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Six senior TMC leaders resign from Mamata Banerjee’s party posts in the last 72 hours

OpIndia Staff
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Six senior TMC leaders resign from Mamata Banerjee’s party posts in the last 72 hours

All is not well in Mamata Banerjee’s party. Trinamool Congress (TMC) stalwart and once Mamata close aide, Suvendu Adhikari’s resignation has had a domino effect in the cabinet as 5 more senior cabinet ministers ditched Mamata Banerjee in the last 72 hours. According to reports, Silbhadra Datta, TMC MLA from Barrackpore Assembly constituency in North 24 Parganas, has tendered his resignation from the party Friday.

While announcing his exit from the party, Dutta wrote in a letter to the party supremo Mamata Banerjee: “With due regards to you I am tendering my resignation as a member of All India Trinamool Congress as well as from all others positions held by me in the party and its associate organizations with immediate effect.”

Dutta was not the only one to abandon Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress party today. TMC leader Kabirul Islam, general secretary of the party’s minority cell, also tendered his resignation from the party post, reported news agency ANI.

These resignations came a day after Trinamool Congress leader and Chairman of South Bengal State Transport Corporation (SBSTC) Col. (Rtd) Diptangshu Chaudhury tendered his resignation from his post. Retd. Col Chaudhury also tendered his resignation as the Advisor of the CMO’s Grievance and Monitoring Cell. Chaudhury was the third TMC leader to have resigned from their various posts after Trinamool Congress (TMC) stalwart Suvendu Adhikari’s resignation Wednesday.

The other two leaders who had followed Adhikari’s suit were Asansol MLA Jitendra Tiwari who had quit as the Chairman, Board of Administrators, Asansol Municipal Corporation and Abhijit Acharya quit as Vice-President of Paschim Bardhaman. Meanwhile, many other resignations are taking place at the lower tiers of the party.

Earlier today, Jitendra Tiwari was seen leaving for Kolkata along with two more rebel TMC leaders.

Tiwari and Adhikari’s resignations came amid reports that they are likely to join the BJP in the next few days. Adhikari, in fact, is expected to join the BJP on Saturday, when Union home minister and former BJP president Amit Shah visits the poll-bound state.

Moreover, the party had expelled Kanishka Panda, who is perceived to a close aide of Adhikari. Panda, who was the general secretary of the party at East Midnapore, had reportedly questioned the party leadership for withdrawing Adhikari’s security.

The string of resignations, which comes ahead of West Bengal polls in April-May 2021, might bring in a lot of trouble for the chief of the ruling dispensation in West Bengal, who is eyeing at a third consecutive term. The political sphere is rife with rumours that the exodus of these TMC senior leaders are ascribed to Mamata Banerjee’s affinity towards election strategist Prashant Kishore and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee.

TMC senior leader Suvendu Adhikari tries to resign, but Bengal Assembly speaker rejects

These resignations, that too in a span of 72 hours must have surely come as a massive jolt to the Mamata Banerjee government, especially when the state is gearing up for the 2021 Assembly polls. Probably in a last ditched effort to save the sinking ship, Speaker Biman Banerjee refused to accept the resignation of Suvendu Adhikari today claiming that his resignation was not in a proper format.

According to reports, Speaker Biman Banerjee has asked Adhikari to meet him on Monday, saying the letter was not in order and he was not satisfied that it was “genuine and voluntary”.

Animal fat used to make ghee in Agra: Police recovers animal horns, hooves and bones, arrests Shafi, Chand Babu and others

OpIndia Staff
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Animal fat used to make ghee in Agra: Police recovers animal horns, hooves and bones, arrests Shafi, Chand Babu and others

Uttar Pradesh police have busted a racket involving an adulterated ghee manufacturing unit in Khandauli area of ​​Agra where animal fat, horns, hooves and bones were being used to make ghee. Police raided the factory at night and recovered more than 100 kgs of counterfeit ghee along with animal bones, horns and hooves. Apart from this, many other types of chemicals were also recovered from the factory, which was purportedly used to convert the animal fat into ghee.

According to reports, an illegal slaughterhouse was also operating adjacent to this particular factory. While two people fled during the raid, the police managed to nab 4 others namely Shafi, Irshad, Tahir and Chand Babu, the owner of the factory. Police have sealed the factory and a case has been registered against the accused.

