Customs officials arrested Congress leader Shashi Tharoor’s personal assistant at the Delhi airport after he was allegedly caught smuggling gold from Dubai. According to reports, customs officials at Terminal 3 of the IGI Airport detained Shiv Prasad on Wednesday, May 29.
Along with seizing the gold, which was estimated to be worth Rs 30 lakh, the customs authorities also started an investigation to find out where the gold came from and whether it was genuine.
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor's personal secretary, Shiv Prasad, has been caught by Delhi Customs in an alleged gold smuggling case, as per sources.
According to the reports, customs officers questioned Kumar, who had flown in from Dubai to Delhi Airport, about where the gold came from and why he was bringing it to India. But he was unable to offer adequate explanations or convincing answers, nor could he produce the required documents.
The matter is currently being probed further.
Shashi Tharoor is a senior Congress leader and a former Union Minister. He is currently the sitting MP from the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency.
Interestingly, in 2020, allegations surfaced that Congress leader Shashi Tharoor had links with the prime suspect in the Kerala gold smuggling case. He had then denied the allegations that the individual facing an investigation in connection with gold smuggling had gotten a job at the UAE consulate in Thiruvananthapuram on his recommendation. The Consulate was first swept into the grip of the gold scandal when Swapna Suresh was made the second accused in the smuggling case.
Back then, Shashi Tharoor had sent a legal notice to a Malayalam News Channel called Kairali TV for broadcasting news about his alleged association with a prime suspect in the Kerala Gold Smuggling case.
After the news of the arrest of his PA was shared widely, the Congress minister took to X to claim that the man was a former member of his staff who had been retained as a part-time employee on ‘compassionate grounds’ because he had been undergoing frequent dialysis. The senior Congress leader also said that he does not approve of any alleged wrongdoing and stated that he supports the authorities’ investigation into the matter.
While I am in Dharamshala for campaigning purposes, I was shocked to hear of an incident involving a former member of my staff who has been rendering part-time service to me in terms of airport facilitation assistance. He is a 72 year old retiree undergoing frequent dialysis and…
“While I am in Dharamshala for campaigning purposes, I was shocked to hear of an incident involving a former member of my staff who has been rendering part-time service to me in terms of airport facilitation assistance. He is a 72-year-old retiree undergoing frequent dialysis and was retained on a part-time basis on compassionate grounds. I do not condone any alleged wrongdoing and fully support the authorities in their efforts to take any necessary action as may be required to investigate the matter. The law must take its own course.”
Indian teenage chess sensation R Praggnanandhaa defeated the world number one Magnus Carlsen in the classical format for the first time at the ongoing Norway Chess tournament on Wednesday.
During round three, the 18-year-old battled the Norway star on his home turf and came out victorious to take the sole lead in the open section of the six-player tournament. Using white pieces, the runners-up from last year’s FIDE Chess World Cup battled it out with some intelligent moves against Carlsen for a win.
At the end of the third round, Pragananadhaa’s tally is 5.5 out of nine points while Carlsen has slipped down to the fifth spot.
Earlier, Pragananadhaa had notched some wins over Carlsen in rapid and blitz chess games.
Earlier on Tuesday, Round 2 of the prestigious Norway Chess saw all three classical games ending up in a draw again here at the SpareBank 1 SR-Bank on Tuesday. Magnus Carlsen, Alireza Firouzja and Ding Liren won with white in the subsequent Armageddon games to grab 1.5 points each.
Praggnanandhaa R, who went with a 2-0 head-to-head lead against World Champion Ding Liren, played out his first classical draw in the round of the Norway Chess 2024 main event. The Chinese GM then emerged victorious in the Armageddon tie-breaker, as per a press release from Norway Chess.
In the highly anticipated pairing of the day, Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura played out a closely contested classical game that ended in a draw. Carlsen, demonstrating his exceptional skill under pressure, managed to secure a crucial victory, adding to his impressive Armageddon record and taking the lead of 3 points in tournament standings.
Meanwhile, Alireza Firouzja and Fabiano Caruana also drew their classical game after a complex struggle. Firouzja’s abilities in speed chess shone through in the Armageddon game as he bagged a crucial 1.5 points.
