Home Blog Page 2945

Producer Shalini Chaudhary says actor Zeishan Quadri sold her Audi A6 car after ‘borrowing’ it from her and then threatened to kill her, FIR filed

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Producer Shalini Chaudhary says actor Zeishan Quadri sold her Audi A6 car after ‘borrowing’ it from her and then threatened to kill her, FIR filed

An FIR was registered against Zeishan Qadri, who played the role of a martyr in the film Gangs of Wasseypur, on the charges of stealing a luxury car from the producer of the television series Crime Patrol. Shalini Choudhari – the producer of Crime Patrol – has alleged that Bollywood actor Zeishan Qadri stole an Audi car worth Rs 38 lakh from him fraudulently. A case has been registered against Zeeshan Qadri at Malad police station based on a complaint filed by Shalini Chaudhari.

According to reports, Shalini Choudhari said, “I live in Malad with my two children. My company name is Shalini Chaudhary Films. I met Zeishan Qadri in 2017. He has a company named Friday to Friday in which his so-called wife, Mrs. Priyanka Bassi was a partner. I knew him too so we did a Crime Patrol show together and a film called Halahal for his company. This made me gain some confidence in him.”

She added, “On June 21, 2022, Zeishan Qadri came to my house with his wife. He told my younger son that he had received an offer to do a comedy show on the Sony SAB TV channel. The show was supposed to start in April and he wanted me to partner in it.”

Shalini Choudhari further said, “Zeishan Qadri further said that he does not have a car and he wants to borrow my car so that he can come and go to Sony’s office. For this, he wanted a good car. I trusted him. After this Zeishan Qadri and his wife took my Audi A6 car. I did this because they were going to partner me in the comedy show”. Thus, Quadri ‘borrowed’ Shalini’s Audi A6 car with the registration number MH14 FM 3212.

However, after that Quadri stopped all communication with Shalini Choudhuri, and sold the car for Rs 12 lakh. She said, “After sometime, when I called Zeishan Qadri, he didn’t answer my call. So I messaged him on WhatsApp. At that time, he messaged that he is in Bombay High Court. A person named Jatin Sethi had filed a case of fraud of Rs 1.5 crores against him in section 420, 406 and he had gone to the Bombay High Court for bail. Later in the evening, I called him again and he didn’t answer, so I called his wife Priyanka Bassi. But she also didn’t answer my calls. After that, I called him again and again and I sent him many messages to inquire about my Audi car, but there was no call or message from his side.”

Shalini Choudhuri continued, “Then I got information from somewhere that my car was sold to someone for Rs 12 lakh. I made several calls and messages to Zeishan Quadri and his wife but they did not contact me in any way and I realised that I have been cheated.”

After this, the producer approached the police and registered a case against Qadri.

Shalini Choudhari also alleged that Zeishan Qadri issued death threats to her. She said, “When I repeatedly asked Zeeshan Quadri about my car, he gave me a vague answer. When I told him about filing a complaint in the police station, he threatened to kill me and made threatening calls from many people. I tried to file FIR against Zeishan and Priyanka Bassi many times, but because of his influence, FIR didn’t get registered. Then I came to know from RTO office that my Audi car was sold by deducting NOC after forged documents and forged sign, and with a Chandigarh number.”

Shalini Choudhari claimed that Zeishan Qadri’s lawyer called her to settle the matter, she said, “I got a call from Zeishan’s lawyer as well that I should settle the matter since I won’t get the car back now. Then I met DCP Vishal Thakur who helped me a lot. I got my FIR registered immediately, I thank him for his help.”

She further added, “After this, I came to know that my car has gone to some Chandigarh number. Now I got a call from Zeishan’s lawyer that he wants to calm the matter and that I will not get the car back.”

Zeishan Qadri already facing another case of cheating a producer for Rs 1.25 crore

It may be noted that as Qadri told Choudhuri, he is already facing another cheating case registered in 2020. That case was filed by businessman and producer Jatin Sethi alleging Zeishan Qadri of cheating him to the tune of Rs 1.25 crore. Jatin Sethi had said that Quadri had approached him saying that he is making a web series titled Doctor Don for Alt Balaji OTT platform, and it will cost Rs 5.85 crore to Rs 6 crore. Quadri had asked Sethi to invest Rs 1 crore, which he did, while Piyush Gupta had invested Rs 50 lakh.

