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PMC Bank Scam: MD Joy Thomas became Junaid Khan, married his assistant per Islamic rituals and owned properties with her

OpIndia Staff
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PMC Bank Scam: MD Joy Thomas became Junaid Khan, married his assistant per Islamic rituals and owned properties with her

Former MD of Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative (PMC) Bank, Joy Thomas, converted to Islam, married his assistant at the bank as per Islamic rituals in 2012, changed his name to Junaid Khan and owned 10 properties in Pune with his second wife allegedly as part of the Rs 4,355 crore scam, reports have revealed.

Investigation agencies have discovered documents that suggest that Junaid Khan had several investments under that name as well as his second wife. According to Mid-day, Khan’s second wife owns nine flats and a boutique in Pune. The total value of these assets hasn’t been ascertained yet but is estimated to be around Rs. 4-5 crores.

Read: Nirav Modi financial fraud: All you need to know

While investigating Khan’s investments, the agencies found four flats in Mumbai and Thane registered under his and the first wife’s name. They also discovered a café registered under the name of his son from the first marriage. Soon, documents under the name of Junaid Khan and a woman who wasn’t known to be his wife at that point of time were also discovered. Later, it was discovered that the woman was his wife and Joy Thomas had changed his name to Junaid Khan.

As per reports, the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) discovered that all these properties were purchased since 2012, which coincides with the time period when the accused Rakesh and Sarang Wadhawan of Housing Development and Infrastructure Ltd (HDIL) began the non-payment on loans while borrowing additional amounts from PMC Bank.

Read: Maharashtra Cooperative Bank scam: All you need to know why ED filed an ECIR against Sharad Pawar

“The properties are jointly owned by Thomas and his second wife and we are yet to find out the share percentage of ownership of the ten properties. As it is jointly owned, the attachment could be difficult but if we are able to prove those bought from the proceeds of crime then we can initiate proceedings and attach these properties,” a senior police officer told India Today. “Besides the ten properties, Thomas also owns a flat in Thane and a commercial property which is under the control of his son from his first wife,” the officer added.

Former MD of PMC bank, Joy Thomas aka Junaid Khan was arrested by a special investigation team (SIT) of the EOW of Mumbai Police on the 4th of October. He had been absconding until then. The EOW had filed an FIR on September 30 (Monday) against HDIL and PMC Bank officials in the PMC bank fraud case. The persons named in the FIR include PMC bank’s former chairman Waryam Singh, former Managing Director Joy Joseph Thomas, Housing Development and Infrastructure Limited (HDIL) group promoters Sarang Wadhawan and Rakesh Wadhawan.

The RBI has already dismissed the board of governors of PMC bank and has appointed an administrator. The bank has been put the bank under restrictions, putting a limit of ₹1000 withdrawal by depositors initially, which was later raised to ₹10000 and ₹25000. The bank is also not allowed to give any loan without the prior approval of RBI. The restrictions have been put for six months after RBI was informed about the PMC Bank fraud by a whistleblower inside the bank.

Nirbhaya gangrape victim’s friend demanded money for appearing on interviews, claims journalist

OpIndia Staff
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Nirbhaya gangrape victim’s friend demanded money for appearing on interviews, claims journalist

In a shocking new revelation, a journalist, Ajit Anjum, former managing editor of India Today and News 24 had alleged that the friend of Nirbhaya, who was brutally gang-raped in a moving vehicle in December 2012, demanded thousands of rupees from news channels for appearing for interviews. Anjum contended that the sole witness of the Nirbhaya gangrape case had shamelessly monetised the tragedy that befell on her girlfriend.


In a series of tweets posted by Anjum, the journalist asserted that Nirbhaya gangrape victim’s friend charged exorbitant money from news channels for narrating the ghastly sequence of events of the dreadful night of December 16, 2012, when his friend Nirbhaya was fatally assaulted and gang-raped by 6 men in a private bus. Anjum claimed that he had conducted a sting operation on Nirbhaya’s friend where he is seen dealing with a TV channel and accepting money to give it an interview.

