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The Print
an hour ago
- The Print
Haryana Police flag 91 bank branches in state where cybercriminals operate ‘mule accounts'
According to an official statement, police teams have initiated phased verification, inspection, and legal action after identifying these branches. Among these, 26 branches are in Gurugram and 24 in Nuh district, officials said on Tuesday. Chandigarh, Aug 19 (PTI) Haryana Police has identified 91 bank branches in the state where suspected 'mule accounts' are being operated by cybercriminals for large-scale transactions, as part of its crackdown against cybercrime. Special teams of the Cyber Crime Wing are conducting a detailed examination of the records of these branches to find out whether negligence or collusion by bank staff is facilitating cybercriminals. 'The teams are scrutinising lapses in KYC compliance, procedural violations in account opening, the role of bank employees, and any sign of negligence,' the statement said. As part of the drive, raids were conducted in Karnal and Yamunanagar districts on Tuesday, during which bank records were thoroughly checked and suspicious accounts examined. In Yamunanagar, teams of the Cyber Crime Wing traced a current account of a firm that was officially shut down in March, yet transactions worth Rs 43 lakh were carried out afterwards. Nationwide, eight complaints have been registered against this account, the statement further said. Another current account was found to have been opened on a false address, and transactions worth Rs 2 crore were made in just three months. This account has 33 complaints filed against it across the country. 'The role of account holders and the bank staff concerned are under scanner… This operation will not remain confined to just two districts. Similar raids will be extended to other suspicious bank branches in the coming days,' the statement said. Haryana Police chief Shatrujeet Kapur on Tuesday said a robust and multi-pronged strategy has been devised to clamp down on cybercrime. This includes strict monitoring of bank branches, rapid analysis of suspicious transactions, regular raids, and ensuring adherence to banking regulations, he said. The DGP emphasised that protecting citizens' hard-earned money from falling into the trap of cybercriminals is a top priority. Alongside police, banks have equal responsibility, and hence accountability of bank officials and cyber nodal officers is being fixed, he stressed. Inspector General, Cyber, Shibas Kabiraj said cybercriminals often pose as bank officials, police officers, government agents, or representatives of reputed companies to make fraudulent calls, send suspicious links, or trick people into downloading suspicious apps. 'In such situations, citizens must never share their OTP, ATM PIN, UPI PIN, passwords, or personal documents like Aadhaar and PAN, nor scan any unknown link or QR code,' he said. Kabiraj said banks and government agencies never ask for money transfers or sensitive information over the phone. 'Citizens must stay alert to emerging scams such as 'digital arrests, where fraudsters intimidate victims over video calls while posing as law enforcement officials, something no genuine police or agency ever does.' PTI SUN NSD NSD This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
The Print
an hour ago
- Business
- The Print
India, China unveil raft of measures to fully realise their development potential
India and China listed the measures in a joint document after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held wide-ranging talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval over the last two days besides meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The announcements aimed at realising the 'full' development potential of the two Asian giants came amid growing estrangement in ties between India and the US over President Donald Trump's policies on trade and tariff. New Delhi, Aug 19 (PTI) In a major thaw in their frosty ties, India and China on Tuesday unveiled a series of measures for a 'stable, cooperative and forward-looking' relationship that included jointly maintaining peace along the frontier, reopening border trade, promoting investment flows, and resuming direct flight connectivity at the earliest. The two sides agreed that they should earnestly implement the important common understandings reached between Prime Minister Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping and promote sustained, sound and steady development of India-China relations. Wang landed in Delhi on Monday on a two-day visit and his trip is largely seen as part of ongoing efforts by the two neighbours to rebuild their relationship after it came under severe strain following the deadly Galwan Valley clashes in 2020. The Doval-Wang talks under the framework of the Special Representatives dialogue on Tuesday produced five concrete outcomes that included setting up an expert group under the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) to explore an 'early harvest in boundary delimitation', the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in the document. In the meeting, Doval and Wang agreed on the need to take a political