Home Blog Page 2533

Even as Nirav Modi lost all pleas in UK, he is not India-bound: Why he may not be extradited to India soon

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Even as Nirav Modi lost all pleas in UK, he is not India-bound: Why he may not be extradited to India soon

Even as fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi lost all of his pleas against extradition to India, the accused in the Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam is unlikely to return to India, not so soon at least.

The diamantaire, who fled India in 2018 before details of his alleged involvement in large-scale fraud at PNB became public lost all of his appeals against extradition at the London court. On December 15, 2022, the UK Supreme Court denied Modi’s appeal against his extradition to India. “The appellant’s application for permission to appeal to the Supreme Court is refused,” Lord Justice Stuart Smith had said in his statement.

In accordance with the UK extradition procedure, the UK home secretary then had 28 days from that date to remove Nirav. After 28 days, the fugitive is still not on a plane bound for India. However, he continues to be imprisoned in Britain and has not requested bail.

On Friday, a Crown Prosecution Service spokeswoman Karishma Vora spoke to Times of India and said that the UK’s extradition proceedings have concluded adding that “there is another legal matter barring his removal.”

Vora, a Barrister at 39 Essex chambers in London said, “I cannot think of any other reason, why he has not been removed yet. UK proceedings on Nirav Modi are at an end, still, his removal is statute-barred. I think there is another legal matter involved, which I don’t know about.”

She added that Nirav Modi may have applied for asylum and his application could be pending and moving through the appeals process, or it might already have reached its conclusion and a decision had been made. In case it has been determined against Nirav Modi, it won’t stop him from being extradited. However, if his “asylum claim is accepted, then cannot be extradited and will be granted rights to stay in the United Kingdom, Karishma Vora told TOI.

His asylum application could be pending and moving through the appeals process, or it might already have reached its conclusion and a decision had been made. If Nirav has been determined against, it won’t stop him from being extradited.

Vora opined that it is very unlikely that Nirav Modi will be granted asylum based on the publicly available information about him and the case. She added that if his asylum application was accepted he would’ve been released from prison prompting that if an asylum claim is barring his removal then it must be under process. 

Leicester violence: Accused Ibrahim confesses to threatening Hindus by screaming ‘I will kill you’, given conditional discharge

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Leicester violence: Accused Ibrahim confesses to threatening Hindus by screaming ‘I will kill you’, given conditional discharge

On Friday (January 13), a man by the name of Arslan Ibrahim confessed to issuing a death threat to the ‘rival group’ (Hindu community) in Leicester in September last year.

As per an exclusive report by the BBC, the accused yelled ‘I will kill you’ twice and provoked the Hindu community into a fight. The incident had taken place on Harrison Road in Belgrave.

Soon after, the 28-year-old man was detained. On Friday, Ibrahim’s counsel told the Nottingham Magistrates’ Court that he made the death threats in response to supposed ‘racist chanting’ on the street and apologised for his actions.

The accused was then handed out a conditional discharge and made to pay a paltry sum of £26 and £85 as victim surcharge and court costs respectively.

Five suspects identify themselves after police releases pictures of 10 accused

On January 10, the Leicester Police released photographs of ten suspects of anti-Hindu violence in the area and sought help from the public to identify them. As per the latest update, five out of ten suspects identified themselves, and the hunt for the remaining six is still on.

In a statement, Leicester Police said that the officers working on the investigation sought help in identifying the suspects. The detectives checked hours of CCTV and body cams to identify the miscreants involved in the violence.

While over 100 were arrested, many others remained unidentified and escaped incarceration. It is unclear how many more suspects are still unidentified, and the police may release more images in the coming weeks.

Since August last year, the anti-Hindu attacks in the United Kingdom, especially in Leicester and Birmingham, increased by several folds. What appeared to be a reaction to the defeat Pakistan faced in the T20 Asia Cup match against India, it was later found that Islamists were just using the match as an excuse to attack the Hindus as they did not stop even after Pakistan defeated India in the same series a week later.

