2 Indians shot dead, another kidnapped in Niger; government seeks safe release
Foreigners are increasingly becoming targets of armed groups in Niger. Several of them have been kidnapped this year, including an Austrian woman who has lived in Niger as an aid worker for more than 20 years, a Swiss woman seized from her home in April and five Indian workers, also in April.Niger has for many years battled a jihadi insurgency linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group, a security crisis that analysts say has worsened since the military toppled the country's government in July 2023, and has since struggled to restore peace in hot spots.According to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, June was one of the country's deadliest months on record as IS-backed fighters launched a major offensive across the Tillaberi and Dosso regions, killing more than 100 civilians in what marked a return to mass atrocities in rural areas.- EndsMust Watch
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Time of India
30 minutes ago
- Time of India
Embassy of West Arctica in Ghaziabad? Police bust fake missions of non-existent nations in Kavi Nagar
Man posed as diplomat, promised foreign job placements Fake passports, seals, and cash recovered in raid Live Events Accused linked to controversial figures, faces earlier charges (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel The Uttar Pradesh Police's Special Task Force (STF) has arrested a man from Ghaziabad for operating a fake embassy from a rented house while posing as a diplomat of non-existent countries, including " West Arctica ". The accused, Harsh Vardhan Jain , was taken into custody on Tuesday following a raid by the Noida unit of the to officials, preliminary investigation revealed that Jain falsely claimed to be a consul or ambassador representing fictional micronations like West Arctica, Saborga, Poulvia, and Lodonia. He allegedly used his fake identity to broker job placements abroad for companies and STF said Jain had created fake documents and morphed photographs showing him with top Indian dignitaries such as the prime minister and the president to make his claims appear Jain's arrest, the STF seized four vehicles with fake diplomatic number plates, 12 forged diplomatic passports, two fake PAN cards, 34 rubber stamps of different countries and companies, and two fake press agency also recovered Rs 44.7 lakh in cash, foreign currency, documents linked to several companies, and 18 more fake diplomatic number plates. Fake seals purportedly from the Ministry of External Affairs were also Director General of Police Amitabh Yash said, 'The accused was running the bogus embassy from a rented house and projected himself as a consul or ambassador of non-existent countries such as West Arctica, Saborga, Poulvia, and Lodonia, and moved around in vehicles bearing fake diplomatic number plates.'During interrogation, Jain claimed he had links in the past with controversial godman Chandraswami and international arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi. Officials added that in 2011, he had been booked in a case involving possession of an illegal satellite phone.A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered at the Kavi Nagar police station. The STF said further proceedings are underway to investigate the full extent of the racket and any additional people or companies involved.
The Print
an hour ago
- The Print
BSF gets 5k body cameras, biometrics capturing devices for Bangladesh border
The two policy decisions to bolster BSF capabilities at this front have been taken in the wake of the stepped up security arrangements along the border following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government in Bangladesh on August 5, 2024. Official sources in the security establishment told PTI that a select number of border outposts (BOPs) of the force along the 4,096 kms front are also being equipped with gadgets to capture biometrics like finger prints and iris (eyes) scan of illegal Bangladeshis for sharing this data to the Foreigners Registration Office (FRO). New Delhi, Jul 27 (PTI) More than 5,000 body-worn cameras are being provided to Border Security Force troops guarding the India-Bangladesh international border as part of a measure to record visuals and evidence of deporting illegal Bangladeshis apart from instances of criminals attacking the personnel on duty. The sources said the Union home ministry recently approved these two proposals of the BSF headquarters following a 'comprehensive review' of the security situation along the Bangladesh border. About 5,000 body-worn cameras are being sent in two batches to BSF troops guarding the India-Bangladesh international border. These cameras are night-vision enabled and can record about 12-14 hours of footage, the sources said. The cameras will be helpful in recording the facts and evidence when BSF troops deport illegal Bangladeshis or engage with miscreants to stop cross-border crimes like drugs, cattle and fake Indian currency notes (FICN) smuggling apart from human trafficking and infiltration, they said. The recordings will also act as evidence in cases where BSF troops are attacked by criminals from both the countries, the sources said. Bangladesh and its force Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has been claiming at bilateral forums that their nationals are being killed by the Indian side using extraordinary force and in an unjustified manner while the BSF has always maintained it opens non-lethal or lethal fire as a last resort to save the life of the troopers, the sources said. These instances will be recorded now by these body-worn cameras and act as proof when required for an investigation, they said. The sources said some select and 'vulnerable' BSF BOPs from the point of view of cross-border infiltration are also being installed with biometrics data recording machines that will capture the fingerprints and eye scans of illegal Bangladeshis caught by the BSF on this front. This biometric data will be shared with the FRO to create an evidence-based database against infiltrators and illegal Bangladeshis trying to sneak into India, they said. The Union home ministry, post the Pahalgam terror attack, has asked all states to check and deport illegal Bangladeshis living in their jurisdictions. As per official data, the BSF, till July 15 this year, has apprehended 1,372 Bangladeshis infiltrating into India from this front while it caught or was handed over by various state police forces over 3,536 such men and women while crossing over from India to the other side. The recorded figures for last year were 2,425 (incoming) and 1,049 (outgoing). As many as 77 instances of attack on BSF personnel by miscreants from both India and Bangladesh have been recorded last year at the border while 35 such incidents have been reported till June this year on this front, according to the data. PTI NES KVK KVK This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
‘Death to Trump': Easyjet flight to Scotland diverted after shocking bomb threat by passenger
An Easyjet flight to Scotland from England's Luton was diverted on Sunday after a passenger threatened to bomb the plane. A purported video of the incident also went viral on social media, showing the man shouting 'Allahu Akbar' before other passengers take hold of him. Other passengers are then seen tackling him to the floor of the plane. (X) The viral footage shows a man standing in the aisle of the plane with a bomb threat and shouting 'death to America' and 'death to Trump. Following this, he starts shouting 'Allahu Akbar' (an Arabic phrase meaning god is great). Other passengers are then seen tackling him to the floor of the plane. As the camera pans around, other passengers can be seen shocked and scared. HT could not independently verify the authenticity of the video. Also read: What caused American Airlines flight's wheels to catch fire, forcing evacuations at Denver airport This month, an Indian origin man aged 21 was also arrested in Miami after he allegedly attacked the fellow passengers on Frontier Airlines and made disturbing statements aboard the flight. The man named Ishaan Sharma began acting strangely, with mocking laughs and making statements like ''you punt, mortal man, if you challenge me, it will result in your death.' Sharma was later arrested and charged with battery upon landing in Miami. In a similar incident earlier in July 2016, a 38-year-old man was sentenced to ten weeks in prison for yelling 'Allahu Akbar' onboard a Birmingham-bound flight, India Today reported. As per the report, the man named Shehraz Sarwar shouted Allahu Akbar repeatedly and also shouted 'boom' as the plane was about to land. The chanting was followed by a turbulent landing, which scared many passengers. Meanwhile, the report quoted Sarwar's saying that he was upset after attending his grandmother's funeral in Pakistan and had also not taken his medication. Ultimately, Sarwar was sentenced to 10 weeks imprisonment.
