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The Hindu
14 minutes ago
- Business
- The Hindu
CMRL-Exalogic case: Kerala High Court issues notice to Veena, 12 others
The Kerala High Court has issued notice to Veena T., the daughter of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, her IT firm Exalogic Solutions Pvt. Ltd., and 11 others who had been arraigned as respondents in the case pertaining to the allegations regarding the financial transactions between Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd. (CMRL) and Exalogic. The notice was issued on a petition filed by BJP leader Shone George, seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the allegations. The 11 other respondents include Sasidharan Kartha, the MD of CMRL. In the petition, Mr. George said that the contents of the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) probe report on the alleged financial transactions between the two companies had referred to corporate fraud. But the SFIO had limited the scope of its probe to offences under the Companies Act and did not investigate the motive behind the alleged illegal payments. He thus sought further probe in coordination with the CBI, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Election Commission, since the findings involved offences under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, the Prevention of Corruption Act, and the Representation of People's Act. Veena's stance Ms. Veena had in an affidavit before the High Court in June refuted the allegation that her company is a 'benami' firm, and said it is operated independently of her father. In response to a PIL filed seeking a CBI probe into the allegations pertaining to the financial transactions between the two companies, she had said that the Union Ministry of Corporate Affairs had ordered a probe by the SFIO into certain affairs of the CMRL, including its transactions with Exalogic, under the Companies Act. As the SFIO was currently seized of the matter, all other agencies are precluded from probing it, she had contended then.
Hindustan Times
25 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Digital arrest scam: Two women held on hostage for nearly nine hours by fraudsters posing as police
Bengaluru, In another case of "digital arrest", two women were allegedly held hostage on a video call for nearly nine hours and forced to strip naked under the pretext of an 'online medical examination' by cyber fraudsters posing as police officers, police said on Wednesday. Digital arrest scam: Two women held on hostage for nearly nine hours by fraudsters posing as police The women were also "threatened with the nude images and videos recorded during the so-called medical examination," which the fraudsters claimed was necessary to identify birthmarks and moles, police said. In the FIR, a 46-year-old Bengaluru woman said she and her childhood friend, an international instructor based in Thailand who is currently visiting India, were scammed by individuals claiming to be police officials from the Colaba Police Station in Mumbai. On July 17, at around 11 am, her friend received a call from the fraudsters, who alleged that she was involved in a "Jet Airways scam". According to the FIR, the fraudsters further accused her of involvement "in money laundering, trafficking, and even murder." They shared her accurate bank card details to bolster their claims. Fearing serious consequences, the women complied with their demands and transferred ₹58,477 to a specified bank account, as instructed. The women were also threatened with what appeared to be official documents—an arrest warrant and other paperwork supposedly from the CBI—related to money laundering. "After that, they said a medical examination was needed to verify marks or tattoos on our bodies and instructed us to strip naked and follow their directions, which we did. They then told us we were under digital and home arrest and ordered us to remain on a WhatsApp video call for 24 hours. We weren't allowed to leave the house, as they claimed we were under surveillance," the complainant stated. Later, her childhood friend managed to contact another friend via WhatsApp and narrated their ordeal. On her friend's advice, she immediately disconnected the call after realising it was a scam. Soon after, the fraudsters began sending them their nude photos—captured during the so-called medical examination—and threatened to make them public. "For about nine hours, we were subjected to continuous harassment, which caused us extreme stress and emotional trauma," the complaint added. Based on the complaint, a case was registered under relevant sections of the Information Technology Act and Section 318 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at the East CEN Crime Police Station on July 19. Police said the matter is under investigation. Digital arrest is a term used in cyber fraud cases where victims are falsely informed that they are under surveillance or in legal custody through digital means. They are often isolated via continuous video or call surveillance by fraudsters impersonating government officials and manipulated into following instructions—often leading to extortion or fraud. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Hans India
44 minutes ago
- Politics
- Hans India
IRCTC hotel scam case: Delhi court defers decision on framing charges against Lalu Prasad