Bihar-based terrorist of Bangladesh’s Jamaat-Ul-Mujahideen translated and circulated Jihadi literature among Muslims: NIA in chargesheet

ANI
-
0
Bihar-based terrorist of Bangladesh’s Jamaat-Ul-Mujahideen translated and circulated Jihadi literature among Muslims: NIA in chargesheet

In a shocking revelation in a fresh chargesheet in the Jamaat-Ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh case registered in April last year in Madhya Pradesh, the NIA said a Bihar-based operative of the banned outfit translated “Jihadi literature from Urdu/Arabic to Hindi” and uploaded it on social media groups for its circulation amongst impressionable Muslims.” 

Ali Asgar alias Abdullah Bihari alias Umair, a resident of East Champaran district in Bihar who has been named in the supplementary chargesheet, had been deeply influenced by the ideology of various proscribed terrorist organizations, such as JMB and Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent with an intention to further its activities in India, mentions the charge-sheet. Asgar entered into a criminal conspiracy with his associates to influence, radicalize and motivate Indian Muslims to prepare for violent jihad against the Indian State, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) informed the court through the chargesheet. 

“In pursuance of the said criminal conspiracy, accused Ali Asgar translated Jihadi literature from Urdu/Arabic to Hindi and uploaded it on social media groups for its circulation amongst impressionable Muslims,” the chargesheet mentioned. 

Investigations have further established that Ali Asgar was involved in causing disaffection against India through false and distorted preachings that democracy was anti-Islamic and Muslims were being persecuted in India because of democracy, said the chargesheet. 

The NIA filed the chargesheet before a special court in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh against Asgar in the JMB case pertaining to the arrest of 10 active cadres of the proscribed terrorist organization, including six illegal immigrants of Bangladesh, in March last year. 

Asgar was chargesheeted under section 120B of the Indian Penal Code and various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. 

The case was initially registered on March 14 last year by Bhopal Police and re-registered by the NIA on April 5 last year. 

NIA had earlier filed a chargesheet against six accused on September 7 last year. 

The case was filed based on reliable information received that four illegal immigrants namely Fazar Ali, Jahiruddin Ali, Jain-Ul-Abdin, and Mohammad Akhil Ahmed Shaikh, residing at the house of Nayab Jahan located near Fatima Bi Masjid, Aishabag Police Station area in Bhopal district in Madhya Pradesh, were propagating the ideology of JMB and were raising funds for the organization and motivating youth to perform Jihad against India.

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

India’s first centre of excellence in online gaming to be set up in Shillong, announces union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar

OpIndia Staff
-
0
India’s first centre of excellence in online gaming to be set up in Shillong, announces union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar

The country’s first centre of excellence in online gaming will be set up in Shillong by the union government, to promote startups and entrepreneurs from the northeast to develop the next-generation online gaming ecosystem. This was announced by Union Minister of State for Electronics & Information Technology and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Friday, 13th January 2023, in Shillong.

The minister said that the Digital India Startup Hub through Software Technology Parks of India will set up India’s first centre of excellence for online gaming in Shillong by March 2023. The Shillong Centre of Excellence is aimed to catalyze companies and entrepreneurs from India’s northeast to create the next-generation online gaming ecosystem.

While interacting with journalists at a press conference in Shillong, Rajeev Chandrashekhar said, “It is the vision of PM Narendra Modi that the next wave of startups and entrepreneurs must come from Shillong, Kohima, and other parts of North East India.”

It is worth noting that the Ministry of Electronics and IT has recently released Draft changes to the IT Rules 2021 with respect to Online Gaming for public comment. The Minister also emphasized the importance of digital skills after Covid, as the rate of digitalization of products, services, and gadgets continues to rise globally.

Rajeev Chandrashekhar said, “Imparting Digital Skills to the youth in North East Region to enable them to grab opportunities of jobs and entrepreneurship in the fast-expanding Digital economy is an article of faith for Shri Narendra Modi Government.”

