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US launches airstrike on weapons storage facility of Iran-backed militia in Syria in response to attacks on US personnel, 9 killed

OpIndia Staff
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US launches airstrike on weapons storage facility of Iran-backed militia in Syria in response to attacks on US personnel, 9 killed

According to US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, US fighter planes executed airstrikes on a weapons storage facility in eastern Syria on 8 November that was connected to Iran in reaction to attacks against American personnel. Nine persons connected to organisations supported by Iran were killed in the assault, per the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor.

This is the second time in about two weeks that the US has struck a Syrian location that was reportedly connected to Iran. Washington accuses Tehran of supporting several armed organisations and holds it accountable for an increase in offensives against US soldiers in the Middle East.

While the Western power is working to prevent Iran and its allies from escalating the Israel-Hamas conflict into a regional war, the two countries could clash as a result of the continuing assaults and counterattacks.

Lloyd Austin released a statement which read, “US military forces conducted a self-defence strike on a facility in eastern Syria used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and affiliated groups. This strike was conducted by two US F-15s against a weapons storage facility.”

He mentioned, “This precision self-defence strike is a response to a series of attacks against US personnel in Iraq and Syria by the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps)-Quds Force affiliates. The President has no higher priority than the safety of U.S. personnel, and he directed today’s action to make clear that the United States will defend itself, its personnel, and its interests.’

The senior official added, “The United States is fully prepared to take further necessary measures to protect our people and our facilities. We urge against any escalation. U.S. personnel will continue to conduct counter-ISIS missions in Iraq and Syria.”

The strike is being accompanied “with very clear messaging through multiple channels,” based on a senior US military official and senior Iranian leaders are being told, “We want you to direct your proxies and militia groups to stop attacking us.”

The site in Deir Ezzor province had been monitored, stated a senior American military official, allowing the US to choose a moment to do the strike with “a minimal number of casualties” albeit the action might have still resulted in some. “We were tracking just a couple (people) max that we don’t have any confirmation of just prior to the strike.”

On 26 October, the US military also attacked two locations in Syria that it claimed were used by the IRGC and its allies, however, it concluded that no one was hurt. Washington said that the other two strikes, like the most recent one, were in retaliation for attacks on US soldiers, who had been the target of more than 40 rocket and drone assaults since 17 October.

The war between Israel and Hamas, which started on 7 October when the terrorist organisation unleashed a surprise cross-border incursion from Gaza that resulted in the deaths of more than 1,400 people, is connected to the spike in attacks against US forces.

There are 900 American troops in Syria and another 2,500 in Iraq as part of the campaign to stop the Islamic State organisation from rising again. The jihadists had previously controlled a sizable portion of both nations, but after a brutal and multi-year battle, local ground forces with the help of international airstrikes drove them out.

The Houthi rebels in Yemen who are backed by Iran claimed on 8 November that they had shot down an American drone in another episode connected to the Israel-Hamas conflict. “Our air defences were able to down an American MQ-9 while it was carrying out hostile surveillance and espionage activities in Yemeni territorial waters as part of American military support for Israel,” they disclosed in a press release.

Senior US officials have confirmed that one of the nation’s drones was shot down. Following the 7 October attack, the US promptly provided military support to Israel and increased US personnel in the area.

Houthis are part of the “axis of resistance” of outfits positioned against Israel and are hostile to Yemeni government forces. The US Navy intercepted missiles fired by the rebels last month and they have taken credit for numerous drone and missile attacks against Israel throughout its conflict with Hamas.

The United States assessed that one of the MQ-9 drones was shot down by the Huthis in 2019. A number of MQ-9 drones, which are capable of flying more than 1,100 miles (1,700 kilometres) at altitudes of up to 50,000 feet (15,000 meters) and be used for both surveillance and strikes have been lost or damaged in recent years.

After Rashmika Mandanna, deepfake images of Katrina Kaif, Sara Tendulkar hit internet, govt issues notice to platforms failing to follow rules

OpIndia Staff
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After Rashmika Mandanna, deepfake images of Katrina Kaif, Sara Tendulkar hit internet, govt issues notice to platforms failing to follow rules

A video of actor Rashmika Mandanna entering a lift was recently shared by Indian web and social media users. The video was a fake created with Deepfake, a technology that enables fraudsters and cyber criminals to manipulate images and videos using machine learning and artificial intelligence. Just a few days later, an altered image of Katrina Kaif is making the rounds. The image, which was originally a screen capture from the upcoming Tiger 3 film, has been modified to make it look vulgar. 