On receiving the information, officials of the Food Safety Department reached the spot and collected samples of the Ghee which was being made in the factory for investigation. Based on the information provided by the Food Safety Officer Tribhuvan Singh, UP police have lodged an FIR against the 6 accused and booked them under IPC Section 420 (cheating), 272-273 (adulteration of food or beverages for sale) and section 26 (unsafe-contaminated-sub-standard food) of the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006.

The counterfeit ghee was produced at Rs 23 per kg and sold in the retail market for Rs 200 per kg

The arrested accused confessed to the UP police that the business of making adulterated ghee out of animal fat was going on in the factory for a very long time. Explaining the entire process, the accused said that they first boiled the fat of the animals on high flame and then mixed it with an equal quantity of refined oil. After this process, an essence was put into the mixture, to give it the aroma of ghee.

The accused confessed of procuring animal fat at Rs 18 per kg. The total cost incurred to produce this counterfeit ghee amounted to nearly Rs 23 per kg, which the accused sold to retail traders for Rs 60 per kg. The traders, in turn, mixed this adulterated ghee with Dalda and sold it in the market for 200 per kg. The factory has been sealed after the raid.

Rahul Gandhi claims BJP conspiracy to get him elected Cong president, Kapil Sibal fears he could miss out on role of Wormtail in Bollywood remake of Harry Potter

K Bhattacharjee
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Rahul Gandhi claims BJP conspiracy to get him elected Cong president, Kapil Sibal fears he could miss out on role of Wormtail in Bollywood remake of Harry Potter

Rahul Gandhi is extremely displeased after senior Congress leader Randeep Surjewala announced that 99.9.% people within the Congress party want the scion of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty to be appointed party president. Rahul Gandhi has claimed that it is part of a well thought-out conspiracy by the BJP to prevent him from vacationing abroad.

Earlier, Surjewala had announced that the Congress party will soon initiate the process of electing its new party president. The decision was taken keeping in mind that if the elections are not held soon, then the tenure of Sonia Gandhi as ‘interim party president’ will soon exceed Rahul Gandhi’s whose position she was filling in temporarily.

Meanwhile, Kapil Sibal is angry as well since he believes it is part of Surjewala’s sinister designs to put an end to his acting career before it began. Since Rahul Gandhi quit as the president of the Congress party, Sibal has been trying to pursue his passions outside of politics, where he believes his talent actually lies. But now that the former president looks poised to make a return, he fears that he will be summoned again to actually run the party from the shadows once again.

Kapil Sibal was planning to audition for the role of Peter Pettigrew, a Voldemort pet, in the Bollywood remake of the Harry Potter movies. Sibal was convinced that he would be selected for the role due to his close resemblance with the actor who played the role in the original Harry Potter movies and also because of his great real-life experience in serving She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named in the Congress party.

Ramchandra Guha, meanwhile, was heard screaming wildly at his residence after Surjewala made the announcement. The fiction writer had only recently declared that the Gandhi family must quit politics since their presence only helps strengthen the Hindutva movement. He was later spotted at Yogendra Yadav’s house amid speculations that the Ichchhadhaari protester would be roped in to protest the reappointment of Rahul Gandhi.

Surjewala, meanwhile, was well aware that the former Congress president was not on board with the idea of returning as the Congress president. But he believes that he has a remedy for that affliction. He intends to hire Shah Rukh Khan as Gandhi’s personal motivational coach after watching the actor’s performance in ‘Chak De! India’. Surjewala is also convinced that Rahul Gandhi will make a return if a dedicated team of Congress workers performs ‘Nadaan Parinde Ghar Aaja’ from the movie Rockstar in front of Gandhi’s residence for three days straight.

Leader of the Congress party in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, on the other hand, has landed himself in trouble, as he so often does, by talking a bit too much. After hearing the news on television, he reportedly confided in a Congress leader, “Gadha ke mere Ghodha korte parbey ki? (Can you turn an ass into a horse by thrashing it?)” Chowdhury said that in reference to Gandhi, who he appears to believe is a lost cause when it comes to politics.

The unhappiest person, undoubtedly, was Plurals Party chief Pushpam Priya Choudhary. She believed that with Rahul Gandhi on the verge of quitting politics, she would be the undisputed youth icon in Indian politics. But with his return being imminent, it appears that she will have to wait till 50 to become a youth icon herself.

The only happy person in this overall sad situation is Tehseen Poonawala who is overjoyed at the prospect. He is throwing a party to celebrate the event. Shehzad Poonawala is also expected to attend the party. Sources close to Tehseen informed us that he invited his brother only after the latter produced a written affidavit confirming that he will not contest the party elections against Rahul.