Ajit Anjum tweeted that the incident is from September 2013 when the accused in the Nirbhaya rape case were sentenced to death by a fast track court. There was continuous coverage of Nirbhaya gangrape case on all channels so I asked reporters to get Nirbhaya’s friend to the channel’s studio for an interview but they informed me that he was demanding money for his appearance on news channels,” Anjum alleged.


He further added, “I asked my reporters to bring Nirbhaya’s friend to the studio. However, I was informed that his friend goes to the studio with his uncle and charges thousands for an interview. I could not believe it at first. It was insane.”

Expressing his anguish over the man’s brazen attempts to monetise a cruel and lethal assault on his own friend, Anjum asserted that he was baffled at the moral bankruptcy of the boy, watching him broker deals with channels for telling her poignant story. “I constantly saw him on television. I never saw the pain in his eyes,” Anjum said.


Deciding to conduct a sting operation on Nirbhaya’s friend, Anjum said, “I made my reporter sit in front of me and asked him to talk to boy’s uncle on phone. He demanded Rs one lakh for coming to the studio but the deal was finalised for Rs 70000. I wanted that money to be given in front of Nirbhaya’s friend. Rs 70000 was offered to uncle right in front of the boy. Everything was recorded. He was then taken to the studio. After ten minutes into the conversation, the boy was asked why does he take money from channels to narrate the story. The boy kept refusing that he charges money for his appearance on interviews.”

“Then during the recording, the boy was shown part of his sting on screen. It was then he apologised in front of the cameras,” the journalist tweeted.


Anjum said that the decision to not broadcast the sting operation was taken considering that the case was ongoing in the court. The journalist was concerned that the explosive nature of the sting operation could have been used by the lawyers of the accused in their favour and thus he decided against the broadcasting of the sting operation.

Abusive author Devdutt Pattanaik calls a woman ‘bitch’, Twitter finds no violation of its rules

OpIndia Staff
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Abusive author Devdutt Pattanaik calls a woman ‘bitch’, Twitter finds no violation of its rules

The micro-blogging site, Twitter which had earlier conceded to its left-leaning bias and had recently vexed several of its users by displaying its selective targeting based on ideology has now said that an abusive author, Devdutt Pattanaik hurling abuse at a woman and calling her a ‘bitch’ does not violate its conduct rules.


The abusive troll today took to Twitter to call a woman named Kanchana Premkumar ‘bitch’, for simply pointing to him the difference between a ‘lungi’ and ‘veshti’ (a Tamil outfit).

SS of Devdutt Pattanaik’ Tweet

The ‘mythologist’ Devdutt Pattanaik, however, did not stop there. After being called out for his horrid mindset, he posted a Tweet defending his act. In his defence, he equated his scornful comment to ‘Sarama’ a mythological being referred to as the female wolf of the Gods.

This sought of trifling behaviour is something which is very much expected from the author who has several times in the past resorted to using language that could only ever be construed as evidence of his deteriorating mental health.

Recently, Devdutt Pattanaik had displayed similar derangement by hurling abuse at another woman and calling another woman ‘chudail’. It is rather uncouth and vile to call a woman ‘chudail’ (witch) for a mere difference of opinion, but it is very much expected from a person as brainsick as probably Pattanaik is.

As it so happens, it’s not the first time that Pattanaik has had a meltdown on social media. During the Padmavat controversy, the author believed it was a good idea to demonize the men of the society in which women performed Jauhar to avoid being defiled by Islamic barbarians. He accused Hindus who understood and respected the motivations of the women who performed Jauhar of being ‘marital rapists’ and claimed they just liked burning women.

Apart from his atrocious conduct on social media, his work has been criticized heavily for errors, manipulations and outright lies. He has been accused of misinterpreting Sanskrit texts and many believe he does so on purpose to peddle a particular version of Leftist political ideology.

