Many Indian airlines spend more on publicity than on passenger safety: Survey
The survey, which garnered over 44,000 responses from citizens across 322 districts, found that 76 per cent of respondents felt that many airlines were spending more on marketing campaigns than ensuring flight safety.
Of the 26,696 people who responded to the question on publicity versus safety, 43 per cent said 'yes, all of them' while 33 per cent said 'yes, some of them.' Only 11 per cent believed no airline was prioritising publicity over safety, while 13 per cent gave no definitive answer.
The findings come in the wake of a string of recent aviation incidents involving several Indian carriers, including Air India and SpiceJet.
Last month, a Tata Group-operated Air India Boeing 787-8 aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad en route to London Gatwick, killing 241 of the 242 passengers and 19 people on the ground. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is currently probing the cause of the tragedy and has submitted a preliminary report.
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Time of India
44 minutes ago
- Time of India
Cops Bust Int'l Drug Cartel Run On Delivery App Model
New Delhi: Blowing the lid off a major drug ring active in Delhi-NCR's party circuits, Delhi Police crime branch seized cocaine, MDMA and OG ganja worth over Rs 100 crore, and arrested five foreign nationals. The syndicate was led by notorious Nigerian kingpin Callistus and had a highly organised structure, which utilised encrypted WhatsApp channels, forged documents and Indian-based foreign nationals for last-mile drug deliveries. Special commissioner (crime) Devesh Shrivastava said that the syndicate had a presence in Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the UK. "They operated using a call centre model via WhatsApp and facilitated food delivery app-style deliveries using live locations through foot soldiers," Shrivastava added. Police seized a sedan and Rs 2 lakh in cash, besides mobiles, passports, 2,700 grams of Colombian cocaine, 1,000 grams of MDMA and over 1 kg of OG ganja. You Can Also Check: Delhi AQI | Weather in Delhi | Bank Holidays in Delhi | Public Holidays in Delhi The operation began with a raid at a courier facility in west Delhi's Moti Nagar, where 895 grams of MDMA, concealed among samples of Indian suits and ladies' shoes packaging, was intercepted. "The parcel's trail was followed through puzzles of fake addresses and different IDs and finally led to Cameroonian national Kameni Philipp, the cartel's India operations head. We seized cocaine in its purest form, which was moulded into compressed bricks with waterproof packaging. His interrogation blew open the cartel's core structure—revealing a tight-knit operation directly linked to Callistus, a Nigerian national controlling the global supply chain from West Africa," said Mangesh Kashyap, additional commissioner (crime). The investigation by ACP Bhagwati Prasad's team led to the arrest of three Nigerian nationals identified as Godwin John, Kelechi Chikwe and Ibe Chinedu Austin, besides Koulaie Philippe, alias Tall Guy, from Cote d'Ivoire. According to Kashyap, the syndicate's modus operandi included smuggling pure cocaine into India using female Indian nationals as carriers, exploiting their lower risk profile at international borders. Upon entry into India, the consignment was received by Philipp, who passed them on to level-A distributors like Godwin John. John chemically adulterated the pure cocaine in a 1:4 ratio using neutral cutting agents, transforming 1 kg of pure cocaine into approximately 5 kg of street-grade cocaine. The adulterated product was then distributed to level-B operatives such as Ibe, alias Victor, who released the stock on a weekly basis to level-C peddlers who conducted final deliveries to end users. Weekly payments were collected from these lower-level operatives and passed up the hierarchy. "Handlers in Nigeria maintained centralised customer databases, ensuring that if a foot soldier was arrested, he could be quickly replaced without loss of customer data or disruption to operations," the additional CP said. The investigation also unravelled a major money laundering operation. According to police, the collected drug proceeds in India were laundered via an informal currency exchange network. "Indians residing in Nigeria who wished to send money to India paid the equivalent amount in Naira to the syndicate. Their relatives in India received the corresponding sum in Indian Rupees, thus bypassing formal banking channels," said DCP Harsh Indora.
