Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani received fresh threat emails, warning him of serious consequences for ignoring previous messages of Rs 400 crore as extortion demand, Mumbai police said on Saturday.
As per police, two threatening emails were received between October 31 and November and the sender introduced himself as Shadab Khan.
“Industrialist Mukesh Ambani received two threat emails once again between October 31 and November 1, warning him of serious consequences for ignoring previous emails wherein the person (sender of the mail) had demanded Rs 400 crore,” police said.
Earlier Ambani received death threats via email threatening to shoot him if he failed to pay Rs 20 crore. The ransom subsequently kept increasing to Rs 200 crore and Rs 400 crore each time a fresh email was sent.
“The sender cites a lack of response to the previous email and increases the ransom, Mumbai police had said, adding that the first such threatening mail was sent on October 28.
After receiving the email, based on the complaint of Mukesh Ambani’s security in-charge, the Gamdevi Police of Mumbai registered a case against an unknown person under section 387 (putting a person in fear of death or of grievous hurt in order to commit extortion) and 506 (2) (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
On Saturday (3rd November), Union Minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani slammed Chattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel for allegedly receiving kickbacks to the tune of Rs 508 crores to fund the Congress party’s poll expenses. The minister asked whether the Congress party is using hawala operators with connection to the Mahadev betting app to campaign in Chhattisgarh.
In a press conference on Friday, Smriti Irani stated that one of the most volatile and shocking pieces of evidence regarding the use of Hawala operations and illicit money flowing from Dubai by illegal betting operators to fund the Congress party’s electoral expenses in Chhattisgarh has come to the fore.
“Yesterday, shocking facts regarding Bhupesh Baghel emerged before the country. More than Rs 5.30 Crores was seized from a man called Asim Das. Is it true that Congress leaders received money from Asim Das, via Shubham Soni? Is it true that Shubham Soni was ordered by Asim Das over a voicemail to go to Raipur and give money to Baghel as election expenses?” Minister Irani said.
The union minister also questioned the Congress party if money was recovered from Asim Das at a hotel on 2nd November.
“Is it true that money was recovered from Asim Das at Hotel Trident on November 2? Is it true that Rs 15.50 crore from different bank accounts were frozen under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act?” Irani asked.
It is with a deep sense of outrage that I pose the following questions to Bhupesh Baghel:
Is it true that Aseem Das, who has been arrested, was under instructions to take money and help fund the elections of the Congress party?
Highlighting Asim Das’s confession that he did come to Raipur from Dubai and that he was ordered to provide funds to Congress for poll expenses, Minister Irani questioned CM Baghel and Congress leadership. She alleged that CM Baghel and Congress played the game of betting while being in power as she said: “Satta (government) mein baith ke Satta (betting) ka khel khela hai Bhupesh Baghel ne.”
“What is extremely shocking is the belief that the investigation agencies are in receipt and possession of a recorded message from Shubham Soni to specifically and urgently go to Raipur to supply funds to Baghel for the elections of Chhattisgarh. Shubham Soni, in his written admission, has stated that till now over ₹500 crores have been given in bribes for political protection by the illegal Betting Racket, namely the Mahadev Online Book Promoters in Chhattisgarh,” Irani said.
What is extremely shocking is the belief that the investigation agencies are in receipt and possession of a recorded message from Shubham Soni to specifically and urgently go to Raipur to supply funds to Baghel for the elections of Chhattisgarh.
“Today I am asking all these questions to Bhupesh Baghel ji and the Congress leadership. Asim Das has admitted in his statement that he came to Raipur from Dubai as per orders and he had received orders to give money for the election expenses of Congress. Asim Das admitted that the money was from illegal betting operations of the Mahadev App. Asim Das confessed that Shubham is involved in the top-level management of the Mahadev online app,” the minister continued.
As reported earlier, ED has reportedly found that regular payments have been made in the past and so far around Rs 508 Crore have been paid by Mahadev App Promoters to Bhupesh Baghel.