The series was to be completed by March 2020, but the date was pushed to June due to Covid-19 lockdown. However, Qadri returned Rs 25 lakh on March 12, 2020, of which Rs. 16.25 lakh was returned to Jatin Sethi while the balance Rs. 8.75 lakh was returned to Piyush Gupta. After that, Zeishan Qadri didn’t return any amount, and whenever he was asked for the money, he used to give vague answers.

When Jatin Sethi enquired about the matter, he found that Zeishan Quadri never had any agreement with Alt Balaji for a show named ‘Doctor Don’, and the amount of Rs 1.50 crore was transferred to his personal account. After that, Sethi filed a complaint against him, and accordingly, an FIR was registered under sections 406 and 420 of the IPC.

After proving the matter, the police had filed a chargesheet against Zeishan Quadri at the Andheri Metropolitan Court in Mumbai earlier this year.

Chinese govt account tries to pass off bridal wear from a Karachi fashion show as ‘traditional Uyghur dress’

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Chinese govt account tries to pass off bridal wear from a Karachi fashion show as ‘traditional Uyghur dress’

On August 24, the Chinese Ambassador to France’s official Twitter account tried to pass off the bridal wear from Karachi as the traditional dress of Uyghurs. They published a photograph from a fashion show in Pakistan with hashtags #costume #Xinjing asserting it was a traditional dress of Uyghur Muslims.

Source: Twitter

However, the account was caught red-handed after netizens pointed out that it was a photograph from a fashion show that took place in Karachi, Pakistan. The dress shown in the picture is a wedding dress that is famous in both India and Pakistan.

Twitter user Mugdha Deshmukh shared a screenshot of a Tweet by China-state affiliated media XH Japanese from August 23 that has the same photograph. The tweet read, “A bridal festival fashion show was held in Karachi, a port city in southern Pakistan. Take a peek at the eye-pleasing show. Taken on August 18 (translated from Japanese using Google Translate services).”

On reverse-searching the image, OpIndia found two links that had the same photograph. News.cn published a report on August 18 with photographs from the bridal fashion show that took place in Karachi. The photograph has the title “A model presents a creation during a bridal festival fashion show in southern Pakistani port city of Karachi on August 18, 2022.” Notably, it is also a Chinese media house that published the photograph.

Source: News.cn

We also found a video of the show that was published by ApniISP.com on YouTube. The model in the photograph can be seen at the 4:30 timestamp in the video.

As per pipanews.com, the fashion show displayed a wide variety of wedding dresses, including lehengas, shararas, and more. Pakistani actresses Reema Khan, Shaughta Ejaz, Rebecca Khan, Shaista Lodhi, Neelam Munir, Nadia Hussain, Sarwat Geelani, Saba Faisal, and other models participated in the show.

Uyghur Muslims in China

In the Xinjiang province of China, nearly 1.8 million Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities have been reportedly detained in a network of detention centres since 2017. By stating that the camps are vocational training schools, Beijing has refuted reports that it has tortured Muslims in Xinjiang. The Communist Party of China’s (CPC) objective is to integrate Uyghurs into the dominant Han Chinese ethnicity by stripping them of their religious and ethnic identities. While Uyghur Muslims face re-education camps, forced labour, and digital surveillance, including their children being indoctrinated in orphanages.

The CPC restricts any news revealing the horrors committed against the Uyghurs in the detention centres in order to counteract scathing foreign findings. Several foreign journalists covering the plight of the Uyghurs have been expelled from China, while academics, activists, and survivors who try to expose China’s deceit have been mocked and harassed. Those who speak out against China’s illegal detention of Uyghurs are either intimidated or executed.

Muzaffarnagar: Hindu tailor finds a letter threatening him with ‘Kanhaiya Lal like fate’ inside his shop, UP police registers case

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Muzaffarnagar: Hindu tailor finds a letter threatening him with ‘Kanhaiya Lal like fate’ inside his shop, UP police registers case

On Wednesday, August 24, a Hindu tailor named Narendra Kumar Saini in Uttar Pradesh’s Muffazarnagar district received a threat letter from an unidentified person in which the latter threatened to kill Saini in the same way that Islamists killed Udaipur tailor Kanhaiya Lal.

Muzaffarnagar police took to Twitter on Thursday to announce that the Kotwali Nagar PS had taken cognizance of the case and registered a case against an unknown person under relevant sections of the IPC.

According to reports, Saini has a shop in the name of Akshay Tailors in Goshala Market located on Shamli Road in the city Kotwali area. On Wednesday morning at around 10 am, when he opened his shop, he saw the envelope lying on a table inside the shop. When he opened the envelope, he found the letter that read in Hindi, “Akshay…you pretend to be a huge patriot. Nupur is just an excuse… you will be targeted just like Kanhaiya…you won’t be spared…run if you can.”

