Panchayat officer held for 67L scam
Evidence gathered over the years confirmed involvement of 12 accused, including Verma, who was absconding.
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Indian Express
14 minutes ago
- Indian Express
‘Good cop, bad cop': How fake NCB officers duped 62-year-old woman of Rs 77 lakh
Last August, a 62-year-old woman was surfing an online drug store's website for her monthly prescription of sleeping pills. It was a routine for her to order medicines online every month for a neurological ailment. However, her latest search landed her in trouble, which ended in an alleged digital arrest fraud of Rs 77 lakh as two men — allegedly posing as officers of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) — played 'good cop, bad cop', said police. After she reported her ordeal to the police, it took investigators nine months to trace the accused who had transferred a major portion of the money in his bank account. His arrest led the police to four more accomplices, all of whom were arrested by July 1, said officers. A resident of Vasant Kunj and a former teacher, the woman told police she had received the first call from the alleged fraudsters last August. A man posing as an NCB officer triggered alarm by claiming that she had ordered 'banned drugs'. The woman who lives alone panicked. 'The caller told her that the drug she ordered was banned in India and that the NCB suspected she was helping the supply of these drugs in Delhi,' a senior police officer, privy to the investigation details, said. Transfer a certain amount of money to verify the bank account details or face an arrest warrant — Neeru felt helpless when the caller gave her these two options. Desperate to prove her innocence, Neeru had transferred a total of Rs 3 lakh in separate tranches to multiple accounts by September 10, 2024,. 'She then waited for the next call, hoping to be cleared of all charges,' a police officer said. After 10 days, she got another call. But this time it was the 'good cop'. 'The man on the call, who also posed as an NCB officer, told her that he knew that she was innocent. He told her to stay calm and let him work with the NCB to get her money back,' the officer explained. The 62-year-old received Rs 20,000 back into her account two days later — she was allegedly assured that this was the first of the many transactions. 'The 'good cop' had gained her trust,' the officer added. She got a video call on WhatsApp after two days. 'This time, four men were on call. She was asked to share her screen and open her bank account after which all her money would be returned. As she trusted the man who had posed as the 'good cop', she followed the instructions,' the officer explained. Trouble, however, deepened for the elderly woman as her netbanking credentials were allegedly stolen. The video call ended with the fraudsters allegedly telling the woman that they were satisfied with the probe. Soon after, her worst nightmare turned true. Multiple debit messages flashed on her mobile phone — transactions of Rs 5 lakh, Rs 10 lakh and so on… When she called up the man posing as the NCB officer, his phone was off. She finally sought help from a relative and registered a complaint at the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSCO) Unit of the Delhi Police's Special Cell on September 26, 2024. A team under ACP Manoj Kumar and Sub Inspector Karamvir started a probe into the money trail. 'The call detail records and IMEI details of beneficiary account holders were obtained from the technical service providers and banks concerned. During further investigation it was found that around Rs 48 lakh from the duped amount was further transferred to a particular account,' the officer explained. This account belonged to Akhilesh (23), a resident of Nuh in Haryana. The police raided his home and found that he had left for Delhi—on the pretext of preparing for judicial services examinations. Multiple locations popped up when police tried to trace him through his mobile location. Investigators finally reached a breakthrough in June when his location was traced in the hub of government exam aspirants — Mukherjee Nagar. 'On June 24, Akhilesh was traced living at a rented apartment in Indira Vikas Colony, Mukharjee Nagar. He tried to flee but he was overpowered. He was arrested and his disclosure statement was recorded wherein he stated that he received the cheated amount on the direction of his associates — Amjad, Saahid and Shakeel. He also trapped the victim to share her phone screen on video call and gained access to the victim's bank account to transfer funds to his own bank account,' the officer underlined. On June 27, a raid was conducted in Punhana, Haryana, and Amjad and Shahid were arrested as well. Amjad, the police said, was the man who pretended to be the 'good cop and the woman's well-wisher'. 'Amjad disclosed that he and his brother-in-law Shahid, along with his friend Shakeel, called the victim and threatened her of arrest. They also disclosed involvement of the other accused, Hamid, saying that he was the fourth fake NCB officer,' the police officer added. On July 1, the police raided Hamid's home in Rajasthan's Deeg. Shakeel was also at his home. However, the police said that Hamid's family and the villagers tried to shield the duo, giving Shakeel a chance to flee. But the police chased them down and arrested the duo. So far, the elderly woman has got just Rs 3 lakh from the duped amount. The police are now tracking a string of bank accounts used by the accused. Some of the confiscated phones, as per officers, also have evidence of sextortion from other victims and investigation is on.
