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Chhattisgarh: ED busts Rs 2000 crore liquor scam involving politician-bureaucrat nexus, Congress leader’s brother Anwar Dhebar arrested

OpIndia Staff
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Chhattisgarh: ED busts Rs 2000 crore liquor scam involving politician-bureaucrat nexus, Congress leader’s brother Anwar Dhebar arrested

An alleged ‘scam’ of Rs 2,000 crore in Chhattisgarh, reportedly aided by high-ranking politicians and bureaucrats, has been exposed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The agency has apprehended a significant suspect, Anwar Dhebar, who has been remanded to ED custody for four days by a court in Raipur. Anwar Dhebar is the brother of Congress leader and Raipur mayor Aijaz Dhebar.

In March 2023, the investigation agency carried out searches at various sites and obtained statements from several individuals connected to the scam. The agency alleges that it has amassed proof of “unprecedented” corruption and money laundering worth Rs 2,000 crore that occurred from 2019 to 2022. ED says that money was collected on “every bottle” of liquor sold in the state by an alcohol syndicate led by Anwar Dhebar.

On Saturday, Anwar Dhebar was apprehended by the ED on allegations of violating the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). He was caught by authorities while he was attempting to escape through the back entrance of a hotel in Raipur. A specialized PMLA court granted the ED 4-day custody of him, despite his attorney’s assertion that the arrest was politically motivated. The lawyer has stated that they plan to approach the Supreme Court in response to the arrest.

The ED said, “Investigation found that an organized crime syndicate led by Anwar Dhebar was operating in Chhattisgarh. Anwar Dhebar, though a private citizen, was backed by and was working for the illegal gratification of high-level political executives and senior bureaucrats. He weaved an elaborate conspiracy and stitched a wide network of persons/entities to execute the scam so that money was illegally collected from every bottle of liquor sold in Chhattisgarh.”

According to the ED, Anwar Dhebar was in charge of amassing the entirety of the illicit funds, but he was not the sole beneficiary of the fraud. As the agency put it, “It is established that after deducting a percentage, he had passed on the remaining amounts to his political masters.”

The agency said, “Excise departments are mandated to regulate the supply of liquor, ensure quality liquor to users to prevent hooch tragedies, and earn revenue for the State. But investigation revealed that the criminal syndicate led by Anwar Dhebar has turned upside down all these objectives.”

In Chhattisgarh, the state has a monopoly on all aspects of the liquor industry, including procurement and retail sales, with no room for private players. The ED said, “No private liquor shops are allowed. All 800 liquor shops are run by the state and the Chhattisgarh State Marketing Corporation Limited (CSMCL) centrally procures all the liquor.”

The agency further said, “With the support of the political executives, Anwar Dhebar managed to get a pliant Commissioner and MD of CSMCL and hired close associates like Vikas Agarwal alias Subbu and Arvind Singh to make the system completely subservient to him. He controlled the entire chain of the liquor trade starting from private distillers, FL-10A license holders, senior officers of the excise department, district-level excise officers, manpower suppliers, glass bottle makers, hologram makers, cash collection vendors, etc., and leveraged it to extort maximum amount of bribes/commission.”

As per the agency, the purported liquor syndicate operating in the state with Anwar Dhebar’s involvement imposed a commission of “₹75-150 per case (varying by liquor type) that was meticulously collected from the suppliers for each accounted cash procured by the CSMCL.”

ED said that Anwar Dhebar was responsible for the collection of entire illegal money, but was not the only beneficiary of the scam. “It is established that after deducting a percentage, he had passed on the remaining amounts to his political masters,” they said.

The ED claimed, “Anwar Dhebar, in conspiracy with others, started getting manufactured unaccounted country-made liquor and selling the same through government-run shops. This way they could keep the entire sale proceeds without depositing even Re 1 in the state exchequer.”

It further said that between 2019 and 2022, this kind of “illegal sale was almost 30-40 per cent of the total sale of the liquor in the state and this act generated ₹1,200-1,500 crore of illegal profits”. The agency remarked, “This was an annual commission that was paid by the main distillers for getting a distillery license and a fixed share in the market purchase of the CSMCL. The distillers used to pay bribes as per the percentage of market share allotted to them. Procurement was done strictly in this ratio by the CSMCL.

