Kochi, 27 June: The Kochi police have received a theft complaint from Kerala High Court Judge, Justice A. Badharudeen, according to officials on Friday, stating that six sovereigns of gold were missing from his residence.

The complaint, which was filed on Thursday, mentions that the gold has been stolen from the judge’s bedroom. The police have registered an FIR under Section BNS 305.

What has surprised many is that the thief has decamped with gold from a high-security guarded house located in the heart of the commercial capital of the state.

The judge registered the complaint with the Kalamassery police under which his residence falls.

After the preliminary probe, the police are now planning to prepare a list of those who need to be spoken to, as this incident occurred in the bedroom of the senior judge.

More details are awaited.

The incident has raised concerns regarding the security situation in the state. The Congress-led UDF has been accusing the state government of failing to curb the crimes.

It has been found that Kerala is a haven for organised gangs hailing from neighbouring states who specialise in robbing homes, and the cases against non-Keralaite thieves are also on the increase.

According to information prepared by the home department, which was placed before the Assembly last year, it showed 192 cases of theft involving non-Keralites were registered in 2021, and the numbers have been steadily increasing. This rose to 360 in 2022.

In 2023, the number increased further to 519, and by September 2024, a total of 307 such cases were registered. But the image of the Kerala Police got a boost when over 1,350 thieves during this period were put behind bars.

However, with regards to the case being registered in the burglary at the home of a judge, the police appear to have a tough job ahead.

Likewise, with other crimes also on the increase, the Ernakulam Police have come out with a directive to landlords who are seeking to rent out their properties. The police have urged the landlords to get a police clearance certificate from the prospective tenants from their local police station where they stayed.

Kolkata, June 26: After four years, a prime absconding accused in the killing of a BJP worker, Abhijit Sarkar, in the 2021 post-poll violence was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday.

The arrested person was identified as Arun Dey, for whom the CBI had earlier announced a reward of Rs 50,000. He was one of the five main accused persons in the murder of Sarkar, a resident of the Kankurgachi area in North Kolkata, during the violence that broke out after the 2021 West Bengal Assembly election.

Sources said Dey was finally arrested on Thursday from a secret hideout in the North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. However, further details on the matter are still awaited.

Four other prime accused persons in the case, namely Sukhdeo Podder a.k.a. Sukha, Gopal Das a.k.a. Vishal, Amit and Biswajit Das a.k.a. Bomba, are still absconding.

All five of them were identified as Trinamool Congress strongmen in the area and were also known as close confidants of the ruling party legislator from Belegahta Assembly constituency in North Kolkata, Paresh Paul and Trinamool Congress councillor in Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), Swapan Samaddar.

Paul has already been questioned by the CBI sleuths in this connection. However, his name was not in the charge sheet filed by the CBI in the matter, which angered the family members of the slain BJP worker.

To recall, Abhijit Sarkar was killed on May 2, 2021, soon after the results of the 2021 Assembly elections were declared, where Trinamool Congress bagged a landslide victory.

The CBI took over the investigation from the Kolkata Police following an order of the Calcutta High Court. In September 2021, a trial court in Kolkata declared the five accused absconders.

Thereafter, CBI declared a reward of Rs 50,000 on each of them. Finally, after over four years, one of the five accused and absconding persons has been arrested by the CBI sleuths. He might be presented at a special court in Kolkata later in the day, and the CBI counsel is expected to seek his custody for further interrogation, sources said.

Chennai, June 26: Amid rising concerns over the quality and safety of homemade cosmetic products marketed extensively through social media, the Tamil Nadu Drug Control Department has launched a statewide crackdown on unlicensed manufacturers.

Acting on public complaints, the department has identified 66 units suspected of violating the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.

A senior official from the department confirmed that most of these units promote their products on social media platforms without obtaining the required manufacturing licences.

“We have begun block-level inspections based on instructions from the Director of Drugs Control, P.U. Karthigeyan. If violations are found, we will initiate legal action under Section 18(c) of the Act,” the official said.

The crackdown comes in response to increasing reports of substandard products flooding the market. A total of 38 types of personal care and cosmetic items fall under regulatory purview, including skin and tooth powders, toothpaste, creams, shampoos, hair oils, nail polish, kajal, henna, sindoor, cold wax, face packs, and toilet soaps.

Currently, Tamil Nadu has 340 licensed cosmetic manufacturers, with 37 operating in the Coimbatore region. The department has intensified inspections of these units, especially those actively promoting products on social media.

Two units in Coimbatore were already found violating promotional norms. Officials noted that while some units flout the law knowingly, others lack awareness of the licensing process.

“We advise such small-scale manufacturers to apply for a licence instead of facing legal action,” an official added.

To manufacture cosmetic products legally for commercial purposes, entrepreneurs must apply for a COS-8 licence through an offline process to the Director of Drug Control in Chennai.

The application fee is Rs 10,000 for up to 10 products, and the licence is valid for a lifetime, subject to a renewal fee of Rs 10,000 every five years. Approval is based on a self-declaration of compliance with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), followed by a field inspection by drug control officials.

Cosmetic products must also meet standards prescribed by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and comply with the 7th Schedule of the Cosmetics Rules, 2020, which outlines guidelines for manufacturing premises, equipment, and hygiene protocols.

Following the recent inspections, major e-commerce platforms have begun demanding licences from sellers. In response, many small-scale manufacturers have removed contact details to evade scrutiny. However, officials stress that genuine businesses can operate legally by following the proper procedures and obtaining the necessary clearances.