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Ahead of the FATF plenary meet, Pakistan court convicts 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed, orders jail term in two terror funding cases

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Ahead of the FATF plenary meet, Pakistan court convicts 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed, orders jail term in two terror funding cases

26/11 terror attack mastermind and terror organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed has been convicted in two terror-financing cases by a Pakistan court today. The LeT chief has been slapped with a prison sentence of five and a half years and a fine of Rs 15,000 in each case. The sentences of both cases will run concurrently.


A Lahore anti-terrorism court convicted him under Pakistan’s Anti Terrorism Act Section 11-F (2) and 11-N. The court had earlier reserved its verdict in the two cases on February 6. ATC judge Arshad Hussain Bhatta announced the verdict. Saeed has been locked in Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat jail.

Saeed was arrested by the Pakistan government in July last year, following immense pressure from global powers and facing the prospect of a FATF blacklist.

The United States had then welcomed Hafiz Saeed’s indictment by a Pakistani court, urging Islamabad to ensure a full prosecution and expeditious trial of the charges against him.


Interestingly, Hafiz Saeed’s conviction has come a few days before the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) plenary in Paris that will decide on Pakistan’s blacklisting or greylisting. The FATF’s plenary group is scheduled to meet in Paris between 16-21 February to formally announce what it thinks of Pakistan’s performance on tackling money laundering and terror financing.

The Counter-Terrorism Department of Pakistan had registered 23 FIRs against Hafiz Saeed and his accomplices on the charges of terror financing in different cities of Punjab province and arrested him on July 17 last year. He is held at the Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore.

Read: Pakistan gets UNSC to allow the release of monthly expenses for 26/11 Mumbai terror accused terrorist Hafiz Saeed

Hafiz Saeed-led JuD is believed to be the front organisation for the LeT which is responsible for carrying out the 2008 Mumbai terror attack that killed 166 people, including six Americans. In December 2008, Saeed was put under house arrest in Pakistan under the Maintenance of Public Order Law, only to be freed nearly 10 months later on orders of the Lahore High Court. In 2019, Pakistan’s counter-terrorism department held Saeed and his Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) guilty of ‘terror financing’.

Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed was recently declared terrorists under the anti-terror UAPA Amendment Bill 2019 which was recently passed by the Indian Parliament after Amit Shah took charge as the Home Minister of the country.

Assam may consider ‘ethnic tribe’ nomenclature to 40 lakh Assamese-speaking Muslims of Brahmaputra valley: Report

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Assam may consider ‘ethnic tribe’ nomenclature to 40 lakh Assamese-speaking Muslims of Brahmaputra valley: Report

The Assam government may consider ‘ethnic tribe’ nomenclature to four groups of Assamese-speaking Muslims residing in the Brahmaputra Valley. As per a report in the Times of India, the Assam Minorities Development Board has proposed that these Muslims do not have any history of migration from Bangladesh (erstwhile East Pakistan).

“We have proposed to replace ‘indigenous’ with ‘ethnic tribe’ because Assam so far has no official definition of who is an indigenous Assamese,” said Assam minorities development board chairman Muminul Aowal.

He added that the four communities – Goria, Moria, Desi and tea tribe Jolha – are already recognized as more other backward classes (MOBC).

According to Aowal, the Assamese-speaking Muslims number about 40 lakhs out of the 1.18 crore Muslims in the state. Aowal further added that the proposal to include Muslim into the ‘ethnic tribe’ community will not include the Maimal group of Muslims, who are Bengali-speaking.

“The Maimals are in the Barak Valley and the government will consider their case later. At this moment, we are talking of only those in Brahmaputra Valley,” Aowal added.

He added ‘Desi’ and ‘Ujani’ groups will be clubbed as Desi while the Sayed group will be included in the Goria group. These group of Muslims trace their lineage to the 15th century and the majority of them took to Islam by conversion between 13 and 17th century, Aowal added.