Alka Lamba returns to Congress after a brief 5 year stint with AAP, joins party in presence of PC Chacko

OpIndia Staff
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Alka Lamba returns to Congress after a brief 5 year stint with AAP, joins party in presence of PC Chacko

After serving the Indian National Congress (INC) in various capacities for more than 20 years, Alka Lamba quit the grand old party to join the Arvind Kejriwal led Aam Aadmi Party in December 2014. However, within 5 years of being in AAP, Lamba grew disillusioned with the party leadership and finally resigned from the party in September 2019 after rumbling for over a year that she would leave the party. Today, the MLA from the Chandni Chowk joins Congress fold in presence of party leader, PC Chacko.


Last month, Alka Lamba had taken to Twitter to inform her followers that she had given her resignation from the AAP party. Lamba had tweeted in early September that it is time to bid farewell to the party and give up its primary membership. Days after her tweet, Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel had on September 19 disqualified Lamba from the House. Today, in the presence of PC Chacko, Alka Lamba joins Congress.

Read: Finally, AAP’s Alka Lamba quits, a month after AAP spokesperson taunted her that they will accept her resignation on Twitter too

Before her resignation last month, Alka Lamba had gained the notoriety of announcing her resignation arbitrarily without actually submitting it. Her threats of resignation were so pervasive that senior leaders in AAP were ready to accept her resignation but she was yet to officially tender her resignation. AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj had stated that Lamba has ‘announced’ her impending resignation over a dozen times but is yet to actually resign. He had added that the party will accept her resignation even on Twitter.

A former President of Delhi University Students’ Union, Lamba began her career as a student leader and also served as the National President of the National Students’ Union of India. She had also offered her services as General Secretary of Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee and Secretary of All India Congress Committee.

Alka Lamba’s relations with AAP had turned sour when in last December Arvind Kejriwal had allegedly asked her to resign from the party after her refusal to support party’s resolution on Rajiv Gandhi’s Bharat Ratna. Earlier this year, Lamba had claimed that proposal of joining Congress would be a matter of respect for her.

Malpura, Rajasthan: Arson during curfew imposed after stone-pelting during Durga Puja procession, police launches probe

Jinit Jain
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Malpura, Rajasthan: Arson during curfew imposed after stone-pelting during Durga Puja procession, police launches probe

Incident of arson has been reported from the town of Malpura in Rajasthan which has been on tenterhooks after clashes broke out after stone pelting at the Durga Puja procession. Aggrieved by the incident, the locals in the town sat on a dharna outside Malpura police station, refusing to burn the effigies of Ravan till their demand of arresting the miscreants was met. However, seeing no end to the impasse, the district administration burnt the Ravan effigies on Wednesday morning and imposed Section 144 in the region to avoid escalation.

On Friday, the local administration relaxed the curfew restrictions for two hours in the morning for people to stuff necessary provisions. The curfew had been in place since stone pelting on Durga Puja procession. At around 10:30 am, the blaring sirens intimated people of the reimposition of the curfew restrictions. However, in the afternoon, panic set in among the local authorities as two shops on the road leading to truck stand caught fire. This sparked tensions among the residents who surrounded police officers in their area and expressed anger over the incident of arson.

Read: 8 attacks on Durga Puja and Dussehra processions in just 2 days, Durga idol vandalisation reported across India

On being informed about the arson incident, Inspector General of Ajmer Police Sanjeev Nirjari, Superintendent of Police Adarsh Sidhu, Additional Superintendent of Police Gordhan Lal rushed to the spot to take stock of the situation. The officials tried to assuage the seething anger among the people by assuring them that swift and punishable action would be taken against the culprits. The police also detained a few youths from the locality for questioning.

BJP leader shot dead by bike-borne assailants in UP’s Deoband, second such murder in less than a week

OpIndia Staff
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BJP leader shot dead by bike-borne assailants in UP’s Deoband, second such murder in less than a week

Marking the second such incident in a week, a local Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) leader was shot dead in Deoband area of Saharanpur on Saturday morning. Dhara Singh, a corporator in the Deoband municipal corporation, was driving to a local sugar mill, where he worked when he was stopped near the railway crossing by two bike-borne unidentified assailants who then shot at the BJP leader from a close range, confirmed the police.

