Crime
After NCB, Cordelia Cruises hints of action against rave party revellers

Hours after the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) bust a rave party aboard a luxury vessel, Cordelia Cruises, the company on Sunday gave clear indications that it may take action against those responsible for sullying its image and reputation.
The Saturday afternoon NCB swoop came on the ship while it was moored in the International Cruise Terminal port in south Mumbai and after the central probe agency’s green signal, it started on its voyage to Goa late this morning.
According to Jurgen Bailom, the CEO and President, Waterways Leisure Tourism Pvt. Ltd., which runs Cordelia Cruises, the company will now decide its further course of action based on “the directions” from the NCB.
“Should anyone be found violating rules on board the cruise ship, strict and appropriate action will be taken,” Bailom told IANS, in reply to a brief questionnaire where the explicit warning figures.
Obviously stung by the unexpected misdoings of the Delhi-based event management company which had chartered the ship, the CEO categorically declared that henceforth, it would refrain from hiring out its ship for similar events in future.
In an earlier statement, the company officially distanced itself from the drug party raid in which at least 8 persons including 2 girls, and Aryan Khan, son of Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan, have been detained and NCB investigations are on, with a possibility of some high-profile arrests.
“Cordelia Cruises is in no way, directly or indirectly connected to this incident. The company had chartered its ship for a private event to a Delhi-based event management company,” Bailom said.
Condemning the developments that created a sensation, Bailom said the company is extremely mindful of providing wholesome entertainment to the families travelling with them, but “this incident is contrarian and far from the culture that Cordelia Cruises represents”.
Sources in the luxury cruises industry said that the incident has come as “a rude shock” to all operators who would now strengthen their systems of ‘checks and verifications’ of all passengers and those who charter the vessel for events like parties, weddings, promos, corporate functions, etc.
“Most global cruise liners have very stringent safety, security, entry, and other rules like dress codes, etc., for passengers sailing with them. Such an incident can cause irreparable damage to its reputation and image which in turn can have serious implications on its business,” said an Indian agent with an international cruise liner, requesting anonymity.
Cordelia Cruises, India’s largest ship is promoting the cruise culture in India through stylish, luxurious and inherently Indian experiences on board, with ticket rates starting from Rs 5,000 — which of course, did not apply to the Delhi-based charterer.
The company has in place strict policies and rules for violating rules on board, up to USD-1,000 per violation from the passenger concerned, disembarkation of the offending passenger/s, no refunds and bearing all their expenses to return home, besides permanent ban on sailing with Cordelia Cruises in future.
Crime
Man arrested for raping, murdering 80-year-old woman in Karnataka

Kolar, June 4: A man has been arrested on charges of raping and murdering an 80-year-old woman in Srinivasapura town of Karnataka’s Kolar district.
The police have apprehended the accused, who has since been remanded to judicial custody.
The accused has been identified as 37-year-old Baba Jaan, a resident of Gaffar Khan Mohalla in Srinivasapura.
According to the police, the victim’s body was discovered on Monday evening at a garage near an open field on Mulbagal Road in Srinivasapura town.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the victim had been raped and murdered.
The victim had left home two days ago, informing her family that she would visit the church at Srinivasapura.
The woman stayed in Srinivasapura for two days, and on Monday evening, when the woman was waiting for a bus to return home, the accused targeted her.
The accused spoke to her to ensure she was alone.
He then allegedly lifted and carried her to an isolated place, where he brutally raped her before strangling her to death.
The accused also robbed Rs 15,000 from her bag.
During their investigation, the police obtained CCTV footage from a nearby shop, which captured the accused lifting the victim and hurriedly carrying her away.
While the police were gathering information, the accused returned to the crime scene to observe the unfolding events. Alert police personnel identified and apprehended him.
The accused later confessed to committing the crime to rob the victim’s money and jewellery.
The victim’s family has urged the police to “kill” the accused due to the heinous nature of the crime.
More details regarding the incident are yet to emerge.
On August 21, 2024, the Chintamani police had arrested a 28-year-old labourer for sexually assaulting a 65-year-old woman on the hospital premises in the wee hours.
Based on a complaint by the staffers at the Chintamani government hospital, the police launched a hunt and nabbed the accused.
Crime
After Jyoti Malhotra’s arrest, another YouTuber held in Punjab for espionage