Read: Understanding Assam protests: Here is how it emphasizes the necessity of NRC, and CAB is not to be blamed for the mess

“None of these groups can be called migrant Muslims. The Gorias and Morias worked for the Ahom kings and the Desis were originally Koch-Rajbongshis who converted to Islam. Those following Islam among the people brought by the British from the Chota Nagpur plateau to work in tea gardens comprise the tea tribe Jolha,” he added, as per the TOI report.

However, the new proposal is yet to receive the approval of Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal. The nomenclature is expected to be approved before the start of the socio-economic census. Aowal said the Census operation to be carried out by state home and minority welfare department will be completed before the next assembly election due early next year.

Congress does not have a leader to project: Kapil Sibal on the party’s poor performance in Delhi assembly election

OpIndia Staff
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Congress does not have a leader to project: Kapil Sibal on the party’s poor performance in Delhi assembly election

After the massive defeat of Congress party in Delhi assembly election, the senior leader of congress, Kapil Sibal said that there is no leader worth projecting in the congress party.

While speaking to ANI Kapil Sibal said, “we do not have a leader to project. This is the issue within the party. We will look into it and resolve it at the earliest”.

After the Congress party was unable to open an account in Delhi assembly elections for second consecutive time, the Congress leaders seem to be gloating over the Aam Aadmi party’s win and BJP’s defeat stating that the voters have rejected its divisive politics.

Kapil Sibal was reacting to the statement of NCP Supremo Sharad Pawar, who had said that “the regional parties must come together to defeat BJP. The Delhi results not merely limited to capital because people from almost all the states resided there”. Sibal responded in favor saying, “The kind of polarized politics and the card of dividing society that is being played by the ministers of BJP is not going down well with people of Delhi and India. You can see the reflection of that in the results emerging in states like Jharkhand and Chattisgarh”.

He added, “It is time for them especially Amit Shah to realize that there is no point in dividing people as it has an impact on electoral results as well on investments in India as the world pester the confidence of investors.”

In the upcoming Bihar election, the Congress leader said: “The BJP will meet the same fate as Delhi in Bihar assembly election.”

“No state funding for religious education”: Assam govt to shut all govt-run Madrassas and Sanskrit Tols, to be converted to regular schools

OpIndia Staff
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“No state funding for religious education”: Assam govt to shut all govt-run Madrassas and Sanskrit Tols, to be converted to regular schools

In a significant decision, the Assam government has decided to shut all state-run Madrassas and Sanskrit Tols in the state. The religious schools running in the state will be converted to regular high schools and higher secondary schools within 4-5 months.

Announcing the decision, education minister Himanta Biswa Sharma told media that it is not the job of government to teach religion, religious scriptures and Arabic and other languages for religious purposes. “If someone is teaching religion using own money that is no problem, but if state funding is used to teach Quran, then we have to teach Gita, Bible also,” he said. Therefore, the govt run Madrassas, High Madrassas and Sanskrit Tols (schools) operating in the state will be converted to regular schools very soon.

The minister clarified that only government-run religious schools are being shut down, which means Madrassas run by mosques, Sanskrit schools run by non-govt organisations etc will not be affected by this move.

The teachers working in the Madrassas and Sanskrit Tols will not lose their jobs. Teachers teaching religious subjects will get salaries till their retirement while sitting at home, as they will not be needed to teach anything in the schools. Teachers of other subjects will continue to teach their subjects in the converted general schools.

Read- Assamese Muslim body claims unregulated Madrasas are promoting fundamentalism

Himanta Biswa Sarma made this announcement while talking to reporters after launching a scholarship program for students named Gyan Deepika. Under this scheme, college students are being paid Rs 700 per month for ten months in a year towards their expenses. Rs 7000 for the current year is already being transferred to bank accounts of the beneficiary students. He said that from next year, the government will make payment for hostel admission and monthly mess dues on behalf of students staying in hostels.

Earlier the education minister had said that the state government is planning to disband the State Madrassa Education Board and Assam Sanskrit Board, and their academic duties will be handed over to the Board of Secondary Education.