Meanwhile, Saini, who was terrified after reading the letter, informed his nearby shop owners about the same. He then dialled the Uttar Pradesh police helpline number 112 and informed them of the situation.

Following the information, Kotwali police went to Saini’s shop and took possession of the alleged threat letter. Speaking about the incident,  CO City Kuldeep Kumar Singh said that police have started investigating that case by registering a case against unknown persons. He also said that the police are scanning the CCTV footage of the area and questioning people in the neighbourhood to get some lead in that case.

Murder of Kanhaiya Lal

On June 28, a Hindu tailor named Kanhaiya Lal was brutally beheaded in Udaipur, Rajasthan by two Islamists who later made a video justifying the act as per Islamic Sharia law. He was killed over an alleged social media post in which he had supported former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Nupur Sharma. As per reports, his neighbour Nazim had filed a complaint against him, following which he was arrested by the Police. Kanhaiya Lal was later released on bail.

Nazim also leaked Kanhaiya Lal’s number, photograph, and address to his community groups. Kanhaiya Lal continued to receive threat calls and messages. Fearing for his life, Kanhaiya Lal shut his shop for six days and approached Police for protection. Instead of giving him protection, the Police asked him to compromise with the Islamists who were threatening him.

After six days, when he opened his shop, two Islamists came as customers and beheaded him. The two attackers, identified as Mohammed Riyaz Akhtar and Mohammed Gos, were arrested by the Police. National Investigation Agency is currently investigating the case. 

Telangana Police detains blasphemy accused suspended BJP leader Raja Singh again under Preventive Detention Act

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Telangana Police detains blasphemy accused suspended BJP leader Raja Singh again under Preventive Detention Act

On Thursday, the Telangana Police detained suspended BJP leader Thakur Raja Singh again for his alleged ‘blasphemous’ remarks against Prophet Mohammad. The former BJP leader was arrested from his residence in Hyderabad. This is two days after he was arrested and released on bail in the Prophet remarks case.

Hyderabad Police said that Raja Singh has been detained under the Preventive Detention Act as per the orders of the Commissioner of Police, Hyderabad City, and has been lodged in the Central Prison at Cherlapally in Hyderabad. A press note issued by Hyderabad Police on Raja Singh said that he has been delivering provocative and inflammatory speeches and driving a wedge between communities leading to public disorder. Informing that Singh has been labelled as a rowdy sheeter at Mangalhat Police Station, the police said that Raja Singh committed blasphemy by making objectionable comments on Prophet Mohammad in a video posted on his YouTube channel.

The police also informed that as many as 101 criminal cases are registered against him, and he is involved in 18 communal offences registered in different police stations in the city.

Hyderabad has been witnessing massive protests against his bail, with Islamists raising slogans demanding to behead him. According to the reports, the Islamists took to the streets and held demonstrations throughout the night and also raised slogans continuously demanding the beheading of T Raja Singh.

On August 23, T Raja Singh’s attorney argued in the bail plea that no notice was served to the MLA under Section 41(A) of the Criminal Procedure Code. The court accepted this argument of the lawyer and granted bail to T Raja Singh. Subsequently, severe protests erupted across the state. The sloganeering by the mob increased so much that the police had to disperse the crowd with lathi-charge and by using tear gas.

Reportedly, the Telangana State Police also approached the state High court on August 25 by moving a criminal review petition challenging the bail order of a Magistrate at Nampally metropolitan court who rejected the remand report pertaining to the arrest of BJP MLA T Raja Singh in Prophet remarks case.

The Hyderabad police in the petition stated that the accused is habituated to committing similar offences for several years and he is involved in more than 17 criminal cases. “The intention of Raja Singh appears to be very clear that he has published the incriminating video with a view to promote hatred, enmity between groups on the ground of religion, caste and faith and that the accused himself claimed that this is not the end and he is going to release many videos in future”, the Police said advocating Singh’s arrest.

The petition by the Telangana Police further mentioned that the accused had made several attempts in the past to disturb the peace and harmony in the city and engaged into communal tensions. “The accused is a troublemaker. He on his Youtube channel has uploaded videos which are targeting a particular community. He said that he will release one by one video and that the police are deliberately trying to delete the same from Youtube”, the Police stated.