“But this is not the only such information, rather another shocking fact has come to the fore. The promoters of the Mahadev App, who wanted protection from the administration and Congress leaders, also used to send protection money through an officer named Chandrabhushan Verma, who has so far managed a bribe of Rs 65 crore,” the BJP leader added.
This comes after the Enforcement Directorate recently said that regular payments have been made in the past and so far around Rs 508 crore has been paid by Mahadev App Promoters to Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel. The ED received credible inputs and conducted successful search operations on November 2 in Chhattisgarh in which Rs 5.39 crore in cash was intercepted in the poll-bound state.
The Congress is opposed to portraying any member of the I.N.D.I. Alliance as a prime ministerial candidate to challenge Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, according to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge in an exclusive interview with NDTV.
It is preferable, according to him, to be contest elections without a common PM candidate so that parties can convene and choose a candidate. He stressed, “This will ensure all are together in the run-up to the general election.” So evidently, Kharge admitted that even as the 2024 elections are just months away, there is no consensus among the I.N.D.I.Alliance partners regarding a PM candidate and there is a risk of the coalition breaking apart over the issue.
The Congress has revealed that it is in communication with all of its partners in the coalition, including Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of Bihar to clarify that the party needed to take a break from the opposition meetings because the state elections are also important to it. He alleged that confronting the Bharatiya Janata Party required forging an alliance and cooperating as a unit.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar recently accused Congress of ignoring the opposition bloc in a CPI (Communist Party of India) rally. The Congress party, he emphasised, is not paying attention to the alliance because it is too consumed with preparing for the assembly polls that are coming up in five states.
The Bihar CM added, “We have been speaking to them, pushing them forward in I.N.D.I. Alliance. But, of late, there has not been much progress on that front. The Congress seems to be more interested in the five assembly polls.”
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge also pointed out that his party’s state divisions oppose any cooperation with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). He added that despite the fact that the Congress and the Left parties are fierce rivals in Kerala, the AAP ought to consider supporting and fighting alongside the coalition in a manner similar to what the Left parties are doing across the country.
It is evident from his unambiguous stance against endorsing a prime ministerial candidate that Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi is not a serious contender for the prime ministerial position. NDTV quoted anonymous party sources to add that the Gandhi scion does not particularly want to be considered for the post.
All is not well in the Congress-led coalition as regular infighting and tussle are witnessed between the alliance partners. Congress is continuously under fire from Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav. He recently slammed them for promising him six seats in the upcoming Madhya Pradesh assembly election but failing to give even one seat to his party. He charged that even after this arrangement was agreed upon, Congress fielded candidates for every seat and left no space for the Samajwadi Party.
Yadav then took a jab at his coalition partner for demanding a nationwide caste census and contended that it was being done for political reasons. He remarked that the fact that Congress is now requesting a caste census is a ‘miracle.’ The former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister emphasised that the grand old party has come to the realisation that voters in backward areas do not support them.
Ahead of the state assembly elections, Rajasthan’s senior Congress leader and former MP Karan Singh Yadav resigned from the party on Friday (3rd November). In a letter addressed to Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge, he expressed his discontent with the allocation of Congress tickets in the Alwar district. The assembly elections in Rajasthan are scheduled to be held on 25 November. Karan Singh Yadav’s resignation from the party comes as a big blow to the Congress organisation facing the challenge of defending the Ashok Gehlot government.
Karan Singh Yadav urged for a reassessment of the party candidates declared for the Kathumar and Rajgarh-Laxmangarh, as well as Behror seats. He further cautioned that if these changes are not implemented, his letter should be considered as his resignation from Congress and that this resignation should be accepted.
On Friday, Karan Singh Yadav and his supporters also held a massive protest outside Congress leader Sonia Gandhi’s residence over ticket distribution for Rajasthan assembly elections. At this time, his supporters raised slogans against Congress leader Bhanwar Jitendra Singh who is considered a close aide of Rahul Gandhi.