Vaishali R defeated fellow Indian Koneru Humpy to register her first classical win in the Norway Chess Women’s Tournament. Despite Humpy’s slight advantage in the opening, a critical blunder under time pressure allowed Vaishali to claim victory, and her first-ever win against India’s number one female player and become India’s number two female player on the live rating list.
The other two classical matches between Lei Tingjie and Pia Cramling along with Ju Wenjun and Anna Muzychuk ended up in hard-fought draws. The Chinese duo of Wenjun and Tingjie emerged victorious in their respective Armageddon games.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
Social media behemoth Instagram has reportedly removed an AI-generated image, ‘Where were you on October 7?’, shared to counter the pro-Palestinian ‘All Eyes On Rafah’ propaganda campaign, presumably an inorganic and paid social media trend that saw support pouring in from celebrities around the world after Israel launched an offensive in the city of Rafah, the last remaining Hamas stronghold, in its pursuit to destroy the terror outfit responsible for the October 7 attacks.
According to a report published by The Times of Israel which quoted Channel 12, Instagram has removed a pro-Israel AI-generated image that was created to counter a pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel campaign on social media, without providing any explanation.
With the war in Israel escalating, several international celebrities and Indian celebrities started expressing their support for Palestinians and Hamas, especially following the recent Rafah operation. An AI-generated image featuring tents in the desert with the caption “ALL EYES ON RAFAH” has gone viral on Instagram, garnering over 35 million shares in just 24 hours.
All Eyes On Rafah campaign shared on Instagram
A supporter of Israel, in retaliation, created a similar AI-generated image stating, “Where were your eyes on October 7?” The image shows an armed Hamas terrorist standing in front of a small, red-haired baby, referencing one-year-old Kfir Bibas, who has been held hostage by Hamas along with his family since October 7. Others have used the caption “If your eyes are on Rafah, help us find our hostages.”
Supporters of Israel counter pro-Palestinian propaganda image with ‘Where were your eyes on October 7?’ AI-generated picture
The image instantly went viral among sympathisers and supporters of Israel who tried countering the Hamas propaganda by highlighting the ordeal they had to face during the October 7 terror attacks, when the terrorists from Gaza went on a rampage across the border in the Israeli towns, killing, maiming, and injuring people in their wake. Among those killed are women, children, elderly, highlighting the complete abandonment and utter disregard Hamas terrorists showed towards their victims. One woman, Shani Louk, whose naked body was paraded by the Hamas terrorists, became an enduring symbol of the enormity of the attack faced by Israel. The terrorists took over 200 people from Israel captive and took them to Gaza, triggering an unprecedented escalation in the conflict that has simmered for over one and a half decades.
In its retaliation, Israel launched a military offensive, systematically flushing out what it calls Hamas shelters and secret passageways that the Jewish Nation asserts had been the nerve centres of the terror group and used by its terrorists to launch attacks against Israel. Tel Aviv is now engaged in an offensive in Rafah, a Gazan town situated in the southeast of the Palestinian enclave and close to the Egypt border. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly vowed that Israel won’t stop until it has irreversibly incapacitated and destroyed Hamas.
While ‘All Eyes On Rafah’ is still being widely shared on Instagram, users who posted ‘Where were your eyes on October 7?’ AI-image assert that their story has abruptly vanished, including from archives, suggesting that the social media platform may have removed the picture. In our search, we couldn’t find ‘Where were your eyes on October 7?’ posts while ‘All Eyes On Rafah’ Instagram stories are visible.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to grant interim bail to AAP MLA Jaswant Singh Gajjan Majra from Punjab, seeking interim bail to campaign for the ongoing Lok Sabha polls.
Majra, who is a representative from the Amargarh assembly constituency in Malerkotla, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering investigation linked to a bank fraud case.
A vacation bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and Aravind Kumar issued notice to the ED and sought its response on the plea filed by Majra seeking interim bail till June 4 to campaign for the elections.
Voting for Punjab’s 13 Lok Sabha seats will take place in the seventh and final phase on June 1. The counting of votes will be held on June 4.
The bench, however, said it was not inclined to grant interim relief to Majra without hearing the opposite parties. The apex court sought replies within a week.