Katrina Kaif appears to be performing an action sequence for Tiger 3 while wearing a towel in the original image, which she released on Instagram. However, in the morphed image, the actor is shown in the same pose but with a distinct and altered outfit, making the image look vulgar. 

However, the modified and fake image was removed from social media hours later. IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has taken cognizance of the issue and said that the government will issue notices to all platforms that fail to follow rules. They might lose legal protection, he said as quoted by Times Now.

Meanwhile, Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar also commented on the issue and said that such deep fake videos were “dangerous and damaging” forms of misinformation. He warned that they must “be dealt with by platforms”.

While Deepfake is not an entirely novel tool, it first appeared on the web a few years ago. It is increasingly being used by scammers and cybercriminals to morph pictures and videos. Many of these videos are sexually explicit and are often used to commit identity theft. People use the technology, which uses strong video cards to modify and remake elements of images and videos, to spread misinformation and garner benefits at the cost of humiliation and defamation of celebrities. It is important to note that morphing images and videos, whether using Photoshop or Deepfake tools, is a punishable offense.

Unfortunately, women are the usual victims of such tools.

The altered image of Katrina from the ‘Tiger 3’ movie scene raises worries because deepfake technology is capable of taking images of real people and changing them to look entirely different. In this case, the image depicted her wearing a different, vulgar outfit than she did in the film.

Image- JantaKaReporter

Meanwhile, a doctored image of Sara Tendulkar with cricketer Shubman Gill is also going viral over social media. Sara Tendulkar, in an AI-generated image, can be seen hugging cricketer Shubman Gill. This original image however features Sara with her brother ArjunTendulkar. The original photograph has been tampered with to replace Arjun with Shubman Gill, with Gill’s face seamlessly superimposed onto Arjun’s body.

In Rashmika Mandanna’s case, a deepfake video indicated her in a situation she was never in, potentially harming her reputation. The video showed the well-known actor stepping into a lift.

Deepfake technology entails the use of the latest artificial intelligence to create extremely lifelike yet often misleading digital content. This technology can alter an individual’s appearance and voice in videos or audio files, making it difficult to differentiate between original and altered content.

In the case of Rashmika Mandanna’s Deepfake video, the primary footage showed Zara Patel, a British-Indian influencer, but her face was artificially replaced with that of the actress using Deepfake software. Concerns have been raised about the potential for misuse of such tools, as well as the need for legal measures to combat its spread.

 “Something like this is honestly, extremely scary not only for me but also for each one of us who today is vulnerable to so much harm because of how technology is being misused”, the actress had tweeted after the fake video went viral.

Reports mention that Deepfakes are frequently distinguished by unnatural facial expressions or movements, such as blinking too frequently or insufficiently, or movements that are too stiff or jerky. The eyes are capable of telling you whether a video is real or fake. Deepfakes frequently have blurry or unfocused eyes, or eyes that do not move in sync with the person’s head movements.

Young Israeli woman was gang-raped, shot in head, body mutilated: Chilling details of sexual assault by Hamas terrorists narrated by 7th Oct attack survivor

OpIndia Staff
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Young Israeli woman was gang-raped, shot in head, body mutilated: Chilling details of sexual assault by Hamas terrorists narrated by 7th Oct attack survivor

Israeli security officials have been collecting witness testimonies to gather evidence and confirm the allegations of sexual assaults committed by Hamas terrorists during the brutal terrorist attack on 7th October. This is being done in order to prosecute the surviving terrorists who were captured by Israel.

One such testimony collected by the Israeli Police’s Lahav 433 National Crime Unit was that of a woman who survived the Re’im massacre at the music festival.

The woman said that she witnessed a young woman being gang-raped and then shot in the head. “I am trying to hide. Out of the corner of my eye, I perceive that he is raping her and carrying her. The girl was alive before, she was standing on her feet, bleeding from the back. The terrorist was pulling her hair. She had long brown hair,” the eyewitness narrated.

She added that the terrorists were in military uniforms. “They bent someone over. I realised he was raping her and passing her on to someone else also in uniform.” The witness said that subsequently one of the terrorists-rapists shot the young woman in the head and then they mutilated her body.