Chandigarh, June 4: After YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, who was arrested for allegedly spying for Pakistan, Punjab Police on Wednesday claimed to have unearthed a critical espionage network linked to another YouTuber, Jasbir Singh, a resident of Rupnagar.
Jasbir Singh, who operates a YouTube channel called ‘JaanMahal’, has been found associated with Pakistani intelligence operative Shakir, alias Jutt Randhawa, part of a terror-backed espionage network.
He also maintained close contact with Haryana-based Jyoti Malhotra and Ehsan-ur-Rahim, alias Danish, a Pakistani national and expelled Pakistan High Commission official, Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav informed on X.
Investigations have revealed that Jasbir attended the Pakistan National Day event in Delhi on Danish’s invitation, where he met Pakistani army officials and bloggers.
He travelled to Pakistan on three occasions (2020, 2021, 2024), and his electronic devices contained multiple Pakistan-based numbers, now under detailed forensic scrutiny, said the DGP.
After Jyoti Malhotra’s arrest, Jasbir attempted to erase all traces of his communications with these Pakistani intelligence operatives to avoid detection.
A first information report (FIR) has been registered in Mohali, near here. The DGP added that investigations are underway to dismantle the broader espionage-terror network and identify all collaborators.
A day earlier, Counter-Intelligence Punjab, in a joint operation with Tarn Taran police, had arrested a man linked to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) for sharing sensitive information concerning army movements during Operation Sindoor.
The accused was identified as Gagandeep Singh, alias Gagan, a resident of Tarn Taran town.
DGP Yadav had said preliminary investigation has revealed that Gagandeep Singh was in direct contact with Pakistan-based Khalistani supporter Gopal Singh Chawla for past five years, through whom he was introduced to Pakistani intelligence operatives.
Investigations also revealed that the accused had been sharing classified information, including troop deployments, strategic locations, and army movements during Operation Sindoor, posing a serious threat to national security.
The DGP had said police teams have recovered two mobile devices from the possession of the accused, containing sensitive intelligence that he shared with the Pakistani intelligence operatives, as well as the details of over 20 ISI contacts.
The accused also received payments from operatives via Indian channels.
Crime
WBSSC’s notification for fresh teachers’ recruitment challenged at Calcutta HC

Kolkata, June 3: The notification issued by the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) to fill vacant posts of teachers in state-run schools has been challenged at the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday.
The single-judge vacation bench of Justice Raja Basu Chowdhury admitted the petition. The matter is likely to come up for a hearing at his bench on June 5.
The petitioner claimed that certain points in the notification, especially those as regards to changed weightage criteria in the distribution of total marks in the recruitment process, violated the Supreme Court’s directives on fresh recruitments.
The main ground on which the notification was challenged was that the weightage criteria in the distribution of total marks had changed from those in 2016.
As per the new notification issued last week, the written examination in the fresh recruitment process will carry 60 marks, as against 55 for the 2016 panel.
Secondly, the weightage criterion for educational qualification in the fresh recruitment process is just 10 as against 35 for the 2016 panel.
Most importantly, two new weightage criteria, each carrying 10 marks, “past teaching experience” and “lecture demonstration”, have been introduced.
Soon after the notification was issued, several legal minds apprehended that the notification may face legal hurdles because of the changes in weightage criteria in total marks distribution.
Legal minds felt that while two new weightage criteria were introduced to give an advantage to the teachers from the 2016 panel who lost their jobs. They opined that the changed criteria would be disadvantageous for fresher candidates.
Bringing about changes in the weightage criteria was grossly illegal since the same weightage criteria, which applied to the 2016 panel, should also be there in the fresh recruitment process, they said.
Now their apprehensions have come true after a petition challenging the notification was filed at the Calcutta High Court, exactly on the points highlighted.
On April 3 this year, the Supreme Court’s division bench of erstwhile Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar upheld a previous order by the Calcutta High Court’s division bench of Justice Debangshu Basak and Justice Shabbar Rashidi cancelling 25,753 school jobs in West Bengal.
The Apex Court also accepted the observation of the Calcutta High Court that the entire panel of 25,753 candidates had to be cancelled because of the failure of the state government and the commission to segregate the “untainted” candidates from the “tainted” ones.
The state government and West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) had already filed review petitions at the Apex Court on this issue.
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