Latest news with #Amjad
ITV News
21 hours ago
- ITV News
Covid fraudster who scammed businesses out of £500k found with thousands hidden in his kitchen
A Covid scammer who defrauded companies out of hundreds of thousands of pounds by tricking them into changing their payment methods has been jailed. Ali Amjad, 42, masterminded a scam in which he posed as a legitimate supplier and persuaded businesses to change their payment methods for direct debits, standing orders and bank transfers. Amjad and his accomplices acquired more than £500,000 from companies worldwide, as well as making false applications for Bounce Back Loans which were issued by the government during lockdown to help small and medium-sized businesses. Police found more than £80,000 in cash stuffed behind kitchen kickboards and £3,600 in his wardrobe when they raided his home in Taverners Road, Peterborough, on 28 July 2020. Six other people allowed Amjad to launder money through their bank accounts in exchange for a cut of the money. On 23 July, Amjad was jailed for three years after admitting a money laundering charge of entering arrangements to facilitate the acquisition of criminal property and possession of criminal property. One victim, an agricultural organisation in Cambridgeshire, lost over £200,000 in April 2020, its emails having been intercepted by hackers who manipulated payment invoices purporting to belong to a business partner. Police found money had been stolen from an oil company in Oman through fraudulent invoices and email accounts, and other companies in Qatar, Kuwait, South Africa and Singapore were also scammed. The six others admitted money laundering offences. They were: Curtis Brown, 28, of Trice Way, Alconbury Weald, received five months in prison suspended for two years with 40 hours of unpaid work. He provided bank accounts and personal information. Keith Gibling, 54, of Ashbeach Road, Ramsey, received 10 months in prison suspended for two years. He provided bank accounts and personal information and had no direct knowledge of what was going on. Warren Laver, 38, of Ash Close, Huntingdon, received one year and one month in prison suspended for two years and 80 hours of unpaid work. He received criminal money which others had made the arrangements for. Thomas Pemberton, 34, of Bluebell Close, Ramsey, received 10 months in prison suspended for two years and 80 hours of unpaid work. He was involved in a one-off incident while dealing with addiction issues. Jerome Sergeant, 35, of Whitwell, Peterborough, received one year and four months suspended for two years with 100 hours of unpaid work. Tommy Fordham, 34, of Norwood Road, Somersham, received a 12-month community order and 40 hours of unpaid work. Det Con Alan Armstrong, who led the investigation, reminded companies genuine organisations would not pressure them to change their payment methods. He added: "I hope those convicted reflect on their actions and the damage they have caused to people's livelihoods. "Criminal activity like this is becoming more and more sophisticated and challenging to detect."
NDTV
3 days ago
- NDTV
Woman, 62, Wanted To Buy Sleeping Pills, But Lost Rs 77 Lakh In Digital Arrest
A search for a prescribed drug led to a sexagenarian falling prey to a digital arrest and fraud amounting to Rs 77 lakh. The story dates to August of 2024, when a 62-year-old woman, Neeru, was browsing different drug stores' websites to purchase sleeping pills, a medicine she takes every month for her neurological illness. Neeru ordered the required medicines and forgot about them until she received a call from an officer, claiming to be a Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officer, accusing her of buying "illicit drugs". Neeru, a former teacher who lives alone in Delhi's Vasant Kunj, panicked. The man, claiming to be from the NCB, said that the department was suspecting her of supplying drugs in the national capital, Delhi. The NCB officer gave the elderly woman two options: transfer some money to verify the bank account details or face an arrest warrant. Afraid, Neetu transferred Rs 3 lakh to different bank accounts just to prove her innocence. 