#WATCH | Delhi: Former Congress MP Karan Singh Yadav and his supporters hold a protest outside Congress leader Sonia Gandhi's residence over ticket distribution for Rajasthan assembly elections pic.twitter.com/NMjW1Jwlgv
Former Member of Parliament Karan Singh Yadav is currently in disagreement with the Congress party’s decision to nominate Sanjay Yadav from Behror, Mangelal Meena from Rajgarh-Laxmangarh, and Sanjana Yadav from Kathua constituency. He emphasised that Johrilal Meena from Rajgarh-Laxmangarh and Babulal Bairwa from Kathua have previously served as three-time MLAs, and it is not appropriate to deny tickets to such experienced leaders.
Yadav is advocating for the Congress ticket to be given to long-standing activist Advocate Bastiram Yadav from Behror. Additionally, Yadav stated his intention to meet the party’s organisational General Secretary, KC Venugopal, on Saturday.
The dissatisfaction among Congress leaders regarding the allocation of tickets appears to be ongoing. In addition to Yadav, several former MLAs have publicly voiced their discontent with the ticket distribution and have declared their intentions to contest the elections if the tickets are not reconsidered. Johrilal Meena, an MLA representing the Rajgarh-Laxmangarh assembly constituency, has submitted his nomination as an Independent candidate, despite being denied a ticket by the party.
A coordination committee was established by the Alwar district Congress president to handle ticket distribution row within the Congress party. The committee had the task of meeting with disgruntled leaders and managing the situation. However, even after two days had passed, the committee did not achieve significant success in this endeavour. The matter has now reached Delhi.
The 2017 Unnao rape survivor has accused her mother, sister, and her incarcerated uncle, who is currently serving a 10-year term in Tihar Jail, and a female friend of her uncle, of extorting money and causing immense distress in her life. According to the victim, these individuals have reportedly seized money (over Rs 1 crore) provided by the government and different organisations as aid following the rape incident.
Former BJP and SP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar was eventually convicted and awarded a life sentence in the 2017 Unnao rape case. Since the victim was a minor in 2017, Sengar has been convicted under POCSO charges. The rape survivor’s FIR against her family members was filed on 19th October.
Furthermore, the victim has alleged that these individuals also took over the apartment allocated to her in Delhi. The mother of this rape victim is a Congress leader. The victim has filed a complaint with the police in this regard. The victim said that despite being eight months pregnant, she was thrown out of the flat.
In her complaint, filed after releasing a video on social media in September, the victim said, “My sister is trying to implicate my husband in a rape case and threatening to file an FIR so that my last resort is also taken away.” The Unnao rape victim has submitted an application to the SP demanding action against the four accused.
According to the victim, her uncle, who has a history of criminal behaviour, is presently serving a 10-year sentence in Tihar Jail for attempted murder. Simultaneously, her mother holds significant political influence, having contested the previous assembly elections on a Congress ticket. The victim alleged that these individuals are persistently tormenting her and have unlawfully appropriated the huge sum of money she received as helped from the government and several NGOs.
The victim has claimed that during the time of the incident, she was considered a minor, resulting in all the funds being deposited into her uncle’s and mother’s accounts. They allegedly took possession of all these funds. The victim further stated that when she requested money from her uncle, he cited additional expenses incurred in the legal battle.
As per the FIR accessed by OpIndia, the victim asserted that her spouse has provided unwavering support by understanding her situation. The family members are now targeting the couple. The victim has appealed to the police to safeguard herself and her husband. Additionally, she has requested the recovery of all the funds. Notably, the victim, who is eight months pregnant, expressed concerns that her influential mother and uncle could potentially pose a threat to her well-being.
The Unnao rape case gained significant attention, with the former BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar being apprehended as the primary suspect. Subsequently, he was convicted and handed a life sentence by the court. Sengar, a former SP leader, was convicted in 2019. As a BJP candidate, Kuldeep Sengar had won the state Assembly polls from the Bangarmau Assembly seat of Unnao in 2017. After his conviction in the rape case, he was expelled from the party.
Sengar is also facing murder and attempt to murder charges in related cases. In July 2019, 2 of the victim’s aunts were killed and the victim herself and her lawyer were critically injured after a truck rammed their car. Earlier, the victim’s father was beaten by the police and mysteriously died under police custody. The case had grabbed much media attention and was an issue of intense political mudslinging in UP.