Journalists are also happy with the development. Rahul Gandhi’s appointment means that the Congress party will have to invest heavily in media management to prevent further embarrassment to the party. Job security and employment opportunities for journalists in the mainstream media suddenly look much better than it ever has since the Coronavirus pandemic began.

Meanwhile, other senior Congress leaders are checking Surjewala’s travel history to see whether he has met Amit Shah in recent times. Some have also suggested putting him in some resort after the made the announcement.

Note: The above is a work of satire and should be taken in humour

‘You can’t deliver sermons’: Karnataka High Court rebukes CPI(M) after the party filed affidavit highlighting its fundamental right to protest

OpIndia Staff
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‘You can’t deliver sermons’: Karnataka High Court rebukes CPI(M) after the party filed affidavit highlighting its fundamental right to protest

Karnataka High Court rebuked the Communist Party of India (Marxist) after the latter filed an affidavit before the court highlighting their ‘fundamental right to protest’. Strongly disapproving the affidavit, a Division Bench of Justices Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Vishwajith Shetty said that the affidavit gave the impression that the court was trying to impair the party’s fundamental rights to hold protests and rallies.

“You are talking as if somebody is trying to take away your fundamental right of speech. Who is taking away your fundamental right of speech? Are you saying that the Court wants to infringe your right to protest?”, the Court said, as reported by Bar and Bench. A plea had come up before the court alleging that the National Directives for Covid-19 Management, part of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) guidelines were not being followed in Karnataka. The CPI(M) had filed the affidavit following a previous court order asking the political parties if they were intending to issue instructions to their members/followers to follow the guidelines regarding wearing of masks and social distancing in political gatherings.

The High Court expressed disapproval

Making scathing remarks on the affidavit, the High Court said, “We strongly disapprove of this…Just because you were asked to file an affidavit, you can’t deliver such sermons”. “The 7th respondent (CPI(M)) in its affidavit states that this Court wants to prohibit holding of rallies and their right to protest. After going through para 4 and 5 of the affidavit, we are of the opinion that the respondent has not understood the scope of this petition nor the directions of the court. No prayer has been made in any of the petitions to ban protests. While we accept paras 8 and 9, we express our disapproval towards paras, 4 and 5”, the order read.

The court said that it failed to understand why the Karnataka government did not recovering fines on the organisers of a rally held on December 5. “The State government is reluctant to implement the sections of Karnataka Epidemic Diseases Act. It appears that there was a rally on 5th December but fine of Rs 50,000 has not been levied from the organisers of the rally”, the court said. The Court directed the Commissioner of Police to file an affidavit giving reasons for not collecting fines from the organiser of the rally. The Commissioner of Police is also directed to explain why criminal law was not invoked against person violating social distancing norms and wearing masks.

The next hearing of the matter is scheduled on January 11.

Kerala High Court orders Pinarayi Vijayan govt to return Rs 10 crores to Guruvayur Devaswom Board. Read details

OpIndia Staff
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Kerala High Court orders Pinarayi Vijayan govt to return Rs 10 crores to Guruvayur Devaswom Board. Read details

The Kerala High Court on Friday ordered the immediate return of Rs 10 crores that were taken by the state government from the Guruvayur Temple Devaswom funds to the chief minister’s fund. The verdict was issued on the pleas filed against the move by many, including BJP leader N Nagesh.

The Kerala High Court deemed the payment made by the temple board to the chief minister’s fund as illegal and noted that Guruvayoorappan is the heir to all the properties related to Guruvayur Temple. The court observed that Devaswom Board, as a trustee, has a sole right to maintain the property but no right to pass it on to anyone else. This was enshrined in the Devaswom Act, the court said, adding that the Governing Body can only act within the limits of the law.

The Guruvayur Devaswom Board is one of the four Devaswom boards in Kerala that manage the affairs of the temples across the state. The Guruvayur Devaswom Board presides over 12 temples including the Sri Krishna temple in Guruvayur, 30 km from Thrissur.

“Matters such as contributions towards Disaster Relief Funds do not fall under purview or jurisdiction of the Devaswom Board,” the court order said. Slamming the Kerala state government, the high court ordered that it has no power or authority to requisition the funds managed by the Devaswom Board or direct them on how to proceed in these matters.

The order also directed the division bench of the high court to decide on how to recover the amount donated to the Chief Minister’s relief fund. The Board had given Rs 10 crores to the Chief Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund during the floods and the COVID-19 period.