On May 24, the Punjab and Haryana High Court dismissed his plea challenging his arrest, thereafter he approached the top court.
The CBI had conducted raids in May 2023 on premises linked to Majra in connection with an alleged bank fraud of Rs 40 crore.
In September 2022, the ED had conducted raids on several premises linked to him as part of a money laundering probe into the case and seized Rs 32 lakh cash, some mobile phones and hard drives.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
On Wednesday (29th May), the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights and a police team jointly raided a slaughterhouse in Ghaziabad. The teams rescued 57 minors from there, including 31 girls and 26 boys illegally made to work in the slaughterhouse owned by one Yasin Qureshi. All of them were being made to do animal slaughtering.
According to reports, the rescued minors were lured from UP, Bihar, and West Bengal by promising them jobs in Ghaziabad. Instead, they were being subjected to inhumane work at the slaughterhouse. Now, action is being taken under sections of the Labour Act and IPC, in this matter.
NCPCR Chairperson Priyank Kanungo said that they had been getting information about this for a long time. After receiving concrete input, a joint raid was conducted at the International Agro Food slaughterhouse in the Mussoorie area of Ghaziabad. It is owned by a man named Yasin Qureshi who is a major player in the meat industry.
Kanungo added that 57 minors including handicapped people have been rescued but the number could go up as the operation is ongoing. The ages of rescued children are being verified, he noted, the raid took place on the complaint of ‘Mission Mukti’.
The minors were engaged in the work of cutting and packing meat in the unit. Some of the children were kept as bonded labour, they were kept hostage and forced to work in the factory for the last several years. All the children were paid Rs 300 per day for their work.
आज उत्तरप्रदेश के ग़ाज़ियाबाद ज़िले के मसूरी इलाक़े में याशीन कुरेशी के इंटरनेशनल एग्रो फ़ूड के पशु क़त्लखाने पर @NCPCR_ के निर्देश पर @Uppolice के साथ की गयी संयुक्त छापामार कार्यवाही में 57 नाबालिगों (31 लड़कियाँ व 26 लड़कों इनमें दिव्यांग भी शामिल हैं।) को रेस्क्यू किया गया है… pic.twitter.com/0pmkT2dHgg
— प्रियंक कानूनगो Priyank Kanoongo (मोदी का परिवार) (@KanoongoPriyank) May 29, 2024
Ghaziabad Police ADCP (Crime) Sacchidanand said, “The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights in New Delhi received a complaint that 40 children from West Bengal and Bihar were being illegally employed in a slaughterhouse in Ghaziabad. Taking action, a team was formed by the Ghaziabad Commissioner, and today, with all the teams, a rescue operation was carried out at the Agro International Food slaughterhouse in Dasna Masuri, rescuing 57 children.”
Watch: "The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights in New Delhi received a complaint that 40 children from West Bengal and Bihar were being illegally employed in a slaughterhouse in Ghaziabad. Taking action, a team was formed by the Ghaziabad Commissioner, and today,… pic.twitter.com/vDW1WF8tIi
The ADCP said that the children were found to be working in a very miserable condition.
The complaint was filed by the Child Welfare Committee after receiving information on the illegal employment of children in the slaughterhouse. After that, the police along with NCPCR raided the slaughterhouse and rescued the children.
According to reports, the action continued for around three hours. During the interrogation of the children, it was revealed that they were brought here from Moradabad-Bareilly, Bihar, and West Bengal by being lured with jobs promising Rs 10-15 thousand. Efforts are underway to provide the rescued minors with the necessary support, including medical assistance, counselling, and rehabilitation services.
Police said that all the children would be presented before the CWC after giving them medical treatment.
According to the Police, the main business of International Agro Food is meat processing, freezing, and exporting to other countries. The owner of this slaughterhouse is Yasin Qureshi and legal action will be taken against him. A case has been registered under the Bonded Labour Act and relevant sections of IPC.
The joint team part of the rescue operation included NCPCR, Mukti Foundation, Police, Administration, Childline, Anti Human Trafficking Unit, and Labour Department teams.
