Valsad, Gujarat: Cyber fraudsters have devised a new method of cheating in Valsad district, Gujarat, targeting drivers with fake traffic violation memos on WhatsApp. The criminals send memos to drivers, claiming they have violated traffic rules and must pay fines. They then send a Application Key (APK) file and instruct the drivers to download it on their mobile phones to pay the fine online. However, this is a scam to obtain the drivers' bank details.

The Valsad Police have not yet identified or apprehended the individuals behind this fraud. Complaints indicate that the scammers are using phone numbers from outside the state, particularly from North and South India. The police are investigating the matter to put an end to this fraudulent activity. The public is advised to be cautious and verify the authenticity of messages before taking any action.

Some time ago in Valsad, miscreants made video calls on WhatsApp, tricking men into exposing themselves and recording videos for blackmail. This form of cyber fraud, known as "sexostrone," led to numerous cases. Similarly, incidents occurred in Daman, where police arrested two individuals involved in similar crimes.

Jodhpur : An auto driver, Harish Lohar, was brutally stoned to death by unidentified assailants near Jodhpur on Monday night. The incident, believed to be a robbery attempt gone wrong, has sparked outrage and sent police on a manhunt for the culprits.

According to reports, Harish was transporting a passenger, Sunil Gupta, to Sajada Dham when he was accosted by miscreants traveling in a car and a bike. After initially asking directions, the attackers pursued Harish, eventually throwing a large stone at his head. The blow caused Harish to lose control of the auto, crashing into a tree. The assailants continued their assault with the stone, fatally injuring the driver.

Passenger Sunil Gupta sustained a head injury in the crash and managed to flee the scene, later alerting the police. Despite forming search teams and scrutinizing CCTV footage, authorities have yet to identify or apprehend the suspects.

The auto driver's union has expressed strong condemnation of the crime, staging protests and demanding swift action from the police. The motive behind the attack remains unclear, with robbery and personal enmity being investigated.

New Delhi, Dec 22 (IANS) Delhi Police have arrested a 39-year-old man for killing his live-in partner after a massive hunt across seven states for months, an official said on Friday.

The accused was identified as Pankaj Kumar Mehto is a native of Samastipur district in Bihar.

According to the police, on August 26, information regarding a deceased female body lying on the roof in a pool of blood was received at Nangloi police station.

The deceased was identified as 32-year-old Tamanna. The property owner told police that Tamanna, along with her two children and her live-in partner Pankaj, was residing as a tenant. Pankaj was not present at the house during the incident.

“During the investigation, more than 100 CCTV cameras were checked at various locations and analysed. Local inquiries were also conducted. It was discovered that the accused was a permanent resident of District Samastipur, Bihar, and had an in-law's house in West Bengal,” said the Deputy Commissioner of Police (outer) Jimmy Chiram.

Despite conducting raids in seven states, namely West Bengal, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Bihar, and Jammu & Kashmir, at the residences of the accused's relatives and friends, no clues were found.

“After four months of tireless efforts, Pankaj was arrested from Gokhale Market, near Tis Hazari, Old Delhi,” said the DCP.

During sustained interrogation, the accused revealed that he had been in a live-in relationship with the deceased Tamanna for the last six years.

Tamanna allegedly pressured him to leave his wife and children and engaged in continuous quarrels with him.

“In frustration, he struck her with a hard wooden object and later strangled her with a rope,” said the DCP.

He fled from the scene and hid in Bhiwani, Haryana, Calcutta, Ludhiana in Punjab, Ghaziabad, and Delhi areas.

“He lived as a vagabond, refraining from using a mobile phone. He attempted to secure anticipatory bail and sought an advocate near Tis Hazari Court,” said the DCP.

Upon his information, the weapon of the offence, the rope used by the accused, was recovered. “Accused Pankaj was produced before the court and sent to 14 days of judicial custody,” the DCP added.

New Delhi, Dec 13 (IANS) In a major development in the Mahadev Online Books betting money laundering case, one of the owners of the app, Ravi Uppal has been detained by the Dubai Police in UAE, sources said.

The sources said that Uppal has been detained on the basis of the Red Notice issued against him by the INTERPOL on the request of the Indian financial probe agency, the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

However, the ED sources remained tight-lipped.

Uppal is being probed by the ED in a money laundering case linked to the alleged illegal betting apart from the Chhattisgarh Police and Mumbai Police.

The ED in October this year had filed a charge sheet against Uppal and another promoter Sourabh Chandrakar, before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Chhattisgarh's Raipur.

As per the ED, the projected proceeds of crime in this case is about Rs 6,000 crore.

