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Bengal bypolls: Polling underway, peaceful in first 2 hours

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Polling for the bypolls for Asansol Lok Sabha and Ballygunge Assembly constituencies in West Bengal on Tuesday have been more or less peaceful with hardly any reports of poll-related irregularities.

The polling began at 7 a.m.

According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), the polling percentage for Asansol Lok Sabha till 9 a.m. was 13 per cent and in Ballygunge Assembly constituency it was eight per cent.

In the morning, the BJP candidate from Ballygunge, Keya Ghosh complained to the Election Commission of India about the presence of Kolkata Police personnel within a couple of election booths. The office of Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, after looking into the matter rejected the applications, Ghosh’s closest contenders for Ballygunge Assembly by polls are Trinamool Congress’ Babul Supriyo and the CPI-M’s Saira Shah Halim.

The BJP candidate from Asansol, Agnimitra Paul, also made a similar complaint of the presence of state police personnel in certain booths of the constituencies. Trinamool Congress filed a counter-complaint against Paul of going to cast her vote being escorted by armed security personnel allotted for her. Trinamool has fielded popular Bollywood star, Shatrughan Sinha from Asansol this time. The CPI-M candidate from Asansol is Partha Mukherjee.

On Tuesday morning, the office of the CEO received a complaint about the person escorting an ailing voter pressing the EVM voter on behalf of the voters. The CEO ordered an action taken report (ATR) on this count. Later the presiding officer of the said booth was also replaced by the CEO.

Similarly, Supriyo complained to the CEO, West Bengal that he was prevented by the central forces personnel at a booth in Ballygunge assembly constituency.

The CEO office has sought an ATR on this count as well.

In another development, at another booth in the Barabani area under Asansol Lok Sabha, tension broke out between the BJP and Trinamool supporters after the BJP candidate, Agnimitra Paul reached the booth. Following the clashes between the supporters of the two parties, the vehicle of Paul was damaged and one of her bodyguards was injured. The CEO office has sought an ATR on this count as well.

Webcasting is being conducted in 100 per cent of the booths in Ballygunge and 51 per cent of the booths in Asansol.

While Ballygunge Assembly constituency has a total 300 booths, the number in case of Asansol Lok Sabha constituency is 2,102. A total of 23 booths in Ballygunge have been declared as sensitive. The number of identified sensitive booths in the case of Asansol is 680.

Ballygunge has 40 micro-observers and Asansol has 442. A total of 133 companies of the central armed forces have been deployed for the bypolls, out of which 116 companies are allotted to Asansol and the remaining 17 companies to Ballygunge.

Results for the bypolls will be declared on April 16.

Crime

Delhi Police bust interstate cyber fraud module operating fake helicopter booking websites, arrest three

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New Delhi, June 11: The Cyber Police Station of South District, Delhi Police, has successfully busted an organised interstate cyber fraud syndicate involved in operating fake online helicopter booking websites and cheating unsuspecting travellers.

Three accused persons have been arrested in the case, and significant digital evidence, along with electronic devices, has been recovered.

A complaint was received from a victim who was cheated of Rs 20,328 on the pretext of booking travel services through fake websites, namely irctc-helicopter.com and irctc-heliyatra.com. These websites were designed to resemble genuine travel booking portals to deceive users.

Based on the complaint, FIR No. 30/2026 dated May 21, under Sections 318(4), 61(2), and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), was registered at PS Cyber South District, and an investigation was initiated.

A dedicated team comprising SI Ashish, Head Constables Praveen, Vikas, and Vinod, Constables Praveen Joon and Sultan, conducted the investigation under the leadership of SHO/Cyber South, Inspector Hansraj Swami, and under the overall supervision of Additional DCP (Operations), South District, Arvind Kumar.

During the investigation, police carried out a detailed analysis of the money trail, bank account details, domain registration records, Gmail accounts, IP logs, and technical data obtained from service providers such as Hostinger and Google.

The analysis led to the identification of individuals operating the fake websites and associated digital advertisements. Based on technical surveillance and local intelligence inputs, accused Omprakash Kumar and Rohit Kumar were arrested from Bihar’s Nalanda.

During interrogation, the accused disclosed the involvement of co-accused Shreyansh Tiwari alias Shivam, who was identified as the developer and manager of the fake websites. He was subsequently arrested from Greater Noida.

Investigations revealed that the accused were running fake travel booking portals and promoting them through paid advertisements on Meta (Facebook), targeting individuals searching for travel-related services online. Their digital network has been linked to approximately 30 NCRP complaints registered across various states and Union Territories, involving a total cheating amount of nearly Rs 10 lakh. The involvement of another associate, Anurag, a resident of Nalanda, is also under verification.

The accused created fake travel booking websites that closely resembled legitimate platforms and promoted them through paid social media advertisements. Victims searching online for travel bookings were redirected to these fraudulent websites and were induced to make payments for bookings.

