Latest news with #Shergill
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
New brain scanner could speed up dementia diagnosis
A pioneering brain scanner, one of the first to be owned by an NHS trust in England, is being trialled in Kent to improve dementia diagnosis and mental health research. The low-field MRI scanner is smaller, cheaper, and more portable than traditional machines, and could be used in community clinics for faster, more accessible assessments. Led by the Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT), with academic partners, the research aims to combine the scanners with AI to match the image quality of standard MRI scans. Prof Sukhi Shergill, from KMPT, believes the scanner could be "revolutionary" and lead to quicker dementia diagnosis. He said it was "currently one of the biggest challenges we face in healthcare". Experts say low-field scanners have the potential to replace standard brain scanning techniques and transform early diagnosis and treatment strategies for mental health conditions. Modern MRI scanners often require specific power and cooling infrastructure and are sensitive to vibrations and some magnetic fields, which means they are usually housed in specially designed hospital rooms. The new scanners produce lower quality images but combined with AI software they are capable of matching the image quality of larger, more expensive machines. In his role as director of research for KMPT and co-director of research at KMMSS, Prof Shergill said having smaller scanners in local communities meant they could access "almost everybody in Kent". "It's a revolutionary kind of idea to go to put these low field scanners much more locally to people," he said. It is hoped the trials would also be a be a "significant step forward in speeding up dementia assessments". Dr Joanne Rodda, a senior lecturer at Kent and Medway Medical School (KMMS) and consultant psychiatrist at KMPT, is researching the scanners' ability to help with early diagnosis of dementia. She said: "Low-field scanners could potentially be offered more widely, like in community memory clinics, providing more timely results, improving patient experience." The collaboration between KMPT, KMMS, and Canterbury Christ Church University aims to support innovative research to enhance the health and well-being of communities in Kent and Medway. Follow BBC Kent on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@ or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250. Related stories One million brain scans used to assess dementia risk Related stories Biggest human imaging study scans 100,000th person Relate internet links Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT)
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Yahoo
He told investigators that he was a male escort and ended up getting 21 years
He told investigators that he earned his money through being a male escort alongside a martial arts teacher and personal trainer. But in fact, Kulvir Shergill headed up an organised crime group (OCG that imported millions of pounds of cocaine into the United Kingdom. Around 250kg of the Class A drug was imported into the country between February 26 and April 24 in 2020. READ MORE: Gangsters who used drill rap videos to lure children into drug dealing network jailed Get breaking news on BirminghamLive WhatsApp, click the link to join That had a whopping street value of £20 million. Using the now-defunct encrypted communications platform EncroChat, Shergill and other OCG members would arrange deals. Shergill used the handle 'orderlyswarmer' and liaised with contacts in Netherlands to find out when delivering would be coming over. Then Shergill would distribute them to other OCGs around the country. But his downfall came when he and his other accomplices were arrested in 2020. Shergill denied smuggling Class A drugs but eventually admitted the offence. On 20 September last year, the 43-year-old, of Bhullar Way in Oldbury, was jailed for 21 years at Birmingham Crown Court. Meanwhile, on Thursday afternoon (June 5), the final member of the OCG was jailed for the same offences. Jagdeep Singh, aged 43, of Bloomfield Road, Tipton, worked as an electrician by trade. He was tasked with taking receipt of drugs deliveries and acted as a warehouseman. During his arrest on April 23, 2020, he had 30kg worth of high purity cocaine in his possession. Singh is now behind bars, serving a six year and eight month sentence. Elsewhere, three other members of the OCG were sent to locked up in September. Shergill's second-in-command was Khurram Mohammed, aged 37, of Barker Street, Oldbury, who was a trusted worker. He was jailed for 14 years and four months. While Shakfat Ali, aged 38, travelled around the UK on the OCG's behalf and is believed to have delivered drugs. Ali, from Oldbury, was jailed for 16 years and nine months. While Mohammed Sajad, 44, of Norton Crescent, Birmingham, who was a trusted member of the group, was jailed for 16 years. He was already serving a seven-year sentence before these offences after West Midlands Police found six firearms, a large amount of ammunition and a quantity of Class A drugs at his