Karnataka: Congress MLA’s out on bail son Mohammad Nalapad rams his luxury car on Bengaluru road, flees the spot leaving four injured

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Karnataka: Congress MLA’s out on bail son Mohammad Nalapad rams his luxury car on Bengaluru road, flees the spot leaving four injured

The out on bail son of Karnataka Congress MLA NA Harris, Mohammad Nalapad, has reportedly injured four people on a Bengaluru road on Sunday when he rammed his high-end luxury car into other vehicles. He immediately got off his car and allegedly fled the accident spot.

The Bengaluru Traffic Police have now issued a notice asking him to appear for questioning at the earliest. “If he fails to appear for questioning, he will be arrested,” said an official.

Mohammad Nalapad is out on bail after remaining in judicial custody for three months in a case of attempt to murder in 2018, where he had brutally assaulted and injured a man at a pub.


Bangalore traffic police have reportedly confirmed that it was Mohammad Nalapad who had rammed his Bently into a bike and an auto near Mekhri Circle and had fled the spot.

In the incident which took place near Mekhri Circle on February 9, the Congress MLA son, Nalapad was rash driving his Bentley car when he went and hit a biker and an autorickshaw, injuring four people. The biker has suffered a fracture in his leg and is undergoing treatment at a hospital.

Read: Bengaluru assault case: CM Siddaramaiah ‘offers’ reconciliation to save Congress MLA’s son Mohammed Nalapad

According to eyewitnesses, Nalapad was at the wheel and was driving rashly. He fled from the scene after the accident, leaving the car behind. A day later, his gunman appeared before the police claiming responsibility for the accident, telling them he was the one behind the car.

Ravikante Gowda, Joint Commissioner of Police said, “A man named Balakrishna came to surrender as the one who was driving the car. The investigation has, however, showed that it was Nalapad who was driving when he met with the accident. The investigating officer has issued him a notice to appear before the police.”

Mohammad Nalapad was arrested in 2018 after he allegedly thrashed a businessman’s son at a pub. He is now out on conditional bail facing several serious criminal charges.

As per reports, the son of a Congress MLA had not only thrashed the 24-year-old Vidwath in 2018 but allegedly followed the victim and asked him to ‘kiss his feet and say sorry’, which the victim refused to do. Irked by this, Nalapad had allegedly hit the victim again causing him severe injuries. Vidwath was taken to the hospital in a semi-conscious state. The brother of the victim had then alleged that his family and friends had to face Nalapad’s goons as they barged into the hospital with his bouncers and beat up his brother as well.

As his son failed to secure bail after allegedly thrashing a 24-year-old Vidwath, the Congress MLA, in a bid to dismiss the claims of the victim, had allegedly leaked confidential medical reports of the victim through a Facebook post.

Following his conduct, Mohammad Nalapad who was then the general secretary of the Bengaluru District Youth Congress was expelled from the party for 6 years.

As per latest reports, Mohammad Nalapad has now surrendered before the Sadashivnagar Police. He has claimed innocence and said that he was not in the Bentley but in another car, a Lamborghini.

Congress leader Milind Deora slams Delhi Congress chief PC Chacko for blaming late Sheila Dikshit for Delhi debacle

OpIndia Staff
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Congress leader Milind Deora slams Delhi Congress chief PC Chacko for blaming late Sheila Dikshit for Delhi debacle

The Congress party’s appalling electoral run continued as it drew a blank at the recently concluded assembly elections in Delhi. Following the abject defeat, Delhi Congress chief, PC Chacko passed the buck for party’s poor performance to erstwhile Delhi chief minister late Sheila Dikshit.


Chacko reasoned that the Congress party’s downfall started in 2013 when Sheila Dikshit was the chief minister. Chacko added that the emergence of a new party AAP took away Congress’ vote back and it still remains with it.

However, senior Congress leader Milind Deora expressed his disapproval with PC Chacko’s assertions. Extolling Sheila Dikshit, Deora said that she was an exceptional politician and administrator, adding that under her Delhi was transformed and Congress became stronger than ever. Deora stated that it is inappropriate to shift the blame on her after her death.


Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera too expressed his disagreement with holding Sheila Dikshit responsible for Congress’ abysmal performance in Delhi assembly elections. To reinforce his point, Khera pulled up vote-share figures Congress had with and without the leadership of Sheila Dikshit. In 2013, when Congress lost, it had a vote-share of 24.55 per cent. Vote-share in 2015 slipped to 9.7 per cent when Sheila Dikshit was not involved and in 2019, under the leadership of Sheila Dikshit, Congress’ vote-share again rose to 22.46 per cent.


It may be noted that Sheila Dikshit is widely recognised as a good administrator, and her defeat in 2013 is seen as the result of country-wide protests against corruptions in the UPA government at the centre. Arvind Kejriwal led AAP had ridden this anti-corruption wave to attain power at that time.

Following the poll debacle in Delhi yesterday, various Congress leaders came out questioning the party’s strategy that led to an embarrassing defeat for the second time in the row. However, some Congress leaders were more occupied in expressing their happiness over BJP’s defeat in the Delhi polls. Former union minister P Chidambaram had hailed AAP’s victory as “defeat of bluff and bluster”. This did not sit well with the Delhi Mahila Congress President Sharmistha Mukherjee who trenchantly asked if the party had farmed out the task of defeating BJP to other parties. Mukherjee questioned Chidambaram for gloating over BJP’s defeat while being unconcerned about its own poll drubbing.

Read- Delhi Election Results: Congress can never regain what it has lost between 2014 and 2019, it is now the last option even for Muslims

Amidst severe criticism, Delhi Congress chief PC Chacko has tendered his resignation following disastrous assembly elections for the Congress party.


In the 70-member assembly, Congress could not open its account, failing miserably in sending even a single legislator to the Delhi Assembly. Congress’ tally stood at zero as it scored back-to-back ducks in the Delhi assembly elections.

Mudra Yojna: Over 15 crore loans have been distributed to women borrowers, totalling 4.78 lakh crores

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Mudra Yojna: Over 15 crore loans have been distributed to women borrowers, totalling 4.78 lakh crores

Replying to a query in Parliament, the Union Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs Anurag Thakur has stated that 15 Cr loans amounting to 4.78 lac crores were disbursed to women borrowers under Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana, reports ANI.

Anurag Thakur said, “As on 31 January 2020, 15 Cr loans have been disbursed to women borrowers, since the inception of the scheme, amounting to 4.78 lac Cr under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana”.

Apart from that, the Union Minister informed, “Under PMMY, loans are extended to eligible borrowers for manufacturing, processing, trading, services, and activities allied to agriculture which help in income-generating and employment. However, profession wise details are not maintained centrally.”

As per the ANI report, The three major states where the highest number of Mudra loans have been distributed are, Tamilnadu with Mudra loan worth 58,227.47 Crores, West Bengal with 55,232.19 Crores, and Karnataka with 47,714.04 Crores respectively.

The Union Territories Daman and Diu saw the lowest number Mudra Loan borrowers, with loans totalling 10.28 Cr, Andaman and Nicobar islands got Rs 94.80 Cr as loans and Lakshadweep was disbursed Rs 5.07 Cr as loans under the PMMY.

The Flagship scheme of Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana was launched on 8 April 2015, has been proved to be one of the most successful schemes creating an optimistic change in the lives of millions of common Indians. The objective of Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana is to provide loans up to 10 lacs for non-farm activities enabling the small borrowers to borrow from all Public Sector Banks, Regional Rural Banks to Private Sector Banks as well as cooperative banks.

RummyCircle’s online social card game dominates the million-dollar market

OpIndia Staff
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RummyCircle’s online social card game dominates the million-dollar market

The Indian mobile gaming market is projected to be worth approximately 405 million U.S. dollars in two years. And the mobile gamers that are steering this industry is expected to reach about 628 million by 2020. Statista, a global business data platform states that this is a rapidly growing market that has witnessed a rise in the number of gaming companies too. One of the main gaming genres fueling this industry is the online card games. Many Indian gaming companies have transferred the traditional and social card games to mobile.

Traditional card game goes online

Some of these popular games that are close to the heart of Indians are Rummy, UNO, and solitaire to name a few. These card games are played with families and friends at different occasions that range from parties, get-togethers, picnics, festivals, and even to pass time. There are beautiful memories attached to playing cards in India. So, game development companies have reinvented these card games and introduced them as a mobile game. The challenge is to maintain the same experience players would have offline, and they have delivered. From the visuals to rewards, mobile card games have revolutionised and boosted the gaming industry.