But this may not be even half of the spine-chilling act of rape and murder that ensued on 7th October. All Israeli media reports that have published this story claim to have omitted several graphics details, which are in possession of the police.

An Israeli author on X, formerly Twitter, quoted the eyewitness as saying that one of the Hamas terrorists shot the young woman in the head while raping her. “He didn’t even lift his pants. They cut her breasts and played with it,” Hen Mazzig cited some sources quoting the eyewitness.

Another witness, a male, who was behind the primary eyewitness, recounted the incident saying that he did not see the rape and that the eyewitness was telling him what she was seeing at the time of the crime.

This is just one of the many witnesses that the Israeli security forces are collecting to confirm the allegations of sexual assault committed by Hamas terrorists as the large investigation to uncover the details of 7th October attacks.

So far, the accounts of sex crimes and other brutalities during the onslaught were shared by volunteers from Zaka, an ultra-orthodox organisation that helps retrieve and identify bodies. The group has described the gory details of the atrocities committed with many bodies of women bearing signs of brutality and abuse.

The Israeli police are reportedly scanning about 50,000 video files in order to identify the terrorists-rapists. Permission to use facial recognition system has also been granted to officials.

Reports claim that in several cases, the police was able to link some suspects to murders. One of the suspects reportedly said that he murdered a man and a woman with hammer blows, and described a tattoo on the woman’s body. Investigators were able to locate the woman, who was seriously injured, and the man’s body which had bruises that might have been from the hammer blows.

Moreover, captured terrorists revealed to Israeli security that they had planned to seize control of a town or a city in central Israel for a substantial amount of time and take its residents hostage. They also had plans to plant mines in the area.

Reporters with terrorists? The presence of photojournalists raises the question of the ethics of AP and Reuters

Anurag
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Reporters with terrorists? The presence of photojournalists raises the question of the ethics of AP and Reuters

Shocking details of the 7th October terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel have come to light as it was found that photojournalists from the Associated Press (AP), CNN, Reuters and others were conveniently present at the Israel-Gaza border to “live report” the terror attack. Experts have raised the question of whether the photojournalists involved had prior information about the attack that killed over 1,300 Israelis and foreign nationals. Furthermore, journalism ethics are at stake as it raised suspicion that the photojournalists could have been coordinating with the Palestinian terrorist organisation Hamas.

Photojournalists were at the border on a Saturday that was supposed to be quiet. It is being speculated if they coordinated with the terror outfit and if the wire services, including the Associated Press and Reuters, approved their presence alongside terrorist infiltrators. Moreover, it is being questioned if they had informed other media outlets like the New York Times and CNN about their company in the middle of the most brutal terrorist attack.

The report by Honest Reporting has highlighted some specific instances. For example, a freelance journalist identified as Hassan Eslaiah, who works for CNN, was seen capturing photographs from inside Israel without wearing any press identification. It is implausible for a photojournalist to enter a war zone without an identification jacket as it puts his or her life in danger. Without the identification jacket, the question arises if the terrorists were aware of his identity.

Screenshots of his now-deleted tweets were shared in the report, where he was seen documenting himself near an Israeli tank. Interestingly, an older photograph of Eslaiah surfaced following the controversy where he was caught with Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.

The report also discussed other photojournalists such as Yousef Masoud, who works for the New York Times, and Ali Mahmud and Hatem Ali, who captured photos of abduction of Israelis by Hamas terrorists. Notably, some of the photos were removed from the AP database, raising the question of whether there were concerns over journalistic ethics among the management.

In the reports published by wire agencies, there were photographs depicting a burning Israeli tank and a lynch mob brutalising an Israeli soldier. These photographs were clicked by photojournalists Mohammed Fayq Abu Mostafa and Yasser Qudih. Shockingly, the report alleged the photograph of lynching was mentioned as the “photograph of the day” by Reuters editors in the editorial database. OpIndia could not independently verify the claim of marking the image as the “image of the day”.

‘They were doing their job’ excuse does not work

There is a possibility that the wire agencies and media houses will give an excuse that their photojournalists were just “doing their job” by covering the terrorist attack on Israel. However, “doing their job” does not include possibly hiding prior information about a terrorist attack. Their presence at the scene right at the time of the terrorist attack raises serious questions about the ethics they followed. Furthermore, photographing terrorists while they were mutilating bodies and lynching soldiers is not what is expected from photojournalists.