New Delhi: A Delhi court on Wednesday deferred till August 5 the pronouncement of its decision on framing charges against Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) president Lalu Prasad Yadav, his family members and others accused in the IRCTC hotel scam case. The alleged scam took place between 2004 to 2009 when Lalu Prasad was the Union railway minister. During his tenure, two hotels were given on lease without following the norms. Special judge Vishal Gogne, who was slated to deliver the verdict on Wednesday, deferred the pronouncement till August 5. The Rouse Avenue Court had reserved its order on May 29 after hearing detailed arguments on framing of criminal conspiracy, cheating and corruption charges against the accused persons. Besides, Lalu Prasad and Tejashwi Yadav, Prem Gupta, Sarla Gupta, Railway officials Rakesh Saksena and P.K. Goyal are also accused in this case. The case is related to the alleged irregularities in giving the contract of maintenance of two IRCTC hotels to a firm when Lalu Prasad Yadav was the Railway Minister. One of the hotels was allotted to Sarla Gupta, who is wife of Prem Gupta, a close friend of Lalu Prasad. He was also a Rajya Sabha MP at that time. As per the prosecution, the RJD leader got three acres of prime land through a benami company. Claiming that there were no irregularities on his part, Lalu Prasad said that the tenders were awarded fairly and sought a discharge. Last week, the Supreme Court refused to entertain Lalu Prasad's plea seeking a stay on the proceedings of the trial court in the land-for-job case. He had moved a special leave petition (SLP) before the top court challenging the Delhi High Court's rejection of his application to stay the trial proceedings. This came after the trial court took cognisance of the multiple charge sheets filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) under the Prevention of Corruption Act. As per the CBI, during the period 2004-2009, Lalu Prasad (then Railway Minister) had obtained pecuniary advantages in the form of transfer of landed property in the name of his family members in lieu of appointment of substitutes in Group 'D' posts in different Zones of the Railways. A number of residents of Patna themselves or through their family members sold and gifted their land in favour of the family members of Lalu Prasad and a private company controlled by him and his family.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Nabha encounter: Plea for CBI probe argues it took place right before Col Bath's assault
1 2 Patiala: A fresh petition has been filed in the Punjab and Haryana high court to demand a CBI probe into the March 13 encounter of 22-year-old Jaspreet Singh, a youth who had returned from Vancouver, but was accused of kidnapping a child from Ludhiana. The petitioner, Gurtej Singh Dhillon, is the brother-in-law of Col Pushpinder Singh Bath, an army officer who was allegedly assaulted by a police team in Patiala. The petition alleges that the same police team involved in Jaspreet's killing previously assaulted Col Bath and his son outside Rajindra Hospital here. The CBI is already investigating that case following a high court order. Dhillon has demanded a time-bound Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the incident, alleging that Punjab Police staged a "fake encounter". He cited medical evidence indicating close-range gunshot wounds and claimed that police officials were promised promotions and Rs 10 lakh for the encounter. "Police claimed he died in an exchange of fire, but villagers told me that he surrendered before being taken to an isolated spot where shots were heard," said Dhillon. Dhillon said Punjab govt faced scrutiny amid reports of 20 encounters in six months. "We fear evidence destruction if Punjab Police investigates itself," he added. "The post-mortem proves execution-style killing. How can police claim it was crossfire?" said the counsel for Dhillon.
News18
5 hours ago
- Business
- News18
‘ED Not A Supercop': Madras HC Slams Agency For Overreach, Quashes Rs 901 Crore Freeze Order
The court also rejected ED's reliance on alleged FEMA violations, saying such infractions don't automatically trigger PMLA provisions and can't be used as a 'backdoor' In a sharp rebuke to the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the Madras High Court has quashed the agency's move to freeze Rs 901 crore in fixed deposits of RKM Powergen Private Limited, warning that the agency is 'not a super cop" empowered to investigate everything that comes to its notice. A division bench of Justices MS Ramesh and V Lakshminarayanan ruled that in the absence of a predicate offence, ie a scheduled offence under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the ED has no jurisdiction to invoke its powers. There must first be a scheduled criminal activity and proceeds arising from such activity. Only then does ED's mandate under PMLA begin, the bench clarified. The judgment comes as the latest twist in the long-running saga surrounding the contentious 2008 allocation of the Fatehpur East coal block, later cancelled by the Supreme Court in 2014 after it was revealed the block lay within a protected forest area. Although the CBI initially registered a case in 2014, it filed a closure report citing lack of evidence. However, a special court in 2017 ordered further investigation. Based on this, the ED had frozen RKMP's accounts in 2015, but that action was already struck down by the high court the same year. Despite the court's 2022 direction restraining further investigation under PMLA due to the absence of a predicate offence, the ED revived its probe after the CBI filed a supplementary chargesheet in 2023. That eventually led to the freezing of RKMP's fixed deposits in early 2025. Rejecting this fresh freeze, the high court found no new material or grounds to justify the ED's action. It pointed out that the agency's seizure memo merely parroted the statute without any application of mind. The court also rejected ED's reliance on alleged violations of FEMA (Foreign Exchange Management Act), saying such infractions don't automatically trigger PMLA provisions and cannot be used as a backdoor for initiating proceedings. Importantly, the bench clarified that even the filing of a chargesheet by the CBI does not automatically justify ED's entry unless it specifically establishes that proceeds of crime stem from a scheduled offence. The court underscored the principle that 'without a predicate offence, the ED simply cannot act". Foreign investments made into RKMP, which ED previously questioned as potential round-tripping, were found to have been made transparently and with full disclosure to the RBI. view comments First Published: July 23, 2025, 14:02 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
