of establishing a standalone office space in Mumbai.
The Bombay High Court expressed its dismay over the Maharashtra government's failure to register an FIR against five policemen involved in the custodial death of Akshay Shinde, despite an explicit court order. The court, alleging a deliberate attempt to disregard its directives, threatened contempt proceedings against senior CID officers for non-compliance. The case pertains to Shinde's death while in police custody, accused of sexually assaulting two kindergarten girls in Badlapur. An inquiry report by a magistrate indicted the five policemen, suggesting a possible fake encounter. The court emphasized the importance of following the rule of law and stated that the government's inaction would send a detrimental message to society.