Taking the example of doing the job, we can talk about the tragic Bhopal Gas Tragedy, after which famous veteran photojournalist Raghu Rai went to Bhopal and documented the atrocities the people of Bhopal faced. It was his job, and he did it with a straight face. Because of Raghu Rai, we know how far the damage went due to the gas leak.

However, “doing the job” would not be an excuse in the case of “journalists” who live telecasted from Kargil during the India-Pakistan war or from Mumbai during the 26/11 terror attack. In both cases, the Pakistani Army and terrorists got information about the locations of our soldiers, and we lost precious lives.

The wire agency and media houses are responsible for drawing the line. The responsibility also falls on the shoulders of the photojournalists responsible for bringing out the reports without any bias. It is also the duty of journalists to inform law enforcement agencies if they get a tip of a possible terror attack. Hiding the information just to get a story before everyone else not only put hundreds of lives in jeopardy but also put the journalists and photojournalists on the wrong side of the law.

Israel-Hamas war

On 7th October, the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas launched a terror attack on Israel, killing almost 1,300 Israelis and foreign nationals. They abducted around 200 people and took them to Gaza. In response, Israel declared war against Hamas, aiming to wipe out the terrorist organisation from the face of the earth. Since then, Israel has bombed Hamas locations in Gaza for around a month and initiated ground response as well. So far, around 10,000 people have been killed in the war. Israel has repeatedly asked Palestinians to evacuate Gaza for their safety. On 9th November, the Israel-Hamas war entered its 33rd day.

Ghaziabad: Doctor injured after altercation with Kumar Vishwas’ security team, police say no evidence of poet’s claims of attack

OpIndia Staff
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Ghaziabad: Doctor injured after altercation with Kumar Vishwas’ security team, police say no evidence of poet’s claims of attack

On Wednesday (8th November), a 35-year-old doctor at a private hospital in the Ghaziabad district of Uttar Pradesh was reportedly abused and assaulted by the security men of poet and former AAP leader Kumar Vishwas. The doctor identified as Dr Pallav Bajpai said that he was beaten by the security men from Vishwas’s convoy for not giving way to his vehicles on the Ghaziabad streets.

The doctor who was allegedly assaulted by the security men of Dr Kumar Vishwas has filed a police complaint.

The video of the doctor complainant has gone viral on social media where he could be seen injured and bleeding. “Two cars tried to overtake my vehicle. I gave them the way. Men from one of the cars which was a police van blocked my way and began abusing me for not giving them way. They assaulted me when told them that I was a doctor. One of the men told me that Dr Kumar Vishwas was in the car and was getting late for a show. I also informed them that I had an operation scheduled and was getting late. On this, one of the men dragged me out of the car and started beating me up. I have the number of the car noted,” the doctor said in the complaint.

The incident is said to have happened at around 3 p.m. on 8th November. The incident came to the fore after former AAP leader Dr Kumar Vishwas tweeted about the matter and alleged that his convoy was hit by a private car in Ghaziabad. He also alleged that the car owner attacked his security men on questions about the act of hitting. Vishwas also has reportedly filed a counter-complaint.

“Today, while going to Aligarh, when I left my house in Vasundhara, on the banks of Hindon, a car driver tried to attack the car of the security personnel traveling with me. The convoy was hit from both sides. My security men got down and interrogated that person. but he attacked not only the UP police constable but also the security personnel of the central forces. I have reported the case to the police. The reason for the attack is yet to be known. May God keep everyone safe. Thank you for all your good wishes,” Vishwas tweeted.

However, the Ghaziabad Police took cognizance of the event and said that the allegations leveled by Vishwas against the doctor could not be proven. “In the case that came to notice today, the allegations regarding the attack on the convoy of Dr Kumar Vishwas by an unknown person have not been proved in the course of preliminary investigation. The Indirapuram police station will conduct an advanced investigation into the case,” Ghaziabad Police said in a tweet on 8th November.

Dr Pallav Bajpai also stated that he sought help from the popular poet while he was being beaten by his security men but to no avail. “I shouted for help, screaming Kumar’s name several times, but he did not step out. They thrashed me for over 10 minutes,” Dr Bajpai said.

However, in the counter-complaint filed by Vishwas, he stated that the doctor first grabbed the collar of one of the cops. “He first grabbed the collar of one of the cops, Amit Bhadauria, and pushed him, due to which the identity card chain around his neck broke. Then he attacked a security guard, Ravikant. He also tried to snatch weapons from the security personnel,” Vishwas said in the complaint.