Why Indians prefer playing online card games?

The primary factor that propelled this market is the evolution of smartphone devices in India. In addition, the drop in the cost of data plans and wider internet penetration across the country ushered a spike among Indians to play games on their mobile phones. Also, digital payment has paved the way for easy transactions. Mobile wallets and online payments are popularly used in the last couple of years. Hence, gamers are opting this method for a seamless deposit and withdrawal from these digital wallets.

Advertising is another factor that is churning the gaming trend. In order to target the right audience, gaming companies are turning to digital advertising. Unlike outbound marketing like radio, hoardings, newspaper, and television, contemporary methods have a refined way to reach a certain segment of the audience and measure the success of it.

Customer service and affiliates are essential pillars of the gaming industry too. One retains and addresses the concerns of the players, while the other acquires players to the mobile gaming app. Lastly, the quality of the product matters significantly. The online card games should have the same aspects of a traditional setup that offers similar gameplay while enhancing it with interesting rewards and prizes.

How gaming companies have adapted social card games?

Over the years, many mobile-based card game apps have sprung up, but only a few have managed to lead this market. The games that are spearheading this industry and adding to the market value are:

If you talk about the traditional Indian card game, then it is always rummy. One of the leading platforms that have successfully transitioned the offline version to a digital form is RummyCircle. The proof of its excellence lies in more than 10 million subscribers who are loyal to this game and play rummy online for entertainment on RummyCircle.

When it comes to online card games, the most common questions include – will the cards be visible, and does it offer the same gameplay? With this online gaming app, your cards are clearly seen, and the digital version does not take away from the offline version.

Also, the online game is fast-paced, offers four variations including an exclusive variation. However, the biggest appeal is the real cash rewards. Plus, players visit the app to enter tournaments and participate in contests, which are exciting on this rummy app. Hence, with these points in mind, this rummy app is driving the online card game industry.

Another card game that has been around for centuries is Solitaire. There are over 100 solitaire games and 1000 variations that have small modifications. The most popular place to play it is Classic solitaire, which has over 300 levels. It is a clean interface, there is no downtime to read anything else, and it is a quick game that keeps you entertained all the way. It is a small size file that you have to download, and you choose a variation as well as the difficulty level. To keep the excitement level going, there are daily challenges that attract players.

From traditional, we go to social card games and the biggest player in this space is UNO. The amazing thing about playing it online is that you can connect with people from anywhere or you can loop in your friends. The UNO app offers users a unique experience on their smartphones that includes tournaments, rewards, and you can invite your friends to the game.

Mobile gaming is leading the gaming industry. Gaming companies are adapting their product to match up to smartphone specifications. Hence, the revenue that is flooding this market has rolled into millions.

Congress spokesperson Sharmishtha Mukherjee slams P Chidambaram for ‘gloating over AAP victory’, asks if Congress state units should ‘shut shop’

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Congress spokesperson Sharmishtha Mukherjee slams P Chidambaram for ‘gloating over AAP victory’, asks if Congress state units should ‘shut shop’

A day after people in Delhi once again rejected the Congress party, the Delhi Mahila Congress chief and party spokesperson Sharmishtha Mukherjee took on Congress veteran P Chidambaram for ‘gloating’ over AAP’s win. The former union minister had taken to Twitter to welcome the AAP win as “defeat of bluff and bluster”.

Slamming the party stalwart, the daughter of former President Pranab Mukherjee, took to Twitter to ask the former union minister if the state Congress units should shut shop in case the party has decided to outsource the job of defeating BJP to regional parties in various states.

“With due respect sir, just want to know- has @INCIndia outsourced the task of defeating BJP to state parties? If not, then why r we gloating over AAP victory rather than being concerned abt our drubbing? And if ‘yes’, then we (PCCs) might as well close shop!“ asked Mukherjee.


