Latest news with #InformationTechnologyAct
Hindustan Times
4 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Sexual harassment case registered against teacher of Aligarh college
A case has been registered against an assistant professor of Shri Varshney Degree College, in Aligarh, on the complaint of a former student for alleged sexual harassment of women students at college, on Saturday. The complainant alleged that Dr Shajruddin, of the English department offered better marks, help in PhD and even made promises to ensure a job of professor at college initially. Thereafter, the accused began sending obscene messages on social media at night and made objectionable demands. The woman complained that she had informed the proctor and the head of department, while providing them with screenshots of messages but no action was taken. She complained that the accused asked her to change her religion. She has now asked for scrutiny of the laptop and mobile phone of the teacher so that it could be found if other women students were targeted by the accused assistant professor. The case was registered under section 75 (sexual harassment), 78 (stalking), 79 (insult to modesty of women), 351(2) (criminal intimidation) of the Bhartiya Nyayay Sanhita, and Section 67 (transmitting obscene material) of Information Technology Act at Gandhi Park police station of Aligarh against Dr Shajruddin, English teacher at Varshney Degree College, said SP, city, Mrigank Shekhar Pathak. 'Police will investigate the matter and act accordingly,' Pathak said. The victim had informed the State Women's Commission too. Earlier, on Thursday, the women students of the college had lodged a protest against the accused assistant professor who was even manhandled. Police from Gandhi Nagar police station had reached the college and the matter reached the principal, who assured to constitute a probe into the matter.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
City skincare firm conned by cyber fraudster, gets Rs 12 crore ad bill
Hyderabad: Old School Rituals (OSR), a city-based natural skincare and haircare company, fell victim to a cyber fraud incident resulting in an unauthorised Google Ads spend of 12.7 crore. An unknown offender has reportedly accessed the company's Google Ad account and placed thousands of ads pertaining to US-based companies in a span of 48 hours. The incident came to light when the company's digital marketing agency, ENSO Business Consulting, discovered an unauthorised advertising campaign that ran over two days, May 17 and 18. The campaign generated over 2.1 million clicks, but zero conversions, raising immediate red flags. ENSO Business Consulting immediately alerted OSR about the abnormal ad spending, and the latter's management asked ENSO to conduct a probe. Shashanka Kancharla, director of Old School Inspirations Private Limited, operating OSR, filed a formal complaint with the Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB) headquarters on Wednesday. According to the complaint, the company typically maintains daily advertising budgets between 10,000 and 15,000, making the unauthorised spend approximately 850 times their usual daily budget. "This was neither authorised by us nor aligned with our marketing strategy," stated Shashanka in his complaint. The company operates from the Financial District and primarily sells its products through its official website and selected partner channels. Shashanka and his wife, Smita Valluripalli, a singer and actress, are directors of the company. ENSO Business Consulting, which managed OSR's digital marketing for the past 10 months, submitted a detailed incident report on May 21 suggesting their Google Ads account or an employee's credentials might have been compromised. Also, the firm claimed that every time they place an advertisement, they get a notification. However, they did not any get notifications during the two-day period. "Verify if any hacking or compromise of credentials occurred. Facilitate the recovery or reversal of the fraudulent ad spend. Treat this as a case of cyber crime involving account hacking and significant financial loss," Shashanka stated in his complaint. Following the fraud, a Google Ads bill of 12.7 crore was raised against OSR as thousands of ads pertaining to US-based companies were placed through OSR's Google Ad account by an unknown person. It is learnt that the company informed Google Ads about the hacking. Based on the complaint, the TGCSB's headquarters police station registered a case under the Section 318(4) (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) of the BNS, and Sections 43 read with 66, 66-C of the Information Technology Act on Wednesday. Investigators were analysing the evidence to trace the source of the breach, and they have also written to Google seeking technical details to identify the accused.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Delhi High Court Seeks Response on Plea Challenging Notification Empowering Police to Issue Social Media Takedown Notices