Website of ANI goes down after Bangladeshi hacker group targets it a day after attacking the IANS website

OpIndia Staff
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Website of ANI goes down after Bangladeshi hacker group targets it a day after attacking the IANS website

The website of news agency ANI (Asian News International) has gone offline after a hacking attack. Mysterious Team, a Bangladesh-based hacker group, has claimed responsibility for the attack.

They announced on Twitter, “Indian South Asian News Agency @ANI website dropped”, with a screenshot showing that the website aninews.in is not available. They also used the hashtag #OpIndia23, which supposedly refers to Operation India 2023.

The website of ANI is not accessible at the time of publishing this report, showing the error message 502, bad gateway, which indicates that there is something wrong with a website’s server communication.

Reacting to the development, Smita Prakash, Editor-in-Chief of ANI, Smita Prakash, tweeted ‘It’s a constant attack on us’.

The hacking comes just days after two Twitter accounts of ANI were blocked by Twitter saying that they were under the age of 13 years. However, the accounts were later restored.

The Bangladeshi hacking group took down the website of another Indian news agency IANS yesterday, however the site is now back online.

They also attacked the site of Cert-inIndian Computer Emergency Response Team under the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, which also has been restored.

The group has been continuously targeting Indian websites, and have taken down several sites related to Indian govt, Indian political parties and politicians, including Samajwadi Party, Amit Shah, Yogi Adityanath and others.

‘Is it appropriate for a heathen Prime Minister’: British commentator targets Rishi Sunak for reading the Bible at King Charles’ coronation

OpIndia Staff
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‘Is it appropriate for a heathen Prime Minister’: British commentator targets Rishi Sunak for reading the Bible at King Charles’ coronation

On May 6 (local time), British conservative political commentator Calvin Robinson called Prime Minister of Britain, Rishi Sunak, a heathen. He was talking about PM Sunak reading the 1:9-17 passage from the biblical book of Colossians at King Charles’ coronation. The panel discussed that the coronation is a Christian event, with Robinson calling it inappropriate for a non-Christian to read the gospel.

It is notable that Rishi Sunak is a Hindu, and his act of reading the Bible at King Charles’s coronation ceremony has already become a topic of discussion, with many people hailing it as his commitment to representing the UK’s diversity. While the PM of the UK always participates in the coronation of the monarch, Rishi Sunak is the first person of colour and the first non-Christian to play such a lead role in the ceremony. However, conservatives like Calvin Robinson have found it objectionable.

One of the panellists suggested that Charles is not only the King but the head of the state; therefore, he must be thinking about the whole nation. While Robinson agreed, he questioned whether a heathen should read a Gospel. He said, “Should we have heathens reading the Epistles? Is it appropriate for a heathen prime minister to be reading a Gospel reading?”

For those unaware, heathen is a derogatory term to describe a person who belongs to a religion that is not Christianity, Judaism, or Islam, the three Abrahamic religions. In this case, Robinson is using the term heathen for PM Sunak as he is a practising Hindu and not a Christian. The team heathen is similar to the term kafir used by Muslims for non-Muslims.

Though GB News trimmed the part where Robinson used the term heathen, the video made it to social media anyway. Quoting the clip, Robinson jumped in to prove he was right when Twitter users objected to using the term. In several replies, he categorically said the term was not derogatory and technically correct. 

A Twitter user NJ_Timothy called it “shameful”, to which Robinson replied, “Shameful why? The answer was “, yes, it is appropriate”, so is it the question you disagree with? Are you against questions being asked in general? Or just ones related to faith? It was unusual for a Hindu to read the Epistle in a Christian service.”

Timothy and another Twitter user, Jonny, categorically mentioned calling someone heathen is derogatory, to which Robinson questioned as if they did not know the term’s actual meaning.

He said, “The term isn’t derogatory in this context; it is technically correct. We pray for heathens often. I am assuming you’re Anglican. Do you find the Collects and the Psalms shameful?”

Robinson is habitual in using the word heathen. When several users objected to his use of the term, he even said that ‘heathen’ Rishi Sunak should convert to Christianity, adding he will pray for the same.

While replying to a Twitter user who had asked him to “pray for the conversion of the royal family and the country back to the one true Catholic faith”, he said, “No, thank you. I pray for the conversion of our heathen Prime Minister. I do not pray for converting Christians who already know Christ to know him in a different tribe. That is sectarian nonsense.”