According to the International Agro Food’s claims, their factories are HACCP-approved and ISO-certified. The animals are slaughtered in strict accordance with the Islamic practice of Halal. They export their meat products to most global destinations including all West African, CIS, Middle East, Egypt, South Asian, and Far Eastern countries. The meat products produced are supplied directly to importers, the catering industry, supermarkets, and wholesalers under our popular brands at highly competitive prices.
If PM Modi’s sharp attacks on Congress were not enough, the Congress party also fears his silence as its delegation exhorted the Election Commission to intervene and expressed concerns over the potential ramifications of PM Modi’s ‘silence vow’ on the eve of crucial electoral events.
A delegation from the Indian National Congress has requested the Election Commission of India (ECI) to take action regarding Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s planned “Maun Vrat” (vow of silence). Modi previously announced that after the campaigning for the 7th and final phase, he would travel to Kanyakumari for meditation.
Senior advocate and Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi, speaking on behalf of the delegation, voiced concerns about the potential impact of Prime Minister Modi’s ‘silence vow’ on the eve of critical electoral events.
In a statement to ANI after the delegation met with the Election Commission, Singhvi outlined their main concerns. “We informed the Election Commission that during the 48-hour silence period, no one should be permitted to campaign, either directly or indirectly,” he stated. Singhvi emphasized that while the Congress has no issue with any leader’s actions, it is crucial to prevent such actions from becoming a form of indirect campaigning during the vital silence period.
#WATCH | Delhi: On Congress delegation meeting the ECI, Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi says, "We told the Election Commission, that during the silence period of 48 hours, no one should be allowed to campaign, directly or indirectly. We have no objection to whatever any… pic.twitter.com/yzLsr7av89
The Congress delegation expressed their grievances regarding PM Modi’s announcement to start the “Maun Vrat” on the evening of May 30, coinciding with the beginning of the silence period. “The silence period is from 7 PM on May 30 until June 1. This violates the Model Code of Conduct,” Singhvi stressed. He further claimed that such tactics are either intended to continue campaigning indirectly or to keep the Prime Minister in the spotlight, potentially influencing voter sentiments unfairly.
The Reserve Bank of India on Wednesday ordered Edelweiss Asset Reconstruction Company Limited (EARCL) to cease and desist from the acquisition of financial assets, including security receipts (SRs), and reorganising the existing SRs into senior and subordinate tranches. In the same order, the banking regulator also ordered ECL Finance Ltd (ECL) to cease and desist from undertaking any structured transactions in respect of its wholesale exposures with immediate effect.
EARCL and ECL both are entities under the Edelweiss group or the Edelweiss Financial Services Limited, based in Mumbai.
On the same day, SEBI slapped a ₹5 lakh penalty on packaging products company AGI Greenpac for “failure to provide accurate, adequate, and explicit disclosure resulting in misrepresentation to the stock exchanges”.
The action comes after OpIndia reported on the questionable role of Edelweiss in the insolvency proceedings against Hindustan National Glass & Industries Limited (HNG) and how it worked in favour of AGI Greenpac in the proceedings.
In a press release, the RBI said that the action is based on material concerns observed during the course of supervisory examinations, essentially arising out of the conduct of the group entities acting in concert. As per RBI, the entities entered into a series of structured transactions for evergreening stressed exposures of ECL, using the platform of Edelweiss and connected AIFs (Alternative Investment Funds), thereby circumventing applicable regulations.
Edelweiss is accused of non-compliance with regulations pertaining to the settlement of loans and sharing of non-public information of its clients with group entities. The company also failed to RBI’s supervisory letter issued after a previous inspection before the board.
On the other hand, ECL Finance Ltd is accused of submission of incorrect details of its eligible book debts to its lenders for computation of drawing power, non-compliance with loan to value norms for lending against shares, incorrect reporting to Central Repository for Information on Large Credits system (CRILC) and non-adherence to Know Your Customer (KYC) guidelines. ECL took over loans from non-lender entities of the group for ultimate sale to the group ARC, and allowed itself to be used as a conduit to circumvent regulations that permit ARCs to acquire financial assets only from banks and Financial Institutions, the RBI said.
