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Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
Crackdown on fake permits at Indo-Nepal border; FIRs filed in three UP districts, STF probe ordered
LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh Transport Department has launched a major crackdown on the illegal operation of private buses using forged permits along the Indo-Nepal international route. After receiving reports from the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), Transport Commissioner Brajesh Narayan Singh has taken strict administrative and legal action. Investigations have revealed that several buses were using counterfeit permits at the Nepal border. These permits appeared to be issued by regional transport authorities but were either completely fake or issued beyond legal jurisdiction. Confirmed cases of such forged permits have been found in Aligarh, Baghpat, and Maharajganj, where local ARTOs verified that no such permits were officially granted. FIRs have been filed in these districts, and legal proceedings are underway. Similar suspicious permits have also come to light in Gorakhpur, Etawah, and Auraiya, violating the Indo-Nepal Passenger Transport Agreement of 2014. Disciplinary action has already been initiated in the Gorakhpur case. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Đây có thể là thời điểm tốt nhất để giao dịch vàng trong 5 năm qua IC Markets Tìm hiểu thêm Undo The Commissioner has written to the Director General of Police (DGP), requesting a consolidated investigation by the Special Task Force (STF). He has also urged the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to clarify that only permits issued in Form-C by the destination country's embassy or consulate are valid for international travel. The issue partly stems from loopholes in the VAHAN 4.0 portal, where manual entry in the 'via' column allowed unauthorised destinations like Nepal to be listed. The department has asked NIC to correct this flaw and redesign the faceless permit system. The UP Transport Department has reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, security, and treaty compliance. Commissioner Singh said, "Tampering with national security through fake documents will not be tolerated, and all culprits will face strict legal consequences."
Time of India
09-07-2025
- Time of India
University staffer, cop among four held for supplying MDMA to students in Greater Noida
Noida: A lab technician working at a private university in Greater Noida was among four men arrested on Tuesday for supplying MDMA in the city. Police recovered 600 grams of the synthetic drug from their possession, valued at around Rs 25 lakh. The other three accused include a constable of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) Rohit Kumar, and two locals, Krishan and Luvkush, all from the Jarcha area. Police said the gang was involved in distributing the contraband in small sachets, especially targeting college students and hostel residents in the region. According to police, Nakul, the lab technician, supplied drugs to students from his college and nearby hostels. "They accepted orders via call or WhatsApp and delivered the packets manually. The sachets were prepared and distributed by the three accomplices, who earned a commission on each packet," SHO (Knowledge Park) Sarvesh Singh said. You Can Also Check: Noida AQI | Weather in Noida | Bank Holidays in Noida | Public Holidays in Noida Singh added that the police had been working to dismantle drug supply networks in the district. "Over the last few weeks, we received inputs about a gang operating in the area. A team was formed, and they posed as customers to contact the group," he said. On Monday, the team placed an order for the drugs, which led them to Nakul. "He came to deliver the parcel near the Gurjarpur underpass and was immediately arrested. During interrogation, he revealed the names of three more associates in the area, who were also arrested shortly after," Singh said. Police said a total of 600 grams of MDMA was recovered from the group. During questioning, it was revealed that Rohit was on vacation and had brought MDMA to his native village in Greater Noida. A senior officer said, "He supplied the drugs to the other three, who then distributed them locally. All four are from the same village and personally known to each other." A case has been registered against the accused under relevant sections of the NDPS Act. Further investigation is underway to trace the supply chain and identify potential links with other dealers, the officer added. According to police data, over 1,100 cases have been registered against drug traffickers in Gautam Budh Nagar since Jan 2023, with 1,269 arrests made till April 2025. Around 103kg of MDMA worth Rs 750 crore was among the narcotics seized, police said. In many such cases, students were not only sold drugs but were also used to distribute drugs within college campuses and PG accommodations, police added. In Jan 2024, nine people were arrested for allegedly supplying drugs to colleges, hostels, and PG accommodations across the city. Later, five more members of the same gang, including a student of a private university in Greater Noida, were held. Police recovered drugs worth Rs 20 lakh, two motorcycles used for deliveries, and seven mobile phones used to take orders. Similarly, in Nov 2023, four students pursuing law and MBA at private universities were among nine arrested, with drugs worth Rs 30 lakh seized from their possession. The police commissionerate in Sector 108 has a dedicated Narcotics Cell which has a free 24-hour helpline. The initiative aims to help police gather anonymous tips about drug smuggling for verification, build profiles of offenders, map gang networks, identify drug hotspots, and track illegal supply routes, including those coordinated via the dark web in the national capital region.