On Friday (3rd November), Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said that BS3 petrol and BS4 diesel vehicles coming from Uttar Pradesh have been contributing to the deterioration of the air quality index in the national capital. Rai’s statement came after Anand Vihar’s AQI at night touched 999 making it extremely hazardous.
Gopal Rai was inspecting Anand Vihar bus terminus late in the night. Meanwhile, for the third day in a row, the air quality in Delhi remained severe on Saturday, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 413 recorded at 7 a.m.
Blaming Uttar Pradesh for the pollution in Delhi, Gopal Rai said, “Delhi government has been trying its best to curb the air pollution. Anand Vihar has the highest AQI. I came here and found out that all buses are BS3 and BS4 coming from Uttar Pradesh. I appeal to Yogiji to not send these vehicles to Delhi. Electric buses and CNG vehicles ply in Delhi. Bus depot manager and traffic staff have also been careless to allow these banned vehicles inside Delhi.”
#WATCH | Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai says, "The Delhi govt is taking various steps to reduce the pollution in Delhi but we saw that from morning, Anand Vihar has the highest AQI, so I came here tonight to understand why it is happening. In Delhi, there are only electric… https://t.co/ijCc6rLz6xpic.twitter.com/HJ6A7EM70v
After blaming the neighbouring state, the AAP minister Gopal Rai said, “I appeal to the people of Delhi to use public transport including metro and buses to control pollution due to vehicles. The decision on the further closure of schools in Delhi will be taken on the basis of air quality on 6th November.”
Gopal Rai is not the first minister in the Delhi government to point fingers at other states rather than solving the air pollution issue in Delhi. Before him, Saurabh Bhardwaj also highlighted on Friday (3rd November) that the severity levels in Noida, Gurugram, and Faridabad surpass those in Delhi. He said, “The severity conditions that are in Noida, Gurugram, or Faridabad are higher than in Delhi. It is not good to defame the people of Delhi.”
Blaming BJP-ruled neighbouring states Haryana and UP, he added, “Delhi is the only state where a diesel generator is banned. In Noida and Gurgaon, most of the electricity comes from generators. Brick kilns are banned in Delhi. There are CNG and electric buses in Delhi. Did Haryana and UP have electric buses?”
As there is an AAP government in Punjab, Saurabh Bhardwaj gave a virtual clean chit to the stubble burning incidents in Punjab. This came in sharp contrast to the AAP’s historic stand of blaming the stubble burning in Punjab for the pollution in the national capital. Saurabh Bhardwaj said, “We are doing everything. Punjab’s number of stubble burnings is in front of everyone. It has decreased as compared to past years. Does the centre not have any responsibility?”
Notably, an air emergency was declared in Delhi with its air quality index (AQI) plummeting into ‘severe’. The AQI in Delhi was 460 at 7 a.m. on 3rd November (Friday) and approached 500 in several areas of the city.
After waking up to a thick layer of toxic smoke on 2nd November (Thursday), the capital region’s air quality quickly dropped to the ‘severe’ zone by 5 p.m. and prompted the administration to implement the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) Stage III which prohibits the use of vehicles with older emissions standards in several National Capital Region (NCR) districts and closed Delhi’s primary schools for the next two days.
On Thursday (2nd November), Kolkata Police issued a summons to Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president Snehashis Ganguly in an investigation pertaining to the black marketing of ICC World Cup match tickets. Snehashis Ganguly is the brother of former Indian captain and ex-BCCI president Sourav Ganguly. The CAB president was reportedly asked to appear for questioning within 24 hours.
CAB officials, however, failed to appear at the police station as required. CAB wrote an email to the police and denied responsibility for the ticket distribution procedure and any dealings with BookMyShow, claiming that these matters were under the authority of the BCCI. Subsequently, the police sent a second notice to CAB, requiring their physical attendance for questioning.
Meanwhile, Kolkata Police has started interrogations of staff from BookMyShow, the ICC’s official ticketing partner for the 2023 Men’s Cricket World Cup.