Time of India
44 minutes ago
- Time of India
Family of Bengali migrant pushed into B'desh submits land docus dating back to 1950s
1 2 Malda: Family members of Malda resident Sk Amir, who has been pushed into Bangladesh after being arrested by Rajasthan Police, have produced land documents to prove that they have been living in Malda's Kaliachak since at least 1950s. Amir's kin produced their land documents at Kaliachak police station on Friday to prove that he is a legitimate Indian citizen. Amir, 22, was jailed in Rajasthan for two months on the suspicion of being Bangladeshi before being pushed into Bangladesh by BSF on Tuesday night. His father, Jiyem Sheikh, said his elder son had gone to Chittor along with several others from their neighbourhood to work as a labourer. After working there for a few days, local cops detained them. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata "While others had EPIC, PAN and Aadhaar, my son had only Aadhaar. He tried to convince the cops that he was from Malda but was labelled a Bangladeshi. I visited Kaliachak police station and submitted all documents including my land records. Our family has been living in Malda's Jalalpur for 400 years. We are poor, how can we rush to Rajasthan with all the documents?" the distraught father told TOI. Rajya Sabha MP and Bengal Migrant Welfare Board chairperson Samirul Islam said they had also received the land documents. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Refrigerator Sale 2025 – Discover Big Discounts on Trusted Brands! Refrigerators | Search Ads Search Now Undo "We have no doubt that Amir is an Indian. Let us see how long it takes to prove this to Rajasthan police and BSF," he said. Jiyem said he and his younger son, Arman, were themselves working as migrant labourers in Gaya for the past 20 days but rushed back to Jalalpur after being summoned by Kaliachak police. "Our contract is not over but we returned as soon as possible. We just hope to get back our son who is missing for more than two months," he added. In a video that went viral on Thursday, Amir was purportedly seen crying and saying, "I was working in Rajasthan. Police picked me up saying I was a Bangladeshi. I showed my Aadhaar card. I got additional documents of my parents from Kaliachak. But they insisted on ID proof that I did not have. They kept me in jail for two months. Cops handcuffed me and brought me here (unidentifiable place) and BSF pushed me into Bangladesh. I don't know anybody in Bangladesh, I have nothing to eat." Jiyem said the man who had made the video in Bangladesh had called him and said Amir was found at Ghumra on the other side of Ghojadanga border in North 24 Parganas. Amir is not the only Bengali-speaking migrant to be pushed into Bangladesh by BSF. On June 26, six Birbhum residents, including three minors, who were arrested by Delhi Police were pushed into Bangladesh by BSF. Their kin have filed a habeas corpus petition in Calcutta High Court and cited land records of their grandparents dating back to 1950s. In mid-June, Bengal govt put "pressure" on BSF to secure the return of a young Bagdah couple forcibly pushed into Bangladesh. They had been detained by Maharashtra police despite having Aadhaar, EPIC, birth and school certificates. "It was only on receiving a call from Border Guard Bangladesh that we learnt that they were in their custody. BSF did not help us," said a family member.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Rajkot advocates ask for appointment of new district govt pleader, AGPs
Rajkot: A delegation of senior advocates from Rajkot met Gujarat minister of state for home Harsh Sanghavi during his visit to the city, demanding the appointment of a new district govt pleader and expedited appointments of assistant govt pleaders (AGPs). Dilip Patel, senior advocate and co-chairman of the Bar Council of India, said, "The current district govt pleader has been holding the post for eight years and has passed retirement age. The govt should retire him and appoint a successor. Interviews for assistant govt pleaders were conducted three years ago, but no appointments have been made so far." The district govt pleader heads the prosecution and assigns cases to AGPs in all courts. The advocates also voiced concerns about police conduct. They alleged that some junior police personnel behave rudely when lawyers visit police stations on behalf of clients. Additionally, they raised concerns about the city's worsening traffic situation. Vijay Togadiya, a secretary of the Revenue Bar Association, said, "We made a representation on the issue of the Disturbed Areas Act; which some people misuse through certain loopholes." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Access all TV channels anywhere, anytime Techno Mag Learn More Undo Sanghavi, while speaking to mediapersons later, said, "We are developing a master plan to resolve traffic issues across all cities in collaboration with municipal corporations. The police will act on suggestions from MLAs and party leaders. This coordinated effort will produce a 50-year roadmap for traffic management." New Cyber Crime police station inaugurated in Rajkot The state-of-the-art Cyber Crime police station for Rajkot range was inaugurated on Friday by senior minister Raghavji Patel in the presence of MoS home Harsh Sanghavi. The facility, built at a cost of Rs 4.41 crore, will handle serious cyber offences in Rajkot Rural, Jamnagar, Morbi and Devbhumi Dwarka districts. Located in a four-storey building, the station has a conference hall, data forensics lab, cyber helpline, monitoring and analysis rooms and a dedicated unit for child pornography cases. Sanghavi also inaugurated police housing projects at Ramnathpara, Vinchhiya and Atkot. 185 Pakistani migrants granted Indian citizenship in Rajkot During his visit, Sanghavi conferred Indian citizenship to 185 Pakistani nationals living in Rajkot, Morbi, and Kutch under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) 2019. At a Lok Darbar, Sanghavi also heard grievances from 64 applicants and instructed police officials to resolve their issues promptly.