He announced another initiative of the Ministry of Electronics and IT to set up a state-of-the-art facility under the National Institute of Electronics and IT (NIELIT) to provide training on cutting-edge Digital Skills at Shillong. A 10-acre campus shall soon be ready for this purpose which shall cater to the skilling requirement of youth in the North East Region.

The Minister also stated that the government is re-launching Skill India under PMKVY (Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana) 4.0, which would train about 50,000 youth in Meghalaya in future-ready skills and provide them with industry-backed job opportunities.

Rajeev Chandrashekhar added, “PM Narendra Modi is building New India with re-imagined ambitions and aspirations for the young Indians. There are multiple opportunities available today and therefore skills become important to take advantage of these opportunities. Skills are the new Passport to Prosperity.”

In terms of other states in the North East Region, the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship has set a target of skilling roughly 60,000 youth in Tripura and 35,000 in Nagaland across a range of authorized courses under PMKVY4.0.

40-50% work on Ram Mandir construction complete, idol of Ram Lala to be installed on Makar Sankranti next year

ANI
-
0
40-50% work on Ram Mandir construction complete, idol of Ram Lala to be installed on Makar Sankranti next year

As Ram temple in Ayodhya nears completion, Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on Friday said that the idol of Ram Lala would be installed on the Makar Sankranti next year.

“About 40-50 per cent of the construction work of the Ram temple here is complete and on the Makar Sankranti in 2024 the idol of Ram Lalla will be installed,” Trust’s General Secretary Champat Rai said here addressing the media persons.

He further said that the work on the ground floor which has 170 pillars will be completed by October this year.

“Walls across the garbh greha (sanctum sanctorum) have been prepared, they’re called mandovar,” he said.

Lord Ramlala’s idol will be established in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple.

“The idol of the garbh greha is an idol of the child Rama, here the deity will be worshipped in his child form,” Rai told reporters.

In Ayodhya, Rama is worshipped as a son-in-law, somewhere as a king, somewhere as a nomad (vanvasi), here he will be worshipped in the child form, as Ram Lala.

He said according to plan, the work of Pran Pratishtha ceremony of the idol of Ramlala will be held between January 1 and January 14, 2024.

Rai also said that the idol of Lord Shri Ram will be 8.5 feet tall and it will take 5 to 6 months to build with stones of sky colour.

“The parikrama marg outside the garbh greha is also moving at the same pace, so there is a garbh greha, surrounded by walls, which in turn has a parikrama marg and all three are simultaneously moving up,” Rai further said.

Trust’s General Secretary also stated, “The white stone in the garbh greha is the class 1 best quality white marble. Its walls, pillars, and floor, everything will be made with marble and apart from the garbh greha, there will be five more mandaps, three ways- from pravesh dwar to garbh greha, and two in the north and the south which is being called as “kleertan mandap”

He further said that it is also being kept in mind that on the day of Ram Navami, the sun rays should fall on the forehead of lord Rama as ‘Surya tilak’ at 12 pm.

“This is being tried by the Roorke-based central building research institute (CBRI) and its first trial has also been successful. On the basis of this trial, the pedestal of the god’s idol will be decided.”

Notably, addressing a rally in Tripura’s Sabroom where the Assembly election is due in March, Union Minister Amit Shah had announced the inauguration day of the Ram temple. 

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

Hoax bomb call to SpiceJet was made so that 2 youths can spend more time with their girlfriends, British Airways Trainee arrested

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Hoax bomb call to SpiceJet was made so that 2 youths can spend more time with their girlfriends, British Airways Trainee arrested

A hoax call saying that there was a bomb at a Delhi-Pune SpiceJet flight yesterday, which had delayed the evening flight by several hours, was made to ensure that two youths can spend some more time with their girlfriends, who were flying on that flight. This was revealed by Delhi Police after arresting the person who had made the phone call to the call centre of the airline.

