Second hate attack in 2 days: Hindu temple defaced in Australia with racist graffiti; probe under way
As reported by The Brisbane Times and The Sydney Morning Herald, offensive red graffiti with the words 'Go home' and other racial slurs were found daubed across the Shree Swaminarayan Temple on Wadhurst Drive, as well as two nearby Asian-operated restaurants Kingsland Chinese Restaurant and Charles King Dumpling.
Police said a healing centre on Mountain Highway was also defaced the same night, bringing the total number of sites attacked to four.
'There is absolutely no place at all in our society for hate-based and racist behaviour,' Victoria Police said in a statement. Authorities confirmed that all four incidents are being treated as linked and that an investigation is under way.
'An attack on our right to worship'
Makrand Bhagwat, President of the Hindu Council of Australia's Victoria chapter, told Australia Today the vandalism of the temple was 'heartbreaking' for the community. 'Our temple is meant to be a sanctuary of peace, devotion and unity,' he said.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Premium 1 BHK at Mahindra Citadel – Coming Soon!
Mahindra Citadel
Enquire Now
Undo
'To have it targeted in this way feels like an attack on our identity, our right to worship and freedom of religion.'
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan sent a personal message of support to temple management. 'What happened this week was hateful, racist and deeply disturbing,' she wrote. 'It wasn't just vandalism – it was a deliberate act of hate, designed to intimidate, isolate, and spread fear.'
Local interfaith networks, including the City of Greater Knox's Multifaith Network, have expressed support.
'We want to show that love and solidarity triumph over hate,' said community leader Vikrant Thakur.
Indian man targeted in racist attack
This came after a 23-year-old Indian man, Charanpreet Singh, was brutally attacked and left unconscious on a street in Adelaide following a reported racist assault linked to a parking dispute. According to 9News, the men allegedly told Singh to "f--- off, Indian" before launching a violent, unprovoked assault.
'They just said 'f--- off, Indian', and after that they just started punching,' Singh said. 'I tried to fight back, but they beat me until I was unconscious.'
He sustained serious injuries, including brain trauma and facial fractures. A 20-year-old from Enfield was arrested and charged, but others involved remain at large.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
8 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
UP ATS seeks custody of Chhangur Baba, Jamaluddin in money laundering activities
The Uttar Pradesh anti-terrorism squad (ATS) has filed a fresh application seeking police custody remand (PCR) of Jalaluddin Shah alias Chhangur Baba, 78, and his key associate Naveen Rohra alias Jamaluddin, 45, in connection with an alleged religious conversion and money laundering racket in Balrampur, officials confirmed on Saturday. This is the second remand application for Chhangur Baba, who was earlier taken into custody along with Naveen's wife Neetu Rohra alias Nasreen. (Sourced) This is the second remand application for Chhangur Baba, who was earlier taken into custody along with Naveen's wife Neetu Rohra alias Nasreen. A senior ATS official said the application was submitted to the Lucknow ATS court on Thursday and is likely to be heard on Monday. If allowed, the remand would facilitate further interrogation regarding alleged offshore shell companies, foreign funding, and suspected money laundering linked to the case. According to the official, Chhangur Baba is the alleged mastermind of the racket, accused of targeting Hindu girls across Balrampur and other districts. The gang allegedly received over ₹100 crore in foreign funding over the past three years. The official further stated that Naveen Rohra played a crucial role in the operations, allegedly participating in conversion activities and financial transactions. His wife, Neetu, was also allegedly involved in executing the activities. The ATS began investigating the racket after an FIR was registered on November 16, 2024. The Enforcement Directorate took up a parallel probe on July 8, 2025, to examine financial transactions and assets. Chhangur Baba and Neetu were arrested on July 5. Earlier, Mehboob, 45, son of Chhangur Baba, and Naveen were held on April 8, 2025. Rashid Shah, 40, from Utraula in Balrampur, was arrested on July 17, followed by the arrests of Sabroz and Sahabuddin on July 18. Two other accused, Ramzan and Idul Islam, are still absconding. In a related development, a court clerk, Rajesh Kumar Upadhyaya, was arrested on July 19 for alleged connivance. Upadhyaya was the first person to be arrested despite his name not appearing in the accused column of the FIR.
