India

New Delhi, Sep 11 (IANS) A 46-year-old Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) of Delhi Police was found dead on Saturday under mysterious circumstances at his home in Central Delhi's IP Estate.

The deceased -- identified as Yunus Khan, was posted with the Crime Branch of Delhi Police.

The police said a PCR call was received at around 2.45 p.m.

"The caller said that a body of a policeman was lying at a house on Mirdard Road, opposite GB Pant Hospital... and there were children at the house. Later, a police team went to his home where his second wife Heena Khan (30) was found present along with her three minor children," a police officer said.

The police said that Heena Khan told the police team that her husband was posted with Crime Branch.

On Saturday night, her husband along with with two children were present in the house while she went to her parental home with her 6-year-old daughter.

Khan told the police that when she called her husband in the morning, no one responded to the phone calls.

On suspicion, she went to the house and knocked the door but he did not open.

The door was eventually broken with the help of neighbours.

When they went inside, two other children kids (aged 2-3 years) were sleeping with the body of the deceased in one room.

"The crime team was called at the spot. There was no injury mark on the body. The body was photographed and preserved in mortuary. The relatives were informed," the police said.

The deceased is survived by two wives -- Zarina, and Heena Khan.

He has 7 children from his first wife Zarina who lives at his ancestral village in Mewat, and 3 children from second wife Heena Khan who lived with him.

--IANS
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Kolkata/New Delhi, Sep 10 (IANS) After over 13 hours of counting that began on Saturday morning using eight currency-counting machines operated by SBI officials in connection with a mobile gaming app fraud case, the final seizure of cash by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) stood at Rs 17.32 crore.

According to ED sources, the cash was seized from the Garden Reach residence of city-based businessman Amir Khan, who allegedly launched a mobile gaming application named E-Nuggets, which was designed for the purpose of defrauding the public.

The ED officials reached the spot at 8.30 am on Saturday. The counting started at around 10 am and went on till 11.10 pm after which the ED sleuths and bank officials, escorted by central armed forces personnel, left the residence of the Khan family. The seized cash was mainly in the denomination of Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 currency notes. The entire recovery and counting process was video recorded.

"Some amounts were in lower denominations. We had to segregate the notes in bundles as per denomination and hence it took so long to complete the counting process," an ED official said.

Meanwhile, ED sources said that Amir Khan, who is the mastermind behind developing and launching the mobile gaming application that duped people of several crores of rupees, is absconding and his three mobile phones are switched off since Saturday morning.

Besides the huge amount of cash, the ED sleuths also recovered certain documents and a diary from the room where the cash was stashed.

The ED sleuths will now closely examine the contents of the documents and the diary to track the money trail.

"While Amir Khan is absconding, his father Nasir Khan was unable to give any satisfactory answer about the source of the large amount of cash. We are also trying to find out who were the other masterminds besides Amir Khan behind this racket. We suspect the involvement of some influential people in this entire episode," an ED official said.

The ED started conducting raids on Saturday morning under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) at six premises in Kolkata.

According to sources, the case was registered at the Park Street police station based on a complaint filed by Federal Bank authorities against Aamir Khan and others.

"Amir Khan had launched a mobile gaming application named E-Nuggets, which was designed for the purpose of defrauding the public. During the initial period, the users were rewarded with commission and the balance in the wallet could be withdrawn in a hassle-free manner. This provided initial confidence to the users, who started investing bigger amounts for greater percentage of commission and a greater number of purchase orders," said an ED official.

The official said that after collecting handsome amounts from the public, all of a sudden withdrawal from the said app was stopped at one pretext or the other.

Thereafter, all data, including profile information, was wiped out from the said app server.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Sep 10 (IANS) Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi on Saturday offered condolences on the passing away of Queen Elizabeth II of the UK.

"She was a great and much-loved figure of our times... it is a moment of sadness, but also a time to celebrate her long and devoted reign as sovereign of the United Kingdom and head of the Commonwealth," the Congress leader said.

"For generations across the world, in a period of rapid change over seven decades, she was a symbol of constancy and continuity. Her passing is also an occasion to remember her warm association with our country, cherished by her and by us," she added.

She said during her visits to India both symbolised and cemented the close relationship between the two countries, starting shortly after the Independence when the government of Jawaharlal Nehru played a determining role in establishing the Commonwealth.

"The bilateral relationship between India and UK has evolved naturally with the passage of time, but it has remained durable and important for both countries," Gandhi added

--IANS
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Bengaluru, Sep 10 (IANS) Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai announced on Saturday that President Droupadi Murmu will inaugurate the Mysuru Dasara celebrations this year.

"Mysuru Dasara, which will be celebrated from September 26, will be inaugurated by President Droupadi Murmu. She has given her consent for this," Bommai said.

On September 6, Bommai had written to the President inviting her to inaugurate the event. The President's office has now confirmed it, an official communication from the state government stated.