house in May 2020. Rick Mackenzie, NCA operations manager, said: "These offenders formed a significant crime group in the West Midlands and had far-reaching contacts to help them peddle drugs all around the UK. "Shergill and his accomplices are directly responsible for the horrendous consequences Class A drugs have among our communities. "The NCA and partners at home and abroad will continue to fight the threat of illegal drugs. "Proceeds of crime proceedings have been started and all identified assets owned by the defendants have been frozen and are currently under restraint. "The NCA will work with our partners at the CPS to ensure that any money made from their drug enterprise is recovered." The NCA lead Operation Venetic, the UK response to the takedown of EncroChat.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Yahoo
'Male escort' actually cocaine smuggling gang leader
A man who claimed he made his money working as a male escort was actually the leader of a gang which smuggled cocaine worth £20m, investigators discovered. Kulvir Shergill, 43, of Oldbury was jailed for more than 21 years after he eventually pleaded guilty to smuggling class A drugs, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said. Four other members of the gang were also jailed, including Jagdeep Singh, who was sentenced to six years and eight months at Birmingham Crown Court on Thursday. The gang imported around 250kg of cocaine with a street value of £20m in 2020 and used the encrypted communications platform EncroChat to arrange the deals. Shergill told NCA investigators he made his money through male escort bookings, teaching martial arts and lucrative personal trainer work. But investigators found he arranged premises in the UK for Class A drugs to be delivered to. He would liaise with conspirators in the Netherlands who would inform him of impending deliveries before his group distributed them to other members around the country. Singh of Tipton was in possession of 30kg of high purity cocaine at the time of his arrest. The 43-year-old was an electrician and was tasked with taking receipt of drugs deliveries and acting as a warehouseman. Three other members were jailed in September: Khurram Mohammed, 37, of Barker Street, Oldbury, was also jailed for 14 years and four months. Shakfat Ali, 38, of Douglas Road, Oldbury, travelled around the UK on the gang's behalf and is believed to have delivered drugs. He was jailed for 16 years and nine months. Mohammed Sajad, 44, of Norton Crescent, Birmingham, was jailed for 16 years. He was already serving a seven-year sentence before these offences. Rick Mackenzie, NCA operations manager, said: "These offenders formed a significant crime group in the West Midlands and had far-reaching contacts to help them peddle drugs all around the UK. "Shergill and his accomplices are directly responsible for the horrendous consequences Class A drugs have among our communities." Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Hindustan Times
06-06-2025
- Hindustan Times
Who is Kulvir Shergill, the Indian-origin UK drug lord who claimed to be a ‘male escort'?
Kulvir Shergill, an Indian-origin head of an organised crime group, who has been accused of masterminding international conspiracies to import huge sums of cocaine into the United Kingdom, was sentenced to 21 years and three months in jail on Friday. The National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation discovered that Shergill's crime group imported around 250kg of cocaine with a street value of GBP 20 million between February 26 and April 24, 2020, and they used the encrypted communications platform EncroChat to arrange the deals, according to a PTI news agency report. Also Read | Al Qaeda tried to poison UK water supply, ex-security minister shares shocking details Shergill and his accomplices are "directly responsible for the horrendous consequences Class A drugs (banned) have among our communities,' the report quoted Rick Mackenzie, NCA operations manager. Kulvir Shergill, a 43-year-old man of Indian origin from the West Midlands, was running a high-level drug trafficking operation that flooded the UK with cocaine worth over £20 million. However, Shergill claimed that he made his money through male escort bookings, teaching martial arts and lucrative personal trainer work. Also Read | Punjab: Drug racket kingpin Bhola out of jail after 11 years According to NCA investigators, Shergill's crime group imported around 250kg of cocaine with a street value of GBP 20 million between February 26 and April 24, 2020. The probe also revealed that they used the encrypted communications platform EncroChat to arrange the deals. The investigation found that using the EncroChat handle 'orderlyswarmer', Shergill arranged premises for Class A drugs to be delivered in the UK. On September 20 last year, Shergill was jailed at Birmingham Crown Court. The final member of his gang, 43-year-old Jagdeep Singh, was jailed for the same offences this week. Jagdeep Singh was an electrician by trade, and was tasked with taking receipt of drug deliveries and acting as a warehouseman. Also Read | Drug kingpin Navin Chichkar deported from Malaysia At the time of his arrest in April 2020, he had 30kg of high-purity cocaine. He has now been sentenced to six years and eight months behind bars. Three other OCG members were also sentenced last September: Khurram Mohammed, 37, jailed for 14 years and four months as Shergill's second-in-command and was a trusted worker. (with PTI inputs)
