Kolkata, Sep 17: The Kolkata Police arrested four persons and seized a large quantity of illegally stored e-cigarettes during a raid on a shop in the city, the police said on Thursday.

A joint team of the Anti-Rowdy Section (ARS) and Detective Department raided ‘The Smokers Den’ at 191 Park Street, under Beniapukur police station, on Wednesday night. The raid followed a tip-off that e-cigarettes were being illegally stored and sold at the shop.

A senior Kolkata Police officer said, “The questioning of the arrested persons is going on in this matter. The four arrested persons will be produced before the ACJM court in Sealdah today (Thursday). The investigators may apply for their custody in the court for questioning. The matter is being investigated from all angles.”

According to the police, the shop was being used to illegally store and sell e-cigarettes. During the search, investigators recovered a large quantity of e-cigarettes and arrested four persons associated with the establishment.

The accused have been identified as 22-year-old Mohammed Rifaiz, 28-year-old Abdul Hakim K, 21-year-old Ahmed Masud and 40-year-old Mohammed Ejaz. All four are residents of Kolkata.

The police said the first three accused were found to be living at an address on Linton Street in the Beniapukur police station area. The fourth accused is a resident of Ripon Street in the city.

Investigators are examining whether the shop had been stocking and selling e-cigarettes for a prolonged period. The arrested persons are being questioned to determine the source of the seized e-cigarettes, identify their suppliers, and ascertain whether other people are involved in the alleged illegal trade.

A case has been registered by the Detective Department at Beniapukur police station in connection with the incident. Police have invoked multiple sections of law in the case.

Sources said further raids could be conducted at other shops in the city as part of the investigation. The move is aimed at determining whether other shops are also illegally storing or selling e-cigarettes in the city.

Further investigation into the case is underway, said the police.

Kathmandu, Sep 17: The Nepal government has made it mandatory to report details of lost, stolen or cancelled Nepali passports to Interpol within 24 hours of being notified by the concerned person.

Under the “Procedure on updating details of lost, stolen and cancelled passports with Interpol, 2026,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stipulated that details of such passports must be updated in Interpol’s Stolen and Lost Travel Documents (SLTD) database.

The International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) is the world’s largest international police organisation, connecting law enforcement agencies across 196 member countries.

For the purpose of updating the details, the Department of Passports will designate officials responsible for handling such cases and establish a coordination mechanism. The department will also maintain records of lost and stolen passports and coordinate with the Interpol National Central Bureau of Nepal Police.

The procedure introduced on Wednesday states that the information provided must include details such as the type of passport or travel document, passport number, date of issue, expiry date, date on which it was lost, stolen or cancelled, and the possible location where it was lost or stolen.

The provision aims to institutionalize the timely sharing of information among relevant agencies and ensure that details of lost or stolen passports issued by Nepal are made available internationally to help prevent their potential misuse, the ministry said.

Information involving an immediate risk of terrorism, organised crime, human trafficking, illegal international travel or other forms of misuse must be prioritized and forwarded without delay.

According to the procedure, if a passport is lost or stolen, the passport holder or their authorized representative must notify the Department of Passports in writing. If the passport holder is abroad, they must notify the nearest Nepali diplomatic mission either personally or through an authorized representative.

Upon receiving such information, the Department of Passports must search for the passport number and other available details in its system, verify the applicant’s identity and passport information, and ascertain the document’s actual status.

The passport must then be marked in the system as “lost” or “stolen,” with necessary controls applied to prevent its use. The required information must subsequently be prepared and sent to the designated official or the Interpol National Central Bureau (NCB), Kathmandu, of Nepal Police.

Similarly, Nepali diplomatic missions abroad must verify the details of a passport after receiving a report that it has been lost or stolen and immediately forward the information to the Department of Passports. They must also inform the concerned person that the passport can no longer be used.

Hyderabad, Sep 17: Telangana’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has arrested two police officers for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 5 lakh to do an official favour, officials said on Thursday.

In an operation conducted around midnight, the ACB sleuths caught Dyapa Gnanender Reddy, Sub-Inspector of Police, Keesara Police Station, Malkajgiri Police Commissionerate, red-handed when he was accepting a Rs 5 lakh bribe.

The anti-graft agency said the Sub-Inspector was accepting the bribe on the instruction of Arkapally Anjaneyulu, Inspector of Police/SHO, Keesara Police Station.

The ACB said in a release on Thursday that the accused officers demanded and accepted the bribe from the complainant for granting station bail and not harassing the complainant and his friend in the case already registered at Keesara Police Station.

Both the Inspector and Sub-Inspector have been arrested. They will be produced before the Principal Special Judge for SPE & ACB cases, Nampally, for judicial remand. The case is under investigation, the ACB said.

The complainant had approached the ACB after the officials were allegedly harassing him and demanding money. There were also allegations that the complainant was repeatedly asked to bring biryani and cold drinks over the past few days.

The officials had allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 10 lakh. A deal was struck for Rs 5 lakh. The Inspector/SHO had given the responsibility of accepting the bribe amount to the Sub-Inspector.

The anti-graft agency laid a trap and caught Sub-Inspector Gnanender Reddy when he was accepting the bribe amount in a car near Keesara lake while he was on Ganesh immersion duty. On seeing the ACB officials, the SI tried to flee but was apprehended.

Following the trap, ACB officials conducted searches at Keesara Police Station and officials’ residences. The operation was conducted by ACB City Range-I under the supervision of DSP Majid Ali Khan.

The ACB has said that in case of a demand for a bribe by any public servant, they can contact the ACB toll-free number 1064 to take action as per law. The name and details of the victim/complainant will be kept secret.