He faced backlash for using the term on social media. Twitter user Jav replying to his now-deleted tweet, said, “Calling a Hindu a heathen isn’t exactly the most Christian of qualities! Just admit it was crass & apologise.”

Source: Twitter

Twitter user Gavin Aplin said, “Conversion of our heathen prime minister? The same sentiment is used to subdue and destroy other cultures worldwide by self-righteous folk like you. If there is a God, then the path is down to the individual created by God not to join a faith so the likes of you can dress up.”

Members of Hakki Pikki tribe evacuated from Sudan meet PM Modi, thank him for the proactive steps taken by the government

ANI
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Members of Hakki Pikki tribe evacuated from Sudan meet PM Modi, thank him for the proactive steps taken by the government

Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with members of the Hakki Pikki tribe, who were evacuated from Sudan under Operation Kaveri, in Shivamogga earlier today.

The evacuees profusely thanked the Prime Minister for the proactive steps taken by the government for ensuring their timely and safe evacuation.

They recounted the tough circumstances faced by them in Sudan and how the government and Indian Embassy ensured their safety.

They said, “The government ensured they did not get even a scratch, and it was all due to the efforts of the Prime Minister.”

Expressing happiness towards the Prime Minister, they said that in their heart, they feel he represents the strength of not the double engine but a triple engine.

Prime Minister recalled how the forefathers of the community members stood alongside Maharana Pratap. He said, “In the whole world if any Indian is in any kind of difficulty, the government does not rest till the problem is resolved.”

He said that some politicians tried to politicise the issue, and our concern was that if they expose where Indians are hidden, they may face greater danger. So the government worked quietly to ensure everyone’s safety.

PM Modi asked them to remember the strength of the country which has stood up for them. He asked them to always be ready to help those in trouble and contribute to the society and country.

They also talked about how people in foreign countries repose faith in Indian medicine and become happy on hearing that they are from India.

As many as 3,862 persons were rescued from strife-torn Sudan under Operation Kaveri, which has now come to a close. The transit facility, which was created at a school in Jeddah, has also been closed, the Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia informed.

The Government of India, under the leadership of PM Modi, had launched Operation Kaveri to rescue the Indian nationals from conflict-ridden Sudan.

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

Delhi: Woman dies after one Shakir assaults and rapes her at a hospital, her son alleges a rod was inserted into her private parts

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi: Woman dies after one Shakir assaults and rapes her at a hospital, her son alleges a rod was inserted into her private parts

A woman who used to work in the GB Pant Hospital of Delhi died days after she was raped and assaulted on her private parts by an accused named Shakir. The IP station police booked a case under the sections of rape and assault. The accused tortured the woman on 1st May 2023. The woman died on 7th May 2023.

The son of the victim woman has alleged that the accused inserted a rod in the private parts of the victim, however, the police have denied it. But the police confirmed that there were injuries in her genital area, saying he might have kicked her there. She was also hit on her head with a heavy object.

The 40-year-old woman Shashi Jatav lived with her family consisting of four sons and a daughter in the East Delhi District. She used to work with a contractor at GB Pant Hospital. The woman’s husband died a year ago after cancer.

According to reports, the woman used to work during the shift from 3 pm to 10 pm every day. On May 1, when she finished her duty, the accused asked her to stay in the hospital. After this, the accused attacked the woman and raped her. He fled after the incident.

Reportedly, he first hit her head with a heavy object, breaking her teeth, and then raped her when she was in an unconscious state. The woman was badly injured in the incident.

In the morning, the woman was spotted by her colleagues. After this, the police reached the spot and launched a probe. On May 2, the woman underwent an emergency operation. However, she passed away on 7 May. She was admitted to the ICU of Loknayak Jayaprakash Hospital.

Police say that the accused Shakir is an old acquaintance of the woman. He works in the hospital. After taking the statement of the victim, he was arrested from the Jhilmil area.

However, the woman’s son alleged that the accused Shakir inserted a rod in the private part of her mother and it was thrust into her intestines. The son has also alleged that the police have not treated him well. He alleged that the police were trying to avoid an investigation into the case. But the police have denied his allegations.

District DCP Sanjay Kumar Sen said, “The woman’s interrogation and medical examination did not confirm that an iron rod or any other object was inserted in her private part. It is estimated that the accused has kicked her private part, and the investigation of the case is going on.”

