The raids were carried out in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and the Union Territory of Chandigarh by the NIA as part of a mega operation that began early Thursday morning, a spokesperson of the premier investigating agency said.
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The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has alleged that Chaitanya Baghel, son of former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, handled over Rs 1,000 crore worth of proceeds from a liquor scam and used Rs 16.7 crore for his real estate project.
Witches, werewolves, pilots, engineers, the OTT scene is bursting with all kinds of extremes this week, and Sukanya Verma lists them out.
Police are examining the past records of the arrested men in the sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh murder case and a related case of extortion to decide if the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) should be invoked, sources said on Thursday. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said he had requested senior lawyer Ujjwal Nikam to appear as a special prosecutor in the murder case. The Crime Investigation Department (CID) has sought old case papers and chargesheets against the arrested men. Deshmukh, the sarpanch of Massajog village in Beed, was abducted and brutally killed on December 9, allegedly for opposing an extortion bid by some persons who had demanded money from a windmill company. Beed Police has put up posters seeking information about whereabouts of three wanted accused in the murder case. CM Fadnavis said he spoke to BJP MLA from Beed, Suresh Dhas who demanded that Nikam be appointed as special public prosecutor in the case. Nikam was a special public prosecutor in several high-profile cases, including the 26/11 terror attacks and 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts. Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar claimed that "smaller fish" could be killed in fake encounters to save the "big fish" involved in the Deshmukh murder and extortion cases. Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra legislative council Ambadas Danve said the trial in the case should be conducted outside Beed district. NCP leader Dhananjay Munde, who has come under fire after the alleged involvement of his aide Karad in the extortion matter came to light, said those who murdered Santosh Deshmukh should be tried in a fast-track court and "hanged till death." The government on Wednesday set up a 10-member SIT to probe the case, headed by Deputy Inspector General -CID Basavraj Teli.
What are you going to watch on OTT this week? Sukanya Verma lists your options.
The raids were linked to a sophisticated organised investment fraud scheme targeting unsuspecting individuals through fake mobile apps and WhatsApp groups.
A special court in Thane, India, has acquitted six individuals, including a former corporator, in an extortion case. The court cited "lack of evidence" and "procedural lapses" by the prosecution, as well as "unreliable testimonies" of witnesses, as reasons for granting the accused the benefit of doubt.
The chargesheet in the murder case of Santosh Deshmukh, sarpanch of Massajog village in Beed district, reveals horrific details of the torture he endured at the hands of his abductors. The accused recorded 15 videos, clicked eight photos, and even made two video calls, documenting the brutality. Deshmukh was abducted and killed in December for attempting to foil an extortion bid on an energy company. Seven men, including a close aide of state minister Dhananjay Munde, have been arrested so far.
An alleged synthetic narcotics producer, Kubbawala Mustafa, wanted on an Interpol Red Notice, was deported to India from the UAE in an operation coordinated by the CBI and Mumbai police.
Gangster-turned-politician Arun Gawli along with seven other gang members, including his brother Vijay Ahir, were booked under the provisions of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act in connection with an extortion case on Tuesday
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The sources said that Chaitnaya Baghel was arrested under section 19 of the anti-money laundering as he was allegedly not cooperating during the searches that came about following receipt of fresh evidence in the case.
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The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said it is verifying details of deportation flights to Panama and Costa Rica, which were undertaken as part of a bridge arrangement between the US and the respective governments. The MEA spokesperson said that India is in touch with the local authorities in Panama and Costa Rica to ensure the return of any Indian nationals who may have been deported.
A chargesheet filed by Andhra Pradesh police alleges former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy chaired a meeting related to a new liquor policy under which outlets would be run by a government entity. The chargesheet details alleged kickbacks and money laundering.
Incidentally, the allegations come at a time when Lawrence Bishnoi is in the news in India for his alleged involvement in the murder of Nationalist Congress Party leader Baba Siddique in Mumbai.
Delhi Police have dismantled two inter-state car-jacking syndicates, arresting seven autolifters and recovering stolen vehicles. The operation uncovered a network involved in stealing, dismantling, and transporting vehicles across Delhi-NCR and beyond.