Indian Express
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
Sangita Basfore: India's midfield rock who also blasts goals
Before their game against Thailand, India's final match of the AFC Women's Asia Cup Qualifiers last week at the 700th Anniversary of Chiang Mai Stadium, they scribbled a message on a board in the dressing room. 'Yes! You can do it'. Ninety minutes later, midfield spearhead Sangita Basfore says, they felt it needed some tweaking, maybe to make it read: 'Yes, we did it'. Ranked 70th and largely obscure, they had stunned 46th-placed Thailand to win the qualification group and book a spot in the 2026 AFC Women's Asia Cup in Australia. Though the country has participated twice in the event—invited for the 2003 edition and were hosts in 2022, even though they withdrew due to Covid-19 outbreak in the camp–this is the first time they have progressed via the qualification system. At the heart of the triumph was Sangita scoring a worldie to put her side in front in the 29th minute and add a scruffy second to restore India's lead, which they then fiercely safeguarded. When the final whistle blew, coach Crispin Chhetri sank to the ground, something he says he rarely does. As did Sangita, uncontrollably shedding tears of joy. 'All the hard work, all the heartbreaks, all the previous matches we couldn't win, flashbacks of everything came all together. Finally we achieved it and we could come back home happy,' Sangita tells The Indian Express. 'I am a defensive midfielder,' the 28-year-old asserts. She loves that position as well, even though depositing the ball into the back of the net was the piece of action that drew her into the game, when she was a little girl at the academy run by her uncle and former Mohun Bagan player Bijay Basfore. It's a universal theme—most kids start playing football for the joy of scoring goals. 'At the time I loved shooting the ball. Shooting practice was my favourite pastime and I would just play barefoot with boys during their practice. I would hide their ball sometimes and play with it. This should be around 2007,' she remembers. Bijay's seasoned eyes saw a spark in her, a gift for the game. Convincing her mother was difficult. But they coaxed her, and the mother gave her Rs 250 to buy boots and such stuff. She proudly says it was the last time she took money from her parents to play football. 'Football gave me a lot and because of this sport, I managed to give my family financial stability,' says Sangita. This perspective kept her glued to the game during the tough years. In 2021, Sangita sustained an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. A nightmare of an injury for most footballers, especially for box-to-box midfielders, who bust their lungs and cover an incredible part of the real estate. She underwent surgery in October that year and started the arduous task of rehabilitation. She couldn't touch a football for the next nine months. Worse, she had to foot the bill for the rehabilitation herself, from the salary she received from her job at the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB). But the cruellest blow of all came shortly after she returned from surgery. 'My father passed away shortly after I got back home after my surgery,' says Sangita. 'At the time I just couldn't understand how to handle myself. My mother was alone at home. Even today to a certain extent I worry about her when she is alone at home because parents tend not to tell their kids what is in their mind,' she adds. But she drew the energy to fight back from the game. 'A lot was happening at the time but I stayed strong, stayed focussed that I needed to play again and so my mother would be fine. It is because of this sport that we were able to find financial stability at home, I have been able to give my mother, my sister and her kids a good life. So at no point did I ever consider quitting,' she says. Sangita had made her international debut in 2015 but says she could never really fit into the forward line. Maymol Rocky, the then national coach, told her that she has the capability to play further back. Sangita started browsing the videos of Toni Kroos and Casemiro, defensive midfield virtuosos of the time. 'So I watched videos of how the likes of Casemiro and Toni Kroos would go about their job in that position. Even today I try to learn from them,' she says. She seamlessly shifted to the new role and impressed coach Chhetri, who had little hesitation in installing her as the side's beating heart in the qualifiers, along with her midfield partner Ratanbala Nongmaithem. 'Sangita is the kind of player who makes others around her look better. Because she takes that much load. Players like Sangita and Ratan deserve those two goals because they sacrifice everything. The things Sangita has gone through, recovered through all that pain, got back in the national team, in the starting eleven. She deserved to score those two important goals,' said Chhetri. And take India and herself into a dreamland.