Meanwhile, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad has assured to support the victim’s family. A Hindu activist alleged that the Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad Ravan claims to be the leader of the Jatavs but when he knew that the name of the accused is Shakir, he stepped back.

Pune: HINDU organisation takes initiative to recognise dedicated contributors to Hinduism, starts ‘Akshayya HINDU Awards’

OpIndia Staff
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Pune: HINDU organisation takes initiative to recognise dedicated contributors to Hinduism, starts ‘Akshayya HINDU Awards’

On 7th May 2023, the HINDU organisation of Pune decorated five dedicated contributors to Hinduism with the Akshayya HINDU Award which the organisation started this year. HINDU stands for Humanist Indian Nationalist Democratic Union. The organisation gave awards to Hindu activists tirelessly contributing across various sectors including Dharma Jagruti, Gorakshan, Media, Tribal Welfare, Women Empowerment, etc.

Padmashree Girish Prabhune and Sharad Chavan were present as the president and the chief guest of the program held at the Veer Savarkar Adhyasan Kendra, Pune. Awards were given to Ashutosh Adoni, Dinesh Joshi and Sneha Joshi, Swati Shilkar, Kumar Panjlar, and Shalutaai Kolhe for their contribution to Hinduism in their respective fields. The award consists of an idol of Kodand-dhari Shri Ram, a cash prize of Rs 5000, and a set of books written by various nationalist writers. All the awards were funded by public participation.

Ashutosh Adoni is a public speaker and media personality from Nagpur. He was awarded in the media category for his role in directing people’s thoughts toward Hindutva through his impeccable oratory. Dinesh Joshi and Sneha Joshi are a couple from the Ahmednagar district in Maharashtra. They work for spreading awareness in Hindu society – especially girls – about love jihad. They also work to help the victims of love jihad. They received the award in the Dharma Jagruti category. Kumar Panjlar of Pune works for the people living in slums. He was given the award in the social harmony category. Swati Shilkar of Goa has devoted her life to the work of Gorakshan which is protecting cows and was awarded in the same category. Shalutai Kolhe works for the welfare of the tribal women in the Gondia district of Maharashtra. She was awarded as a tribal woman activist.

The HINDU organisation had decided that as the awards are for the workers, they should be given by the workers themselves and no person from any company or political party should be on stage. Therefore, Sharad Chavan, who looked after the work of Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, was the chief guest of the activist who came out of a very difficult situation, and Padma Shri Girishji Prabhune, who devoted all his life to the nomadic tribes, was the president of the program.

While speaking at this program, Sharad Chavan gave an insider’s view on how an activist evolves. He explained his ideological journey from the Communist Union to the Hindutva ideology in a very pinpointed way. Girish Prabhune also shared his thoughts on this event. He shed light on the Indian social system, the challenges it faces, our glorious history, and many other topics.

While explaining the background behind the formation of the HINDU organisation, Shefali Vaidya said, “Like-minded people who are active on social media decided that on social media, we often talk about Deities, country, and Dharma all the time, but we should also do something substantial in reality.”

She added, “There are various dimensions of Hindutva, viz. cow protection, social harmony, Dharma Jagruti, tribal welfare, public education etc. In each of these areas, many activists across the country are working tirelessly. We talked a lot among ourselves about the fact that despite their work being very good, it does not reach out to people due to lack of publicity.”

She further said, “That led to the idea: Why shouldn’t we give such awards? We discussed it among ourselves, and everyone agreed on three things. Awards should be given through public participation because the work of Hindutva belongs to the entire society. The awards should be given to the activists working on the ground and that too by the activists. Leaders should be avoided in the awards given by public participation. It requires the name of the institution to give the award, but this work belongs to the entire Hindu community, so the organisation should also be named HINDU. What is a HINDU? Humanist Indian Nationalist Democratic Union. Because we are humanists, Indians, nationalists, and democratic. The only thing that’s a little less in us is union. Unity. This exercise is all about that.”

Tushar Damgude, Saurabh Virkar, Snehal Kulkarni, Rishabh Pardeshi, Nilesh Bhise, Kedar Sarwate, Shruti Daithankar, Chandra Bhushan Joshi, and Sarika Wagh are among the key members of the HINDU organisation led by Shefali Vaidya.