Reports mention that the Chief Justice of High Court Ujjal Bhuyan will hear the petition on Friday, August 26. Police said that he has been continuously creating hatred and ill-will between major communities through his blasphemous utterances, resulting in widespread unrest among people, which has adversely affected the maintenance of public order.

The incident also comes a day after suspended BJP leader Raja Singh posted a video on Twitter claiming that he might get arrested in a couple of days. He said that the police were compiling all the earlier cases filed against him and were planning to arrest him. “I can be arrested today or tomorrow. All I would like to say is that if someone says bad about my religion to my country, then I will answer him in his language, whatever the punishment may be, now Hindus are not going to back down”, he tweeted seeking the support of Hindus from across the country.

Earlier today, the Shahinayatgunj and Mangalhaat police also issued legal notices to Singh in hate speech related cases booked against him in earlier this year in April. The Police alleged that Singh had passed derogatory comments in the Ram Navmi rally and also had delivered a provocative speech. “If Hindus were to target the traitors (Muslims) similarly, they would run out of business and would not even be in a position to beg as even alms are given to the poor by Hindus,” he had allegedly said.

The complaint was then filed by an individual named G Madhusudhan against Raja Singh who said that the latter was disturbing public peace and tranquillity, and also causing traffic jam in the procession route. Also, case under section 188 of IPC and Section 21 and Section 76 of the City Police Act was registered against Singh.

So far, eight different cases have been booked against Raja Singh with the Hyderabad and Cyberabad police under sections 153-A, 188, 295-A, 298, 505(1)(B)(C), 505(2), 506, 504, etc of the IPC. He has been arrested by the Telangana Police from his residence in Hyderabad.

Family members of deceased BJP leader Sonali Phogat claim she was raped before her death and she was murdered

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Family members of deceased BJP leader Sonali Phogat claim she was raped before her death and she was murdered

On Thursday 25th August 2022, deceased Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sonali Phogat’s family members claimed that she was raped before her murder. On Monday, August 22, the 42-year-old BJP leader and TikTok star Sonali Phogat died of a heart attack. The BJP leader was in Goa at the time of her untimely death.

According to a report by DNA, Rinku Dhaka, Phogat’s brother, stated on Thursday that he noticed blue marks on his sister’s body. He also claimed that not a single BJP leader aided them. Sonali Phogat’s family claims she was raped by her PA Sudhir Sangwan and his friend Sukhwinder. They also claimed that she was brutally murdered in cold blood rather than dying of a heart attack.

Rinku Dhaka said, “We will get the post-mortem done again in AIIMS Delhi. We are not being heard here. My sister was committed to the BJP but not a single BJP leader came here to help us. We want justice.”

He added, “Police say that FIR will be registered on the basis of the doctor’s opinion. They are not registering our FIR. I’ve seen my sister’s body and her face, and ears are blue and this happens when the poison is inside the body, not in a heart attack. My sister was healthy.”

Previously, Rinku claimed that Sangwan mixed up his sister’s meal with illicit substances and sexually abused her. He claimed she told her brother-in-law that Sangwan committed theft in her home three years ago and that she planned to report him to the law enforcement agencies on August 23.

Rinku reported to the police that Sangwan had her phones, property records, ATM cards, and house keys. She also said Sangwan had given her food laced with some intoxicants, raped her and made a video, and was threatening to make the video viral on social media.

It is notable that, Sonali Phogat who was in Goa with some of her employees had complained of uneasiness to her staff on Monday after which she was rushed to the hospital, where she was declared dead.

Illegal mining case: Jharkhand govt warns of legal action against media if news reports on ED raids link it to CM Hemant Soren

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Illegal mining case: Jharkhand govt warns of legal action against media if news reports on ED raids link it to CM Hemant Soren

Hours after the Enforcement Directorate arrested Ranchi-based businessman Prem Prakash in the illegal mining case, the Jharkhand government issued a warning to the media houses for publishing news reports linking Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s name to Prakash. The government said that all the media houses that try to establish links between the duo would face legal action.

According to the reports, the Enforcement Directorate yesterday conducted raids at the residence of Prem Prakash in Harmu Housing Colony and found two AK-47 rifles hidden in the old iron cupboard. Though SHO Argora Police Station, Vinod Kumar, confirmed the incident and said that the arms recovered belonged to the Jharkhand Police, the ED stated that the rifles would be handed over to the police only after the investigation in the case was completed.