BJP attacks Left government in Kerala for taking funds from Hindu temples

Earlier in May 2020, a controversy was kicked up after the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in Kerala had taken the money for the Chief Minister’s Covid-19 Relief Fund from the Guruvayur Devaswom Board. The funds were handed over by Guruvayur Devaswom chairman KB Mohandas to District Collector S Shanavas, stating that the contribution to the fund was a part of the Devaswom’s social responsibility. 

Moreover, Mohandas had brazened out the decision, saying that there was nothing unlawful about it. He further said that the Devaswom board had earlier donated to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund during the floods in 2018.

The transfer of money from temple reserves to the chief minister’s relief funds had touched off a massive controversy, with Kerala BJP leaders castigating the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government for appropriating the temple funds. Kerala BJP President K Surendran attacked the Kerala government for transferring the money from Hindu temples to the relief fund and said that Devaswom’s step was wrong.

This money should have been sent to temples that have been struggling to light the lamps, Surendran added. He also asked the Kerala government why the chief minister’s fund was not taking money from other religious institutions.

A similar case of temple funds being used by the state government had come up when the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department of Tamil Nadu had issued a controversial order dated April 22 asking Hindu temples of the state to transfer Rs 10 crores to the Chief Minister’s Coronavirus Relief Fund. On the similar lines, the Tamil Nadu government’s order had triggered outrage, with opposition leaders vehemently criticising the move. Finally, the Tamil Nadu took back its order after the Madras High Court found it ‘not legally tenable. 

‘Ganga-like purity in government’s intent, MSP here to stay’: PM Modi defends farm laws, asks opposition to take credit for reforms they had promised

OpIndia Staff
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‘Ganga-like purity in government’s intent, MSP here to stay’: PM Modi defends farm laws, asks opposition to take credit for reforms they had promised

PM Modi on Friday addressed an event in Madhya Pradesh via video-conferencing, defending his government’s reforms in the agriculture sector and assuring the farmers that the government is committed to their welfare.

The outreach by PM Modi was a part of sustained efforts by the Centre to placate the farmers mainly from Punjab who have taken to streets along the Delhi border in protest against the newly introduced farm bills which they claim would hurt their livelihood.

Farmers to decide whether they want to sell their produce to APMCs or customers: PM Modi

Stating that the government’s intent in helping farmers is as pure as the river Ganga, the Prime Minister exhorted the protesters to see through the deceit that is being peddled under their name. He reiterated that, under the new laws, farmers will continue to have total freedom regarding the sale of their agricultural produce, adding that the system of APMC would continue to function. The new laws will only open avenues for farmers to sell their produce directly to the customers, he said.

PM Modi also drew attention towards the past when farmers were baton-charged by the police officials for demanding urea. He said that his govt has changed that and made life better for farmers. He said that the intention of his govt is absolutely clear.

MSP here to stay and central government committed to buying agricultural produce at the MSP rate: PM Modi

Talking about the Minimum Support Price(MSP) which has been a bone of contention for the protesters, PM Modi assured the farmers that the MSP is here to stay and his government will continue to buy agricultural produce from them at the pre-decided MSP.

PM Modi cited various crops and grains whose MSP were increased after his government came into power in 2014. He said MSP on Toor Dal was increased from Rs 4300 per quintal to Rs 6000, on Moong Dal it was increased to Rs 7200 per quintal from the previous price of Rs 4500. Similarly, the MSP on Masur Dal also saw a bump up from Rs 2,950 per quintal to Rs 5,100.

Even the MSP on paddy saw about 50 per cent hike from Rs 1310 per quintal to Rs 1,870. MSP on Jawar were raised from previous Rs 1,520 per quintal to Rs 2,640.

PM Modi said that his government not only raised the MSP but also increased the government purchase from farmers.

“The previous government, in their five years of governance bought 1,700 metric tonnes of paddy from farmers. Our government bought 3,000 metric tonnes of paddy from farmers in our first five years,” PM Modi said.

PM Modi takes on opposition, says various parties promised the same reform that his government has implemented

In a blistering attack against the opposition parties, PM Modi said that the Opposition is misleading the farmers. He stated that all old manifestos of other parties promised the same reforms which his government has dared to implement. Without explicitly referring any opposition leader, PM Modi said that these politicians were trying to extract political mileage on the back of farmers’ protest.

PM Modi also assailed the previous governments at the Centre, who remained a mute spectator to the problems faced by the farmers and showed no will to initiate reforms. He added that his government abolished the cut culture and implemented recommendations suggested by agriculture committees, including those by the Swaminathan report.