10 Days Later: 'Good Cop' Joins 10 days later, Neetu received another call, this time from another man who also claimed to be from NCB, but a 'good cop'. The man offered the much-needed validation to Neeru, assuring her of her innocence and promising to recover the money. Within two days, the 62-year-old received Rs 20,000 back into her account, allegedly the first of many promised transactions to bring back the lost month. The 'good cop' had now gained her trust. WhatsApp Video Call Then came a video call on WhatsApp from four men, including the 'good cop'. The four 'officials' asked the woman to share her screen and open her bank account, after which all her money would be returned. Trusting the good cop, the woman followed the instructions and unknowingly gave net banking access to the fraudsters. Before the woman could realise, multiple debit messages flashed on her mobile phone, with transactions ranging from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh. When she called the trusted 'good cop', his phone was switched off. Real Cops Get Into Play On September 24, she registered a complaint at the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSCO) Unit of the Delhi Police's Special Cell. A team under ACP Manoj Kumar and Sub Inspector Karamvir started investigating digital arrest. After nine months, on June 24, 2025, the police got a lead and arrested Akhilesh, one of the accused, from his rented flat in Delhi's Mukherjee Nagar. During the interrogation, Akhilesh pleaded guilty to transferring the money from the victim's bank account, along with accomplices Amjad, Shahid and Shakeel. The accused revealed that he made the woman share her phone screen on a video call, through which they gained access to the bank account. On June 27, the police raised Punhana in Haryana and arrested Amjad, who won Neeru's trust by pretending to be a good cop, and his accomplice Shahid. During interrogation, Amjad revealed that he, along with his brother-in-law, Shahid, and friend Shakeel, were conspiring to extort money from the woman by threatening to implicate her in a false case. He also said that the fourth accused, Hamid, was involved in threatening the woman by posing as a fake NCB officer or a 'bad cop'. On July 1, the police raided Hamid's house in Rajasthan's Deeg and arrested both Hamid and Shakeel despite villagers' efforts to save the two. Neeru has received only Rs 3 lakh so far. The police are investigating several bank accounts through which the money was moved around. In the mobile phones seized from the five accused, the police have reportedly found evidence of sextortion of other victims. It is further being investigated.
Time of India
23-07-2025
- Time of India
Two vehicle thieves arrested with 10 stolen bikes worth Rs 14L
Indore: Khajrana police on Wednesday arrested two notorious vehicle thieves and recovered 10 stolen motorcycles worth around Rs 14 lakh from them. The accused allegedly stole vehicles to fulfil their personal desires and hobbies. Both of them have prior criminal records, indicating a history of illicit activities. Khajrana police station in-charge Manoj Singh Sendhav said on June 29, 2025, a complaint was filed regarding a stolen motorcycle. After going through hundreds of CCTV camera footages and intelligence from informers, police identified the suspects. Acting on a tip-off about their presence near Star Square on MR 10 Road, a team was dispatched. Upon seeing the police, the suspects attempted to flee, but were swiftly apprehended. The arrested vehicle lifters have been identified as Shahid (35) and Amjad (49), both residents of Khajrana. Amjad, in particular, has an extensive criminal history with numerous cases registered against him, including theft and Arms Act violations. Shahid also has a gambling case registered against him. "The accused confessed to stealing two-wheelers from various areas in Indore. Further investigation is on to uncover more details about their network and additional crimes," said Sendhav.
National Observer
23-07-2025
- Business
- National Observer
Pakistan's solar revolution is bringing power to the people
This story was originally published by Yale Environment 360 and appears here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration Solar power is booming in Pakistan. Its share of electricity generation more than tripled in just three years, climbing from four percent in 2021 to 14 percent in 2024 — one of the highest percentages in Asia, according to a Reuters analysis of data from the British research group Ember. And panel imports doubled in a single year, Ember reports, making Pakistan, with the world's fifth-largest population, one of the biggest solar markets in the world. A confluence of forces has driven this growth. Pakistanis had long lived with overpriced and unreliable power delivered by a creaking grid. When Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine caused gas and coal prices to spike, Pakistanis' bills jumped even higher — and then higher again when the government removed subsidies that had cushioned consumers from the worst of those hikes. At the same time, a glut of cheap Chinese solar panels gave many Pakistanis an alternative to grid power for the first time. Renewables First, an energy and environment think tank in Islamabad, has not only been tracking Pakistan's solar revolution, it is also pressing for policy changes that would make its transition faster and smoother. In an interview with Yale Environment 360, program director Muhammad Mustafa Amjad says reforms that increase grid flexibility and better match supply with demand would make cheap, clean energy available to more people while preventing further price hikes for those still reliant on centrally provided power. If officials begin to better coordinate its transition, Amjad believes, Pakistan's experience can be a model for other developing nations. 