Locals took him to the Community Health Centre, Deoband, where he was declared brought dead.

“According to eyewitnesses, the assailants were on a bike and their faces were covered. We have formed two teams and combing operation has started,” said Senior Superintendent of Police, Saharanpur, Dinesh Kumar who also confirmed that as of now, police have not been able to ascertain the motive behind the murder.

The dead body of the BJP leader has been sent to the Saharanpur mortuary for the post-mortem examination.

Read: Revisiting Sainbari, a blot on Indian Democracy: When Communists made a mother eat rice with her dead sons’ blood

“We are talking to the family members of the deceased. Investigation in the matter is on. We are trying to solve the case as early as possible, added Kumar.

This is the second murder of a BJP leader in the area in the last five days. On October 8, Chaudhary Yashpal Singh, former district vice president of BJP Kisan Morcha, and brother of the local village headman was shot in a similar manner by bike-borne assailants in Miragpur village of Deoband.

Naseeruddin Shah stands by his fear-mongering remarks, says ‘open hatred in society is disturbing’

OpIndia Staff
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Naseeruddin Shah stands by his fear-mongering remarks, says ‘open hatred in society is disturbing’

Last year, Naseeruddin Shah had stirred a furore when in a TV interview in reference to the Bulandsheher incident he said that the death of a cow was being given more importance than the death of a police officer.  Today, Shah asserted in an interview that he stands by the remarks made by him then and that open hatred is still pervasive in the country.

Read: I agree with you, Naseeruddin saheb. I am scared in today’s India too

In conversation with actor Anand Tiwari at the India Film Project, Shah stated that the open hatred in the society is disturbing while responding to a question about whether his views about political and social issues have adversely affected his ties with film fraternity.

“I have never had any close relationship with the film industry and fraternity in any case. I don’t know whether it has affected my standing or not because I don’t often get offered work very much. I endured a lot of abuse by people, who have nothing better to do, but it doesn’t affect me at all. What is disturbing is the open hate. What I felt I said and I stand by it,” Shah said.

Besides, Shah also voiced his opinion on the complaint filed against 49 celebrities for being signatories to an open letter written to PM Modi. On Monday, a new letter was issued by 180 people including Naseeruddin Shah and historian Romila Thapar asking how writing an open letter to the Prime Minister can be treasonous. It is noteworthy to mention that the Bihar police had dismissed the FIR filed against 49 celebrities and booked the complainant for filing a ‘false’ case. The complainant was an advocate and the Modi government had nothing to do with the complaint filed against the individuals.

In December 2018, violence erupted in the Bulandshahr town of Uttar Pradesh after locals found carcasses of cows hanging in their locality. Things took a violent turn after the police opened fire at the protesters. It is claimed that the police was forced to open fire after the protesters attacked them with stones. In the chaos, inspector Subodh Kumar Singh lost his life. A youth, Sumit, too, succumbed to injuries. Citing this incident, Shah indulged in fear-mongering saying that he is concerned about the lives of his children in the country where a cow was given more importance than the life of a police officer.

A few days later, Shah collaborated with Amnesty International to depict that the country is in the throes of an unprecedented constitutional crisis with the civil rights of people trampled upon and their liberties curtailed. A video was posted in which Naseeruddin Shah was seen portraying India in a bad light and raising false alarms against the purported deterioration of law and order in the country.

Read: The Life and Crimes of Amnesty International: Its links to Radical Islam and the British government

The video starring Naseeruddin Shah painted a gloomy picture of the country in which people’s Freedom of Expression is curtailed, poor people are subjugated by the rich and powerful, those who speak out the truth are suppressed, journalists gagged. The video essentially wanted to show that the establishment in the country is bent on violating the rights of the people and organisations and coercing them to toe the government’s line.

Read: If opposing Modi means supporting Amnesty International, Naxals and Terrorists, I am a ‘Bhakt’

Shah has never shied away from exhibiting his left-liberal tendencies. Last year, he sided with the liberals in portraying a dim view of the country months before the General elections. This time around too, just a few days before the all-important assembly elections in Maharashtra and Haryana, Shah has not hesitated from extending his verbal support to the liberals. Enunciating the liberal standpoint, he maintained that the situation in the country remains volatile and disturbing and that the society is marred with ‘open hatred’.