Representatives from BookMyShow were also served with a notice on Thursday. The Kolkata police have leveled seven charges and detained 16 people in connection with the illegal sale of World Cup match tickets. The police, who recovered 94 tickets, stated that tickets costing Rs 900 were being sold on the illicit market for Rs 8,000. The BookMyShow representatives were questioned by authorities in this regard on Friday.
Following a complaint from cricket fans, a case was filed on Wednesday accusing BookMyShow and officials from the CAB and BCCI of ticket black marketing.
Meanwhile, Sourav Ganguly has said that demands for the tickets is extremely high and beyond control. “It happens everywhere, the demand for tickets is so high. Nobody has control over it, only the Police can stop this,” Ganguly.
When asked about CAB’s name coming up in the controversy, Ganguly said “It is unfortunate. CAB doesn’t sell tickets. They don’t have any box office.”
Since Wednesday, the police have been undertaking raids in various regions and keeping vigilant tabs on social media to track down shady dealings ahead of the match between India and South Africa at Eden Gardens on Sunday, November 5.
The police recently arrested three persons, namely, Subhradip Bhattacharya, Suman Sarder, and Sandipan Laha after receiving a complaint from a cricket fan for allegedly selling India-South Africa match tickets valued at Rs 900 for Rs 8,000. The accused were found with a total of 17 tickets. A case was filed against the accused and officials of the CAB and BookMyShow at the Netaji Nagar police station under relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the West Bengal Black Marketing Act.
A resident from Malshej near Kalyan, who claimed to be a descendant of the Satavahana dynasty, allegedly forged documents to wrongly claim a one-hectare plot of the historic Durgadi Fort site by cheating the Revenue Department.
The Mahatma Phule Police Station at Kalyan in the Thane district has initiated an investigation in the case on Thursday (2nd November). Historians and scholars were shocked with the audacity of the act. Suyash Shirke, the accused in this case, is currently evading authorities.
As per authorities, Suyash Shirke, the chairman of the Malshej Nane Ghat Forest Area and Tourism Development Committee, has been identified as the prime suspect in the case. The alarming episode came to light when Preeti Ghude, the divisional officer of the Kalyan revenue department, discovered the incident.
Following the directives of Tehsildar Jairaj Deshmukh, Preeti Ghude has filed a formal complaint at the Mahatma Phule police station, accusing Suyash Shirke of fabricating documents, deceiving the government, and wrongfully acquiring the land of Durgadi Fort under the auspices of his organisation. The police have registered a case of forging documents, cheating and misleading the Maharashtra government under sections 420, 465, 466, 468, 471, and 773 of the IPC and have launched an investigation.
According to police sources, Suyash Shirke had filed fake documents with the revenue department to get the Durgadi fort land in the name of his organisation. In this case, the accused Shirke had filed documents with false signatures and forged stamps of revenue officials without document registration at the Kalyan tehsildar’s office.
Suyash Shirke had applied for a no-objection certificate on 12th September 2022, to transfer the fort in his name. In this application, Shirke described himself as a descendant and successor of the Satavahana king.
The senior officers in the local police station wrote to the district collector’s office seeking permission to repair the fort and sought detailed information about the land records. It was at this point that the whole fraud was exposed. The district revenue office mentioned in their reply that this fort belongs to the Shirkes who are the descendants and successors of the Satavahana king, and that they only will give permission for repairs.
The Kalyan revenue department then sent the documents to the collector’s office for authenticity as they were related to the Durgadi fort. The matter was investigated on the orders of the district collector. During the investigation, it was determined that the Durgadi Fort site held historical significance.
As the revenue department conducted its investigation, the police dispatched a letter to the district collector inquiring about the ownership and port rights of Durgadi Fort, specifically questioning whether they belonged to the descendants of the Satavahana Kings.
The documentation comprised falsified records associated with Durgadi Fort and the Malshej Nane Ghat Forest Area and Tourism Development Committee, featuring tampered stamps and forged signatures purportedly attributed to the tehsildar. These stunning revelations were made during the investigations done by the divisional revenue office of Kalyan on 24 February 2023.