On Friday, 13th January 2023, Delhi Police arrested British Airways trainee ticketing agent named Abhinav Prakash for placing the fake bomb call to the SpiceJet Call Center at IGI Airport. The police said that Abhinav Prakash made the hoax call after two of his childhood friends convinced him to do so. His two friends wanted to delay or cancel the flight their girlfriends were travelling on, and that’s why they had devised the plan to make the hoax bomb call. On Thursday, SpiceJet received a call that said that there is a bomb on the Delhi-Pune flight. It was later declared a hoax.

According to the police, 24-year-old Abhinav Prakash, a resident of Dwarka Sector 22, has been working as a trainee with British Airways at DLF Qutub Plaza Gurugram for the last seven months after receiving a diploma in the tour and travels from IGNOU in 2020. Police were able to nab him because he had used his own phone to make the fake call.

During questioning, he revealed that two of his childhood friends, Rakesh alias Bunty and Kunal Sehrawat, who recently went on a sightseeing tour to Manali, got acquainted with two girls there. Both girls were scheduled to go to Pune on Spicejet Airlines aircraft SG-8938 on January 12. “His friends told him that they wanted to spend some more time with their girlfriends and instigated the accused to find out a plan to somehow delay their departure from Delhi,” said the DCP of IGI Airport.

Accordingly, the three devised a malevolent plot to make a false bomb call at Spicejet Airlines call centre, with the ulterior purpose of having the flight cancelled or at least delayed. The accused dialled Spicejet Airline’s customer service number from his own cellphone number and informed them that “there is a bomb in flight No. SG-8938.”

A press release by Delhi police said, “The accused person to boost their false bravado contacted the girls who were onboard and when they came to know that the flight has been delayed/stopped, they even celebrated the execution of their malevolent act”

When the news of the arrest of Abhinav Prakash reached Kunal Sehrawat and Rakesh alias Bunty, they fled away from their addresses and are presently absconding. Police said that sincere efforts are being made to trace and arrest them.

The SpiceJet flight SG-8938 was scheduled to depart for Pune at 5.35 pm on 12 January, but after the call centre of SpiceJet received the threat message, they alerted the Airport Operations Control Centre (AOCC). AOCC then informed Security Operations Control Centre about the bomb threat message. When the call had come, no passengers had boarded the aircraft, and the Boeing 737 aircraft was thoroughly checked following a complete security drill.

The search went on for several hours, but nothing was found onboard the flight. After that, the threat was declared a hoax call, the passengers boarded the flight and it finally took off.

The flight which was scheduled to take off at 5:35 PM and land in Pune at 7:45 PM finally took off from IGI Airport at 1:43 PM. The flight reached Pune at 3:30 AM, according to the flight tracker website flightradar24.

Therefore, just because two youths wanted to spend some more time with two girls, they caused inconvenience to the passengers of the flight by delaying it for several hours and kept the security agencies busy past midnight who were searching for the non-existent bomb.

Over 18,600 toys seized from retail stores like Hamleys and Archies for violations of quality norms, notices sent to Amazon, Flipkart & Snapdeal

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Over 18,600 toys seized from retail stores like Hamleys and Archies for violations of quality norms, notices sent to Amazon, Flipkart & Snapdeal

The central government Thursday informed that 18,600 toys have been seized from outlets of major retail stores like Hamleys and Archies, among others, at airports and malls across the country for not meeting quality standards and using fake licences. The toys were seized during 44 raids that were conducted by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) in the past two weeks.

The raids were conducted at retail stores of several brands, including Hamleys, Archies, WH Smith, Kids Zone and Cococart located at major airports and malls across the country.

Meanwhile, the consumer protection agency CCPA has issued notices to three major e-commerce operators — Amazon, Flipkart, and Snapdeal — for alleged violations of a toy quality control regulation.

Notably, the government has made it necessary for toys to comply with safety standards stipulated by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), a national standard-establishing organisation, effective January 1, 2021.