PM Modi further added that the farm laws were not brought overnight, but several political parties, experts, progressive farmers had long demanded the reforms. Adding that the detractors have a problem with Modi and not reforms, PM Modi said, “here were demands for the reforms from parties, experts, progressive farmers for many years. The previous governments had made promises to the farmers but never delivered. They are upset because what they had only talked about, Modi has done that.”

The PM said that opposition parties are opposing the farm laws because BJP will take credit of bringing such reforms. He offered the opposition to take credit for the laws, which were promised by the parties like Congress in their election manifestos, and requested not to oppose the laws.

PM Modi allays apprehensions of farmers regarding the farming agreement and contractual farming

In a bid to dispel the unfounded apprehensions that are taking root among the farmers in the wake of farmers’ protest, PM Modi said that a farming agreement involves only crops and agricultural produce and not the farming land of the farmers. He added that farmers are being deliberately misled on the concept of the farming agreement which is not a new phenomenon.

He cited an irony while speaking on the farming agreement. While the Congress government in Punjab has been vehemently protesting against the farm bills, PM Modi quoted a report from 8 March 2019 to allege that the Amarinder Singh government in Punjab was celebrating a Rs 800 crores deal between farmers and a multinational company.

While speaking on the contractual farming, PM Modi assured farmers that nobody can force the farmers to do anything against their wishes. He further cited instances when contractual farming had brought a dramatic rise in the farmers’ earnings.

PM Modi says the government still ready for talks if farmers are unconvinced

Towards the end of his speech, PM Modi said that despite his government’s repeated assurances that farmers’ interest will be taken care of, if the protesters are still unconvinced, the Centre is ready to have talks with them.

“Even after my assurances and the central government’s efforts, if anyone has any apprehensions with regard to the new laws, We humbly bow our heads and join our hands and are ready to talk on every issue for the welfare of the farmers,” PM Modi said.

‘India should learn from Israel’: Petition moved in SC for Sanskrit to be declared as ‘National Language’

OpIndia Staff
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‘India should learn from Israel’: Petition moved in SC for Sanskrit to be declared as ‘National Language’

A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court asking to notify Sanskrit as the national language of the country.

According to the reports, the PIL has been filed by the former additional secretary to the Gujarat government, KG Vanzara, who is currently a lawyer in the Gujarat High Court. The petition seeks the Supreme Court to direct the Union Government to notify Sanskrit as India’s National language while keeping Hindi as its official language.

In his petition, Vanzara claimed that the national language status will be higher than the official language status accorded to Hindi. The petition said the notification can be done simply by an Act or an executive order, without disturbing the present Constitutional frame.

“Official Language cannot necessarily be equated with National Language. Both definitely can be separate,” the petition said.

India should learn from Israel, says petition

Further, the petition said that India should learn from Israel who in 1948, made Hebrew, considered to be a dead Language for the last 2000 years, along with English as the official/national language of Israel. Vanzara also added that the move would not face any opposition from any of the religions or castes.

The plea said Sanskrit has “the biological scientific phonetic structure of Sanskrit, which develops the brain, rhythmical pronouncing and memorising capacity in children”.

Even former PM had said “the greatest treasure that India possesses is and what is her finest heritage, I would answer unhesitatingly that it is the Sanskrit Language literature and all that it contains,” the plea read.

Presently, the Indian constitution does not recognise any language as the ‘National Language of the country’. However, there are 22 official languages in India and they are covered under the 8th schedule of the Indian Constitution.

Suvendu Adhikari tries to resign, but Bengal Assembly speaker rejects, asks him to meet on 21st December: Here is why

OpIndia Staff
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Suvendu Adhikari tries to resign, but Bengal Assembly speaker rejects, asks him to meet on 21st December: Here is why

A day after rebel Trinamool Congress leader Suvendu Adhikari resigned from the post of MLA, the West Bengal Assembly Speaker on Friday rejected his resignation from the post claiming that it was not in a proper format.

According to the reports, West Bengal Speaker Biman Banerjee on Friday refused to accept the resignation of former TMC stalwart Suvendu Adhikari claiming that his resignation letter was not in proper format and also did not have a date on it.

The speaker also said that he has not been informed that Adhikari’s resignation is voluntary and genuine and asked him to meet him on Monday. He also said that it is not possible to accept the resignation letter in this format.

“I have examined the letter & found that the date isn’t specified in it. I hadn’t been informed that his (Suvendu Adhikari) resignation is voluntary & genuine. So it’s not possible to accept it. I’ve asked him to appear before me on 21st Dec,” said West Bengal Speaker Biman Banerjee.