New Delhi: Delhi High Court sought the response of LG VK Saxena on a plea challenging a notification issued by him empowering police to issue takedown notices for social media content. A division bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela issued a notice to LG and the union ministry of electronics and information technology, asking them to file replies within six weeks. The court listed the matter for further hearing on Sept 17. The bench was hearing a plea filed by the 'Software Freedom Law Center' challenging the legality and constitutional validity of the notification issued by LG that designated Delhi Police as the nodal agency under the Information Technology Rules, 2021, empowering it to issue takedown notices for online content. The notification empowers Delhi Police officers to issue takedown orders to social media companies and other intermediaries to remove illegal content under the Information Technology Act. Advocate Talha Abdul Rahman, appearing for the petitioner, submitted before the court that this designation has no basis in law. Neither Section 79 of the Information Technology Act nor the IT Rules, 2021 confer any authority to appoint such a nodal agency. The petition stated that allowing police officers to unilaterally issue takedown notices, without judicial or independent oversight, opens the door to unchecked censorship and arbitrary restriction of constitutionally protected speech. It added that such a move violates Articles 19 and 21 of the Constitution and contradicts the landmark judgments of the Supreme Court, which emphasise the need for legal safeguards and proportionality in actions impacting fundamental rights. "The statutory power to block or remove online content is exclusively vested in the central govt under Section 69A of the IT Act, read with the Information Technology Rules, 2009. The impugned notification, by granting these powers to the police, oversteps constitutional and statutory boundaries and is, therefore, ultra vires the parent legislation," the plea said.
New Indian Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Delhi HC asks LG, Centre to reply to plea on online content takedown notices
NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court has sought the response of the Lieutenant Governor on a plea challenging a notification issued by him empowering police to issue takedown notices for social media content. A bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela issued notice to the LG and the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and asked them to file replies within six weeks. The court listed the matter for further hearing on September 17. The bench was hearing a plea filed by Software Freedom Law Center (SFLC) challenging the legality and constitutional validity of the notification issued by the LG that designated Delhi Police as the nodal agency under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, empowering it to issue takedown notices for online content. The notification empowers Delhi Police officers to issue takedown orders to social media companies and other intermediaries to remove illegal content under the Information Technology Act.
News18
2 days ago
- News18
Japanese Citizens Duped By Fake ‘Microsoft' Calls: CBI Arrests 6 In Raids Across Delhi, Haryana, UP
Last Updated: The gang tricked Japanese citizens by calling them with fake virus alerts, then charged money for bogus tech support services claiming to fix non-existent issues In a significant breakthrough, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), in collaboration with Japan's National Police Agency and Microsoft, has uncovered a major cyber fraud syndicate. Dubbed Operation Chakra-V, it resulted in the arrest of six individuals following raids at 19 locations across Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. The gang had been defrauding Japanese citizens through a fake call centre. The arrested suspects include Ashu Singh from Delhi, Kapil Khakhar from Haryana's Panipat, Rohit Maurya from Ayodhya, and Shubham Jaiswal, Vivek Raj and Adarsh Kumar from Varanasi. These individuals were part of an organised cybercrime network, deceiving Japanese citizens by impersonating representatives from the renowned software company, Microsoft. According to the CBI, the gang would contact Japanese citizens and intimidate them with claims of alleged technical faults in their digital and electronic devices. They then extorted money by offering fake technical support services. The fraudulent scheme employed social engineering and technical deception, making it easier to dupe the victims. On May 28, the CBI, alongside Japan's National Police Agency and Microsoft, conducted simultaneous raids at 19 locations in Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. This operation led to the dismantling of two fake call centres and the seizure of crucial evidence, including laptops, mobile phones and other digital devices. The gang's modus operandi involved scaring Japanese citizens through phone calls and convincing them of supposed viruses or technical issues in their devices. They then charged for bogus technical support, leveraging the trusted name of Microsoft. The money obtained through these fraudulent activities was laundered through money mule accounts, making it difficult to trace. The international cooperation between the CBI, Japan's National Police Agency, and Microsoft was instrumental in identifying the gang's hideouts and exposing its entire operational structure. The CBI emphasised that this operation reflects improved coordination between Indian and foreign agencies in tackling global cyber threats. All six arrested individuals face charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act. The CBI noted that the investigation is ongoing, with efforts to identify other suspects linked to this network. First Published: May 29, 2025, 19:00 IST