perspective of the overall bilateral relationship while seeking a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable framework for settlement of the boundary question in accordance with the agreement on political parameters and Guiding Principles for Settlement of the boundary question signed in 2005. They also agreed on setting up a working group, under the WMCC, to advance effective border management in order to maintain peace and tranquillity in India-China border areas. Both sides also agreed to create a 'general level mechanisms' in Eastern, and Middle sectors, in addition to the similar mechanism in Western sector, and holding an early meeting of the mechanism in the Western sector, according to the document. The two sides also agreed to use the border management mechanisms at diplomatic and military levels to carry forward the process of border management, and discuss de-escalation, beginning with the principles and modalities. The talks between Jaishankar and Wang on Monday produced a total of 12 outcomes that included a decision to explore and resume various official bilateral dialogue mechanisms and exchanges, to enhance cooperation and address each other's concerns and properly manage differences. The joint document said both sides agreed to re-open border trade through the three designated trading points, namely Lipulekh Pass, Shipki La Pass and Nathu La Pass. India and China also agreed to facilitate trade and investment flows between the two countries through 'concrete measures', it said. Both sides agreed to jointly maintain peace and tranquillity in the border areas through friendly consultations, it added. India and China also agreed to resume direct flight connectivity between Chinese mainland and Indian cities at the earliest, and finalise an updated Air Services Agreement. They also agreed on the facilitation of visas to tourists, businesses, media and other visitors in both directions, the joint document said. 'Both sides agreed to continue and further expand the scale of the Indian pilgrimage to Mount Kailash/ Gang Renpoche and Lake Manasarovar/ Mapam Yun Tso in Tibet Autonomous Region of China starting 2026,' it said. The two sides exchanged views on trans-border rivers cooperation and agreed to give full play to the role of India-China expert level mechanism on trans-border rivers and keep communication on renewal of the relevant MoUs. The Chinese side agreed to share hydrological information during emergency situations based on humanitarian considerations. Earlier, in their meeting, Doval and Wang highlighted the upward trend in India-China engagement and discussed the way forward as well as de-escalation of the of the frontier. There has been an 'upward trend' in India-China relations in the past nine months as peace and tranquillity prevailed along the border, Doval said. In his televised opening remarks, the NSA recalled his visit to Beijing in December last for the previous round of SR talks and said there has been an 'upward trend' in the ties between the two sides since then. 'Borders have been quiet, there has been peace and tranquillity, our bilateral engagements have been more substantial,' he said. Doval also formally announced that Modi will visit China to attend the SCO Summit, to be held in Tianjin on August 31 and September 1 and noted that the SR talks have assumed a 'very special importance' in view of the trip. The NSA also made a mention of the talks between PM Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the margins of a multilateral event in the Russian city of Kazan in October last year, adding that both sides benefited a lot since then. 'The new environment that has been created has helped us in moving ahead in the various areas that we were working on,' Doval said. The Modi-Xi meeting took place two days after India and China firmed up a disengagement pact for the remaining two friction points of Depsang and Demchok in eastern Ladakh. The two leaders had decided to revive several mechanisms, including talks between the Special Representatives, to normalise bilateral ties. In his remarks, the Chinese foreign minister said the two sides should 'increase mutual trust through strategic communication, expand common interest through exchanges and cooperation, and properly settle the specific issues' along the borders. 'We are heartened to see the stability that is now restored in the borders.' 'Now the bilateral relationship is facing an important opportunity of improvement and growth. The Chinese side attaches great importance to the Prime Minister's visit to China to attend the SCO Summit at our invitation,' he said. The Indian side strongly raised the issue of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism, recalling that one of the original objectives of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) was to counter the evil of terrorism, the MEA said. Minister Wang Yi concurred that countering terrorism should be given the highest priority, it added. After his meeting with Wang, Prime Minister Modi underlined the importance of maintaining peace and tranquillity along the frontier with China and reiterated India's commitment to a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable resolution to the boundary question. In a social media post, Modi said stable, predictable and constructive ties between India and China will contribute significantly to regional as well as global peace and that he was looking forward to meeting Chinese President Xi on the margins of the SCO summit. In the SR talks, both sides deliberated on maintaining peace and tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Though the two sides disengaged troops from the friction points, they are yet to de-escalate the situation by pulling back the frontline forces from the border. Each side currently has around 50,000 to 60,000 troops along the LAC in the eastern Ladakh region. The military standoff in eastern Ladakh began in May 2020 and the clashes at the Galwan Valley in June that year resulted in a severe strain in bilateral ties. The face-off effectively ended following completion of the disengagement process from the last two friction points of Demchok and Depsang under an agreement finalised on October 21 last year. In the last few months, the two sides also initiated a number of initiatives to rebuild the ties that included resumption of Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and New Delhi restarting issuance of tourist visas to Chinese nationals. PTI MPB KVK KVK This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
The Print
an hour ago
- Politics
- The Print
Modi govt has rescue-centric approach to handle disasters: Amit Shah
The disaster-response policy of the Modi government is based on the four pillars of capacity building, speed, efficiency, and accuracy, Shah said. Chairing a meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on 'Disaster Management and Capacity Building' here, he said many major policy-related and institutional decisions have been taken in the field of disaster management in the past 10 years. New Delhi, Aug 19 (PTI) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said the Narendra Modi government's approach and strategy to handle any disaster since 2014 is rescue-centric rather than relief-centric, thus reducing casualties and damage significantly. This has resulted in significant prevention during disasters, from the 1999 super cyclone in Odisha that killed 10,000 people to the 2023 Biparjoy in Gujarat and 2024 Dana in Odisha with zero casualties, he said. Before 2014, there was a relief-centric approach towards disaster management, which was changed to a rescue-centric approach by the Modi government, he said. The home minister said that as a result of the efforts of the Modi government in the field of disaster management, there has been a 98 per cent reduction in the damage caused by cyclones and a significant reduction in heat wave casualties. He mentioned the recent cloudburst and landslide incidents in several states, and said a strategy is being formulated to deal with such calamities. Shah said the Modi government has adopted a multi-dimensional approach in the field of disaster management along with financial, institutional, and structural strengthening. The focus of the Modi government is to save people from the losses caused by disasters, he added. He also said that based on PM Modi's 10-point agenda, the Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill was brought in 2024, which has been worked upon with transparency, responsibility, efficiency and synergy. The home minister emphasised the need to spread awareness about disaster prevention at district and gram panchayat levels. Rs 66,000 crore was given to SDRF and NDRF between 2004 and 2014, which has been increased almost three times to Rs 2 lakh crore in the 10 years from 2014 to 2024, Shah said. He also pointed out that Rs 1,28,122 crore has been allocated for SDRF and Rs 54,770 crore for NDRF for the period from 2021-22 to 2025-26. Shah said the Central government has also allocated Rs 13,693 crore for the National Disaster Mitigation Fund and Rs 32,031 crore for the State Disaster Mitigation Fund for the period from 2021-22 to 2025-26. PTI ACB NSD NSD This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
The Print
an hour ago
- Climate
- The Print
3 dead, 1 missing after being swept away in Nanded; over 290 evacuated from flooded villages
Three other persons were rescued in the incident that occurred on Mukhed-Udgir Road around 1.40 am, they said. Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Aug 19 (PTI) Three persons died and another one went missing after they were swept away on a flooded road in Nanded district of Maharashtra following heavy rains in the wee hours of Tuesday, officials said. A total of seven persons travelling in two separate vehicles got swept away on a flooded road. The local rescue team succeeded in rescuing three persons, but four of them went missing. The rescue teams later recovered the bodies of three victims, an official said. They were identified as Samina Shaikh (48), Hasina Shaikh (29) both from Jagtial in Telangana, and Mehboob Shaikh from Degloor in Nanded, the official said. Another woman, named Afreen Shaikh from Telangana is still missing and efforts are on to trace her, he said. As many as 293 people have been rescued from flood-hit villages in the district, which received heavy rainfall