The regulator added that instead of taking meaningful remedial action to rectify the deficiencies, it was observed that the group entities were resorting to new ways to circumvent regulations. Over the last few months, the Reserve Bank has been engaging with the senior management of the companies and their statutory auditors, but no meaningful corrective action has been evidenced so far, necessitating the imposition of business restrictions.
RBI added that both companies have been directed to strengthen their assurance functions to ensure regulatory compliance in letter and spirit at all times.
In the SEBI order against AGI Greenpac, the market regulator said that the company withheld crucial information regarding its deal to acquire Hindustan National Glass. It also failed to disclose material developments with respect to disclosures made by it to the exchanges “dated October 31, 2022, and March 16, 2023”.
SEBI further stated that AGI Greenpac failed to disclose crucial information related to a show-cause notice issued by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) to it in the HNG acquisition case. Before the SEBI order, Justice Vikramajit Sen, the former Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court and judge of the Supreme Court, had said that AGI made “partial and deceitful disclosure” about the CCI approval.
In the HNG insolvency case, the role of Edelweiss and its collusion with other entities were revealed. Notably, DBS Bank initiated insolvency proceedings against HNG in 2021, and Ernst & Young was appointed as the company’s advisor.
Edelweiss ARC was one of the creditors to Hindustan National Glass & Industries Limited, and thereby part of the Committee of Creditors formed in the insolvency process. AGI Greenpac won the bid to acquire HNG in the Committee of Creditors, leading to a monopoly in the market as it was the second largest Indian container glass maker, while HNG was the largest. The deal was approved by the CoC without the mandatory Competition Commission of India (CCI), violating norms.
AGI won the bid thanks to Edelweiss voting against INSCO, another bidder. Ignoring appeals by other players in the industry, CCI approved the deal later. However, the matter was taken to the courts and now the deal is pending before the Supreme Court.
Now, it has been revealed recently that Edelweiss was also the funding partner of AGI Greenpac, in whose favour Edelweiss voted in the HNG insolvency case. Edelweiss Alternate Asset Advisors had promised to give ₹1,100 crore to AGI for the acquisition of HNG. And one of the conditions for this deal was that the funding will be provided only if CoC selects AGI. It was revealed that someone had objected to Edelweiss ARC voting in the CoC, but this was ignored.
Edelweiss was also to get non-convertible debentures of HNG after the insolvency process was concluded. Therefore, Edelweiss was essentially on both sides of the deal – funding AGI to acquire HNG and also voting in HNG CoC to ensure that AGI’s proposal was passed.
All these indicated a collusion among Edelweiss, AGI and Ernst & Young to ensure that HNG was acquired by AGI under insolvency procedures.
The OpIndia report explained in detail how Edelweiss group has been exploiting the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code formulated by the Modi govt to resolve insolvencies, including the insolvency procedure of Hindustan National Glass & Industries Limited. It is suspected that there is a collusion between Edelweiss and Ernst and Young to subvert the insolvency process.
CCI granted approval to AGI Greenpac’s takeover of HNG in March 2023, even though INSCO had emerged as winner in the bid. The decision was cleared by the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) in July 2023, rejecting a complaint by rival bidder INSCO. However, after more complaints and litigation, the CCI in February 2024 gave the clean chit to INSCO to acquire HNG.
On Wednesday (29th May), Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena suspended Dr. RN Das, the Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj with immediate effect, according to an official order. Das has been suspended in connection with alleged irregularities in the procurement of medical kits.
In the order issued on Wednesday, the directorate said, “The Hon’ble Lt. Governor, Delhi, in the exercise of the powers conferred by sub-rule (1) of Rule-10 of the CCS (CCA) Rules, 1965, hereby, places the said Dr. R.N. Das, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Hon’ble Minister (Health), GNCTD, under suspension with immediate effect.”
As per the order, during the period of suspension, Das shall remain in Delhi headquarters and can not leave the headquarters without obtaining the previous permission of the Competent Authority.
According to news agency ANI, Das’ suspension pertains to his alleged involvement in the irregular and illegal registration of private nursing homes.
Delhi LG, VK Saxena has approved the suspension of Dr. RN Das, OSD to Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj, for his alleged involvement in irregular and illegal registration of private nursing homes. pic.twitter.com/G8QNdOUit5
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party has also alleged his role in the registration process of a children’s hospital in Vivek Vihar where six newborns died in a fire incident on Saturday night (25th May).