In the statement released on Wednesday, the CM’s secretariat said that certain media platforms, including a few national media channels, were releasing ‘misleading’ reports claiming that Prakash was a close aide of CM Hemant Soren. “Certain news reports by media platforms including a few national TV channels point to a misleading ploy and attempt to intentionally link the Chief Minister of Jharkhand to a private individual. If the state government comes across any further malicious reports and tweets/ digital posts (by media platforms), it will be dealt with as per due legal provisions”, the statement read.

The CM’s secretariat also added that the Jharkhand government has provided cooperation to all investigations undertaken by central agencies and that it supports the freedom of the press.

Meanwhile, elaborating on the ED’s raid, the Ranchi Police said on August 25 that the rifles recovered from prem Prakash’s house belonged to the Ranchi Police. “As it was raining, two constables while returning from duty on August 23 had left their weapons with Prakash’s staff whom they knew. The two constables were suspended with immediate effect”, the Police was quoted.

To note, The BJP’s Godda MP Nishikant Dubey also posted a tweet in connection to the case and had said that Prakash is an ‘associate of Jharkhand CM and his family friend Amit Agarwal’ and that Prakash’s links with the CM should be investigated by the NIA.

Pertinently, Jharkhand CM is likely to get disqualified from the assembly. As per the reports, Jharkhand Governor Ramesh Bais will soon announce the report sent to him by the Election Commission. This is after the BJP in the state had demanded disqualification of Soren as an MLA and accused him of extending himself a mining lease. BJP MP Dubey demanding fresh elections said on Thursday, “CM Hemant Soren should head towards mid-term polls, on moral grounds. Assembly should be dissolved and there should be elections in all 81 Assembly constituencies. BJP has been demanding this”.

He also added, “Journalists say that Jharkhand CM has lost his membership. That had been recommended to the Governor by the EC. As a BJP worker, it’s a matter of joy because it’s the BJP that had complained to the Governor. It is the day to celebrate”.

In the current case, the arrested Prem Prakash is a Ranchi-based businessman whose premises were searched by the central agency yesterday in the illegal mining case. During the search, ED recovered two AK-47 rifles along with 60 live cartridges and also incriminating documents from his residence. It is believed that Prem Prakash has a hand in every major tender and transfer posting of IAS and IPS officers.

Delhi: BJP workers to sprinkle Ganga Jal at Rajghat, say Arvind Kejriwal’s visit ‘desecrated the place’

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Delhi: BJP workers to sprinkle Ganga Jal at Rajghat, say Arvind Kejriwal’s visit ‘desecrated the place’

Members of the Delhi unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party said that they will sprinkle sacred Ganga Jal at Rajghat claiming that Arvind Kejriwal’s visit desecrated the place. West Delhi MP Parvesh Sahib Singh said that MK Gandhi always opposed liquor and Arvind Kejriwal – the one who supports liquor mafias – has visited Gandhi’s samadhi Rajghat and desecrated it.

It is notable that on Thursday 25th August 2022 in the morning, AAP leaders including Delhi’s chief minister Arvind Kejriwal visited Rajghat.

Parvesh Sahib Singh tweeted, “Arvind Kejriwal – the one who supports liquor mafias – visited the samadhi of the father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi who always spoke against alcohol. Arvind Kejriwal has desecrated the Rajghat. The workers will go there at 3 o’clock and sprinkle Ganga Jal at the place where the feet of corrupt people fall.”

Parvesh Sahib Singh dismissed the allegations that the BJP was trying to poach 40 AAP MLAs by offering them ₹20 crores each. He said, “If the charges were brought against us in 2013, people would have believed. But now even if we get 50 MLAs from AAP, we won’t be able to have our government. So it is all lie.”

He added, “Kejriwal must be watching movies and making scripts. He alleges that BJP leaders are threatening them, but is not disclosing their names. Then he claims his MLAs are missing, but again he won’t name them. If he gives us the name of the MLAs who apparently were missing, we could have looked for them.”

BJP MP Parvesh Sahib Singh further said, “He is very focused on the development and that’s why got a swimming pool in his government residence worth ₹21 crores. He does not drink but makes our children drink. He permits restaurants to remain open till 3 am. Apart from all these, he is a good leader, it seems. He is also a patriot who questions the surgical strike and gets praised in Pakistan. “If these people visit Rajghat, it obviously becomes unholy. That is why our leaders will go there and sprinkle Ganga Jal.” He also said that Arvind Kejriwal’s ministers get treatment in private hospitals.