New Delhi, Dec 6 (IANS) With the arrest of six people in two operations, the Delhi Police’s Crime Branch on Wednesday claimed to have busted an inter-state drug cartel supplying narcotics to students in the city and its peripherals through social media and delivery apps.

The accused were identified as Rudransh Gupta, Lakshay Bhatiya, Girik Aggarwal, Nongmaitham Jashobanta Singh, Thiyam Rabikanta Singh and Khalid Zafar, who used to deliver drugs through delivery apps like ‘Porter’ and ‘Wefast’ among others.

In the first operation, specific input was received about a drug syndicate from the northeastern region engaged in supplying high-quality ganja in Delhi-NCR area from a house at DLF Capital Greens, Moti Nagar in Delhi.

“The information further revealed that ganja was being transported from Manipur and Shillong by train and organic ganja from Phuket, Thailand by air,” said the Special Commissioner of Police (Crime) Ravindra Singh Yadav.

Accordingly, a raid was conducted and Nongmaitham Jashobanta Singh and Thiyam Rabikanta Singh were arrested.

On interrogation, the accused disclosed that they transport ganja from Manipur to Dimapur via road and then by train to Delhi and organic ganja via flight.

“They further disclosed that they supplied ganja to one of their associates named Rudransh Gupta. At the instance of accused Nongmaitham Jashobanta Singh, his partner and co-associate Gupta was arrested and 2.78 kgs of ganja was recovered from his house,” said Yadav.

During interrogation, Gupta disclosed that he was involved in the illegal business of drugs for the last two years and he took delivery of ganja from Jashobanta and Chakma, who belong to Mizoram.

The Special CP said, “Gupta was in touch with his clients through social media platforms like Whatsapp, Instagram and Facebook at various universities. He took orders from his clients on these platforms and delivered through services like ‘Porter’, ‘Wefast’ etc. He took money through UPI in his bank accounts,” said Yadav.

In another operation, Bhatiya, Aggarwal and Zafar were arrested and 15 grams of MDMA and 1,200 grams of organic ganja were recovered from their possession.

“Bhatiya disclosed that he supplied drugs to university students along with his associate Girik Aggrawal. At the instance of Bhatiya, a co-associate Aggrawal was also arrested,” said the Special CP. Bhatiya used to collect drugs through Aggrawal.

“A raid was conducted and the main source of the contraband and the mastermind of the gang, Zafar was also arrested,” said the Special CP.

Bhatiya and Zafar met each other in Amity University, Noida and both are drug addicts.

“Later on, they engaged in the business of drug supply to the college students. Bhatiya, after procuring drugs, used to supply to his clients through social media platforms like Whatsapp, Instagram and Facebook at various universities like NSUT, Delhi and Amity University in Noida,” said the officer.

Surat - December 5, 2023: A seemingly trivial argument over a mere Rs 1500 loan has escalated into a tragedy in Surat, with a young man losing his life at the hands of his own friend.

The incident occurred in Pandesara area, where 33-year-old Ashish alias Tikar Pandey was attacked with a knife by his friend, Kalikaprasad alias Karan Jeetnarayan Tiwari. The attack stemmed from a dispute over a loan of Rs 1500 that Ashish had borrowed from Kalikaprasad but was hesitant to repay.

Following the attack, chaos erupted in the area as witnesses rushed to Ashish's aid. The police were promptly alerted and arrived at the scene. Ashish was rushed to the hospital by ambulance, but unfortunately, succumbed to his injuries.

Meanwhile, Kalikaprasad attempted to flee the scene with the bloodstained knife. However, traffic police officials stationed nearby noticed his suspicious behavior and apprehended him. The prompt action of the traffic police played a crucial role in ensuring the accused's arrest.

ACP Z. R. Desai revealed during a press briefing that Ashish and Kalikaprasad were friends who had previously fallen out over the outstanding debt. Despite repeated requests, Ashish was reluctant to repay the borrowed money. This led to a heated argument when they encountered each other on the day of the incident, culminating in the fatal attack.

The police have arrested Kalikaprasad and are conducting further investigations. This tragic incident serves as a stark reminder of how seemingly insignificant issues can have devastating consequences. It emphasizes the importance of responsible financial practices and maintaining healthy relationships to avoid such avoidable tragedies.

New Delhi, Nov 29 (IANS) A 15-year-old girl, who went missing from Delhi recently, was traced and found in Bihar.

She was lured and taken to several places for the purpose of selling her for marriage by concealing her age, an official privy to the probe said on Wednesday, adding that the suspects are still at large.