‘Shivaji ka baap hai Tipu Sultan or Shivaji ch***ya’: 16-year-old boy detained from Bhiwandi for derogatory comments on Maratha emperor

OpIndia Staff
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‘Shivaji ka baap hai Tipu Sultan or Shivaji ch***ya’: 16-year-old boy detained from Bhiwandi for derogatory comments on Maratha emperor

The Bhiwandi police had detained a 16-year-old boy for his objectionable Facebook post against Maratha emperor Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, after a complaint was filed against him.

According to Thane police, an FIR was registered on charges of outraging the religious feelings of others and creating enmity between different communities following a complaint filed by a Bhiwandi resident along with some Bajrang Dal members. The minor boy was later taken into custody.

DCP (Zone II) Navnath Dhavle said, “Based on a complaint that somebody had put a post on Instagram that was defamatory to Shivaji Maharaj, we registered an FIR at the Shanti Nagar Police Station in Bhiwandi. After the probe, we found that the post had been uploaded on Instagram by a minor following which we took him into custody and as per law was sent to Bhiwandi Children’s Home.”

According to the police, the complaint was filed lodged by one Uday Pawar, an auto-rickshaw driver and data entry operator from Bhiwandi. Pawar said in his complaint that he had come across a post on Instagram which hurt his feelings.  He then approached the local Bajrang Dal activists and they together went to the Shanti Nagar Police Station where the FIR was registered based on the complaint.

The Background of the Controversy

A minor boy, who identifies himself as a ‘video creator’ on Instagram, published a story denigrating Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaja and eulogising tyrant Tipu Sultan.

In his Instagram story, the accused claimed, “Shivaji ka baap hai Tipu Sultan or Shivaji chu*iya.” He further claimed that the tyrant is the father of India, the Marathas and the Muslim community.

“The king of the Mughal empire…The king of Hindu…Isko bolte baap,” the accused added in his Instagram post. Hindu rights activist, Trupti Garg, took cognisance of the matter and sought intervention from the Mumbai police.

It must be mentioned that a popular Twitter handle ‘The Random Indian’ ran extensive campaigns on Instagram and Telegram to bring the matter to the attention of the concerned authorities.

Meanwhile, a police complaint was filed by a functionary of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal.

Following the complaint, a First Information Report (FIR) was registered in connection to the case. The accused was then detained and taken into police custody.

Communism destroyed my life, abandoned responsibility towards family for 20 years: Piyush Mishra

OpIndia Staff
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Communism destroyed my life, abandoned responsibility towards family for 20 years: Piyush Mishra

On Saturday (May 6), actor and poet Piyush Mishra recounted how Communism left a scarring impact on his life and family. Mishra shared how the leftist ideology ruined his life for over 20 years.

He shared his story during an interview with Saurabh Dwivedi of Lallantop. At about 11:03 minutes into the show, Mishra said, “This communism has turned my life upside down…There was a time when Communists had a hold over me…for 20 years. And this happened in Delhi.”

“They (Communists) teach you that ‘family’ is a bad concept and turn you against your father and mother. They tell you to work for the society. Are parents not part of this society?” he asked.

Piyush Mishra emphasised, “According to them, the society is different and the State is different. Revolution (kranti) will come from somewhere and you have to wait and watch in anticipation. In this way, they made me work for them for 20 years…”

“According to the Communists, earning money is a sin. They told me that one who runs after money is a ‘capitalist.’ I believed them and vowed to not earn money. Abandoned my father, mother, and wife. I turned out to be a bad son, a bad husband but promised myself not to turn into a bad father,” he added.

The ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ actor pointed out, “It was only then that the realisation dawned on me that I made a huge mistake. They took everything from me and I did not have any sense of responsibility towards my family…”

At that point, interviewer Saurabh Dwivedi interjected, “Do you realise that NK will be angry at you?” Without mincing any words, Piyush Mishra said, “Let him be mad at me. Now you will get into trouble for taking ‘names.'”

He stated, “In those days, we were obsessed with the imagery of Stalin. In Communism, there is one central figure and everyone has to abide by his instructions. Stalinism and Communism had destroyed my life.”

“I kept working for them until I reached a breaking point. I was mentally and physically exhausted and emotionally drained by that time,” Mishra concluded.