Telangana RTC strike: The 48,000 dismissed employees refuse to budge, say will take government to court

OpIndia Staff
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Telangana RTC strike: The 48,000 dismissed employees refuse to budge, say will take government to court

The Telangana RTC strike which began on October 5 by its employees has entered its 8th day today.

The Joint Action Committee (JAC), spearheading the strike by over 48,000 employees, made it clear that they will not resume their duties until the government accepts their major demands. JAC leader Ashwathama Reddy announced after a meeting with leaders of various political parties and mass organisations that the strike would continue. He asked the employees not to get scared by the government’s threats.

Confirming that no employee has received a dismissal order yet, Reddy said, “If we are served the orders, we will challenge the same in the court of law.”

The demands put forth by the unions, which are functioning under a joint action committee (JAC), include increasing staff salaries, maternity leave for women employees, exemption of various taxes, women bus conductors not to work beyond 9 pm, and the merger of the TSRTC with the state government as it is an autonomous organization, whose employees are permanent.

Though there have been reports that the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) is suffering a loss of Rs 11-12 crore per day owing to the indefinite strike by its employees, the Transport Minister P Ajay has claimed that the strike is not having much impact on bus services as the TSRTC continued operating bus services in Hyderabad and other parts of the state with the help of temporary drivers and other staff.

As uncertainty looms over the RTC employees, they are under constant pressure from their respective families to end the strike due to the impounding financial burden on them due to the indefinite strike.

Earlier on Sunday, in a surprising move, the Telangana government had dismissed over 48,000 striking employees of the Telangana State Road Transportation Corporation (TSRTC).

On the third day of the strike, the state government acted on its prior warning that employees should join work by 6 pm on Saturday or lose their jobs. The state government had set the deadline in view of the ongoing festive season. With the employees not relenting and continuing with their strike, Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) took the decision of dismissing all the employees who kept away from work.

Clearing that TSRTC will not be merged with the government, in a statement on Sunday evening, KCR condemned the strike, calling it “illegal, irresponsible and based on wrong thinking.”

The RTC employees have called the government’s decision ‘undemocratic’. The opposition parties too, have criticised the move. The BJP has said that It’s the government’s incompetence & escapist attitude, which led to the RTC employees strike. Congress has stated that the employees were only demanding what was promised to them.

In the immediate aftermath, the government has ordered that 2500 buses be taken on lease and 4114 buses to be given permission to operate as public transport. Authorities have been directed to restore normalcy within 15 days. CM Rao has stated that he hopes the RTC will become a profit-making entity within two to three years.

West Bengal: Another party worker killed in Nadia, ‘Debnath shot dead by TMC criminals’, says BJP

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal: Another party worker killed in Nadia, ‘Debnath shot dead by TMC criminals’, says BJP

West Bengal has still not come to terms with the spine chilling incident where a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker, his pregnant wife and their six-year-old son were found murdered in Murshidabad district recently when reports of yet another ghastly incident have come to the fore. Today it has been reported that yet another BJP worker hailing from Ranaghat in TMC ruled West Bengal’s Nadia district has been brutally shot dead last night.

According to reports, 50-year-old BJP leader Harlal Debnath of booth number 21 of Habibpur Panchayat of Ranaghat police station was returning home after closing his shop late at night when he was shot dead on Friday night by some miscreants.

BJP President Manvendra Rai of Nadia district said that the deceased BJP leader was the sole architect of the growing mass base of the BJP in the area. He played an important role for the BJP in the last two elections and that is why the people of TMC have killed him.

Read: Not all of India is suffering from a ‘Super Emergency’, Mamata Banerjee, only West Bengal is

After receiving the information, police officers of Ranaghat police station reachedthe spot and immediately took Debnath to a hospital in Kalyani where doctors declared him brought dead.