Time of India
31 minutes ago
- Time of India
Cohabitation not mandatory for accident compensation, rules Karnataka high court
Bengaluru: Karnataka high court has ruled that cohabitation cannot be treated as a mandatory requirement for claiming compensation under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, stating that it is the insurer's responsibility to prove any allegation of separation. Justice Ravi V Hosmani issued the ruling while partially allowing the appeal filed by a man whose wife died in a road accident in 2021. The case pertains to Yallawwa, a 42-year-old highway maintenance worker who was fatally injured on July 7, 2021 after being struck by a lorry near the KSRTC bus stand in Nidagundi, Vijayapura district, on NH-50. Her husband Ningappa had filed a claim under Section 166 of the Motor Vehicles Act, seeking compensation for the loss of his wife. You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru The insurance company, Reliance General Insurance, contested the claim, raising doubts over the accident details, the lorry driver's negligence, and even the claimant's dependency status. The company argued that the deceased had been living separately from Ningappa and therefore, he wasn't entitled to compensation under the category of "loss of dependency". The Vijayapura motor accident claims tribunal awarded only Rs 70,000, citing references in the accident complaint suggesting the couple had been living apart. Compensation for loss of dependency was denied. Ningappa challenged the tribunal's ruling. In response, the insurer referred to a statement by Yallawwa's brother that she had been living separately after Ningappa allegedly remarried, as she was unable to conceive. Justice Hosmani, however, noted inconsistencies in the claim. He pointed out that the brother had admitted to being illiterate and unaware of the contents of the complaint he had signed. Further, the court found no evidence proving a second marriage by Ningappa, nor any findings through cross-examination. Terming the tribunal's denial of dependency compensation unlawful, the judge ruled that separation can't be presumed without clear evidence. Citing the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority's notional income chart for 2021, the court fixed the deceased's monthly income at Rs 14,250 and calculated the total compensation at more than Rs 14.9 lakh. The amount will carry 6% annual interest from the day the original claim was filed.
Time of India
31 minutes ago
- Time of India
Anert's note contains blatant lies: Chennithala
T'puram: Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said the note released by Anert in response to his questions to the electricity minister regarding the multi-crore scam related to the PM KUSUM scheme, which provides free solar pumps to farmers in Kerala, contains blatant lies. "This explanation confirms all the corruption allegations I have raised. Anert's note, filled with falsehoods, is part of the electricity minister's attempt to evade answering the allegations," Chennithala said. He said the official has listed such blatant lies to cover up the corruption conducted on behalf of the electricity minister. "We all witnessed what happened to the former principal secretary to the chief minister, who justified a consultancy corruption deal I exposed during the previous govt's tenure. The same fate awaits this official," he added. "If attempts to protect this corrupt official continue, another major corruption involving him will soon be exposed. The govt has become one that charges commissions through consultancies," Chennithala said. When Anert called for a tender worth Rs 240cr, the CEO's authority was only Rs 5cr. Anert's claim that they did not call for a Rs 240-cr tender is a blatant lie. Kerala's e-tender portal clearly recorded the Rs 240-cr tender. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like No annual fees for life UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo Similarly, the explanation given for amending the financial bid is strange. The most important aspect of a financial bid is the amount recorded. Amending a bid means changing the amount, he added. Another major falsehood is the claim that the CAG report approved this tender process. The CAG report examining the tender processing of this period has not yet been released, making this claim a blatant violation of service rules by the Anert official concerned, he said. The beneficiaries of the commission from the multi-crore transactions through Anert will soon be revealed. The electricity minister can no longer evade this issue. "I have all the evidence and documents of the corruption and irregularities. I challenge the minister for a detailed investigation. The minister should face the investigation with dignity instead of hiding behind officials. An investigation of Anert's transactions over the past five years should be conducted, and the legislative assembly committee should recommend an inquiry," demanded Ramesh Chennithala.
