Indian national among two held with drugs at Nepal airport
According to a statement issued by the Nepal Police headquarters, the arrested individuals include Thai national Somask Patcha, 43, and Indian national Pereira Giffin, 29.
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Business Standard
an hour ago
- Business Standard
Sharmishtha Panoli gets interim bail, court asks police to ensure safety
The Calcutta High Court on Thursday granted interim bail to influencer Sharmishtha Panoli, who was arrested in connection with a controversial social media post linked to Operation Sindoor. Panoli, a fourth-year law student from Pune, was arrested by Kolkata Police last week from Gurugram, over allegations of hurting religious sentiments. The arrest came after a now-deleted video she posted online triggered widespread backlash for what were described as 'communal' remarks. Following the controversy, Panoli, 22, took down the video and issued a public apology. Granting her interim bail, the high court laid down specific conditions. Panoli has been prohibited from leaving the country without prior permission from the Chief Judicial Magistrate and has been asked to deposit a sum of ₹10,000. The court also took note of Panoli's earlier petition regarding threats to her safety and directed the Kolkata Police to take necessary action. The plea had been submitted before her arrest. Earlier this week, the court had denied interim bail, with Justice Partha Sarathi Chatterjee stating, 'Look, we have freedom of speech, but that doesn't mean you will go on to hurt others. Our country is diverse, with people from different castes, creeds, and religions. We must be cautious by saying this. So, the day after tomorrow. Heavens will not fall.' The high court had also directed the West Bengal government to submit the case diary on June 5. During the hearing, Panoli's lawyer argued that the complaint against her lacked substance, stating that her comments were part of an ongoing digital exchange between Indian and Pakistani users during Operation Sindoor—a counter-response by India following the deadly Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed the lives of 26 people, mostly tourists. Her arrest has sparked political controversy in West Bengal, with the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) calling it an instance of 'selective enforcement". The party also accused the Kolkata Police of acting with 'uncharacteristic haste".
Scroll.in
an hour ago
- Scroll.in
Indian-origin man jailed in US for hate crime against staff of Sikh organisation
A court in the United States on Tuesday sentenced a person of Indian origin from Texas to 26 months of imprisonment for threatening to injure and kill employees of a Sikh non-profit organisation. The man, Bhushan Athale, had in January pleaded guilty to 'interfering with federally protected activities' by threatening to use a dangerous weapon and making an interstate threat to injure another person. In September 2022, Athale sent seven voicemails to the phone number of an organisation that advocates for the civil rights of Sikhs in the United States. In these calls he threatened to injure or kill the Sikh individuals working at the organisation. In March 2023, he sent two more voicemails to the number of the same organisation, this time using violent imagery against both Sikhs and Muslims. He had also sent 'hate-fuelled' emails and messages to a Muslim colleague in November 2021, a separate complaint against him said. Along with 26 months in prison, Athale was also placed under three years of supervised release on Tuesday. He has been warned not to contact the victims of his offences. The United States has 'no tolerance for hate-fuelled threats of violence', Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K Dhillon of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division said.
NDTV
2 hours ago
- NDTV
How 'Madam N' Lured Indian Social Media Influencers To Spy For Pakistan
Quick Read Summary is AI generated, newsroom reviewed. Noshaba Shehzad, a Lahore travel agency owner, allegedly aided Indian influencers in espionage for Pakistan's ISI. Known as 'Madam N', she facilitated their travel, established a spy network, and manipulated visa processes, profiting from pilgrimage tours. Srinagar/New Delhi: A businesswoman who runs a 'travel agency' in Pakistan's Lahore has been identified as the person who helped Indian social media influencers travel to her country and set the groundwork for using them as spies, sources have said. Working under Pakistan's espionage agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the businesswoman Noshaba Shehzad who runs the Lahore-based company 'Jaiyana Travel and Tourism', helped Indian social media influencers like Jyoti Malhotra - who was arrested recently - and many others to visit Pakistan, sources said. Known by the codename 'Madam N' by the ISI, Ms Shehzad came into the picture during interrogation of arrested social media influencers in India, sources said, adding she had been working to set up a massive sleeper cell network of at least 500 spies who can hide in plain sight across India. Ms Shehzad's husband is a retired officer of the Pakistani civil services. The Pakistani Army and the ISI sent her instructions on how to set up the sleeper cell network in India, sources said. Sources said the Pakistani businesswoman introduced Indian social media influencers to her country's army and the ISI, and would lure Hindus and Sikhs living in India. She helped nearly 3,000 citizens from India and 1,500 non-resident Indians (NRIs) visit Pakistan in the last six months, sources said. Ms Shehzad's influence reached the visa department of the Pakistani embassy in Delhi. She had been in touch with the First Secretary (visa) Suhail Qamar and Counsellor (trade) Umar Sheryar, which meant that whoever she wanted would get a Pakistani visa immediately, "with a single phone call", sources said. She was also in touch with ISI operative Danish alias Ehsan-ur-Rehman, who worked as a visa officer in the Pakistani embassy in Delhi. Danish was expelled from India in May, after Jyoti Malhotra was exposed. While there is neither any system to send tourists from India to Pakistan nor any process to issue tourist visas to Indian citizens, the Pakistani High Commission had been issuing visitor visas on the recommendation and sponsorship of 'Madam N'. Her connection with the Pakistani Army and the ISI can also be understood from the fact that her company is the only agency that organises Sikh and Hindu pilgrimage to Pakistan, which works in collaboration with the Evacuee Trust Property Board. On the side, Ms Shehzad charged a huge amount of money from Indian pilgrims and used the funds for promoting Pakistani propaganda, sources said. She recently appointed some travel agents in Delhi and other cities, who are now promoting her company on social media.