The CBI has significantly increased the rate of fugitive repatriation, bringing back 134 individuals in the last five years, doubling the number from the previous decade. This success is attributed to enhanced diplomatic efforts, technological advancements, and improved coordination with Interpol.
The National Investigation Agency has arrested two close aides of gangster Chhota Shakeel for allegedly handling the illegal activities and financial transactions of the crime syndicate controlled by fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, and for indulging in terror financing in the western suburbs of Mumbai, an official said on Friday.
The syndicate used "stooge" bank accounts and shell companies to transfer the largest amount linked to a single case recorded in the city, the Customs and Excise Department of Hong Kong said.
A Delhi court on Wednesday convicted four people for the murder of television journalist Soumya Vishwanathan, who was shot dead 15 years ago while she was returning home from work.
The court also ordered that of the total fine amount imposed on the convicts, Rs 12 lakh will be paid to the victim's family.
Shetty was shot dead by two alleged members of Rajan's gang on the hotel's first floor on May 4, 2001.
The Supreme Court Tuesday "tentatively" indicated that it is inclined to set aside a part of the high court order quashing the chargesheet against an accused, allegedly involved in the murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh, for the purported offences under the provisions of the Karnataka Control of Organised Crimes Act (KCOCA).
The agency seized documents like answer sheets, OMR codes, hand-written notes related to IDs and names of candidates apart from their education certificates, the sources said.
The other three people chargesheeted are Arif Abubakar Shaikh, Shabbir Abubakar Shaikh and Mohammad Salim Qureshi --- all residents of Mumbai.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted searches at the residence of former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel in Raipur and Bhilai on Wednesday. The agency also searched the residences of a senior police officer and a close associate of the former chief minister. The CBI is tight-lipped about the matter in which the searches are taking place. Further details are awaited. Recently, the Enforcement Directorate had conducted searches at Baghel's residence in connection with an alleged liquor scam case.
The D-Company has established a special unit to strike terror in people of India by attacking eminent personalities, including political leaders and businesspersons, the probe agency further claimed.
The Enforcement Directorate on Monday raided the premises of former Chhattisgarh chief minister and senior Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel as part of a money laundering investigation against his son in the alleged liquor scam case and seized about Rs 30 lakh apart from some documents, official sources said.
A Delhi court, which discharged cricketers S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan in the sensational 2013 IPL-6 spot-fixing case, has held there was no prima facie evidence to suggest that they had any nexus with the organised crime syndicate.
The Delhi police has busted five betting syndicates in the past fortnight, with betting amounts totaling to a swaggering 5.13 crore.
Thirty-year-old Jitendra Mann 'Gogi', who was shot dead in a crowded Rohini court room on Friday, was one of Delhi's most wanted criminals and the chief of an "extremely sophisticated" organised crime syndicate.
Despite being lodged in prison, Bishnoi has allegedly managed to execute murders of many high-profile people, including Punjabi singer Siddhu Moosewala in 2022, Karni Sena chief Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi in 2023, besides orchestrating firing outside the residences of singers A P Dhillon and Gippy Garewal in Canada, the officer said.
An extensive drug trafficking network operating throughout north India, with a particular focus on Shimla, has been busted following the arrest of two individuals - one from Kolkata and one from Delhi. The syndicate used online platforms for booking drugs, misusing innocent people's accounts and delivering drugs through couriers. Police have frozen 21 accounts associated with the network and arrested 16 individuals, including the kingpin, Sandeep Shah.
Sources in the Delhi police said the investigation has made much progress and they have "enough evidence" to prove an organized crime syndicate in the case to justify slapping of MCOCA against the accused cricketers.
Controversial Uttar Pradesh legislator Mukhtar Ansari was on Saturday released on custody parole from Central Jail in Agra for a day to campaign in Lok Sabha election.
The Canadian government on Tuesday named Satinder Singh Brar, nicknamed Goldy Brar, the alleged mastermind in the killing of famous singer-politician Sidhu Moosewala, among the country's top 25 wanted criminals.
Despite being a well-organised crime syndicate, the state police department has not been successful in booking even one adulteration criminal under the MCOCA
Chandrakar along with another promoter of the app, Ravi Uppal was detained and put under "house arrest" in that country late last year following the ED's request for issuance of a Red Notice (RN) against them.