Time of India
08-07-2025
- Time of India
SSB seizes ganja near India-Nepal border
Madhubani: The 48th battalion of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), Jaynagar, conducted an operation near the India-Nepal border on Tuesday and seized a large quantity of drug. The operation, conducted under the leadership of battalion's deputy commandant Hari Narain Jat, led to the confiscation of approximately 344.3 kg of ganja (marijuana) from an abandoned car and a motorcycle. The seizure occurred on the Indian side, approximately 2.1 km from border post no. 277/01. According to a release issued by the SSB, the illicit substance were being transported via a remote route often used by smugglers to evade detection. The operation was initiated based on intelligence input provided by deputy commandant Vivek Ojha. Commandant Govind Singh Bhandari commended the efforts of the battalion in seizure of the drug. The seized ganja was handed over to the Basopatti police for further legal action.
Time of India
06-07-2025
- Time of India
Landslide leaves 45 Kailash Manasarovar pilgrims stuck in Pithoragarh
Pithoragarh: A heavy landslide delayed the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra from Dharchula, a border town in Uttarakhand's Pithoragarh district, to Gunji on Sunday, forcing a temporary halt before the first batch of 45 pilgrims resumed their journey later in the afternoon. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The pilgrims started their journey from Delhi on Friday and are scheduled to cross the Lipulekh Pass on July 10. They reached Dharchula from Tanakpur on Saturday and were slated to leave for Gunji, a crucial point on the route to both Kailash Manasarovar and Adi Kailash, at 9am on Sunday. However, a massive overnight landslide at Tawaghat blocked the Dharchula–Lipulekh road. "All vehicular movement was stopped," said Bhupendra Singh Mahar, district disaster management officer of Pithoragarh. The information reached Dharchula early Sunday morning, prompting authorities to temporarily suspend the yatra. The tehsil administration, along with road-clearing teams, reached Tawaghat and supervised debris removal. The route remained blocked for several hours and was finally cleared around noon, Mahar confirmed. D S Bisht, manager of a tourist guest house in Dharchula where the pilgrims stayed during the halt, said, "The yatra was put on hold for around five hours. After the road was cleared, the first batch departed Dharchula shortly after 2pm and reached Gunji, which is around 80 km away, by 6 pm. The pilgrims will stay in Gunji for two days to acclimatise before proceeding toward Lipulekh." The landslide also impacted the Adi Kailash and Om Parvat Yatras, stranding several vehicles and pilgrims at Tawaghat. Officials later confirmed that vehicular movement had returned to normal later in the day. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Separately, four Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) personnel were injured — one seriously — when a slide struck their camp near the Ailagarh suspension bridge along the Tanakpur–Tawaghat highway. They were shifted to a hospital in Pithoragarh, while more than 100 vehicles, including yatri convoys and official units, were stranded for hours. Authorities said the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and local administration are actively monitoring the yatra and assisting with logistics and safety. With more batches expected in the coming days, officials are keeping a close watch on weather conditions and road accessibility in the region. The stretch from Dharchula to Gunji has been blocked more than ten times in the past month alone due to recurring pre-monsoon landslides.