Special Commissioner of Police (Crime) Ravindra Singh Yadav said that on November 25, a missing report of a 15-year-old minor girl was registered at Shalimar Bagh police station.

In the initial stage, the case was being investigated by the local police.

During investigation by the local team, efforts were made to trace the victim but no clues were found.

"The team of the Crime Branch roped in and gathered information and searched the nearby areas. On the basis of local information, some suspects were shortlisted and examined but no information could be extracted about the missing girl," said the Special CP.

On the basis of technical surveillance, the team zeroed in on the missing girl in the area of district Sitamarhi, Bihar and the girl was traced from there and handed over to Shalimar Bagh police station.

"During the examination of the minor victim girl, it has emerged that she was lured and taken to various places by the suspects for the purpose of marriage/livelihood by concealing the details of her age, profession and economic status," said Yadav.

"The details of suspects/accused have been shared with the local police," Yadav added.

New Delhi, Nov 27 (IANS) The case of the murder of a woman, whose body was found stuffed in a bag in Shahdara area, has been solved with Delhi Police arresting the 19-year-old alleged murderer from Mumbai where he fled after the crime, an official said on Monday, adding that the accused was suspicious of her interactions with other men and wanted to curb them.

The accused, identified as Sultan, a resident of Vishwas Nagar and a native of East Champaran district in Bihar, strangled the 23-year-old Shama, with a piece of cloth.

Subsequently, he bound her hands and legs before putting her body into a plastic bag.

"After that, he locked his office, turned off his phones, and fled the scene, traveling to Mumbai to an acquaintance's place, citing a job search," stated the official.

The incident came to light on Sunday, when the Farsh Bazar police station received a call from the police control room regarding a dead body in a plastic bag in an office on Gali No. 10, Vishwas Nagar.

The body of Shama was found at Sultan’s office, where he operated an e-commerce packaging and delivery business.

"CCTV footage from the crime scene was collected, and a local inquiry was conducted. Through questioning of Shama's family members and technical surveillance, the alleged perpetrator, Sultan, was identified," Deputy Commissioner of Police, Shahdara, Rohit Meena said.

Further investigation revealed that Sultan had switched off his phones and fled Delhi.

"The team faced a significant challenge in apprehending him quickly, but through intense efforts, including deep technical analysis, Sultan was located in the Mulund area of Mumbai.

"The team, aided by technical surveillance and local intelligence, promptly apprehended him," the DCP said.

During interrogation, Sultan disclosed that he had known Shama for the past 2-3 years, and they were planning to marry. "On November 25, his family members were scheduled to visit Shama's house to finalise the marriage. However, on that morning, a heated argument ensued at Sultan's office in Vishwas Nagar, where he objected to Shama speaking with other boys due to his suspicions," the DCP said.

The argument escalated, leading Sultan to strangle Shama and flee to Mumbai by a train from New Delhi Railway Station, he added.

New Delhi, Nov 27 (IANS) After an exchange of fire, the Delhi Police Special Cell has arrested two sharpshooters of gangster-turned-international terrorist and Canada-based Arshdeep Singh a.k.a Asrh Dalla in the national capital, an official said on Monday.

The accused were identified as Rajpreet Singh a.k.a Raja alias Bamb and Virender Singh alias Vimmy, both residents of Punjab.

A senior police official said that the two were arrested from the main road towards Akshardham Mandir opposite Samachar Apartment in Mayur Vihar, after a brief exchange of fire in the early hours of Monday.

“During the encounter, five rounds were fired by the accused persons of which two rounds hit the bullet proof jacket of police. In retaliation the police team fired six rounds upon the accused persons,” said the official.

“One of the accused, Virender sustained a gunshot on his right leg. After the incident both the accused persons were sent to LBS hospital for treatment and later were arrested in the case,” said the official.

One revolver .45 mm with 06 live cartridges and another .30 mm pistol with 07 live cartridges along with a hand grenade and a stolen bike has been recovered from the possession of the accused persons.

“Further on the basis of disclosure of both the accused persons, a raid was conducted at Dairy Skaner, Gautam Buddha Nagar in Uttar Pradesh and another associate identified as Sachin Bhati, suspecting to be having a huge cache of arms was apprehended,” said the official.

During the interrogation, it was revealed that Rajpreet and Virender were given a task by Arshdeep to assassinate singer Elly Mangat for which they made an attempt in October 2023 at Bhatinda but failed as the target was not found at home.

Rajpreet was currently wanted in a murder case of Paramjeet Singh which was committed in January 2023. Paramjit Singh was murdered by the accused and his associates on behest of Dala.