The Kerala Story not to be screened in Tamil Nadu amidst protests, dubbed versions delayed by regional censor offices

OpIndia Staff
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The Kerala Story not to be screened in Tamil Nadu amidst protests, dubbed versions delayed by regional censor offices

Even as the film The Kerala Story is doing well in theatres across the country, the film will not be screened in Tamil Nadu from Sunday onwards. The multiplex theatres have decided to drop the movie citing the law and order situation arising due to the protests against the film as well as a poor response to the film in the state.

This comes after Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) chief Seeman and his supporters staged protests against the screening of the film in the Anna Nagar Arch near Skywalk Mall in Chennai on Saturday. Police apprehended NTK cadres following a protest inside a theatre opposing the screening of The Kerala Story.

Seeman claimed that The Kerala Story was made to denigrate Muslims and portray Muslims as terrorists. “Today (06-05-2023) we protested against the DMK government’s permission to screen the film #TheKeralaStory which was made to denigrate the Muslim people and portray the Muslims as terrorists in Tamil Nadu. During the blockade struggle held on behalf of the Tamil party,” Seeman tweeted on May 6.

The Kerala Story screenings were cancelled in various Kerala districts on the day of its premiere. Two previously scheduled shows in Kochi were cancelled. The movie was also boycotted by theatre owners at Kochi’s Lulu Mall and Centre Square Mall. Similarly, theatres in the districts of Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Idukki, Kannur, and Wayanad opted not to screen the film.

It is notable that while the movie has been dubbed into several languages, only the Hindi version of the movie has been released. According to director Sudipto Sen, the dubbed versions as stuck at regional censor offices, and that’s why they have not been released. He hoped that the movie dubbed into Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam will be released after they are cleared by the respective censor boards.

Despite the outrage, demands for its ban, and cancelled shows, the Adah Sharma starrer continued its impressive run in the theatres on Day 2 as the film minted over Rs 12.50 crores at the domestic box office. With a collection of around Rs 8.03 crore on Day 1, the film’s total domestic collection stands at Rs 20.53 crore.

The movie ‘The Kerala Story‘ revolves around the tragic reality of ISIS brides, with the lead actor Adah Sharma playing the role of one Shalini Unnikrishnan, who is brainwashed by her Muslim friends and gets converted to Islam. She later travels to ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) also known as IS (Islamic State) controlled area with her spouse.

Jammu and Kashmir: Major tragedy averted as police recover 5-6 kg IED in Pulwama, a terror associate arrested

OpIndia Staff
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Jammu and Kashmir: Major tragedy averted as police recover 5-6 kg IED in Pulwama, a terror associate arrested

Jammu and Kashmir was spared a massive tragedy after a terrorist associate was captured and a large number of improvised explosive devices (IED) were found by the police. Following the disclosure by an arrested man named Ishfaq Ahmed Wani, a resident of Arigam in the Pulwama region, police officials were able to discover about 5–6 kg of IEDs.

This was revealed by Kashmir Zone Police on Twitter. An inquiry is underway after a case was filed in this matter.

One terrorist identified as Abid Wani, son of Mohd Rafiq Wani and residence of Yarhol Babapora Kulgam, linked with Lashkar-e-Taiba, was neutralised in an encounter with the security forces yesterday. Incriminating materials and an AK-47 rifle were retrieved from his possession.

The security in North Kashmir has been stepped up after three consecutive clashes. Five terrorists were killed in these confrontations and more security guards have been stationed on the ground. Drones are also employed for aerial observation. Three of the five slain terrorists were from South Kashmir.

The security personnel are assisted by the sniffer dogs as they scan vehicles at numerous checkpoints installed to thwart the movement of terrorists or explosives from one location to another.

Later this month, the G20 working group will travel to Kashmir for tourism, therefore the security apparatus has been placed on high alert.

The presence of terrorists in north Kashmir near the Gulmarg tourist resort has given rise to apprehensions of a major terror attack in the Valley. However, the security agencies are working in coordination and they have assured that they are capable to deal with any challenge.

Two days had passed since a terrorist ambush in the Kandi forest, Rajouri claimed the lives of five Indian Army soldiers. On Saturday morning, the security forces made contact with the terrorists who were holed up, and one ultra was killed in the subsequent gunbattle. The Army believed it expected the engagement to result in the injury of another terrorist.

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