Indian Express
31 minutes ago
- Indian Express
‘Purchased' honorary titles, international web of shell firms: How Ghaziabad conman operated fake embassy for 9 yrs
A pristine white bungalow, four flashy sedans with blue and white diplomatic number plates parked in the driveway, national flags from across the world and a man posing as an 'ambassador'. When Uttar Pradesh Police's Special Task Force (STF) raided the 'Embassy of Westarctica' in Ghaziabad's upscale Kavi Nagar neighbourhood earlier this week, they came across an elaborate con job. Far from an an ordinary swindler, Harsh Vardhan Jain, the accused, had been running a fake embassy of a country that doesn't exist, without raising any suspicion for the last nine years. Jain had planned every detail meticulously to build this façade, according to the police. He had allegedly printed fake press cards, doctored photos with top dignitaries and even 'purchased' honorary titles from self-proclaimed micronations. The preliminary investigation, police say, has revealed that Jain was running a multi-nation scam. How did Jain manage to execute such a fraud, undetected for years, right beneath the vigilant gaze of the local Ghaziabad Police is yet to be revealed. How Jain's fake embassy operation was finally exposed is also unknown. According to the UPSTF, Jain is a Ghaziabad-born MBA graduate who claims to have studied in London. His father, JD Jain, was a once reputed industrialist, with marble export businesses operating in Rajasthan. In the early 2000s, Jain reportedly came in contact with self-styled godman Chandraswami, who allegedly introduced him to arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi and Ehsan Ali Syed, another conman posing as a businessman who was convicted in a fraud case in Switzerland. With their help, Jain is said to have established more than a dozen companies in Dubai, London, and Mauritius — many of them shell firms used to collect 'brokerage' for jobs and promises of huge loans before duping them. After a few years in London and Dubai, Jain allegedly returned to India in 2011 and began projecting himself as a diplomat. Police say he leveraged honorary titles from unrecognised micronations — Seborga, Westarctica, and Lodonia — to set up a fake embassy in his Ghaziabad home. He had also been posing as the ambassador of a fictional nation called Poulvia. When STF officers entered the Kavi Nagar bungalow on July 22, they found what appeared to be a diplomatic mission: cars with blue number plates bearing phrases like 'Honorary Consul – Baron Westarctica', flags of different nations on the property, and signages that were creating the illusion of official legitimacy. Inside, they recovered over Rs 44 lakh in Indian currency, foreign currency from the United Kingdom, United States, United Arab Emirates, and Turkey, 20 sets of fake diplomatic number plates, 34 stamps and seals of various fake entities,12 passports (some from unrecognized nations), Fake IDs including press cards and two PAN cards, a laptop, phone, and over a dozen luxury watches. Jain had been running the operation, STF officials said, by posing as a diplomatic representative allegedly by using the fake IDs and doctored photos. His setup included 'morphed' images showing him with late President APJ Abdul Kalam and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, among other leaders, in an attempt to look credible. Through this lavish setup, he had allegedly been luring individuals and companies with promises of jobs and international business deals. To outsiders, the 'embassy' appeared credible, complete with red and green diplomatic license plates and signage that implied ties with multiple global institutions. Officials said he even issued bogus 'diplomatic passports' from micronations and collected money as 'fees' with promises of providing employment in these micronations. Micronations are self-proclaimed countries not recognised by any sovereign state. While any associations with these micronations are often symbolic, Jain had allegedly used his associations with them to create an aura of legitimacy. Seborga, one of the micronations of which he had been posing as an ambassador, is a self-declared principality in Italy. In its statement, it said that it appointed Jain as an honorary councilor in good faith after he had contacted them. The statement also clarified that it was a symbolic post with no legal or diplomatic standing. The principality said that over the years Jain had aso 'recommended individuals to represent Seborga in India' some of whom had been appointed by the micronation. Westarctica, which claims to be a non-profit organisation working towards the cause of preserving the Antarctic ice sheet, confirmed that Jain was given the honorary title of 'Consul to India' after he made a donation in 2016. However, he violated protocol by calling his residence an embassy and printing unauthorised materials like diplomatic number plates and passports, according to a statement. 