Earlier in April this year, the Directorate of Vigilance issued a show cause notice to Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj’s OSD RN Das in connection with the alleged irregularities in the procurement of various items. These included Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits, gloves, masks and Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) kits worth around Rs 60 crore during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021.
According to the notice, the Directorate of Vigilance observed that “certain medical items were purchased to favour few individuals and companies/ firms and, thereby, caused wrongful gain to the companies and loss to the government…”
Das, the OSD to current Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj, held the same position under former Health Minister Satyendar Jain, who resigned in 2023, the DoV notice issued in April had read.
Delhi’s AAP government and sources close to OSD Das had denied the allegations claiming that Das was neither the OSD to Saurabh Bharadwaj nor Satyendar Jain during the said period. Sources close to Das said that he had become OSD to the health minister on 14th March 2023. They claim that Das was only the chairperson and member of the technical committee in 2021 during the COVID pandemic, the time period when the allegations date back. According to them, there are three to four members in the technical committee.
However, DoV notice had read, “Das… was in the forefront in managing tenders in favour of a particular family in different company names, and the conspiracy was hatched in the backdrop of the Covid crisis…”
It further said that the Covid pandemic was used as a “reason and basis to swindle crores of rupees from the public exchequer”. It added, “…Health department officials have used the context of the Covid pandemic for enriching these private companies, and intentionally allowed cartelisation among them…”
The DoV further mentioned in the notice that Das chaired three committees for the procurement of single-use gloves, sterilised gloves, and N-95 masks and that the technical evaluation committee — chaired by Das — “extended undue favours by qualifying a firm in the absence of such certificates for net worth, experience, and proving that it was a glove manufacturer”, Indian Express had reported in April this year.
The notice also cited the procurement of RAT kits and said that the rate of kits was quoted at Rs 459.20 per unit, which was Rs 9.20 higher than the initial unit price.
The notice stated, “It is observed that the rate of RAT kits progressively declined every month, so much so that within a span of six months, RAT kits were available at a rate of Rs 31.50 per unit.”
The DoV had asked him to submit his reply with an explanation within seven days.
In February this year, OpIndia reported an incident wherein one Fardeen Mohammad and his accomplice Rauf brutally attacked a 17-year-old minor Hindu girl named Pooja for refusing to withdraw a molestation case. The accused attacked the girl with a sharp fodder cutter, while she was on her way to her coaching class. The incident transpired in Kashipur in Uttarakhand’s Uddham Singh Nagar district. The police had arrested the accused and he was jailed. However, Fardeen, his brother and co-accused Aaqib got bail on the 24th of May.
"Tumhara Baap Bahar Aa Gaya Hai! Settle Kar Lo Case Nahi To Tujhe Aur Tere Khandan Ko Kaat Daalunga… <Religious Slogans>..!"
– Mohd Fardeen thπea†ens the family of the Hindu girl (in quoted tweet) after being released on bail.
After getting released from jail, the accused received a grand welcome with drums playing and firecrackers bursting into the night. A crowd had gathered to ‘welcome’ accused Fardeen. It has been reported that on the 25th of May, Fardeen arrived at the Hindu girl’s house along with the crowd and threatened her. Following this, the police registered a case under Section 195A, 506 and detained 8 people. All of them were released after a challan was imposed.
In his complaint, the victim’s father said that on the night of 25th May, he woke up to the drum beats and noise created by the accused and the mob accompanying him. The accused and the mob raised religious slogans outside the Hindu victim’s house and threatened with dire consequences.
After this, accused Aaqib threatened the victim and her family saying that now he has come out and will go to jail only after killing the whole family. While leaving, Aaqib threatened the girl’s family saying that if they supported the girl, he would not even let even their dead body be found.
Meanwhile, SP Kashipur, Abhay Singh said that the police are questioning 8 to 10 people involved in threatening the victim’s family adding that strict action will be taken against those attempting to disrupt the peace in the region.
