Ludhiana influencer's murder: Two accused sent to 14-day judicial remand
A district court on Wednesday sent two accused, Jaspreet Singh and Nimratjit Singh, nominated in the murder of social media influencer Kanchan Kumari alias Kamal Kaur Bhabhi, to 14-day judicial remand.
The accused, Nihangs, were produced in the court amid tight security.
The two associates of the alleged mastermind in the crime, Amritpal Singh Mehron, were arrested by the Bathinda police on June 13.
A local court granted their police custody for five days for questioning.
Police said that Kanchan was killed by the three due to 'unauthorised moral policing' as the accused claimed that digital content created by the deceased was immoral and hurt the sentiments of the Sikh community.
Bathinda senior superintendent of police (SSP) Amneet Kondal said on Wednesday that the district police would soon submit a report to the Bureau of Investigation (BoI) to process it further to Mehron's extradition from the UAE to face trial in the murder case.
'It is a complicated process, and we are still in the process of completing the required documents,' she said.
The SSP said that two mobile phones of the deceased, including an iPhone, and the passwords of the handsets were forcibly taken away from Kanchan before she was strangled.
'During the custodial interrogation, Jaspreet and Nimratjit feigned ignorance and we suspect that the two phones of the deceased are still in Mehron's possession,' she added.
Meanwhile, Bathinda-based lawyer Harpal Singh Khara, who is representing the arrested duo in the court, told reporters that video showing Mehron claiming responsibility for the murder could have been generated using artificial intelligence (AI).
'We suspect a conspiracy by agencies behind it. Mehron's family has approached me to represent him in the court,' said Khara, who was accompanied by Mehron's father Baljinder Singh.
Mehron, also a Nihang, flew to the UAE within hours of the murder of Kanchan on the intervening night of June 9-10.
As per the Bathinda police, Mehron boarded a UAE-bound flight from Amritsar airport at 9.15 am on June 10. The police learnt about the escape of Mehron after a lookout circular (LOC) was issued against him on June 14.
Kanchan's decomposed body was found by the police on the evening of June 11 after a few people spotted a foul was emanating from the vehicle abandoned at the parking of Adesh medical college and hospital at Bhucho town.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hans India
27 minutes ago
- Hans India
CBI busts Rs 183 crore fake bank guarantee scam, PNB official among two arrested
Bhopal: In a major breakthrough, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has unearthed a massive Rs 183 crore fake bank guarantee scam involving an Indore-based private firm, M/s Teerth Gopicon Limited. The agency has confirmed the arrest of two key accused -- Govind Chandra Hansda, a senior manager at Punjab National Bank (PNB), and Mohd Firoz Khan -- both allegedly central to the fraudulent operation. The scam came to light following a directive from the Madhya Pradesh High Court, prompting the CBI to register three separate cases on May 9, 2025. Investigations revealed that Teerth Gopicon Limited had submitted eight forged bank guarantees, valued at Rs 183.21 crore, to secure three irrigation projects worth Rs 974 crore from the Madhya Pradesh Jal Nigam Limited (MPJNL) in 2023. These guarantees were falsely validated through emails sent from a fake PNB email ID, misleading MPJNL into awarding the contracts. The CBI's probe led to coordinated raids across 23 locations in five states -- Delhi, West Bengal, Gujarat, Jharkhand, and Madhya Pradesh -- on June 19 and 20. The arrests were made in Kolkata, where both accused were produced before a local court and are now being brought to Indore on transit remand for further interrogation. Preliminary findings suggest the involvement of a larger network operating out of Kolkata, specialising in fabricating bank guarantees to fraudulently obtain government contracts. The agency suspects that several other private entities and public officials may be complicit in the racket, and further arrests are likely as the investigation deepens. The CBI has reiterated its commitment to dismantling such criminal syndicates and ensuring accountability. The case underscores the urgent need for stricter verification protocols in public procurement processes and enhanced cybersecurity measures within banking institutions to prevent misuse of digital identities. As the investigation progresses, authorities are hopeful that the full extent of the conspiracy will be exposed, and all those responsible will be brought to justice.