In the midst of the current conflict between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Aam Aadmi Party, the nation’s capital on Thursday saw tension and drama. It was said that certain MLAs were out of reach before the AAP meeting at Kejriwal’s home. Finally, 53 out of 62 MLAs showed up to attend the meeting. The BJP, according to the AAP, was the one who spread the rumor about the missing MLAs. Following the meeting, the AAP MLAs, led by Kejriwal, went to Rajghat, where he claimed that the BJP was planning to poach 40 MLAs.

1458 sales deeds recovered, ‘Gifted’ land deeds signed by Rabri Devi as beneficiary accessed: Read details of land-for-job scam in Indian Railways under Lalu Prasad Yadav

OpIndia Staff
-
0
1458 sales deeds recovered, ‘Gifted’ land deeds signed by Rabri Devi as beneficiary accessed: Read details of land-for-job scam in Indian Railways under Lalu Prasad Yadav

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), probing the land-for-job scam that dates back to Lalu Yadav’s tenure as the Railways Minister, has recovered as many as 1458 sales deeds during the raids at the premises of several RJD leaders in Bihar, reports CNN-News 18.

CBI sources have reportedly told the news channel that the agency is also in possession of a hard disk that has a list of candidates who gave their lands to Lalu Yadav in lieu of jobs. According to the CBI investigation, as many as 16 cases have been verified and proven correct as of now. The agency is further probing the rest of the names available on the hard disk and would be writing to the Indian railways to know more about these candidates.

News 18 has reported that Bhola Yadav, the then OSD to former Railway Minister Lalu Yadav, has confirmed to the agency that several candidates, despite forged documents, got appointed in Railways after they allegedly gifted land to the Lalu Yadav family when the RJD supremo was the Railway Minister in the UPA government.

The channel has claimed that Bihar’s deputy chief minister and RJD supremo Tejashwi Yadav might get arrested as the agency has found very strong evidence against him.

Meanwhile, Republic TV has accessed ‘gifted’ land deeds that have the signature of Lalu Prasad Yadav’s wife and former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi as the beneficiary. Bhola Yadav, who has been arrested, has signed as a witness. According to the media report, the value of the land parcels is estimated to be Rs 4.4 crore.

Yesterday (August 24), as part of the investigation into the alleged scam, CBI conducted raids at the houses of four RJD leaders in connection with the land-for-jobs scam. The raids were carried out at the premises of RJD MLC Sunil Singh, Rajya Sabha MPs Ashfaq Karim and Faiyaz Ahmed, and former MLC Subodh Rai, officials said.

CBI raids Urban Cubes mall allegedly owned by RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav

Besides, the agency had also raided a mall in Gurugram, Haryana. The Urban Cubes mall which was raided is allegedly owned by Bihar’s deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav. This mall is situated in Sector 71 and the CBI raid was in connection with the land-for-job scam in Bihar.

Apart from the mall, the CBI also raided many other places including Whiteland Corporation Private Limited located in the Worldmark building in Sector 65 of Gurugram. According to a report by ABP News, construction of the Urban Cubes mall was done by the Whiteland company. Tejashwi Yadav’s family owns a share in this company. Bihar’s deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav has denied that he owns the mall. He said that the mall does not belong to him and that a BJP MP inaugurated it.

The land-for-job scam and its alleged links to Lalu Prasad Yadav

It may be recalled that the CBI initiated a preliminary enquiry in September 2021 into the charges that when Lalu Prasad Yadav was the railway minister during UPA 1, obtained benefits in the form of the transfer of property in the names of his family members in exchange for the appointments in Group “D” posts in various Railway zones.

On May 18, 2022, CBI filed a new case of corruption against Lalu Prasad Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi, and his daughters Misa Bharti and Hema Yadav, accusing them of obtaining land plots as bribes from some people who were recruited in the Railways. The CBI also named 12 others in this case who were given jobs in the railway zones of Mumbai, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Jaipur, and Hajipur.

In the FIR, CBI alleged, “In lieu thereof, the substitutes, who were residents of Patna themselves or through their family members, sold and gifted their land situated at Patna in favour of the family members of Lalu Prasad Yadav and a private company controlled by family members, which was also involved in the transfer of such immovable properties in the name of family members.”

According to the agency, no advertisement or any public notice was issued for such appointment of substitutes in Zonal Railways, yet the appointees who were residents of Patna were appointed in Mumbai, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Jaipur, and Hajipur.

The CBI investigations revealed that Lalu’s family obtained over one lakh square feet of land in this manner for just Rs 26 lakh, despite the fact that the land’s actual value is over Rs 4.39 crore.