over the last two days, the official said. Army personnel are also involved in the rescue operation in parts of the district. Teams from the state disaster response force have safely evacuated people from four villages as the rescue operation continued for the third consecutive day, the official said. Meanwhile, out of the five persons earlier reported missing in Hasnal village of Mukhed taluka, the bodies of four have been recovered so far, while one individual is yet to be traced, a defence release said. Indian Army, in close coordination with the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and civil administration, has been carrying out flood relief operations in the affected areas of Nanded, it said. As per the latest update, nearly 80 per cent of Hasnal village continues to remain inundated. The Indian Army columns are actively engaged in relocating families to safer areas. To extend immediate humanitarian assistance, a medical camp has been established and food distribution points have been set up to support the affected residents, the release added. As per the data shared by the administration, Barhali and Mukramabad revenue circles recorded 354.8 mm and 206.8 mm of rainfall, respectively, on Monday alone. The rainfall in these two revenue circles led to the rise in the level of the Lendi River, which flooded a few surrounding villages. But the situation is currently under control, an official said. At least 225 people were evacuated from Ravangaon, 40 from Bhingoli, 10 from Baswadi and eight from Hasnal, he said. The official said that a unit of the Indian Army has set up a medical camp to treat flood-affected persons. Maharashtra Disaster Management Minister Girish Mahajan visited Hasnal, Marajwadi villages of Nanded in the evening to take stock of the situation. The minister instructed the authorities to undertake the survey of property and crop loss immediately. He handed over a financial assistance of Rs 4 lakh each to the for kin of those who lost their lives in rain-related incidents in the district, an official said. Piraji Thotve (70), Chandrakala Shinde (35), Lalitabai Bhosale (60), Bhimabai Madale (65), Gangabai Madale (65) are the victims who lost their lives, he said. The weather department has issued a yellow alert for the district, and the situation is under control, he said. Meanwhile, water storage in 11 major irrigation projects in Marathwada reached 90.03 per cent on Tuesday morning, and discharge is underway from seven dams. The total discharge from these projects reached 2,94,114 cusecs into the Godavari River valley this morning. PTI AW SPK ARU NP This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
The Print
an hour ago
- Politics
- The Print
Govt to bring bills for removal of PM, Union minister, CM held on serious criminal charges
Union Home Minister Amit Shah will also move a motion in the Lok Sabha to refer these three bills to a joint committee of Parliament. These bills are the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill 2025; the Constitution (One Hundred And Thirtieth Amendment) Bill 2025; and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill 2025. New Delhi, Aug 19 (PTI) The government is planning to introduce three bills in Parliament on Wednesday for the removal of a prime minister, a Union minister, a chief minister or a minister of a state or Union Territory when arrested or detained on serious criminal charges. According to the statement of objects and reasons of the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill 2025, there is no provision under the Government of Union Territories Act, 1963 (20 of 1963) for the removal of the chief minister or a minister arrested and detained in custody on account of serious criminal charges. Hence, there is a need to amend section 45 of the Government of Union Territories Act, 1963, to provide a legal framework for the removal of a chief minister or a minister in such cases. The Bill seeks to achieve the above objectives. The objectives of the Constitution (One Hundred And Thirtieth Amendment) Bill, 2025, say there is no provision under the Constitution for the removal of a minister who is arrested and detained in custody on account of serious criminal charges. Hence, there is a need to amend Articles 75, 164 and 239AA of the Constitution, for providing a legal framework for the removal of the prime minister or a minister in the Union Council of Ministers and the chief minister or a minister in the Council of Ministers of States and the National Capital Territory of Delhi in such cases. The Bill seeks to achieve the above objectives. The objectives of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2025, say there is no provision under the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 (34 of 2019) for the removal of the chief minister or a minister arrested and detained in custody on account of serious criminal charges. Hence, there is a need to amend section 54 of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, to provide a legal framework for the removal of the Chief Minister or a Minister in such cases. The Bill seeks to achieve the above objectives. PTI ACB SKL NSD NSD This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