The Police have received complaints from both parties. Meanwhile, no FIR has yet been filed in the case.

Primary investigation, however, revealed that the allegations leveled by Dr Kumar Vishwas could not be proved. Advanced investigations in the case will be conducted by the Indirapuram police station as informed by Ghaziabad police.

Canada: ‘Exterminate the enemies of Gaza’, pro-Hamas Imam calls for finishing Jews in a rally, Quebec leaders demand action

OpIndia Staff
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Canada: ‘Exterminate the enemies of Gaza’, pro-Hamas Imam calls for finishing Jews in a rally, Quebec leaders demand action

On 28th October, controversial pro-Hamas Imam, Adil Charkaoui allegedly called for ‘exterminating all Jews’ in a statement during a pro-Palestine rally near Place des Arts of downtown Montreal in Quebec, Canada. The leaders of four primary political parties have jointly called for strict action against him for possible hate crimes. In his speech in Arabic, Charkaoui called for the extermination of “Zionist aggressors”.

Speaking on the issue, Quebec Premier François Legault said that Charkaoui had been accused of inciting violence and hate. He pointed out that though he has no role in how the police should conduct an investigation, he stressed the fact that inciting violence is not permissible.

On the day when Charkaoui delivered the speech, there was a large gathering of pro-Palestinian demonstrators near Place des Arts. It was part of the “global day” of pro-Palestinian protests to “denounce” the ongoing Israel-Hamas war and bombing in Gaza. During his speech, Charkaoui invoked Allah and asked for the elimination of “Zionist aggressors” while calling them the “enemies of the people of Gaza”. He urged “no one be spared” during his address.

Charkaoui himself shared the video of the statement on social media platforms. Jewish groups condemned his speech, including the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs. CIJA characterised his speech as a call for violence against Jews. They argued that such rhetoric would not contribute to the peace in the Middle East and called for its condemnation.

However, some “experts” believe that Charkaoui’s statement did not target all Jews but only those who were participating in the war. Shokry Gohar, the Arabic language program director at McGill University’s Institute of Islamic Studies, claimed that after reviewing the video, he could confirm Charkaoui “did not call for the extermination of all Jews”.

Notably, Charkaoui’s past is full of controversies. He was once detained for six years under suspicion of terrorism. However, his case was dropped by the Federal Court in 2009. The Montreal Police has not issued any statement over the matter, which raised questions about how he was permitted to address the crowd.

Responding to the allegations, Charkaoui claimed that the “Zionist Lobby” was trying to cover up the crimes committed in Gaza. He wrote, “The current strategy of the Zionist lobby is to attack – through unscrupulous journalists – those who denounce the genocide in Gaza and to obscure the crimes of those who commit it.”

Israel-Hamas war

On 7th October, the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas launched a terror attack on Israel, killing almost 1,300 Israelis and foreign nationals. They abducted around 200 people and took them to Gaza. In response, Israel declared war against Hamas, aiming to wipe the terrorist organisation from the face of the earth. Since then, Israel has bombed Hamas locations in Gaza for around a month and initiated ground response as well. So far, around 10,000 people have been killed in the war. Israel has repeatedly asked Palestinians to evacuate Gaza for their safety. On 9th November, the Israel-Hamas war entered its 33rd day.

Ethics Committee to recommend TMC MP Mahua Moitra’s suspension from Parliament

OpIndia Staff
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Ethics Committee to recommend TMC MP Mahua Moitra’s suspension from Parliament

In a significant development in the cash-for-query scam investigation, the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee has reportedly recommended that Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra be expelled from Parliament. The Ethics Committee is reported to have recommended Mahua Moitra’s suspension on the grounds of “unethical conduct” jeopardising national security. It is also reported that the Committee will be recommending against Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MP Danish Ali, a member of the Ethics Committee, for allegedly trying to manipulate public opinion against the panel.

According to an NDTV report, the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee recommended Mahua Moitra’s expulsion from the parliament in its 500-page report. The TMC MP has also been asked to appear before the panel on Thursday (9th November).

It has been reported that the Ethics Committee of Lok Sabha, headed by BJP MP Vinod Kumar Sonkar, will meet on Thursday to adopt a draft report on the cash-for-query allegation against Mahua Moitra.