The West Bengal state BJP general secretary, Subrata Chatterjee took to Twitter to share this news on Saturday. He Tweeted: “Another BJP worker has had to sacrifice while protecting democracy in West Bengal. Debnath has been shot dead by Trinamool Congress (TMC) criminals”.

At the same time, BJP’ National general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya tagged West Bengal’ CM Mamata Banerjee and wrote: “While protecting democracy in West Bengal, another brave worker of the BJP fell prey to TMC’ hooliganism”, adding that this “sacrifice will not go in vain”.


BJP cadres have long being targetted in Mamata Banerjee’ TMC in West Bengal. Following BJP’ successful inroads in the state, TMC goons have constantly unleashed atrocities on BJP workers under the behest of their supremo.

Yesterday, in yet another incident, a BJP worker was injured after he was shot allegedly by TMC workers. Ramprasad Mondal, a member of Bharatiya Janata Party, was allegedly shot at by a local TMC worker at Baruipur at South 24 Parganas in West Bengal for chanting Jai Shri Ram.

On October 10, Bandhu Prakash Pal, a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker, his pregnant wife and their six-year-old son were found brutally murdered in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district. Bandhu’s wife Beauty Pal was eight-months pregnant.

Read exclusive details: ED crackdown on Dawood’s India network, Praful Patel’s firm revealed to have links

OpIndia Staff
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Read exclusive details: ED crackdown on Dawood’s India network, Praful Patel’s firm revealed to have links

The Enforcement Directorate has launched a massive crackdown on properties linked with Dawood Ibrahim and his associates. As per sources in the Mumbai Police several politicians, through numerous firms and private companies, are found to have links with those properties.

As per sources, the ED has zeroed in the properties of a key Dawood associate named Iqbal Memon alias ‘Mirchi’. While tracking Mirchi’s business ventures and properties in India and the UK, the ED has discovered links with a firm that is linked to former UPA-era civil aviation minister Praful Patel and his wife Varsha Patel.

As per the list of Mirchi’s properties located in India and the UK, A 15-story building in Dr Annie Besant Road, Worli, named ‘Ceejay House’ was constructed as a JV between Mirchi and M/S Millenium Developers Pvt Ltd in 2006-07.

In 2007, the third and fourth floors of the building were given to Mirchi’s family by Millenium Developers.

Former Union Minister Praful Patel and his wife Varsha Patel own a significant number of shares in Millenium Developers Pvt Ltd. In the documents, the 12th floor of the CeeJay House is mentioned as the address of Praful and Varsha Patel.

Praful Patel and Wife

It is notable here that NCP leader Praful Patel’s family owns the CeeJay Group, a large tobacco conglomerate in India.

The ED has named Mirchi as an international drug dealer, smuggler, extortionist and criminal involved in anti-national interest. In 2004, Mirchi was listed as one of the foreign drug kingpins by the US state department. He had an Interpol red corner notice against him. Mirchi had died in the UK on 14 August 2013.

Mirchi and his family members had amassed huge wealth in India and abroad. The family had fled to Dubai and had shifted their empire overseas. Haroun Yusuf, chairman of Mirchi’s trust has been named by ED as the facilitator of many of the shady property deals. The ED has listed 25 properties in the UK owned by Mirchi’s family and business partners.

Read: Pakistan testifies Dawood aide’s ‘good character’ as the UK rejects his bail plea for the second time

ED had yesterday arrested Haroun Yusuf and one Ranjit Singh Bindra who had brokered a deal with Mirchi’s trust and Sunblink Realtors Pvt Ltd. Mirchi’s Mumbai assets alone are speculated to be worth more than Rs 500 crores. Based on the Mumbai Police’s FIR on Yusuf, Mirchi and others, the ED has filed a PMLA case on Yusuf and Bindra.

The NCP has stated that the land on which CeeJay House stands was purchased from the Maharaja of Gwalior by Patel’s family in 1963 and there was a property dispute with some illegal occupants who were then granted the third floor of the building by order of the High Court. NCP had stated that Ceejay House is not owned by Praful or Varsha Patel.

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