17 from Maharashtra killed in Air India crash: Pilot, 4 of family among dead
Clive Kunder — the first officer on Air India's London-bound flight that crashed right after takeoff from Ahmedabad — was only two months away from his wedding. Among the other victims were Javed Ali Syed and his family members.
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Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Thai woman with 3 passportsheld at airport for visa fraud
Lucknow: On Thursday morning, a dramatic scene unfolded at Lucknow's Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport when immigration officials intercepted Thongphun Chayapha, a Thai national traveling under the alias Darin Chokthanpat. Her attempt to board Air India Express Flight to Thailand unravelled a complex web of visa violations and document forgery, leading to an FIR against her and three Indian facilitators—Jaswinder Singh, Navendu Mittal, and Shuvendu Nigam—under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023 and the Foreigners Act, 1946 at Sarojninagar police station. Thongphun, holder of a fraudulent passport, had previously entered India on July 29, 2024, using another passport under her real name. Blacklisted for earlier visa violations, she exited India on March 17, 2025, via an exit permit but audaciously re-entered on July 31, 2025, through the Raxaul Immigration check post with a new fake identity. Jaswinder Singh, her primary facilitator, allegedly orchestrated the creation of forged passports with fabricated parentage, enabling her illegal stay at his residence located just 2 km south of airport in Sarojninagar police limits. The plot thickened when it emerged that Jaswinder, with assistance from Navendu Mittal and Shuvendu Nigam, procured multiple fake Thai passports to aid Thongphun's illicit movements. Acting on intelligence shared on August 13, with the DCP (Intelligence), Lucknow, ADG (Intelligence) UP, DCP (South) Lucknow and Sarojini Nagar police, cops detained Thongphun and Jaswinder on August 20. Shockingly, the Sarojninagar police initially allowed her to leave without registering an FIR, only for her to be caught again at the airport the next day, read the FIR lodged by the Assistant FFRO (Foreigners Regional Registration Office). The FIR cites violations under BNS sections 336(3) (forgery), 336(4) (forgery for cheating), 340(2) (using forged documents), 318(4) (cheating), 61(2) (criminal conspiracy), and Foreigners Act sections 14(b) and 14(c) (visa overstays and violations). Three Thai passports, two Thai IDs, a boarding pass, and two mobile phones including an iPhone X were recovered from her. Thongphun was handed over to Sarojninagar Police on Thursday afternoon. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
Hindustan Times
7 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Delhi HC reserves verdict on Sanjay Bhandari appeal against fugitive economic offender tag
NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court on Thursday reserved its verdict on an appeal by London-based arms middleman Sanjay Bhandari challenging a trial court's order designating him as a fugitive economic offender (FEO), which would allow the authorities to confiscate Bhandari's properties worldwide. Police commandos stand guard in front of Delhi high court in New Delhi. Justice Neena Bansal reserved the verdict after the Enforcement Directorate (ED), represented by additional solicitor general SV Raju and special counsel Zoheb Hossain, asked the single bench to reject the petition, insisting that the agency had sufficient evidence that Bhandari evaded taxes to the tune of ₹100 crore. The Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018, can only be invoked against offenders where the total value of scheduled offences against an individual exceeds ₹100 crore. According to the ED and Income Tax department, Bhandari possessed undisclosed foreign income worth ₹655 crores, evading tax worth ₹196 crores. The trial court, which ruled against Bhandari on July 5, had noted that Income Tax authorities informed ED that tax evaded, along with penalty and interest, totalled more than ₹100 crores, with the tax amount alone reaching ₹163 crores. These findings were based on audits of Bhandari's numerous benami properties in India and abroad, including in Dubai and the UK. In his petition, Bhandari has described the court order to declare him a fugitive economic offender was 'premature' since the request was filed without a final assessment order by the tax authorities confirming that the alleged tax evasion exceeded ₹100 crore. His legal team argued that ED initiated the proceedings without sufficient material evidence, insisting that the only document forming the basis of the application was a letter from the Income Tax (IT) Department in July 2019, which alleged that the proceeds of crime exceeded ₹100 crore. Bhandari also reasoned that he couldn't be classified as FEO since the non-bailable warrants issued against him in the proceedings initiated by the IT Department under the Black Money Act (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act (Black Money Act), in 2018, were executed, and he was arrested at the time and later released on bail. In his 100-page verdict, special judge Sanjeev Aggarwal rejected this argument, observing that the warrant remained active because Bhandari had not returned to the country to face trial, and that only the court concerned possessed the power to cancel such warrants. To be sure, Bhandari faces several investigations beyond the money laundering case. The Central Bureau of Investigation has been probing him since 2019 for alleged corruption in a ₹2,985 crore deal to procure 75 PC-7 trainer aircraft from the Swiss manufacturer Pilatus Aircraft in 2009. He is also under investigation for allegedly laundering money for London properties linked to Robert Vadra, the businessman husband of Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi. The ED filed a supplementary chargesheet in 2023, claiming that Bhandari had renovated a London house purchased in 2009 using illicit funds allegedly connected to