This comes after Advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai filed a complaint with CBI, accusing Mahua Moitra of corruption, bribery and taking lavish gifts from businessman Darshan Hiranandani in exchange for asking Lok Sabha questions targeted on the businesses of Adani Group, Hiranandani’s competitors. Based on Dehadrai’s complaint, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey submitted a formal complaint to the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla seeking an inquiry against Moitra. He urged the Speaker for her immediate suspension.

In an interview with Rajdeep Sardesai for IndiaToday, Mahua Moitra admitted sharing her parliament login ID and password with businessman Darshan Hiranandani saying that “it is in no way against the rules.”

It is pertinent to recall that the IT ministry had stated that it had sent a report to the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee confirming that the TMC leader’s parliamentary ID was accessed 49 times from Dubai.

Later, the Ethics Committee of parliament summoned Mahua Moitra for questioning on November 2. The meeting, however, ended abruptly after the TMC MP stormed out. While leaving the meeting, Moitra accused the panel of asking “filthy and personal questions”. The committee, however, refuted her claims saying that she did not cooperate and left to avoid answering more questions. The committee called Mahua Moitra’s conduct “highly objectionable, unethical, heinous and criminal” in addition to calling for a time-bound legal and institutional inquiry by the government.

Meanwhile, on 8th November, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey said that the anti-corruption body Lokpal has ordered the Central Bureau Investigation (CBI) to investigate the cash-for-query scam.

Punjab records 2000 stubble burning incidents in single a day, govt orders FIR against farmers

OpIndia Staff
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Punjab records 2000 stubble burning incidents in single a day, govt orders FIR against farmers

On Wednesday (8th November), farm fire incidents in Punjab crossed the mark of 2000 in a single day. The alarming numbers were recorded a day after the Supreme Court directed the state government to ensure the stopping of crop stubble burning “forthwith”.

Meanwhile, the Punjab government has instructed the police and civil administration to register FIR and take strict action against farmers burning crop residue.

Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav directed the police officers to work in collusion with the civil administration to prevent stubble burning. DGP Yadav also appointed Special DGP (Law and Order) Arpit Shukla as the police nodal officer to monitor action against stubble burning.

Following the directions of the Supreme Court, Chief Secretary Anurag Verma has asked District Magistrates and CPs/SSPs to jointly hold a review meeting on the issue daily after receiving the data on farm fires.

During this meeting, it was decided that village-wise situation of stubble burning will be reviewed. If any stubble-burning incident is found to have taken place in the jurisdiction of any SHO, prompt disciplinary action will be taken against him.

Reportedly, 12 instructions have been issued. Police patrol parties, under the direct leadership of the area SHO, will work to put an end to the stubble burning swiftly. Cluster teams, formed earlier by the District Collectors in each district, have been urged to communicate with police and civil administration teams. Each district will now be divided into sectors, with a gazetted police officer in command of each. The District Magistrate and SSP have been ordered to make regular field inspections. Moreover, Collectors and SSPs have also been directed to use alternate solutions for in-situ and ex-situ stubble management.

According to data collected by the Punjab Remote Sensing Centre in Ludhiana, the overall number of farm fires in Punjab has risen to 22,981, with 2,003 new incidents reported on Wednesday.

The data of 2003 fresh incidents states that Sangrur continued to lead in rankings with 466 stubble-burning incidences, followed by 221 in Bathinda, 216 in Barnala, 150 in Faridkot, 131 in Mansa, 106 in Patiala, 103 in Ferozepur, and 96 in Ludhiana.

With the highest number of stubble-burning cases—4,070—among the 22,981 farm fires reported between September 15 and November 8, Sangrur is in the top spot. It is followed by 2,176 in Ferozepur, 1,888 in Tarn Taran, 1,719 in Mansa, 1,524 in Patiala, 1,454 in Amritsar, 1,436 in Bathinda, 1,129 in Barnala, 1,089 in Ludhiana and 1,014 in Faridkot.

NIA, Assam Police arrest 47 middlemen facilitating Rohingya infiltration in India

ANI
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NIA, Assam Police arrest 47 middlemen facilitating Rohingya infiltration in India

In a joint operation, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Assam Police picked up 47 people on Wednesday who allegedly acted as middlemen for facilitating Rohingyas to enter India illegally, said Assam Police.