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
Operation Sindoor LIVE news updates: All-party meeting begins
India carried out 25-minute "measured and non-escalatory" missile and drone strikes early Wednesday, targeting nine terrorist camps in Pakistan's Punjab province and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoJK), according to officials. The coordinated land and air assault was India's first strike in Pakistan's Punjab since the 1971 war. Dubbed ' Operation Sindoor ', the retaliation to the Pahalgam terrorist attack included about 24 precision strikes across the locations that had been identified as hubs of terrorist activity, said a source in the know. Among the 21 identified terrorist camps and training centres spread across Pakistan and PoJK, the Indian armed forces launched coordinated attacks on nine, deploying both fighter jets and armed drones for the operation. According to the estimates of a person in the know, 70 to 80 terrorists were killed. Among the dead were 10 family members of JeM chief Masood Azhar, including his sister, nephew, and nieces. US President Donald Trump has called for calm and dialogue between India and Pakistan amid rising tensions, expressing hope that the two nuclear-armed neighbours will resolve their differences peacefully. Speaking to reporters, Trump said, 'I want to see them work it out.' He added, 'Hopefully they can stop now,' urging both sides to de-escalate the situation. Reiterating his past offers to mediate between the two countries, Trump stated, 'If I can help, I will be there.' 11:53 AM 'Devil quoting from scripture': BJP's Shergill slams Pakistan In the wake of Operation Sindoor, BJP spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill defended India's missile strikes on Pakistan, stating, 'Pakistan talking about peace is like a devil quoting from the scriptures'. Shergill was responding to a question from Sky News journalist Yalda Hakim on India's response following the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam. 11:18 AM Operation Sindoor: All-party meeting begins The government is holding an all-party meeting today at 11 am, following Operation Sindoor. The political parties will be briefed on the objectives behind Operation Sindoor. 11:07 AM Day after Op Sindoor, Pak again resorts to unprovoked firing across LoC The Pakistani Army once again resorted to unprovoked firing during the intervening night of May 7 and 8 across several sectors along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir. The Indian Army responded promptly and proportionately, according to an official statement. 11:02 AM 'It's all on social media': Pakistan minister on claim of downing IAF jets In an interview with CNN, Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif was asked whether Islamabad had concrete evidence to support its claim. He responded, 'It is all on social media, and Indian social media, not our social media. The debris of the jets fell on their side. It is all over the Indian media.' 9:50 AM Schools shut across six border districts in Punjab following 'Operation Sindoor' Amid soaring tension between India and Pakistan, all schools in six border districts of Punjab remained shut on Thursday, officials said. The schools were closed in Ferozepur, Pathankot, Fazilka, Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Tarn Taran districts, they said. 9:15 AM Blast heard in Pakistan's Lahore A blast was heard in Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore on Thursday morning, news agency Reuters reported, a day after India carried out targeted strikes and destroyed terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). 9:10 AM Support Indian govt's pursuit of justice: Senator Jim Risch US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Senator Jim Risch has voiced support for India's efforts to bring the Pahalgam attackers to justice but expressed concern over the escalating tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad. In a post on X on Wednesday, Risch said, "The escalating tension between India and Pakistan is concerning. I support the Indian government's pursuit of justice against the attackers in Pahalgam, but I urge caution and respect for civilians on both sides." 8:41 AM UK Parliament debates India-Pakistan conflict, appeals for de-escalation The rising tensions between India and Pakistan in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack and Op Sindoor targeting terror camps in PoK was debated at length in the British Parliament, with members across parties appealing for UK efforts to aid de-escalation in the region. UK Foreign Office Minister Hamish Falconer opened the debate in the House of Commons on Wednesday with a statement reiterating Prime Minister Keir Starmer's earlier remarks over the importance of diplomacy and dialogue.