Vadra. Vadra has denied the allegations, terming them a political witch hunt. In connection with these allegations, the ED arrested NRI businessman CC Thampi in January 2020. Bhandari deposited substantial amounts in overseas shell company bank accounts and invested in properties across the UAE and UK between 2009 and 2016. The court noted that he had attempted to retrospectively change the structure of Dubai's Alrahma Trust from March 2015 onwards, seeking to introduce a close associate as trustee in his place before departing for London. Bhandari fled India in 2016 via Nepal following a search operation at his Delhi residence by Income Tax department officials. The ED initiated its money laundering probe in February 2017, filing the first chargesheet in 2020. An Interpol red notice was issued against him in October 2017. The Indian government sent two extradition requests under money laundering and black money legislation, certified by then-UK Home Secretary Priti Patel in June 2020. British authorities arrested him on July 15, 2020, though he was released on bail pending extradition proceedings. Westminster Court ordered his extradition to India in November 2022, but Bhandari successfully challenged this in the UK High Court. On February 28 of this year, the UK High Court discharged him in the extradition request, and an appeal filed by the Indian government against the ruling was rejected on April 4.
Hindustan Times
13 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Air India must tackle its inner demons first to regain public trust
June 2025 was a tough month for Air India. The horrifying plane crash in Ahmedabad made a massive dent in its public image at a time when the airline was building its public perception after the takeover by Tata Group. Since the incident, even the tiniest transgression or issue has acquired mammoth proportions and attention because of the AI171 Ahmedabad crash and the unrelenting media gaze on the airline post it. In July, a few weeks after the crash on June 12 that killed 260 people, two incidents involving Air India flights created more alarm among the flying public although neither led to any casualties. In one case, the aircraft veered off the runway on account of heavy rain while landing in Mumbai and was grounded for checks and in the other, the aircraft's rear end caught fire after landing, grounding yet another aircraft of the airline's fleet. This was followed by a series of show cause notices issued by the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which seemed to have intensified scrutiny post the accident across airlines but on Air India in particular. The show cause notices highlighted 29 violations over a one-year period (June 2024 to June 2025) and were disclosed voluntarily by the airline. DGCA also pointed out that repeated warnings had been issued in the past and the recurrence of such violations suggests a failure to establish effective control mechanisms. A notice issued to the Director of Cabin Safety referred to four instances of non-compliance of cabin crew requirements in 2025 for ultra long-haul range flights. Another one to the Director of Flight Operations referred to weekly rest violations in the case of three specific crew members. Two such violations happened on June 24 last year and one on June 13 this year. 'These violations reflect serious deficiencies in crew scheduling, operational planning and regulatory oversight within the flight operations function,' a DGCA notice pointed out. A further notice was issued to the Cabin Safety Training Manager of Air India for breach of regulatory requirements in case of flight operations – the crew operated flights with a lapsed competency card on numerous occasions. Then, the Director (Training) of Air India was issued a show cause notice in connection with violations committed by 19 crew members. These highlighted lapses found in training norms and protocols. By the end of July, a DGCA audit into level one (more serious) and level two findings across airlines found a total of 19 level one findings with Tata Group airlines in the last year, the only one with level one findings among the Indian carriers audited. The DGCA classifies audit findings into two levels; Level 1 involves direct safety hazards, including improper aircraft maintenance, documentation of expired parts, or serious crew training deficiencies, while Level 2 typically refers to procedural violations or administrative oversights. It, therefore, comes as no surprise that passengers are beginning to question when and if Air India will get its act together, not just in terms of the service on offer but also the airline's safety record, which has come under intense public gaze post the June crash. Towards the end of June, the Tata chairman decided to get more involved in the running of the airline, a development that was met with much relief by both industry sources and airline insiders. The aviation industry, rival airline senior management and even those watching the events play out from a great distance in Europe and the US, have a host of (unsolicited) yet free advice although a large proportion of insiders (cynical and disheartened) argue that whatever the Tatas now do is 'too little, too late'. However, many in the sector and outside believe that while Air India might have a mountain of troubles before it, there is nothing that cannot be surmounted, especially now that the Tata chairman himself has taken a deeper dive into the airline's affairs. This below is an attempt to sift through the numerous suggestions and ideas and to pinpoint some of the key issues that need attention. Proactive versus Reactive Perhaps the biggest problem identified by outsiders and certain company insiders is the proclivity of top management members to brush uncomfortable issues under the carpet instead of tackling them head on. This has been evident in the airline's handling of whistleblowers and anomalies in the airline's operations, engineering, training and overall management, often pointed out by DGCA and other observers. 