Forest guard killed by armed poachers during patrol near Odisha's Satkosia Tiger Reserve
BHUBANESWAR: A forest guard was gunned down by poachers while carrying out his duty in a protected area close to Satkosia Tiger Reserve, highlighting the perils of frontline forest staff and the prevalence of armed criminals in the state.
Prahallad Pradhan was serving as the forest guard of Sinkol beat and also the in-charge of Hindol section in Dhenkanal forest division.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi who paid condolences to the bereaved family of Pradhan announced Rs 30 lakh ex gratia to the next of kin of the slain forest guard.
Official sources said the incident took place early morning on Saturday, when the forest officers and staff of Dhenkanal Forest division led by regional chief conservator of forests (RCCF), Angul were on night patrol in and around Rajmanoharpur reserve forest of Hindol range.
The patrolling started on Friday night and continued till early hours of Saturday. During their duty in the small hours, the forest team came face to face with a group of poachers, equipped with country-made firearms in the area.
The poachers immediately resorted to firing in which Pradhan sustained grievous injuries and succumbed to the bullets.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
22 minutes ago
- Time of India
Allahabad HC directs restoration of Sambhal MP's electricity connection
The Allahabad High Court has directed the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Ltd to restore the electricity connection at Samajwadi Party MP Zia-Ur Rehman's house, provided he deposits a permissible amount of Rs. 6 lakhs to maintain his appeal. A division bench, comprising Justice Saumitra Dayal Singh and Justice Sandeep Jain, passed the order on a writ petition filed by the Sambhal MP in the electricity theft case and gave Rehman two weeks to deposit the money. "Submission is that even if the inspection report and adverse facts allegedly found therein are accepted, no jurisdiction arose with the respondent authorities to make assessment for a period of 12 years," the court observed in its June 4 order. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like She Was Everyone's Dream Girl In 90's, This Is Her Recently. Investructor Undo "The maximum period for which assessment may have been made could not exceed one year. By breaching the statutory period of assessment, wholly unnatural and arbitrary demand of Rs 1 crore and 91 lakhs has been raised. The petitioner cannot be made to deposit 50% of such illegal demand to maintain an appeal," the court said. The petitioner, Rehman, through its counsel, submitted that he is willing to deposit Rs 6 lakhs to maintain his appeal. Live Events The court granted the Corporation three weeks to file a reply in the matter and fixed the next hearing for July 2. In December 2024, the electricity department imposed a fine of Rs 1.91 crore on the MP following an inspection at his residence in Sambhal's Deepa Sarai area, where the officials allegedly discovered power theft .
Indian Express
26 minutes ago
- Indian Express
After 7-year legal battle, Chandigarh Armed Forces Tribunal orders Rs 16k monthly pension to veteran, Rs 20 lakh in arrears
It took the intervention of the ex-servicemen's grievances cell and a legal battle that lasted seven years for Gurpal Singh, 80, a former soldier of the 5 Sikh Regiment, to get his rightful pension and military benefits. Last month, the Armed Forces Tribunal in Chandigarh finally ordered the Army to grant the resident of Andheri village in Kharar a 'reservist pension', along with 10 years of arrears. 'The most significant and prestigious thing for me is having been accorded the status of an ex-serviceman,' he said. As per the verdict dated May 8, 2025, Singh will now receive Rs 20 lakh in arrears, Rs 16,000 per month as pension, free medical treatment for family members, access to the Army canteen, and other benefits accorded to ex-servicemen. Singh said he was recruited into the Army on October 28, 1961, and served until October 27, 1970, completing nine years of active service. His enlistment was based on a '7/8 year condition (seven years of regular service and eight years reserve)'. However, the Army denied him a pension, citing 'non-availability of position' post regular service. In 2018, Singh approached Lt Col (Retd) S S Sohi, the head of the Mohali Ex-Servicemen Grievances Cell, who promptly filed a case before the Chandigarh Armed Forces Tribunal. The Army initially contended that 'no old records were available' to support Singh's claim. Advocate R N Ojha appeared for Singh, overcoming multiple legal hurdles, including justifying the delay in approaching the Tribunal, and proving that his service terms were violated. Despite the odds, the Tribunal eventually ruled in Singh's favour.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Massive cybercrime racket busted in Surat: Rs 1,455 crore laundered through 90 bank accounts; accounts tied to Cuba, Malaysia, Thailand
SURAT: The investigation into a massive international cybercrime racket busted last month in Surat has revealed a staggering Rs 1,455 crore was laundered through 90 bank accounts that were opened by misusing documents of needy people over the last six months. The total amount siphoned off could rise to Rs 2,000 crore, as the police are yet to examine details of another 75 suspicious accounts. The racket was unearthed on May 22, when Udhna police detained a man carrying suspicious stamps and bank kits. The probe led to a raid at an office in Mota Varachha operated by Kirat Jadwani, Meet Khokhar, and Mayur Italiya, all of whom were subsequently arrested. Police recovered a trove of incriminating documents, cash, stamps, and banking kits. According to investigators, an international cybercrime syndicate — with operatives based in Cuba, Malaysia, and Thailand — used these accounts to park defrauded money linked to various online scams. The accounts were opened in private banks such as RBL, Axis, Yes Bank, and Kotak Mahindra, primarily through their branches in Vesu, Sahara Darwaja, and Varachha. Another major revelation during the probe was that 2,500 cybercrime complaints across India were linked to 165 bank accounts connected with the accused. Of these, 265 complaints were from Gujarat, including 36 from Surat cyberfraud victims alone. Deputy commissioner of police (zone-2) Bhagirath Gadhvi confirmed that Rs 1,455 crore worth of transactions were recorded in the 90 RBL bank accounts scrutinized over the past six months. "Some accounts had transactions ranging between ₹10 crore and ₹50 crore. Complaints on the national cybercrime portal confirmed these accounts were used to route funds from digital arrest scams, online betting, and other cyber frauds," Gadhvi told TOI. Udhna police inspector SN Desai added, "We found 2,500 cybercrime complaints linked to these accounts nationwide. The scale and spread of this fraud are unprecedented." Jadwani, one of the key accused, had reportedly suffered heavy losses in the warehouse business after which he turned to cybercrime in July 2024. He would identify individuals in financial distress and pay them up to Rs 8 lakh in exchange for their identity documents, which were then used to open current accounts. Some of these accounts were also opened in the names of non-existent companies. Jadwani allegedly earned around Rs 10 crore in commissions for renting out these accounts to cybercriminals. Desai added: "We found Rs 1.40 crores from Jadwani's accounts, which were frozen. In 90 bank accounts we checked, we found that Rs 1.10 crores was seized by different agencies and banks." Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Eid wishes , messages , and quotes !