'He was indefinitely suspended,' the group said in a statement. Ladonia, another micronation, which claims to provide a cultural identity for people who believe in free speech and artistic expression and has clear boundaries but mostly 'non-resident' citizens denied any ties with Jain. forged documents to claim he was its Ambassador to India and harassed officials after they refused to recognize him. In a detailed response to questions asked by The Indian Express, Ladonia's Press Officer, Julia Andersson, said Jain became a 'symbolic citizen' on November 12, 2016, and had 'purchased' an honorary barony title. The micronation alleged that in November 2017, Jain had forged a certificate falsely claiming to be Ladonia's Ambassador to India, backdating it to September 15, 2016, in an attempt to predate the symbolic appointment of another Indian individual and had been 'harrassing' its officials by spamming them with texts and mails requesting for Ladonian paraphernalia, a request that was denied by the micronation. According to STF and police officials, Jain's network spanned multiple countries. He alleegdly maintained 11 bank accounts in the UK, UAE, Mauritius, and India; set up shell firms like Island General Trading Co. LLC (Dubai), East India Company UK Ltd and State Trading Corporation Ltd (UK); claimed to help clients get international contracts or jobs abroad; charged hefty 'brokerage'and used these fake diplomatic affiliations that he had purchased to appear credible enough to seek business clients. Police sources said that he made over 30 trips to the UAE alone and visited over 40 countries in the past decade to build a globe-trotting con operation. Police are currently trying to determine the number of people defrauded. An FIR (No. 671/2025) has been registered at Kavi Nagar police station under sections 318(4), 336(3), 338, and 340(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, relating to forgery, impersonation, and cheating. Jain was remanded to judicial custody on July 23, where the STF seeked custodial remand to trace the full extent of his hawala network. Officials also said that the Income Tax Department would be informed about the seized cash and foreign currency. Further investigation is on into his multiple PAN cards, international accounts, and fake documentation.
Time of India
31 minutes ago
- Time of India
Two dozens files of child pornography: Indian-origin man Jaydeep Patel arrested in Phoenix, charged
Indian-origin Jaydeep Patel arrested in Phoenix on charges of child sexual abuse. 31-year-old Jaydeep Patel, an Indian-origin man in Phoenix, was arrested on suspicion of child sexual abuse and was charged with nine counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, according to court documents. Patel used to work at Phoenix Children's Hospital as a behavioral health technician but at the time of his arrest, he was no longer employed by the hospital. The case unfolded in a strange way as Patel's internet service provider tipped off the police that Patel had two dozens files of child pornography on his user profile. The top was provided in late 2024 and Patel was arrested earlier this month. Investigators said nine cybertoops were generated, leading to a search Patel's home and electronic devices. Detectives found 1,200 images and videos depicting minors. The court filings said that Patel used multiple online identities to request and store explicit content involving minors. Patel would also request in the chats 'child sexual abuse materials for his personal sexual gratification,' and openly admitted to liking young girls and being a 'pedo," according to court documents. Patel's former employer, Phoenix Children's Hospital, claimed that when they hired Patel, he had cleared all the standard background checks. The hospital said they are fully cooperating with the investigation. While Patel worked at the hospital as a behavioral health technician, he claimed to be a security officer in some online exchanges. Nine video files were recovered from Patel's social media account, court documents said. In them, young, grade-school-aged girls were either depicted exposing themselves or engaging in sexual conduct, according to documents.