“We received complaints from domestic manufacturers of sale of toys that do not conform with the BIS standard. We conducted 44 raids in the last one month and seized 18,600 toys from major retail stores,” Pramod Kumar Tiwari, the BIS Director General said in a press conference on Thursday.

He added that apart from Hamleys and Archies, raids were conducted between December 28, 2022 and January 12, 2023 on retail stores of WH Smith, Kids Zone and Cococart, which are located at malls and airports across the country.

Legal action will be taken against the retailers for violation of quality norms as per the provisions of the BIS Act, under which the initial penalty is Rs 1 lakh for the first-time offence to a maximum of a jail term, he added.

According to reports, toys were seized from Hamleys outlets at New Delhi airport Terminal 1 and 2, as well as in Kolkata, Ranchi, Noida, and SAS Nagar, according to the BIS (Punjab).

Toys were also seized at the Archies store in Ghaziabad’s Pacific Mall, the WH Smith stores in Hyderabad and Delhi airports, the Cococart stores in Mumbai and Gujarat airports, and the Tiara Toys Zone in Chennai airport, according to the report.

Maximum toys were confiscated from Ahmedabad-based Raj Toy World, followed by 3,080 from Madurai-based Giftz and 2,000 from Bengaluru-based Royal Mart and Chennai-based Kids Zone, according to the report.

Pakistan man pushes another into open sewage during flour distribution, fight over a sack of wheat: Watch

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Pakistan man pushes another into open sewage during flour distribution, fight over a sack of wheat: Watch

Amidst the rising food crisis in Pakistan, a video has gone viral on social media wherein a man is seen pushing other people in open sewage while the government authorities distribute subsidized bags of flour that are already short in supply in the market to the locals.

In the viral video, a man is seen pushing another man into open sewage to find space to get the flour. The man, who appeared to be quite agitated, then turned around and attempted to push another man. On his way out of the crowded place, he shoved another man into the filth.

In another viral video, three Pakistanis are seen fighting over a sack of flour. During the fight, another man approaches them and begins tickling another in an attempt to steal the sack.

Pakistan is facing its worst-ever flour crisis with parts of the country reporting a shortage of wheat and stampedes reported from several areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, and Balochistan provinces. Prices of wheat and flour have skyrocketed amid the ongoing crisis in Pakistan.

Flour in Karachi is being sold from Rs 140 per kilogram to Rs 160 per kilogram. In Islamabad and Peshawar, a 10 kg bag of flour is being sold at Rs 1,500 per kilogram while a 20-kilogram bag of flour is being sold at Rs 2,800. Mill owners in Punjab province have increased the price of flour to Rs 160 per kilogram.

Similarly, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been facing the worst-ever flour crisis as a bag of 20-kilogram flour is being sold for Rs 3100 after the government failed to control the price of the stable

Earlier in the day, OpIndia reported how the banks in Pakistan remain hesitant in opening letters of credit (LCs) for the import of necessities, posing threat to the food supply, reported The News International.

The inability of banks to open LCs despite the State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) directives about import facilitation, poses a threat to the supply of food, as well as, could escalate price pressures and create a shortage of medications.

Thousands of shipping containers are stuck at the Karachi Port after offloading due to the banks’ reluctance to guarantee foreign exchange payments. Perishable and non-perishable foodstuffs and medical supplies are among the cargoes

‘NIA to probe terror attacks in Rajouri’: Home Minister Amit Shah says in Jammu and Kashmir

OpIndia Staff
-
0
‘NIA to probe terror attacks in Rajouri’: Home Minister Amit Shah says in Jammu and Kashmir

The investigation into the terrorist attack in Rajouri has been handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Union Home Minister Amit Shah gave this information during his visit to Jammu on Friday, 13th January 2023. He said the investigation into the Rajouri terror attack has been handed over to the NIA. Both NIA and Jammu police will jointly investigate the incident. All the incidents that have taken place in the last one and a half years will also be investigated.