'Over the last three years, whenever someone is found lacking, they are removed as post holders and take the fall but the actual problem is left unaddressed and very little corrective action has been taken,' argues a former senior DGCA source. He says that the airline has taken reactive steps and has never been proactive in this aspect, something he firmly argues needs to change right away. An airline insider said that post the accident, this matter is being looked into. 'Those who are taking the decisions will increasingly be held directly accountable instead of letting someone else take the fall, when a problem is encountered,' he says, adding that there is a realisation within the airline that warnings issued over the last three years have consistently been overlooked right from the Tata top brass onwards. Whether this accident could have been prevented had such warnings been taken seriously remains a moot and uncomfortable point of discussion. Another area that has taken a severe beating post the sale is the engineering division, which after the split from government owned AIESL (Air India Engineering Services Limited) is yet to find its feet. Sources say that the present Air India engineering set up lacks capability, infrastructure and the required skills set. 'When the sale happened, the new engineering infrastructure and qualified engineers needed to have been put in place. This didn't happen,' says an airline source, adding that while there is now a realisation, beefing up the airline's engineering capabilities will require both time and resources and cannot be done in a jiffy. Let some heads roll Ever since June 13, there has been a growing clamour for the resignation of CEO Campbell Wilson and some of the team members he brought in. While many had been doubtful of the abilities of Campbell to pull off the massive transformation required at Air India, the accident totally eroded the faith people were willing to place in his abilities. From September, some changes – and new faces – are expected at Air India, after Tata Sons chairman N Chandreasekharan took a deeper interest into the affairs post the crash. Sources said that partner Singapore Airlines (SIA) is expected to play a bigger role in the running of the airline although most expect the CEO to continue till his current term ends in 2027. New inductions are expected from SIA at a senior level, although the news has been greeted by scepticism by some senior management members, who argued that the airline already has a chain of command in place and this could end up creating more confusion by creating an alternate powercentre within. Resentment within Air India has been building up internally against specific individuals holding certain key positions but this has reached its peak post the crash. Overall, the bigger complaint is that the Tatas have brought in too many people who are unfamiliar with the key tenets of an aviation business – be it in finance, HR or commercial functions. Bring crew on board The single biggest failure identified by industry professionals, insiders, old Air India hands and many present ones is the failure to handle human resources. A paradigm shift needs to take place in the way management and crew engage, according to sources in the airline, where crew and commanders feel free to express their discontent and their views. 'There is a quiet rebellion brewing within the different camps of crew and while the management has managed to get most of the union post holders on their side, mass discontent simmers just under the surface,' says a senior airline commander. He says that many differences in service terms between Vistara and Air India have led to bad blood developing and points to the recent extension of the retirement age to 65 for Air India captains as one of the niggling issues, which has only recently been tackled. What has been particularly worrying is that the Tatas' handling of the airline has managed to alienate even the senior commanders and airline loyalists who welcomed and were extremely happy about the private sector buyout as they were tired of the public sector way of management. In its bid to weed out the 'old and cynical' Air India hands, the airline has ended up culling out valuable experience and in some cases lost the loyalty and faith of the more experienced crew. 'The fact that the average age within the airline has dropped so sharply can be a double-edged sword,' says a rival airline top management member. The TCS effect: Life is not one big app Several airline insiders complain that the Tata takeover has led to every little interaction between the employee and the company, being conducted through an app, which is proving counter productive. Labelled by naysayers as a 'tech-obsession' and with support from sister firm Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), the Tatas have introduced close to a dozen odd apps and portals internally for smoother processes to cater to a range of employee-related services — right from online training, foreign exchange cards, and payslip retrieval to medical and leave applications and employee support, which has been labelled by some as 'digital red tape' and by some in more dramatic terms as 'digital terrorism'. They argue that the airline has been 'dehumanised' to an extent that is proving counter productive. Management sources justify the use of digital systems and the numerous apps on the grounds that it removes the discretionary powers of individuals as a lot of the employee-related benefits and perks were earlier determined or settled based on who knew whom, currying favours and a sort of tacit understanding. Organisational culture To sum it up, there are no quick fixes and almost everyone, from the Tata chairman onwards, is aware of the fact that the airline needs a full cultural revolution, which takes time, commitment and a concerted effort to build. To win back the trust of the Indian flying public before it can dream of take-off stage in its transformational journey is the reality that faces the erstwhile national carrier. Anjuli Bhargava writes on governance, infrastructure and the social sector. The views expressed are personal.
