Crime
Arrests of facilitators have opened Pandora’s Box

A series of arrests, made by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (UP-ATS) and Kolkata Special Task Force (STF) from different parts of the state in the last three months, have opened up the Pandora’s Box. After interrogating the arrested people, mainly facilitators, the investigators have traced mammoth financial transactions to accounts of the human trafficking syndicate, which smuggled Bangladeshis and members of the ethnic Muslim Rohingya community into India through the porous West Bengal border and then packed them off abroad with forged passports and Hindu identities.
In the last three months, the UP-ATS in close collaboration with the Kolkata STF, have arrested 21 people, including four facilitators, six conduits and the mastermind Mithun Mandal. Mandal along with Shaon Ahmed, Mominur Islam and Mahendi Hasan were arrested from the Deen Dayal Upadhya Railway Station, Mughalsarai, in October.
According to sources in the UP-ATS, Mandla who is now on transit remand in Lucknow lived life kingsize with lavish spending, five-star stays and foreign jaunts, but did not make assets to avoid taxman’s glare. Expensive apparels pegged at lakhs of rupees, five-star hotel bills and passports with stamped visas of exotic European and Southeast Asian destinations were seized.
“They don’t stay at one place and keep traveling in Southeast Asian countries and stay in rented apartments,” said one officer.
The UP-ATS that busted the network with international linkages, found over Rs 10 crore transactions in accounts of facilitators, middlemen and kingpins in a one-year span.
An informed senior ATS officer said, multiple bank accounts of Mandal, show a money trail of crores of rupees, adding that if total funds flow to the syndicate was calculated, it crossed Rs 10 crore in less than 12 months.
The facilitators included Ratan Mandal, Sameer Mandal, Noor Alam and Mohammad Jameel – all arrested from several places in West Bengal.
Explaining their modus operandi, sources in the Kolkata STF said kingpin Mithun Mandal used to operate a travel agency named European Tour and Travels in Bardhaman district of West Bengal.
His aide, Mahfuzur, used WhatsApp to communicate with clients in Bangladesh and Myanmar, who were interested in going abroad. He created a WhatsApp group (‘Only Bro’) and operated it under the name, Tony.
“Those ready to infiltrate and move abroad were asked to cough up Rs 5-7 lakh, depending on the country of their choice,” an STF officer said.
Once smuggled into India, the syndicate would provide them with fake Hindu identities and forged documents. Then they would be put across to middlemen in Gulf, South Africa and the UK. The gang would pocket the fee after spending just Rs 50,000-70,000 on forging documents.
Though the investigators are yet to connect the illegal immigration with any kind of terror design but what is keeping the investigators and the agencies on the tenterhooks is the growing trend of infiltrating into the country might be used effectively to push in terrorists into the Indian soil. The investigators are of opinion that the Covid-induced lockdowns and the subsequent unemployment which is making the work of these terror groups easier.
Taking advantage of the porous border with Bangladesh and unemployment, international terror groups like JMB, Ansarullah Faction and even the Islamic State are trying to spread their network in West Bengal.
The aim is to make the state the headquarters of the terror activities in entire eastern India.
Sometimes via direct interaction and at times through online, they are targeting smart but unemployed young boys and girls in the state.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Kolkata Police have secured this information from the three JMB terrorists who were arrested by the STF sleuths recently from a colony in the southern outskirts of Kolkata.
Crime
Man who issued death threat to Delhi CM Gupta, arrested from Ghaziabad

New Delhi, June 7: A man who issued a death threat to Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has been arrested by a team from the North-West District Special Staff of the Delhi Police.
The accused was apprehended from Ghaziabad following swift investigative efforts after the threatening call was made late on Thursday night.
According to police officials, the threat call was made to the Ghaziabad Police Control Room (PCR) while the accused was allegedly under the influence of alcohol.
Shortly after the threat was received, the Delhi Police Control Room was alerted, and the matter was escalated due to the high-profile nature of the target.
Investigators identified the caller and tracked his location, but by the time authorities reached the source, the suspect had switched off his mobile phone.
After intensive tracing efforts, the Special Staff managed to arrest him from a hideout in Ghaziabad.
Preliminary interrogation has revealed that the accused is a law graduate (LLB), who had been facing personal turmoil due to a troubled marriage. His wife had recently left him, which reportedly pushed him into emotional distress.
Before making the death threat, he had placed another call in which he demanded to speak to his wife, police said.
Interestingly, the accused was found in possession of fake identification cards that appeared to be police credentials, raising suspicions that he may have attempted to impersonate law enforcement personnel.
Officers stated that he repeatedly tried to mislead the police during questioning.
“Assessment of the threat perception of VIPs or VVIPs is conducted by security agencies on the direction of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA),” a senior Delhi Police officer said.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta is entitled to Z-category security under the standard protocol. Security agencies are expected to reassess her security cover following this incident, officials confirmed.
Police are continuing their investigation to determine whether the accused has any prior criminal history or links to other disruptive activities.
Authorities have also launched a separate enquiry into the use of forged police IDs found in his possession.
Crime
Five fined for intrusion in Gir’s protected zone