Uttarakhand government had demolished Fardeen’s house in February
It must be recalled that after Fardeen and other accused persons were arrested for attacking the Hindu girl. The BJP government in Uttarakhand bulldozed Fardeen’s illegal house constructed on government land.
As reported earlier, three days before the administration razed Fardeen Mohammad’s house, he and his accomplice Rauf had brutally attacked a 17-year-old minor Hindu girl named Pooja with a sharp fodder cutter, while she was on her way to her coaching class. The accused fled leaving the girl bleeding on the streets. The commuters rushed her to a nearby hospital. However, the incident was caught on the CCTV camera installed on the road which helped the police identify and arrest the accused.
The accused Muslim youths attacked the girl since she was refusing to withdraw a molestation case that she and her family members had previously lodged against Fardeen. Fardeen had been arrested in the molestation case and was out on bail when he attacked Pooja. Notably, when Fardeen launched the attack on Pooja, his father Rizwan and his brothers Bilal, Aaqib, Anas and Afridi were also standing there but none of them stopped Fardeen from attacking the girl. After the incident, the police had booked Fardeen under IPC sections 147, 307, 323, 354, 452, 504 and 506.
On 27th May, the Gurugram police in a joint operation with the National Investigation Agency (NIA) apprehended social media ‘influencer’ Balwant Kataria, popularly known as Bobby Kataria, for his alleged involvement in human trafficking, fraud and other offences. On 28th May, a city court sent him to a three-day police remand. As per reports, the Gurugram Police and the NIA jointly raided his residence in Gurugram’s Sector 109 and the YouTuber was arrested from his office in Conscient-One mall which is also situated in the same sector.
During the raids, the officials also recovered several suspicious documents, four mobile phones and a huge stash of cash (Rs 20 lakh). He was taken into custody after the Gurugram Police submitted a formal complaint against him. According to the authorities, he has been associated with a major human trafficking network since the previous year and could have connections to a global gang. Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) crime Varun Dahiya, “All aspects of the investigation are being looked into by the police.”
The First Information Report revealed that he and other human traffickers had kidnapped and detained more than 150 Indians. Their passports and other identification were taken away and they were pressured into engaging in cybercrime activities for a Chinese enterprise. The victims also suffered from serious abuse, according to the FIR.
The 38-year-old social media celebrity reportedly posted job openings in other countries on his Instagram profile, according to a complaint lodged by Arun Kumar of Gopalganj, Uttar Pradesh, and Manish Tomar of Dhaulapur, Hapur. After being swayed by the advertisement, they got in touch with Bobby Kataria’s team and were invited to his office in Gurugram’s sector 109 where they were promised jobs in the United Arab Emirates and had to pay a registration fee of Rs 2,000. They further deposited over Rs 4 lakh into his accounts in three instalments in persuasion of their aspirations.
Arun Kumar shared, “I met Bobby Kataria on 1st February in his office and he gave me assurance of getting a job in the UAE after taking Rs 2,000 as a registration charge. I then transferred Rs 1.5 lakh to his account and got a ticket for Vientiane (the capital of Laos). Similarly, my friend Manish Tomar was also assured of getting a job in Singapore. Kataria charged Rs 2.59 lakh from Tomar and he too got a ticket to Vientiane and boarded the flight on 28th March 28.”
He added that they were met by someone called Abhi at the airport in Vientiane, who identified himself as Bobby Kataria’s friend after which a Pakistani man dropped them off at a hotel. Arun Kumar unveiled, “The next day, we were taken to an anonymous Chinese company, where we were thrashed and our passports were taken away. We were forced to commit cyber fraud targeting the US (United States) citizens. Around 150 Indians, including women, had been brought there through human trafficking and were being held hostage. On the third day, we managed to escape and approached the Indian Embassy. After returning, we asked Kataria to return our money, but he refused.”
Afterwards, they went to the authorities and an FIR was registered against Bobby Kataria and others under sections 323 (causing hurt), 342 (wrongful confinement), 506 (criminal intimidation), 420 (cheating), 364 (abduction), 370 (buying and disposing of any person as a slave), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and section 10/24 of the Immigration Act.”