Virender was currently wanted in a criminal case of firing in front of Prem jewellery of Mod Mandi Punjab. “Firing was carried out on behest of Arshdeep as he demanded extortion from the owner of Prem Jewellers,” said the official.

New Delhi, Nov 23 (IANS) A couple of days after a boy was arrested for allegedly stabbing a teenager over 50 times during a street robbery here, investigators on Thursday released visuals showing the accused dancing and seemingly "celebrating" the murder.

The accused minor, as captured by CCTV cameras, is shown dragging the body into a narrow alleyway. Repeatedly stabbing the victim in the neck to ensure death, the assailant proceeds to kick the head multiple times.

The disturbing scene concludes with the assailant standing over the lifeless body and engaging in a macabre dance, all documented on camera.

According to police, on Tuesday at around 11.15 p.m., a young boy was stabbed to death by a 16-year-old boy in Janta Mazdoor Colony in northeast Delhi's Welcome.

"During the probe of the incident, the minor was apprehended and the knife used in the crime recovered from his possession," said the Deputy Commissioner of Police (northeast) Joy Tirkey.

"Reason behind murder was robbery. The boy first choked the victim and when he fell unconscious, the accused stabbed him multiple times before robbing him of his money about Rs 350," said the DCP.

"The victim was taken to GTB Hospital where he was pronounced "brought dead," said the DCP.

Efforts are being made to identify the victim, he added.

"As a part of the probe and to identify the victim, CCTVs in the area are being scanned. The Crime and FSL team visited the spot and collected necessary evidence," said the DCP, adding that a case under relevant sections of the IPC has been registered at Welcome police station.

Bengaluru, Nov 6 (IANS) A day after Prathima, a deputy director of the Mines and Geology Department, was found dead at her residence in Doddakallasandra in the state capital, the police on Monday said her former car driver has been arrested.

Senior geologist, who worked as the deputy director in Bengaluru Rural district, Prathima, 45, was found murdered at her residence on Sunday. She was strangled to death and her throat was slit.

Jurisdictional Subramanyapura police, who launched a probe quickly, made three arrests based on the suspicion and one of them, former driver Kiran turned out to be the alleged killer, police said.

The police were making preparations to produce him before the court and take him into custody.

The accused worked on a contract basis and was sacked from the job last week.

He was alleged to have been leaking critical information and movements of the officials. The deceased Prathima had questioned and slammed him. However, Kiran did not mend ways and continued to leak information, hence he was sacked, police stated.

The accused nursed a grudge against Prathima and decided to kill her. He knew that Prathima lived alone at her flat. On Saturday night, he managed to sneak inside her flat and strangled her to death. He also slit her throat.

Prathima’s brother Pratheesh had called her on Saturday night, but the call was not answered. In the morning when the call again was not answered, he came to the flat. When she did not answer the bell, Pratheesh tried to peep through the window and noticed her body.

The police after gathering the preliminary information found that Kiran had disappeared and his phone was switched off. The police managed to gather information and nab him while he was moving towards Chamarajanagar district.

Prathima lived in Gokul apartment at Doddakallasandra. She earlier worked in Ramanagar district.

Further investigation is on.

Sambhal (UP), Oct 30 (IANS) A 19-year-old woman was allegedly kidnapped and gang-raped by five men for 20 days here, police said on Monday.

Two women were also allegedly involved in the crime.

An FIR has been registered against all seven under various sections at the Sambhal Kotwali police station.

SHO Anoop Sharma, who is investigating the case, said the seven accused are on the run and no arrests have been made so far.

According to the survivor, she was kidnapped by Mohd Arshad and Asim on September 27.

The duo sedated her and took her to their friend Ashiq Khan's house in Moradabad district, where all three raped her.

Later, Soni Hussain and Faiz Alam, also joined the group and assaulted her multiple times.

In her complaint, the survivor said the accused were supported by two women - Saira Begum and Zeba Khan.

She added that she managed to escape from the house on October 12 and returned home.

As her condition was not good, her brother admitted her to a private hospital. Once she was discharged, she decided to approach the police.

Circle officer (CO) Jitendra Kumar Sargam said, "A woman levelled allegations of abduction and gang-rape against seven people, and after initial investigation, we have registered an FIR against all the accused under relevant sections. The survivor was sent for medical examination and we have recorded her statement under Section 161 of CrPC. Multiple teams have been deployed to arrest the accused persons."

The seven have been booked under sections 376D (gang-rape), 366 (kidnapping a woman to compel her to marry), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 328 (causing hurt by means of poison), 344 (wrongful confinement for 10 or more days) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).