Upon scrutinising the documents, the revenue department determined that all the provided paperwork was deceptive and questionable. Divisional officer Preeti Ghude filed a complaint at the Mahatma Phule police station, accusing Suyash Shirke of attempting to unlawfully acquire the land of the Durgadi Fort through falsified records. A case has been registered, and authorities are actively searching for the accused.
The Durgadi fort was built by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in 1666 on the ruins of an ancient fortress of Satvahanas. It was in this fort that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj envisioned the navy of the Hindu Swarajya. While reinforcing the northern Konkan coastline with this fort, the Hindu king received support from the Agri, Koli, Bhoi, and Bhandari communities living in this area.
While building this fort, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj found a great hidden treasure worth crores at this site. He saw this as a blessing of Goddess Durga for the Swarajya and consecrated a temple of Goddess Durga on this fort. He also named the fort after the Hindu deity.
Pakistan’s Army had said that it has foiled a terror attack at the Mianwali Training Air Base in the Punjab province.
The ISPR says that 3 terrorists were neutralised while entering the base while the remaining 3 terrorists have been cornered due to timely and effective response by the troops. However, during the attack, some damage to three already grounded aircraft and a fuel bowser also occurred.
According to a press release from the Pakistan’s ISPR, on November 4 in the early hours of the day, Mianwali Training Air Base of Pakistan Air Force came under a failed terrorist attack which has been foiled by the swift and effective response of the troops. The action of the troops has ensured the safety and security of personnel and assets says the release.
The ISPR said a comprehensive joint clearance and combing operation is in final stages to completely clear the area. ISPR says they remain committed to eliminating menace of terrorism from the country at all costs.
According to Pakistan media reports, a spokesperson of the Islamist terror group Tehreek-e-Jihad took responsibility for the attack on the Air Force base.
Earlier last week, terrorists launched two separate attacks on security forces in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), according to a statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
In the Tirah area of Khyber District, an Intelligence-Based Operation (IBO) was conducted, resulting in an intense exchange of fire. As a result, one terrorist was killed, and two terrorists were injured and subsequently apprehended by security forces, the ISPR said in a statement.
These terrorists were found in possession of weapons and ammunition and had been actively involved in terrorist activities against security forces, as well as engaging in the targeted killing of innocent civilians in the area, as reported by ARY News. In another incident, an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) detonated in the Sarwekai area of the South Waziristan District, where two soldiers, Sepoy Banaras Khan lost their lives in the line of duty.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
On Friday (3rd November), the Kerala High Court directed the Deputy Collector of Cochin and other districts in the State to conduct raids at all religious places and recover ‘illegal firecrackers’ with the help of the Commissioner of Police.
The matter was heard by Justice Amit Rawal of the Kerala High Court. The petitioners had sought a ban on the bursting of crackers at all places of worship. They claimed that most temples do not have explosives licences, which are issued by the District Collector under Explosive Rules.
“Even if the licences are issued, they should not be issued, for bursting causes noise and air pollution also. Crackers are busted at odd hours disturbing peace,” the court noted.
Kerala High Court orders raid of all religious places to seize illegal crackers; says no holy book commands bursting firecrackers to please God
“This fact is not denied by the learned counsel representing the respondents as well as the fact that even this Court had also heard the noise of the crackers even after the midnight,” Justice Amit Rawal observed.
The Kerala High Court Judge directed the Deputy Collector to take the help of the Police Commissioner (Cochin) and seize all ‘illegal’ firecrackers from religious places in the district. At the same time, he issued directives on raids on all religious places in other districts of Kerala on Friday (3rd November).
“…No crackers shall be burst in religious places at odd time as prima facie there is no commandment in any of the holy book to burst crackers for pleasing the God,” the court ruled.
Justice Amit Rawal also called for the circulation of the court order to all District collectors in Kerala for compliance. “It is made clear that in case after todays order if it is found or reported bursting of crackers, court may be compelled to initiate contempt proceedings,” he added.