The BJP government is celebrating Dasara with grandeur this time following two years' of Covid hiatus.

--IANS
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Gurugram, Sep 10 (IANS) Gurugram Police have busted a gang of cyber cheats who were extorting money from people on the pretext of providing small loans through China-based/funded loan applications, officials said on Saturday.

According to the police, the culprits were running call centres in Gurugram and Noida. Four persons have been arrested in connection with the case though the police are yet to disclose their identity.

"The accused registered a company under dummy directors and were running call centres to extort money from people by harassing them," said a senior police officer.

During interrogation, it was revealed that the accused used to provide loans to needy persons and then recovered higher amounts by blackmailing them with chats containing derogatory remarks and morphed photographs.

--IANS
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Agartala, Sep 10 (IANS) The BJP government in Tripura would undertake a two-and-a-half months long campaign on good governance in every household from September 17, the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, officials said on Saturday.

Officials said that Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha held a meeting with the senior ministers and top officials to successfully conduct the 'Proti Ghore Shushashon' (good governance in every household) campaign to take the benefits of flagship schemes of the Central government and the state government to the door steps of the people from the district to the gram panchayat level.

The campaign would continue till November 30.The Chief Minister asked the officials and other concerned to carry out the campaign in a mission and festive mood.

Information and Cultural Affairs Department Secretary Pradip Chakraborty said that as part of the good governance campaign, developmental meetings, fairs and exhibition, rallies and various other events would be organised in each block.

--IANS
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Doddaballapur (Karnataka), Sep 10 (IANS) Union Minister for Women and Child Development, Smriti Irani, on Saturday termed the killers of BJP Yuva Morcha activist Praveen Kumar Nettare, who was hacked to death by bike-borne miscreants on July 26 in Dakshina Kannada district, as cowards.

Addressing a large gathering at BJP's 'Janaspandana' mega event in Doddaballapur near Bengaluru to commemorate completion of one year in office of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and three-year tenure of BJP in Karnataka, Irani claimed that the intention of killers was to create terror in the minds of people.

"Praveen has given his blood for the country. I congratulate the organisers for paying tribute to him by placing his photograph here," she said.

"The grave of terrorist Yakub Memon was beautified during the tenure of the Congress government. Rahul Gandhi does not have the courage to question this. If Rahul Gandhi opposes terrorism, why did he fail to condemn this," Irani questioned.

She also said the Congress has included those who raised anti-India slogans in the Bharat Jodo Yatra.

"This is an anti-national act. It is betrayal to the nation to support those who raised slogans against the country. This anti-national act must be questioned by the Congress workers," the Union minister said.

She also accused the Congress of discriminating against the people of Karnataka.

"During its tenure at the Centre, Congress gave Rs 2,000 crore to Karnataka through the Central Finance Commission. The BJP, which runs a double engine government, has given Rs 5,000 crore to the state.

--IANS
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Jodhpur, Sep 10 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah reached Jodhpur on Saturday, the home turf of Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, where he launched a scathing attack on the CM, accusing him of making false promises to people before the Assembly polls in 2018.

Shah accused Gehlot for the rising rate of crime and unemployment in the state, saying the CM should leave the chair if he is unable to handle the situation as people are waiting to bring the BJP back to power in Rajasthan.

Shah was in Jodhpur to address BJP's National OBC Morcha working committee meeting.

Addressing the meeting, Shah said, "The enthusiasm of the workers of Marwar show that the BJP will form a majority government in Rajasthan in 2023, while in 2024 Narendra Modi will become the Prime Minister for the third time by winning over 300 seats."

Later, Shah attended a booth convention at Ravan Ka Chabutra, where he was accorded a warm welcome by the booth presidents who came from Jodhpur division.

Taking a dig at Rahul Gandhi, Shah said, "Rahul Baba went on a Bharat Jodo Yatra wearing a foreign jersey. Congress can only do vote bank politics."

Recalling the Udaipur murder incident, Shah said, "Our brother Kanhaiya Lal was killed. Will anyone tolerate this? Will Hindus bear the ban on festivals? Will you accept the way Ram Navami procession was stopped, the way the 300-year-old temple in Alwar was demolished? Gehlot has carried out well-planned riots in many cities of Rajasthan."

Shah also applauded former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje for providing free treatment to people during her rule, and said, "When Vasundhara Raje went, the unemployment rate of the state was 5.4 per cent. Under Gehlot's rule, it has gone up to 32 per cent. An unemployment allowance was promised, but no one got it. The Congress government had promised to provide 20 lakh jobs... Gehlotji, give us a calculation of just 10 per cent of those jobs.

"The Indian government reduced tax on petrol, the BJP states reduced VAT, but Gehlot did not cut VAT. The most expensive petrol-diesel in the country is found in Rajasthan. The most expensive electricity is available in Rajasthan. Today, the Congress government has left Rajasthan behind in the race for development. It has become a crime capital.