This development comes hours after four big exits in the last 24 hours from TMC ruling party, deepening a crisis for the Mamata Banerjee-led party ahead of polls four months away.

Suvendu Adhikari resigns from MLA post, may join BJP

On Wednesday, Adhikari, who had recently quit Trinamool Congress, also resigned from the West Bengal Legislative Assembly amidst the speculations of him joining the BJP. In his resignation letter, addressed to the party chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Adhikari thanked the TMC for the opportunities given to him.

Former TMC stalwart Adhikari is expected to join the BJP during the Home Minister’s visit to the state. If he joins BJP, it will be a major setback for TMC ahead of Assembly elections in the state.

Adhikari’s resignation from the state Assembly is being seen in connection with the Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to West Bengal on December 19-20. Recently, the party had expelled Kanishka Panda, who is perceived to a close aide of Adhikari.

On Friday, the centre also decided to provide ‘Z’ category security to rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) stalwart Suvendu Adhikari in West Bengal amid the security threat to him.

Delhi Police busts fake call centre racket, arrests 54 people who duped around 4,500 foreign nationals of Rs 100 crores

Jhankar Mohta
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Delhi Police busts fake call centre racket, arrests 54 people who duped around 4,500 foreign nationals of Rs 100 crores

Delhi police have busted a massive syndicate running a fake call centre which has duped over 4500 foreign nationals of nearly Rs 100 crores. The cybercrime unit of the Delhi police arrested as many a 54 employees of this fake call centre on Friday, who posed as officials from various law enforcement agencies to dupe and extort money from foreign nationals. The call centre employees convinced the victims that they had to transfer money or risk going to jail.

The police also seized 90 desktops, more than 50 phones and a server from the illegal call centre being run from Moti Nagar area in the national capital. According to the information provided by a senior police official familiar with the case, the mastermind of this racket had been operating the fake call centre from Dubai. He has been identified only by his first name, Ashwani, and was known among his employees as Munshi. The accused allegedly targeted people living in the United States and other foreign countries. 

The modus operandi

Speaking of the modus operandi of this fake call centre, police informed that the employees posed as officials from Social Security Administration, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the US Marshals Service, etc, while targeting their prey. They would scare the victims that their bank details were found at a crime scene or have been found linked to drug cartels in Mexico and Colombia, and their accounts were likely to be seized. They also frightened them with immediate arrest or legal action.

Saying so they convinced their targets to go for an alternate dispute resolution (ADR) which would be faster and simpler. In the second option, which all the targets fell for, they were asked to share details of their assets, including bank accounts and the amount of money in those accounts. The accused then asked the victims to buy bitcoins or gift cards to keep money in a “safe government vault”. When the victims would succumb, the accused would transfer the money to their accounts.

DCP (Cyber Crime Unit) Anyesh Roy said: “We got inputs from sources about the fake call centre. When our team checked, they found the accused were making calls to foreign countries and cheating people. On Tuesday, we conducted a raid and arrested 54 persons from the centre.”

Police have also found that Ashwani has a criminal history of betting in Delhi and had long ago fled to Dubai. “Efforts are on to extradite him with the help of the ministry of external affairs,” Roy confirmed.

Scamsters put Varanasi office of PM Modi for sale on OLX for Rs 7.5 crore, 4 arrested

OpIndia Staff
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Scamsters put Varanasi office of PM Modi for sale on OLX for Rs 7.5 crore, 4 arrested

The Uttar Pradesh Police have arrested four persons for putting the Varanasi office of PM Narendra Modi ‘for sale’ on OLX India website. Uttar Pradesh Police said the accused, who were arrested from Jawahar Nagar Colony, had posted a picture of the Prime Minister’s Varanasi office on OLX, stating that the premise was up for sale and listed a price of Rs 7.5 crore for it.

“Accused who clicked picture of the office and three others have been arrested. A case has been filed and further probe is underway,” police said.

After the matter came to the fore, the add was removed from OLX and an FIR for registered against the 4 accused.

According to Varanasi police, the OLX advertisement stated that the PM’s parliamentary office in Ravindrapuri area of Varanasi was on sale. The ad, titled ‘PMO office Varanasi’, further mentioned details like “built-up area 6500 sq ft, two-storeyed building North-East facing with car parking”, as per the report. One Lakshmikant Ojha was listed as the seller in the advertisement.

The UP Police said that 4 people including the person who clicked the photo for the advertisement have been arrested.

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