The Union Home Minister was scheduled to visit the families of the victims of the terror attack but his visit to Rajouri was postponed due to bad weather. However, he spoke to the victim’s families over the phone and listened to them carefully.

Amit Shah said, “I have spoken to the families of the deceased over the phone. I was supposed to go there to meet him myself but today due to the weather we could not reach there. I have listened to them and I have also spoken to Lieutenant Governor Manoj ji.”

Amit Shah further said, “All aspects have been discussed in detail with all kinds of agencies engaged in the security of Jammu and Kashmir. Preparations will be made to make a very safe grid in the coming days. All including BSF, CRPF, Army, and Jammu and Kashmir Police are fully prepared. The entire 360-degree safety cycle has also been discussed.”

“We had a telephone conversation with the Union Home Minister. He has assured to meet us during his next visit,” a member of the victim’s family told while interacting with the media. A woman named Saroj Bala, who was among the victims’ families, said, “I lost both my sons in the Dhangri attack that took place in the first week of January 2023 and I urged him (Amit Shah) to give us justice and give a strong reply to their killers.”

It is notable that seven people including two children were killed in two terror attacks that took place on January 1 and 2 in the Dhangri village of the Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir. Four civilians were gunned down on January 1 while two children and one other were killed in an explosion that took place on January 2.

Bangladesh: Chhatra League leader Ibrahim accused of encroaching land of Hindu man

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Bangladesh: Chhatra League leader Ibrahim accused of encroaching land of Hindu man

A leader of the Chhatra League (the student wing of the ruling Awami League government) was accused of usurping the land of a Hindu family in the Basabaria village in Kachua upazila in the Chandpur district of Bangladesh, reported Dainik Janakantha.

The accused was identified as Ibrahim Miya (also known by his alias Duronto Ibrahim), the convenor of the Chhatra League at the Kachua Government Bangabandhu Degree College.

A complaint was filed with the Kachua police station against the accused, his mother Fathima Begum and his sister by the victim Uttam Sarkar, who alleged that the trio had encroached upon his land.

Reportedly, Uttam Sarkar had filed a police complaint 2 months prior regarding a land dispute with his brother Sushil Sarkar. Following the intervention of the locals, Uttam’s father Priyalal Sarkar and his brother Sushil handed over 8.5 acres of land to him.

According to Uttam Sarkar, Ibrahim Miya managed to secure his signature on three blank stamp papers while he was withdrawing the police complaint pertaining to the land dispute.

The onset of the ongoing dispute with the Chhatra League leader

On January 7 this year, the accused reportedly erected a bamboo fence in the middle of the victim’s property in a bid to occupy the land. On learning about the matter, Uttam Sarkar reached Kachua from Narayanganj and confronted Ibrahim Miya.

Instead of conceding his mistake, Ibrahim issued threats to the victim. Forced by circumstance, Uttam Sarkar filed a police complaint on the night of January 9, 2023.

In his defence, the accused claimed that Uttam Sarkar had proposed to sell his land and took a whopping Tk 6.9 lakhs (INR 5.39 lakhs) from his mother Fathima Begum. As such, Ibrahim alleged that it was his property now and he has put up a fence to protect it.

Meanwhile, his mother has also accused Uttam Sarkar of taking money and not handing over the land registry papers. The Officer-in-Charge of Kachua police station informed that a probe has been launched into the matter and appropriate action will be taken after the investigation.

89990 acres of land of religious minorities remain encroached: Reports

Earlier, the Bangladesh National Hindu Grand Alliance (also called the Bangladesh Jatiyo Hindu Mahajot) informed that a whopping 89,990 acres of land belonging to religious minorities in the country remain occupied.

Between January and December 2022, about 572 families were also evicted from their homes while 445 families of religious minorities were forced to leave Bangladesh altogether.

1...2,5322,5332,534...7,602Page 2,533 of 7,602