The Home Minister added, "If Gehlot can't not take care of people, he should leave. People are ready to bring the BJP back to power in Rajasthan. Mahant Vijay Das was forced to commit suicide in Bharatpur, yet no action was taken against the mining mafia. Did you hear about such incidents in Rajasthan before? Gehlot has no control over the administration."

--IANS
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Mumbai, Sep 10 (IANS) In a counter-attack to the Bharatiya Janata Party's jibes at Rahul Gandhi's costly T-shirt, the Maharashtra Congress hit back by questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi's expensive suit, watches, shades, car and aircraft, here on Saturday.

State Congress President Nana Patole said that instead of worrying about Rahul Gandhi's T-shirt, the BJP should concern itself with PM Modi's Rs 10 lakh suit, Rs 12 lakh car, Rs 1.5 lakh shades, Rs 80,000 shawl and the Rs 8,000-crore aircraft in which he flies.

"After owning all this, he continues to call himself a 'fakir' (beggar). The BJP should worry how the Modi government has brought the 130-crore people of the country to the streets. Due to this government's miserable performance, its end is near," said Patole.

The Congress leader claimed at a media briefing that the BJP is sleepless as Rahul's Kanyakumari to Kashmir 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' is getting an overwhelming response wherever it is passing.

"The BJP has got a strong blow with the public spontaneously thronging the Yatra in large numbers and that is why it is raking up petty issues like the price-tag of Rahul Gandhi's T-shirt," Patole said.

He added that dozens of BJP ministers, leaders and spokespersons predicting that the Congress is finished and Rahul does not matter now, are ironically working full-time to criticise and defame him (Rahul) and the Yatra.

"The BJP is shaken by the response to the Yatra from day one... Rahul is fighting for the masses and raising the issues of the common man like spiralling inflation, massive unemployment, the state of the economy, the problems of farmers and workers, etc. with whom he is interacting during the long march," Patole pointed out.

The Bharat Jodo Yatra will cover 3,500 km through 12 states and 2 Union Territories in 150 days and even as it has just begun, the BJP is getting rattled and resorting to such diversionary issues, he said.

Entering Maharashtra on November 7, the Yatra will go around covering 383 km in 6 of the 48 Lok Sabha constituencies over 16 days, with a large number of people including celebrities expected to join it.

--IANS
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Kolkata, Sep 10 (IANS) As counting of notes seized by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) from the residence of city-based businessman Nasir Khan and his son Amir Khan in connection with the mobile gaming app fraud continues on Saturday evening, more Trinamool Congress leaders are coming up with their own logic to criticise the central agency action.

According to sources, over Rs 16 crore have been recovered till now from the Garden Reach residence of Amir Khan, who allegedly launched a mobile gaming application named E-Nuggets, which was designed for the purpose of defrauding the public.

Veteran Trinamool leader and three-time Lok Sabha member Saugata Roy claimed that the ED raids are deliberately meant to deprive the Trinamool Congress from any assistance from the business community in the future.

"This is not happening just in case of Trinamool Congress. This happens in any state which is not ruled by the BJP. The idea is to conduct raids and search operations at the premises of businessmen so that they refrain from helping the Trinamool in future. But ultimately such ploys will not work out. In the past, there had been several actions by the central agencies in the state. But nothing happened," Roy said.

Earlier on Saturday afternoon, when the recovery amount was Rs 8 crore, state minister and Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim said the continuous raids and search operations by the central agencies, in his opinion, are part of the Union government and BJP's ploy to show West Bengal in bad light and to destroy the state's economy.

Incidentally, the residence of Nasir Khan and Amir Khan at Shahi Astabal Lane in Garden Reach falls under the Kolkata Port Assembly constituency, which is held by Hakim since 2011.

Meanwhile, ED sources said that Amir Khan, who is the mastermind behind developing and launching the mobile gaming application that duped people of several crores of rupees, is absconding and his three mobile phones are switched off since Saturday morning.

ED officials are currently questioning his family members to find out his whereabouts.

As opposition leaders have started targeting Hakim alleging his connections with Nasir Khan, Hakim has said that recovery of money from the residence of a businessman that comes under his constituency does not make him an accomplice in the matter.

ED started conducting raids on Saturday morning under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) at six premises in Kolkata.

According to sources, the case was registered at the Park Street police station based on a complaint filed by Federal Bank authorities against Aamir Khan and others.

"Amir Khan had launched a mobile gaming application named E-Nuggets, which was designed for the purpose of defrauding public. During the initial period, the users were rewarded with commission and the balance in the wallet could be withdrawn in a hassle-free manner. This provided initial confidence to the users, who started investing bigger amounts for greater percentage of commission and a greater number of purchase orders," said an ED official.

The official said that after collecting handsome amounts from the public, all of a sudden withdrawal from the said app was stopped at one pretext or the other.

Thereafter, all data, including profile information, was wiped out from the said app server.

--IANS
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