On 27th May, the National Investigation Agency and local police collaborated to raid many sites in six states and Union Territories as part of a human trafficking case including forced cybercrimes. The search resulted in the arrest of five individuals named Manish Hingu of Vadodara, Pahlad Singh of Gopalganj, Nabialam Rai of southwest Delhi and Sartaj Singh of Chandigarh were nabbed along with Bobby Kataria who was caught following a tip-off of the NIA.
Who is Bobby Kataria
Bobby Kataria whose real name is Balwant Singh Kataria, is a native of the Basai village in Haryana. He is a bodybuilder, social media personality, and businessman from Gurugram. He is the founder of the Gurgaon-based non-governmental organization (NGO) Yuva Ekta Foundation. According to his LinkedIn profile, he is a powerlifter who has set state and all-time records and has a bachelor’s degree in law. He has more than 3.5 lakh Instagram followers, however, his YouTube and Instagram profiles are presently disabled.
Bobby Kataria’s defunct Instagram account.
According to Bobby Kataria, he can design individualized diet and exercise regimens for people based on their individual fitness or competitive objectives. He reportedly not only coaches people in fitness but also makes promotional appearances in a variety of fields, including business, social services, events and product lines. According to his profile, he also speaks to organizations and interest groups and makes guest appearances on radio and television. He claims to actively support a number of public programs and facilities.
He began a consultancy business in February 2023 to provide employment to persons seeking opportunities abroad. He was spotted in multiple Facebook videos promoting alleged Canada visas he obtained for his clients and talking about a work opportunity in Russia.
Bobby Kataria’s controversial past
Notably, Bobby Kataria has already made headlines in the past for all the wrong reasons as he found himself in soup for breaking the law on many occasions including smoking a cigarette on an aeroplane and consuming alcohol in the middle of the road. A Dehradun court issued a non-bailable warrant against him for public intoxication and traffic obstruction.
Bobby Kataria landed himself in significant legal difficulties in 2022 after a video surfaced of him idly relaxing, hogging a whole row of seats, lighting a cigarette and taking a few puffs inside an aeroplane as a Haryanvi song can be heard in the background. He claimed that the clip showed a dummy plane and it was filmed during the shooting. However, according to the initial internal investigation of the airline, the incident happened inside the plane during boarding, as clearly displayed in the footage he posted.
इस देश में एयरपोर्ट पर सुरक्षा का हाल ये है । @AmitShah जी @AmitShah जी ये व्यक्ति सरेआम देश के क़ानून की धज्जियाँ उड़ा रहा है ।कितनी चूक है सुरक्षा में ये कारनामा । pic.twitter.com/JybE1EnGJh
Another video featured a smug Bobby Kataria setting a table and chair in the midst of a busy road in Dehradun, the capital of Uttarakhand came to light in which could be witnessed drinking alcohol. He also ate a snack and held a water bottle as alcohol was visibly placed in front of him while “Apun ki dadagiri” (My bullying), “Aim kaim kaisi shame, name kaa yeh game hai (what shame, it is all about the name) and “Road apne baap ki” (My father owns the road) plays in the background and the caption declared, “It’s time to enjoy on the roads.”
Bobby Kataria turned himself in for the case in front of a Uttarakhand court in Dehradun in October 2022. Just one week before the surrender, he was given bail for smoking inside a passenger aircraft. Last week, a Dehradun court issued an arrest warrant for him without the possibility of bond since he did not show up for his scheduled police appearance.
#Uttarakhand police @uttarakhandcops has filed a FIR against social media influencer Bobby Kataria under various sections of IPC for purportedly drinking on the road and posting video online. This video of Bobby Kataria ?is believed to be shot somewhere in #Dehradun dist pic.twitter.com/Ob8X0YNQW9
A formal complaint was filed against Bobby Kataria in 2022 for physically assaulting a woman and making derogatory remarks about her on social media as well as threatening to kill her. The complainant, who lives in Ashok Vihar, Phase 3, Gurugram, stated in the First Information Report that the accused and his friends attended a championship arranged in Gurugram’s Sector 5 and forcibly halted the event. Additionally, they awarded medals and cash to their own team members after declaring them the winners.
He is notorious for spreading gun and gang culture on social media and producing problematic content, particularly on Instagram where he posts videos about fitness among other things for his wide audience.