'Global South countries don't have to be the laggards,' he says. 'They can actually be the leaders of the energy transition.' Yale Environment 360: Can you give me a sense of how big and how fast the recent growth in Pakistanis' solar power use has been? Muhammad Mustafa Amjad: It's quite unprecedented in terms of speed and scale. Pakistan has imported almost 45 gigawatts worth of solar panels over the last five or six years, which is equal to the total capacity of its electricity grid. Almost 34 gigawatts have come in only in the last couple of years. The world's fifth-largest population is adopting solar technology at scale — a shift being driven primarily by affordability. "It's a very bottom-up revolution," says one expert. "Renewables are out-competing the traditional sources of energy." It's a very bottom-up revolution. This is not government deciding this is the route to take. And it's not being driven by climate concerns, it's all about the economics. Renewables are out-competing the traditional sources of energy. So all of a sudden, it makes financial sense to adopt renewables, to double down on renewables. Energy transitions in the Global South were always seen as being very top-down, with financial institutions and banks and the International Monetary Fund coming in and piloting projects, pushing governments for policies to encourage clean energy. Now, all of a sudden it's the people and markets that have decided solar is the solution. e360: How did this massive adoption of solar come about? Amjad: A lot of factors came together to create a perfect storm of conditions. At the core, it's because electricity from the grid was so expensive. The price went up almost 155 percent over the last few years. People were paying more for electricity than they were for rent. At the same time, China was producing a glut of solar panels, and Chinese companies were competing for new markets. Pakistan was lucrative for them because of our large [251 million] population. And the Pakistani government helped by not taxing Chinese solar panels. So people were looking for cheaper alternatives and they found one in solar. It's becoming a part of a nice dance now. Any new construction includes a solar power system. I was talking to a politician the other day from a remote area, and she said, 'Previously, constituents always asked us for sewing machines' they could use to earn money. 'Now they ask for a solar panel.' It's no longer a luxury item. It's become a necessity. In some parts of the country, it's customary for a family to give a dowry when their daughter gets married. Now, along with a TV and a washing machine, solar panels are part and parcel of this. e360: In 2022, 40 million Pakistanis still didn't have access to electricity. And the grid is unreliable even for those who are connected. What has it been like to live with those problems, and how did they help drive people toward solar? Amjad: We call it load shedding, it's essentially rolling blackouts. The power could be shut off for an hour, for four hours, six hours. There were certain rural areas where load shedding was in excess of 12 to 14 hours per day. And we have lots of areas where grid access isn't really available at all. So people were depending on diesel generators. They were on the lookout for something cleaner and cheaper. e360: Who's buying solar panels, and where? Amjad: This is across the spectrum. In the cities, whoever owns a home, they've already solarized or are intending to solarize or are saving for solar. It's expected for the cities and the rich to lead the way. But the people who benefit the most from it are the ones who were not connected to the grid or had less reliable service. That's where the sun has impacted lots of lived realities. A couple of case studies done in some villages in lower Punjab and upper Sindh found almost 50 percent of the households there have already solarized. These are massive numbers. There was one story where people put a solar system on the back of a tractor and it was being shared between three different households that [used] it to charge their fans and stuff. Another case study, people were using a panel during the day for field work, education work, and then at the end of the day the farmer would take it back to his house. That kind of mixed use, and sharing mechanisms — that's the true revolution that has happened. But a lot more needs to be done to improve access. The government could play a role by providing subsidized systems or loans for poorer households. e360: What are people doing with the power they're now