“After meticulous planning, a country-wide operation was launched by the NIA and Assam Police during the wee hours of November 8, in association with various state police forces. In the operation, so far, a total of 47 touts and middlemen have been picked up,” said Harmeet Singh, Special DGP, Assam.

Among those who have been picked up, 25 are from Tripura, five from Assam, three from West Bengal, nine from Karnataka, one each from Haryana and Telangana, and three from Tamil Nadu, said the police officer.

According to the Assam Police, in the month of February 2023, a group of Rohingyas were detected on a train coming from Tripura at Karimganj Railway Station by the Karimganj Police. After thorough investigation, it came to light that illegal Rohingyas and infiltrators were entering India through the Indo-Bangladesh border.

After the incident, Assam Police increased the vigil and operations, resulting in 450 illegal migrants (Rohingyas and Bangladeshis) being stopped and turned back with the assistance of the Border Guarding Forces.

During the course of inquiries and questioning, it was ascertained that the illegal migrants were facilitated in entering India illegally by middlemen, who have been playing a major role in the infiltration, said the police.

During the investigation, it was also found that the middlemen exist not only on both sides of the Indo-Bangladesh border but also on the mainland. Thus, the police began an operation to root out the network of middlemen.

According to the police, the Special Task Force (STF) of Assam launched the operation in July 2023 and was able to arrest 10 such touts or middlemen.

The police said that further investigation revealed that the network of middlemen existed across India, which was a serious national security concern with inter-state ramifications.

Therefore, the government of Assam requested the MHA, Government of India, to transfer one of the cases to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), given the fact that Assam was being used as a corridor for this anti-national activity.

Accordingly, the NIA took up the case through an investigation and a collaborative effort with the Assam Police.

NIA & Assam Police collated the list of Touts who were involved in this nefarious crime, said the police.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Mahadev Book betting app scam: Mumbai police register FIR against 32 people including promoters for ‘fraud’ of Rs 15,000 crore

OpIndia Staff
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Mahadev Book betting app scam: Mumbai police register FIR against 32 people including promoters for ‘fraud’ of Rs 15,000 crore

On 8th November (Wednesday), officials of the Mumbai Police announced that they had registered an FIR against 32 people, including the “promoter” of the ‘Mahadev Book’ betting app. They have been booked for allegedly committing fraud of nearly Rs 15,000 crore. As per media reports, some of the accused are based out of Dubai, London, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, West Bengal, and Gujarat. 

The first information report (FIR) was registered on Tuesday against “app promoter Saurabh Chandrakar”, and key accused Ravi Uppal and Shubham Soni, and others for committing the fraud since 2019 until now, as per the Matunga police official. 

The officials said that the case was registered on the direction of the 30th Kurla court under Indian Penal Code sections 420 (cheating), 120-B (conspiracy), IT Act (for cyber-terrorism), and the Gambling Act. According to the FIR, the accused have defrauded people to the tune of Rs 15,000 crore.

As per the police complaint, the app’s promoters and other accused broadcast advertisements across different social media platforms, encouraging people to participate in betting on a variety of games, including cricket, football, tennis, casino games, and teen patti.

The Police sources said that the accused made wrongful gains from the business and invested huge money in hotels, properties, and in other businesses in India and abroad. 

The cyber fraud had allegedly been committed between January 2019 and November 2023, police said. 

Major developments so far in the alleged Mahadev Book Betting app scam

On 5th November (Sunday), the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued orders to block 22 illegal betting apps and websites, including Mahadev Book which allegedly has links with the D-company. 

Prior to that, on 3rd November, ED revealed that regular payments have been made by Mahadev Book App Promoters to Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and so far around Rs 508 crore has been paid. 

Meanwhile, around 34 Bollywood celebrities including actors, singers, dancers, etc had been under the Enforcement Directorate (ED) scanner in the Mahadev Betting scam case. Click here, to read the names of all these celebrities who are under the ED scanner in this case. 

According to the ED, several Bollywood celebrities including singers, dancers, and actors attended the 200-crore wedding ceremony of the scam-accused owner of Mahadev Betting App, Saurabh Chandrakar. The wedding took place in UAE in February 2023.

Further, the anti-money laundering agency has already arrested four accused persons, seized proceeds of crime worth more than Rs 450 crore, and filed a prosecution complaint against 14 accused persons. The ED findings also revealed that the promoters of the Mahadev Betting app had links with Dawood Ibrahim’s D-company. 

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