In connection with the case, the CBI arrested Bhola Yadav, the former Officer on Special Duty (OSD) of then Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, earlier in July. At the same time, authorities arrested Hridayanand Chaudhary, a railway employee suspected of being a beneficiary of the land-for-jobs scam.

In a statement following Bhola Yadav’s arrest, a CBI official stated, “During the investigation, it was found that the then OSD to former railway minister was involved in the alleged conspiracy in the appointment of substitutes. The accused was managing affairs for the transfer of land by the family members of the substitutes to the family members of the former railway minister.”

This scam is not the only scam that Lalu Prasad has allegedly been involved in. In fact, Lalu’s scams and crimes spanned from the 1990s till 2014 – almost over two decades.

Lalu Yadav’s previous Convictions in the Fodder Scam

Lalu Prasad Yadav was convicted for the first time on September 30, 2013, in the Chaibasa treasury case. He was accused of a scam of Rs 37.70 crore in this case, resulting in his disqualification from the Lok Sabha and a jail term of five years. He was later granted bail by the Supreme Court in December 2013. In December 2017, Lalu was convicted again pertaining to his involvement in the fraudulent withdrawal of Rs. 89.27 lakh from Deoghar treasury. While Lalu was sentenced to 42 months of jail term, in this case, he was out on bail within six months.

In January 2018, Lalu was again sentenced to five years of imprisonment for his involvement in the withdrawal of Rs. 33.13 crores from the Chaibasa treasury. Also in March of the same year, the special court found him guilty of illegal withdrawal of Rs. 3.76 crores from the Dumka treasury and sentenced him to 14 years of imprisonment.

Nitin Gadkari warns AAP’s Sanjay Singh of legal action for circulating edited video, earlier Kejriwal had said sorry to Gadkari

Anurag
-
0
Nitin Gadkari warns AAP’s Sanjay Singh of legal action for circulating edited video, earlier Kejriwal had said sorry to Gadkari

On August 25, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari issued a statement warning mainstream media, social media, and some persons in particular not to publish his statements out-of-context. In a series of tweets, the union minister pointed out that there have been continuous efforts to run a nefarious and fabricated campaign against him.

He added that though he does not get affected, if such attempts continue, he would take legal action in the “larger interest of our Government, Party and millions of our hardworking Karyakartas.”

He said, “Today, once again, efforts were being made to continue the nefarious & fabricated campaign against me for political mileage on my behest by some section of mainstream media, social media and some persons in particular by concocting my statements at public programs without context or correct reference.”

He added, “Although I’ve never been disturbed by such malicious agendas of fringe elements, all concerned are hereby warned that If such mischief continues, I will not hesitate to take them to the law in the larger interest of our Government, Party, and millions of our hardworking Karyakartas. Therefore, I’m sharing the link to what I actually said.

The reaction from the union minister came after an edited video of his was made public by several media houses, netizens, and leaders, including Aam Aadmi Party’s Sanjay Singh, published a video with a caption asserting that Gadkari might be leaving Bharatiya Janata Party. The edited video started with Gadkari saying, “It does not matter what happens. Even if I lose my post, it will not matter. I am not a political person.” For the rest of the video, he talked about his humble middle-class background.

On examining the video shared by Union Minister Gadkari, OpIndia found that the edited video does not even contain the statement in continuity. It was stitched from two different parts of the video, and the context of what the minister said has nothing to do with his association with the party, but it is about the work he has been doing and his department.

The minister shared a video comparison to show how his statement was presented in a misleading way.

Gadkari was speaking at the launch of the book ‘Naukarsyahi Ke Rang’ written by Dr Dnyaneshwar M Mulay. While sharing his experience as the minister in Maharashtra during the 90s, he said, “I remember around 2,500 children had died of malnutrition. It made headlines across the world. Then-CM Manohar Joshi said to me things cannot work like that. So many villages have no access to roads.”

The area fell under the forest region. There were a lot of obstacles in getting the work done and building roads to connect the villages to cities. Due to a lack of infrastructure, government aid could not reach the villages. The farmers were unable to bring their produce to the market, and there was no road for the children to go to school.

Gadkari said he took responsibility for ensuring 450 villages got the required road infrastructure. He told the ministers and officials, “I will do this work. If you want, you can stand with me, or else we will see what happens. I do not care if I lose my post.” This statement is at the 9:27 timestamp in the video.