able to generate? Amjad: Our farmers depend on irrigation systems. There are almost 2 million tube wells across Pakistan, and some estimates suggest almost half have already been solarized. Primarily because the wells are usually community owned — so a tube well for a whole village or for six to seven fields. People can club money together, or [the system is] owned by wealthy landlords who have enough spare capital. And the shift is often from a diesel generator to solar, so it makes more sense than going from the grid to solar. Another big area is cooling. Pakistan is a very climate-vulnerable country, and with the extreme temperatures we are experiencing, people want air conditioning and inverters, which are an energy-efficient type of fan. So a lot of lifestyles have been improved. It's also important to understand the battery revolution that's happening. Pakistan has imported almost $95 million worth of batteries in the last three months. So this solar rush is going to be followed by a battery rush, and together they'll create a whole parallel system where people will have a lot more control over their electricity. And after the battery revolution, very soon we'll be talking about an electric vehicle revolution. Pakistan is a huge market for three-wheelers and two-wheelers, it's ripe for electrification. e360: Why has the price of grid power been so high in Pakistan? Amjad: In the 2010s, Pakistan got a lot of private operators to set up thermal power plants, mainly coal and gas, and we offered them quite lucrative deals. These are long-term contracts — 20 or 25 years [in which the government must pay even when the plants' power is not needed]. Then when the Russia-Ukraine crisis began, fuel prices shot up for both gas and coal. And because of fiscal troubles, the government agreed to an IMF loan package that required removal of electricity subsidies for consumers, which had shielded them from some of the expense. So all the costs had to be passed on. e360: With more people generating their own power, there is concern that Pakistan's utilities are losing operating revenue. What would the implications of that be? Amjad: Over the past year we've seen a 4 to 5 percent decrease in grid demand. As more people defect from the grid, the total costs are shared by a smaller number of consumers. So grid electricity gets more expensive, and more consumers leave. This creates what's called a utility death spiral. And we don't want those left on the grid to have to pay for this. So we need massive reform. In developed countries with a high percentage of renewables in some regions, government agencies have had to modernize themselves and put the right infrastructure in place. In Pakistan, it's been very unregulated, unstructured. That needs to change within the next two years — otherwise all the inefficiencies, and the mismanagement and lack of planning are going to cause that spiral, and those who still rely on the grid will bear the cost. We need a lot of action by the government and utilities to prevent that. It's still not too late for the grid to adapt. Utilities have always believed energy is best provided by big power plants, a lot of firm capacity and base load. Now it's more about flexible supply to meet flexible demand. It's a very different equation. A lot of unlearning has to happen. The grid has to reinvent itself and start providing the support required for distributed [decentralized] generation — balancing and demand-supply management and all of those flexibility options, even utility-level batteries. It's quite ambitious, but there is no other option for Pakistan. e360: Will solar power displace energy from fossil fuels, or is it additive? Amjad: Fossil fuels are already being displaced. The coal power plants have become stranded assets — they're being utilized at rates under 20 percent. We have gas-fired power plants where utilization is as low as 15 percent. e360: What can other Global South countries learn from Pakistan's experience? Amjad: Pakistan wasn't expecting to do this for at least 10 or 20 years. It was always supposed to be the U.S. and China and Europe first. But Global South countries can actually be the leaders of the energy transition. Pakistan is proving just that. We've positioned ourselves as early adopters. It's an excellent model because a lot of the conditions we've seen here — like the supply glut from China — exist for other developing economies, too. I think what they can do is plan for it accordingly, with certain safeguards, certain mechanisms. Government can proactively play a role. This is a revolution to celebrate. There's a lot that could be improved on, a lot that can be learned from our experience. I hope we'll be able to talk about Pakistan as a good example, not as 'things to avoid, or things not to do.' But that depends on how we go about our work in the next few years.