Ahmedabad, June 6: The Forest Department in Gujarat has taken action against five individuals caught attempting to spot lions illegally in the Kodiya Vedma area of the Khambha Tulsishyam range in Dhari Gir East.
According to officials, forest patrol teams intercepted a car late at night on June 5 in the protected Kodiya VD zone.
The group, which included two individuals from Bhavnagar and three from Khambha, had entered the restricted area without permission in an attempt to sight lions.
Acting under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, the Department imposed a fine of Rs 90,000 on the offenders. A formal case has also been registered against them.
Illegal lion sightings in the Gir forest region have become a growing concern, with such intrusions not only endangering wildlife but also violating the core principles of conservation.
Officials warned that strict legal and financial penalties will continue to be enforced against anyone disrupting the natural habitat or endangering the safety of both animals and people.
The Forest Department has reiterated its appeal to the public to avoid unauthorised wildlife excursions and support the ongoing efforts to protect the Asiatic lion population in the Gir forest. Illegal lion sightings and unauthorised safaris have become an increasing concern in Gujarat, particularly in and around the Gir National Park – the only natural habitat of Asiatic lions.
Over the past few years, forest officials have recorded multiple incidents of individuals and groups entering restricted areas for lion sightings, often during late hours and without permits.
In January 2023, eight people were caught conducting an illegal lion show in the Babariya range of Gir West and were fined a total of Rs 1.2 lakh under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
In another case from February 2022, a group of tourists from Surat was booked for entering a protected forest zone in the Amreli district and attempting to provoke a pride of lions for social media videos.
Similarly, in 2021, a local in Junagadh was arrested for organising a paid “lion show” for private guests, a case that led to increased surveillance by the Forest Department.
Crime
Stampede case: RCB Marketing Head, DNA staffers among four held in Bengaluru

Bengaluru, June 6: Four people, including the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Marketing Head and DNA Event Management Company staffers, were arrested on Friday in connection with the stampede near the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru that claimed 11 lives.
Nikhil Sosale, Head of Marketing for RCB, along with Sunil Matthew, Kiran, and Sumanth from DNA Event Management, have been arrested, according to the police.
Police said the accused have been arrested in a joint operation at the Bengaluru International Airport.
The police have also raided the residences of Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) Secretary Shankar and KSCA Treasurer Jayaram.
The personnel of the Cubbon Park police, who have registered the case in this regard and the special wing of the Central Crime Branch (CCB) conducted the joint operation.
The arrested individuals were on their way to Mumbai. All four accused have been brought to the Cubbon Park Police Station, where they were being interrogated by Seshadripuram Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP).
Even after the permission for the victory parade was not given, Sosle posted a message on social media about the victory parade and later deleted it, the police said.
He also announced that free tickets are available at the Stadium for the victory celebration event.
He allegedly further announced that the tickets would be available at Gate numbers 9 and 10 at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, and did not make arrangements to distribute the tickets.
The post was also made on the Royal Challengers’ official handle that the entry will be given at 3 p.m. This post has led to the gathering of lakhs of people, police said.
The DNA Company has acted as per the directions of Sosle. Among the total 21 gates, only three gates were opened, creating chaos.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday announced the suspension of five senior police officers, including the Bengaluru Police Commissioner and DCP (Central Division), in connection with the stampede incident on June 4.
“Such an incident has not occurred since I became an MLA, minister, Dy CM, and Chief Minister. This incident has deeply saddened us,” he stated.
The Karnataka Police in the FIR claimed that the accused parties — RCB franchise, DNA event management firm, and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) Administrative Committee — organised the victory celebration without the necessary permissions.
The FIR has been registered under Sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 118(1) (voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt by using dangerous weapons or means), 118(2) read with Section 3(5) (voluntarily causing grievous hurt, when the act is done by several persons in furtherance of common intention), 190 (unlawful assembly), 132 (criminal force to deter a public servant), 125(a) (filing false affidavit), and 125(b) (rash and negligent acts that endanger human life) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
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