Further, during his speech, he talked about how experience teaches a lot in life. He said, “I often say, I am a common man. I am one of those who love eating on the footpath, watching films in third class, and watching plays from backstage.” The statement was used in the video and had nothing to with Gadkari’s association with BJP, but he was talking in general about experiences in life. This statement is at the 19:10 timestamp in the video.

It is clear that the video being circulated with misleading caption has been extensively edited, and the statements were taken out of context to make it look like an anti-BJP statement by the minister. The claims made by AAP leader Sanjay Singh and others that Nitin Gadkari might leave BJP are false.

OpIndia tried reaching out to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari but could not connect.

‘Why Nora Fatehi is a witness and I am an accused’: Jacqueline Fernandez accuses ED of discrimination in the ₹200 crore money laundering case

OpIndia Staff
-
0
‘Why Nora Fatehi is a witness and I am an accused’: Jacqueline Fernandez accuses ED of discrimination in the ₹200 crore money laundering case

Bollywood actor Jacqueline Fernandez has questioned the role of the Enforcement Directorate in the money laundering case against conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar in which she also has been named as an accused. In an appeal filed by the actress’ lawyer Prashant Patil, she has asked why Nora Fatehi has been made a witness and Jacqueline Fernandez is an accused in the same case.

It is notable that both Jacqueline Fernandez and Nora Fatehi received expensive gifts from Sukesh Chandrasekhar. While Jacqueline was made an accused in the case by ED last week, Nora was made a witness in the Rs 200 crore money laundering case in December last year. Now, Jacqueline Fernandez has questioned this accusing ED of discrimination against her.

According to reports, Jacqueline Fernandez argued that she is not the only one to accept gifts from Sukesh Chandrasekhar, and asked why only she has been made accused. She pleaded, “I am a woman cheated under the influence of Sukesh Chandrasekhar’s gifts and ‘political power’. The loss I have suffered cannot be measured in money.”

Accusing the ED of acting out of malice, Jacqueline Fernandez has said, “Nora Fatehi and some other celebs were also duped by Sukesh Chandrashekhar by giving gifts, but they were made witnesses and I was made an accused. This clearly shows that I am being acted upon in the wrong spirit. All this money that the ED has seized is earned by my hard work. My FD has no connection with Chandrashekhar and was created even before the thug existed.”

It is notable that, after attaching Jacqueline Fernandez’s fixed of Rs 7.2 crore, the ED named Jacqueline as an accused in its charge sheet. In response, the actress filed an appeal on August 22, claiming to be a victim. In her response, the counsel of the actress said, “She is a victim of the modus operandi adopted by the main accused, Mr. Sukesh Chandrasekhar. Sukesh Chandrasekhar has cheated Jacqueline. If you look at the records, it clearly tells about this deception. Unfortunately, the ED’s attitude seems to be quite mechanical and motivated by biases, so no one is looking at the fact that what the respondent (Jacqueline) has lost cannot be counted with money.”

It is notable that the first charge sheet filed by the ED detailed how Chandrashekar utilized the allegedly swindled money. Its supplemental charge sheet says that Chandrashekar offered Fernandez gifts worth over Rs 5 crores from the money he swindled. It has identified the actress as an accused, stating that she was aware that the gifts were purchased with illicit money.

The 200 crores extortion and money-laundering case

While jailed as an undertrial, Sukesh Chandrasekhar allegedly extorted 200 crores from the wife of the promoter of Religare enterprises Shivinder Mohan Singh. Pretending to be a senior government official, Sukesh conned Shivinder Singh’s wife Aditi Singh assuring her that he can secure Shivinder’s bail. Sukesh and his wife, actress Leena Maria Paul used hawala routes and shell companies to launder the proceeds of their scam.

Sukesh Chandrasekhar and his wife were then arrested by Enforcement Directorate (ED) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) over an alleged extortion racket being run from jail. Sukesh was allegedly bribing prison authorities to keep his cons running from the prison. Several Bollywood personalities like Jacqueline Fernandez and Nora Fatehi allegedly kept coming to the prison to meet him during his stay.

The ED had recorded Jacqueline’s statements in August and October last year. In the statement, she had admitted to taking gifts and loans from Sukesh during the course of the questioning. Sukesh Chandrasekhar, in his statement to ED last year, had claimed that he had gifted jewellery worth Rs 7 crore to Jacqueline Fernandez. She was also given the BMW X5 car. Sukesh Chandrashekhar had also reportedly gifted a Maserati car to Jacqueline’s parents and a Porsche car from Bahrain to her mother.

1...2,9442,9452,946...7,627Page 2,945 of 7,627