Indian Express
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
This actor played one of cinema's greatest villains but once couldn't pay Rs 400 to discharge his wife after childbirth; survived a near-fatal accident, died prematurely at 48
An image instantly forms in our minds when we hear the dialogue, 'Arrey o Sambha, kitne aadmi thay?' Because there was only one actor who could make that line iconic for generations to come — Amjad Khan, who played one of Hindi cinema's greatest villains of all time, Gabbar Singh, in Salim-Javed's Sholay. Amjad Khan was the elder son of veteran character actor Jayant, who was a well-known supporting actor. Amjad started his journey in the film industry as a child actor in minor roles, appearing in films that also featured his father, like Nazneen (1951) and Maya (1961). In 1965, he was supposed to be launched as a lead actor in Patthar Ke Sanam, but the film was shelved. He eventually made his debut in Hindustan Ki Kasam in 1977. However, Amjad struggled to find roles after his debut, and due to the lack of work, he faced financial constraints in his personal life. One particularly difficult period was when his wife gave birth to their son, and he didn't have the money to pay the hospital bills. Amjad's son, Shadaab Khan, spoke about this in an old interview with The Times of India. He shared how his father was embarrassed and didn't show up at the hospital because he couldn't pay the bill. 'He didn't have money to pay so that my mother (Shehla Khan) could be discharged from the hospital I was born in. She started crying. My dad was not showing up at the hospital; he was ashamed to show his face,' he shared. However, it was Hindustan Ki Kasam director Chetan Anand who came to his rescue and paid the bill on his behalf. The day his son was born turned out to be a day of good luck for Amjad. That was also the day he signed Sholay, the film that would catapult him from a struggling actor to an overnight sensation. Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar, the writers of Sholay, had originally wanted Danny Denzongpa to play Gabbar Singh. However, due to date issues, Danny backed out of the project. This turned out to be a blessing for Amjad, as Salim Khan recommended him after being impressed by his acting prowess. Amjad Khan understood the magnitude of the opportunity Sholay presented—a chance to go from struggling actor to star. Perhaps that's why he was nervous while playing the role. Determined to embody Gabbar, Amjad went all in. According to Rediff, he wore army fatigues purchased from Chor Bazaar, slung a bullet belt over his shoulder, and even blackened his teeth to make the tobacco-chewing Gabbar Singh more convincing. Despite his commitment, his nervousness got the better of him. Anupama Chopra mentioned in her book Making of a Classic that Amjad and director Ramesh Sippy struggled to find the right tone for Gabbar during the first two days of shooting. Amjad couldn't deliver a single good take during the initial schedule, prompting Ramesh Sippy to give him a break and reconsider him for the next schedule. Meanwhile, whispers began among the crew about replacing him. Amjad's voice was also a concern. Both Salim-Javed and Ramesh Sippy felt his voice wasn't powerful enough for the villainous role. Feeling guilty about recommending him, Salim-Javed even suggested replacing him or dubbing his voice. The book states: 'If you aren't satisfied with Amjad, change him,' they told him. But the director decided to give Amjad another chance—and the rest, as they say, is history. However, once Amjad found out about this conversation, he was so hurt that he never worked with Salim-Javed or Ramesh Sippy again. Just a year after Sholay's release, Amjad suffered a near-fatal car accident while traveling from Mumbai to Goa. The steering wheel had collided with his chest. The actor was left unconscious with a punctured lung and was admitted to the hospital, where his Sholay co-star and close friend Amitabh Bachchan came to his aid. It was Big B who signed the hospital admission papers and ensured that Amjad received the necessary medical care. Amjad Khan's family was also injured in the accident and no one was there to take responsibility for an important surgery for the actor. 'The scenario was grave. He was unconscious and breathing with difficulty. He needed immediate surgery. The doctors did not advise shifting him to Mumbai while his family had been moved to Mumbai,' recalled Bachchan in an interview to Filmfare. 'The document absolves the doctors of any untoward incident during an operation. When none of the production members were willing to give the signature, I took it on myself and signed the paper. I spoke to his family in Mumbai and they gave consent. The surgery went off well. I organised for a chartered flight to take him back to Mumbai soon after. He survived and recovered to be back with us on the set. The incident brought us even closer,' the actor had said. Although Sholay had made Amjad a star and his career was filled with offers, the physical trauma from the accident would haunt him in the years to come. Despite his health issues, he starred in many iconic films post-Sholay, including Satyajit Ray's acclaimed Shatranj Ke Khiladi. He went on to feature in several hit films such as Hum Kisise Kum Naheen, Inkaar, Ganga Ki Saugand, Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, Barsaat Ki Ek Raat, and Satte Pe Satta—many of them alongside Amitabh Bachchan. But the accident he had narrowly survived in 1976 left long-term effects on his health. He began gaining weight, which further deteriorated his condition. Amjad Khan died prematurely at the age of 48 in 1992.