After the initial payment, victims were further pressured to make additional transfers on the pretext of processing refunds, confirming bookings, registration charges, or other fabricated reasons. The cheated funds were routed through mule bank accounts and various digital payment channels to conceal the money trail.

During the operation, police recovered several incriminating items from the possession of the accused, including eight mobile phones, two laptops, and a 10th-generation iPad. Officials also seized multiple ATM and debit cards allegedly used in the commission of cyber fraud. In addition, Rs 20,328 was marked as a lien in a bank account linked to the case. Investigators further recovered substantial digital evidence and electronic records connected to the fraudulent activities, which are being examined as part of the ongoing probe.

Of the arrested accused, Omprakash Kumar has a previous involvement in a criminal case, as per FIR No. 06/2022 registered under Sections 420/34 of the IPC at PS Cyber North-West Delhi. Rohit Kumar has no previous criminal involvement reported so far, nor does the third accused, Tiwari, a resident of Uttar Pradesh’s Jaunpur.

Further investigation is in progress to identify additional associates and dismantle the complete network behind the fraud.

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National News

3 Indian sailors, initially missing, confirmed dead in US attack on vessel off Oman

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New Delhi, June 11: Three Indian sailors, who were reportedly missing after the US forces attacked a vessel off the coast of Oman earlier this week, have been confirmed dead in the deadly attacks.

The killing of Indian seafarers was confirmed by Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, who called it a “profound loss for India’s maritime community”.

The minister said that the bodies of all three missing sailors have been recovered. He also informed that steps are being taken to repatriate the bodies of fallen seafarers for their last rites.

“It is deeply unfortunate to learn of the tragic incident aboard the Palau-flagged MT Settebello. Sadly, three Indian seafarers initially reported missing are now confirmed dead after bodies have been located and identified,” Sonowal said in a post on X.

Preliminary inputs, after the attack on the oil vessel, said that 21 Indian sailors were rescued from the ship while three seafarers were reported missing.

The Union Minister described the tragic incident aboard the Palau-flagged MT Settebello as “deeply unfortunate” and said that the government was standing by the bereaved families in this difficult hour.

“Modi government stands firmly with the bereaved during this difficult hour and is fully committed to supporting the next of kin. I have directed officials to ensure immediate repatriation of the rescued crew members and swift return of the mortal remains of the deceased for their final rites,” he said in the post on X.

The oil tanker had a total crew of 28 members, including 24 Indian nationals and four foreign nationals– two Pakistanis, one Ukrainian, and one Russian– when it came under a US military attack in the Gulf of Oman. The US, justifying the attack, said that the vessel violated the prescribed instructions and hence came under its radar.

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National News

BJP Minority Morcha offers ceremonial chadar at Ajmer Sharif Dargah to celebrate PM Modi’s historic tenure

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Ajmer, June 10: Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Minority Morcha on Wednesday offered a ceremonial chadar at the Dargah of Khwaja Moin-ud-din Chishty in Rajasthan’s Ajmer to celebrate Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s record as India’s longest serving head of an elected government.

Speaking to media, BJP Minority Morcha’s Rajasthan President Hameed khan Mewati said: “We prayed for the long age of PM Modi and for peace and brotherhood to prevail in the country.”

He added that BJP Minority Morcha workers have presented ceremonial ‘chadars’ at Dargahs in all districts of the state.

“PM Modi has worked for the development of the minorities, by launching several welfare schemes. The minority section of the society has seen immense development from where it was in 2014,” he said.

“We want the country to achieve PM Modi’s dream of ‘Viksit Bharat’. The kind of work done by the government for the minority section, under the Prime Minister’s leadership, is historic,” Mewati added.

He asserted that PM Modi understands the pain of the poor and hence works accordingly to provide the facilities required by them.

“He (PM Modi) has launched schemes without differentiating between the Hindus and Muslims. His goal is to ensure that all citizens are able to benefit from the government’s initiatives,” he said.

Abid Ali Chaudhary, National Co-In Charge of ‘Sufi Samvad Maha Abhiyan’, said that prayers were organised in all Dargahs and madrassas across the country for PM Modi’s long life and to mark the successful tenure of his government.

Echoing similar view, Mumbai BJP Minority Morcha President Wasim Khan said: “These 12 years are not merely a count of days; they represent a long and highly impactful tenure. During these 12 years, he worked tirelessly for all communities, all regions, and every section of society, contributing significantly to their welfare, development, and progress.”

He added that PM Modi has united the entire country as one.

“Following the guiding principle of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas,’ Prime Minister Modi has led this nation toward development. It is our wish that he continues to be the Prime Minister of this country,” Wasim Khan said.

The Mumbai BJP Minority Morcha President offered prayers at Mahim Dargah to mark Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tenure of India’s longest-serving Prime Minister.

Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Bareilvi, All India Muslim Jamaat President, also said that PM Modi has maintained his promise of ‘Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas and Sabka Vishwas’.

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