Mint
31 minutes ago
- Mint
Aflac finds suspicious activity on US network that may impact Social Security numbers, other data
Aflac says that it has identified suspicious activity on its network in the U.S. that may impact Social Security numbers and other personal information, calling the incident part of a cybercrime campaign against the insurance industry. The company said Friday that the intrusion was stopped within hours. 'We continue to serve our customers as we respond to this incident and can underwrite policies, review claims, and otherwise service our customers as usual,' Aflac said in a statement. The company said that it's in the early stages of a review of the incident, and so far is unable to determine the total number of affected individuals. Aflac Inc. said potentially impacted files contain claims information, health information, Social Security numbers, and other personal information, related to customers, beneficiaries, employees, agents, and other individuals in its U.S. business. The Columbus, Georgia-based company said that it will offer free credit monitoring and identity theft protection and Medical Shield for 24 months to anyone that calls its call center. Aflac is not the only company to deal with an incident recently. A string of recent cyberattacks and data breaches involving the systems of major retailers have started affecting shoppers. United Natural Foods, a wholesale distributor that supplies Whole Foods and other grocers, said earlier this month that a breach of its systems was disrupting its ability to fulfill orders — leaving many stores without certain items. In the U.K., consumers could not order from the website of Marks & Spencer for more than six weeks — and found fewer in-store options after hackers targeted the British clothing, home goods and food retailer. A cyberattack on Co-op, a U.K. grocery chain, also led to empty shelves in some stores. A security breach detected by Victoria's Secret last month led the popular lingerie seller to shut down its U.S. shopping site for nearly four days, as well as to halt some in-store services. Victoria's Secret later disclosed that its corporate systems also were affected, too, causing the company to delay the release of its first quarter earnings. The North Face said that it discovered a 'small-scale credential stuffing attack' on its website in April. The company reported that no credit card data was compromised and said the incident, which impacted 1,500 consumers, was 'quickly contained.' Meanwhile, Adidas disclosed last month that an 'unauthorized external party' obtained some data, which was mostly contact information, through a third-party customer service provider. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
2 hours ago
- Business Standard
Canada's immigration system vulnerable to abuse? What IRCC report reveals
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has confirmed multiple cases of internal misconduct, including a bribery attempt involving the approval of study permits—raising concerns over the system's vulnerability to insider abuse. The findings were released last week in the department's annual misconduct report covering the 2023–2024 period. The IRCC, which processes millions of immigration applications each year, employs more than 11,000 staff across units handling study permits, work permits, permanent residency and refugee claims. According to the report, 62 out of 76 internal investigations led to confirmed misconduct. These included harassment, privacy breaches, and violations of the IRCC's code of conduct. Bribery attempt and insider threats In one case, a processing agent used an internal messaging tool to ask a colleague whether they would accept money to approve a study permit. The agent later claimed the message was sent by someone else using his laptop—a person to whom he allegedly owed money. The case has led to renewed scrutiny of internal controls at IRCC. 'Insider misconduct poses a serious threat to the fairness and integrity of Canada's immigration system, particularly within high-volume visa streams where oversight is inherently more challenging and the stakes for applicants are significant,' said Ketan Mukhija, senior partner at Burgeon Law. Conflict of interest and inappropriate conduct The report identified three employees in breach of IRCC's code of conduct. One was caught making disparaging remarks about clients from a specific country. Another officer developed a personal relationship with an asylum claimant staying at an IRCC-run hotel. The staff member gave the claimant advice on navigating the department, provided preferential treatment, and co-signed a car loan. This led to an unpaid suspension for conflict of interest. Marriage fraud flagged among applicants IRCC also recorded cases of marriage fraud—where applicants attempt to gain immigration benefits through fake relationships. Officers are trained to detect 'marriages of convenience', which are criminal offences under Canadian immigration law. Expert criticism of oversight during Trudeau years Darshan Maharaja, a Canada-based immigration analyst, said the problem has grown over several years, particularly after Covid-19 restrictions were lifted. 'Looking from the outside, it seems that during Prime Minister Trudeau's tenure, scrutiny and oversight of the visa applications and approvals became very lax. For example, a couple of years ago, there was the case of 700 Indian students who had come to Canada on study visas based on fake admission letters from Canadian colleges. Over the past five years, the integrity of the immigration system was allowed to deteriorate significantly. The internal misconduct by IRCC staff is, in my view, a result of this deterioration,' Maharaja told Business Standard. Maharaja added, 'Canada's current immigration system is highly vulnerable to abuse by both insiders as well as outsiders. Some of the measures that were introduced last year to strengthen the system, such as requiring study permit applicants to submit proof of having secured residential accommodation, are not foolproof.' Disciplinary actions taken IRCC said it had taken a range of actions against staff found guilty of misconduct. These included: Written reprimands Unpaid suspensions Terminations Revocation of security clearances The department said it would introduce training and awareness programmes to encourage ethical conduct among staff. 'The goal of this report is to build confidence in our accountability systems,' IRCC said. 'The department plays a critical role domestically and globally—from managing temporary entries to settling newcomers, granting citizenship, and issuing passports.' Immigration policy under review The release of the report comes as the Canadian government works to limit the number of new arrivals. Under its 2024 immigration plan, the federal government has announced cuts to international student and temporary worker numbers. Permanent resident admissions will be capped at under 1% of the population annually, with overall immigration levels expected to be brought to what the government calls 'sustainable levels' by 2027. While IRCC says it has already introduced safeguards such as digital monitoring, reliability screening and task rotation, experts say more targeted enforcement is needed. 'These measures must be strengthened particularly in the areas of digital access controls, real-time monitoring, and whistleblower protections to effectively prevent insider abuse and curb exploitation by organised immigration networks,' said Mukhija. 'I believe that the system needs a major overhaul in order to serve the best interests of Canada and the visa applicants,' said Maharaja. Canada on Wednesday released details of its proposed Strong Borders Act, a Bill that could reshape how the country handles temporary residents and asylum seekers. The legislation, if passed, would allow authorities to suspend or cancel immigration documents, introduce stricter rules on asylum eligibility, and improve information-sharing across government. The proposed changes are expected to affect a wide range of immigrants, including Indian nationals, who continue to represent a large share of Canada's temporary and permanent migration flows. As of January 1, 2025, Canada had around 3.02 million temporary residents—students, workers and others—accounting for 7.3% of the country's total population. India remains the top source of new permanent residents, and Indian nationals are also a notable presence among asylum seekers. Total asylum claims had reached a record high of 470,029 by April 1, 2025.