Mukherjee was responding to the scam accused Congress leader P Chidambaram’s Tweet in which he had, yesterday, welcomed the AAP victory in Delhi polls, saying: “AAP won, bluff and bluster lost. The people of Delhi, who are from all parts of India, have defeated the polarising, divisive and dangerous agenda of the BJP. I salute the people of Delhi who have set an example to other states that will hold their elections in 2021 and 2022.”

Mukherjee had taken to Twitter after Congress’ debacle in the Assembly polls, calling for action rather than introspection. “Can we honestly say that we’ve done all 2 put our house in order? We r busy capturing Congress whereas other parties are capturing India. If we r 2 survive, time 2 come out of exalted echo chambers!” opined the Delhi Mahila Congress chief.

The Congress party spokesperson Sharmishtha Mukherjee had been critical of her own party after it not only scored a duck in 2020 Delhi’s Assembly elections, repeating its 2015 performance, but the party’s performance has worsened with respect to candidates holding on to their security deposits.

Read- Delhi Election Results: While ‘secular’ camp celebrates today, they will be naive to think PM Modi’s national agenda would change

Out of the 66 seats, the Congress party contested in the Delhi election, it lost its security deposit in 63 of the seats. Thus 95 per cent of the party’s candidates could not hold on to their security deposit, unlike the 2015 Delhi Assembly Election, where the Congress party contested all 70 seats and lost its security deposit in 62 of the seats, amounting to 88 per cent of the party’s candidates losing their security deposit.

If a candidate fails to get one-sixth of the votes in his/her constituency then the amount deposited by the candidate is seized by the Election Commission. According to Section 34, 1(a) of the Representation of the People Act 1951, it is mandatory for candidates to deposit a security of Rs. 10,000 to contest assembly elections. A security deposit is required to ensure that only serious candidates file their nominations to contest the elections.

Two men from West Bengal loot 1.34 crore from Merit-cum-Means Scholarship in Jammu and Kashmir by creating fake beneficiary accounts

OpIndia Staff
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Two men from West Bengal loot 1.34 crore from Merit-cum-Means Scholarship in Jammu and Kashmir by creating fake beneficiary accounts

The Jammu and Kashmir Crime Branch has initiated an enquiry against officials of the Ministry of Minority Affairs and others for their alleged role in a huge fraud with regards to merit-cum-means scholarship involving a whopping amount of Rs 1,34,21,168.

According to reports, the Crime Branch of Jammu and Kashmir police have initiated an inquiry on the basis of communication by the General Administration Department, which had received a complaint from the Ministry of Minority Affairs.

The enquiry conducted has prima facie revealed that out of 474 beneficiaries of the merit-cum-means scholarship scheme, 463 were fake and an amount of Rs 1,34,21,168 had been credited into the “fake beneficiary” accounts of West Bengal.

“As many as 317 fake accounts were in the State Bank of India, 69 each in Bank of Baroda and United Bank of India, five in Allahabad Bank, two in Bangiya Grameen Vikas Bank, one account in the Central Bank of India as against 463 bank accounts of J&K mentioned in the application form of candidates who were shown to be residents of Qazigund Kulgam,” an officer of the Crime Branch said.

It is reported that during the enquiry it has surfaced that the fake applications were uploaded on the National Scholarship Portal through two electronic devices in the name of Shubankar Sarkar S and Salim Sheikh, residents of West Bengal, who seemingly had the access to the username and password for uploading the applications and thereby furnished the institutional verification.

The verification furnished by District Nodal officer Kulgam, the bank revalidation through CBS, by PMFS followed by digital signatures by Ministry Nodal officer and State Nodal officer has been instrumental in processing and release of payment to the 463 fake beneficiaries, the press release said.

“The omission and commission on part of the officers concerned, Shubankar Sarkar of West Bengal and Salim Sheikh of Bedrabad, Malda district, West Bengal, and others acting in deceitful and fraudulent manner by way of impersonation have caused wrongful loss to the exchequer and wrongful gain to beneficiaries. So they have prima facie committed offences punishable under Sections 420, 468, 120-B of the IPC, read with Section 66(D) of the IT Act and Section 5 (2) of the PC ACT,” the Crime Branch added.

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