Mumbai, Oct 3: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted searches at multiple premises in Mumbai and registered a Rs 93.44 crore bank fraud case against officials of Hanjer Biotech Energies on the complaint of Punjab National Bank, an official said on Saturday.

The CBI conducted searches on Friday at multiple premises linked to the directors of Hanjer Biotech Energies in Mumbai, the CBI said in a statement.

The CBI registered the instant case on September 30, 2026, on the complaint of Punjab National Bank, SAM Branch, Mumbai, against Hanjer Biotech Energies, its directors and guarantors, unknown public servants and unknown private persons.

The accused were booked for offences of criminal conspiracy for cheating and offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, resulting in alleged wrongful loss of approximately Rs 93.44 Crore to the bank.

It was alleged that the accused entered into a criminal conspiracy, obtained term loan of Rs 135 crore on the invoices of its related party and diverted/siphoned off the funds for other purposes for which it was not sanctioned, causing loss to the bank, the CBI said.

During the searches on Friday, incriminating bank documents and property documents relevant to the investigation were recovered and seized.

Investigation is continuing to ascertain the full extent of the conspiracy, identify the role of all involved persons, including public servants and private individuals, and trace the end-use of the loan funds, the CBI said.

In a separate case on Friday, the CBI arrested an Executive Engineer of the Central Public Works Department (CPWD), Mumbai, his relative and three officials of a Mumbai-based real estate group, in a Rs 50 lakh bribery case related to the issuance of a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) for a land parcel.

Vikrant Verma, Executive Engineer, CPWD Mumbai; Saurav Gupta, Verma’s relative based in Pune; and Arvind Semwal, Vice President, Baya Company, were among those named in the FIR by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday, an official said.

The arrested accused were produced before the Special CBI Judge in Mumbai on Friday, the official said in a statement.

New Delhi, Oct 3: The Rs 3,000-crore drug bust off the Lakshadweep Islands early this week has dealt a major blow to the Haji Salim network, but the bigger challenge for the alleged Inter Services Intelligence-backed syndicate is the shrinking availability of viable maritime routes into India.

Intensified coastal surveillance and heightened security have made traditional landing points increasingly difficult to use, forcing the network to shift routes, take greater risks, and search for new entry points for moving large consignments of narcotics.

Five Pakistani nationals operating the vessel were arrested, and 400 kg of methamphetamine and 126 kg of high-grade drugs worth over Rs 3,000 crore were seized during the operation by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad.

An official said that the investigations show that the consignment was intended to land in Tamil Nadu, following which it was to be smuggled into international markets.

“Haji Salim, a Dawood Ibrahim aide, is in charge of narcotic smuggling into the southern states. From there it is taken to Sri Lanka and to countries such as Thailand,” the official said.

For the Haji Salim, the seizure of such a massive consignment is no doubt a setback, but the bigger worry for the syndicate is that it is running out of routes.

“Earlier, Gujarat was the most preferred route for the Haji Salim network. However, in recent times there have been multiple busts on this route, and the network has incurred massive losses following heightened security,” the official said.

The surveillance has increased manifold along the Gujarat route, and smuggling has become extremely difficult for the gang. This has forced the Haji Salim network to send the consignment of drugs using alternate routes.

Since the network shifted south, the Iranian dhow that was carrying the consignment had to be tracked and intercepted 160 nautical miles northwest of Lakshadweep.

Another official said the Haji Salim network now faces a fresh challenge as the new route has also come under the radar of coastal agencies.

“The network may have spent months planning the alternate route to bypass Gujarat. However, following the latest joint operation by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and Gujarat ATS, the Salim gang is likely to start looking for another route,” the official said.

The officials say that very soon, the ISI-backed Salim syndicate will run out of routes.

Earlier, the most preferred route prior to Gujarat was Vizhinjam near Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala. However, there were multiple successive actions carried out by the agencies, which led to several consignments being busted.

“Currently the surveillance at this seaport is at an all-time high and smuggling narcotics is next to impossible here,” the official said.

An Intelligence Bureau official said that Haji Salim managed to find new landing points at Kasargod and Malappuram, in north Kerala

“These locations have relatively low levels of coastal surveillance, making them ideal landing points for the network. However, it is only a matter of time before surveillance is stepped up in these areas,” the official said.

The officials say that although the Indian agencies have shut down several routes and conducted successive operations, they cannot become complacent. There is a lot at stake here, and both the ISI and the Haji Salim network are in need of funds. With so many of their contingents being busted in recent times, the losses that they have incurred is huge.

Further, Haji Salim is also under immense pressure from his international buyers to deliver narcotics in huge quantities.

If busts such as these continue to take place, then the international buyers would start looking for other avenues and this would cause a major dent for the Haji Salim network, officials say.

For the ISI too, such busts represent a major setback.

Officials said that under arrangements allegedly struck by the ISI with narcotics operators such as Dawood Ibrahim and Haji Salim, the drug cartels are required to hand over 40 percent of their proceeds from the narcotics trade. In return, the ISI is alleged to provide protection to the networks.

Officials said the money is largely used to finance terror activities in India.

The fact is that the Haji Salim network is running out of routes in India to move its consignments. While Salim plans newer routes, he also has to deal with the pressure from international buyers who are likely to pursue other avenues if this network does not get its act together, another official said.

Kolkata, Oct 3: A youth was allegedly lynched and another seriously injured after a mob attacked them on suspicion of cow theft in north Bengal’s Matigara area on Saturday, the police said.

Four people have been arrested in connection with the incident, while a search is on for others allegedly involved in the assault and subsequent vandalism.

The incident took place in the early hours on the banks of the Balasan River in the Tarabari area under Matigara police station. According to the police, some youths were passing through the area in a car when local residents noticed them and became suspicious.

The locals allegedly suspected the youths of being involved in cow thefts reported in the area. They chased the vehicle and managed to catch two of the youths, while others reportedly fled. Two vehicles were also seized by the residents.

The situation soon turned violent as a mob allegedly began assaulting the two youths. One of them was beaten severely and died on the spot, the police said. The other youth sustained serious injuries and was found lying on the road.

The incident triggered tension in the area, with the mob allegedly vandalising and setting fire to the two vehicles.

On receiving information, a large police contingent from Matigara police station reached the spot and took steps to bring the situation under control.

The injured youth was rushed to a nearby hospital, where his condition is reported to be critical.

Meanwhile, the body of the deceased youth was sent for post-mortem examination to ascertain the exact cause of death.

Following the incident, the police launched a search for those involved in the alleged lynching and vandalism. Four people have been arrested so far.

Local residents claimed that incidents of cattle theft had been reported from the area on several occasions, leading to growing anger among villagers. They said the presence of unknown people travelling in a car during the early hours raised suspicion and prompted residents to chase them.

A senior officer of the Siliguri Metropolitan Police said a case had been registered against the arrested persons and others. The officer said an investigation was underway to identify and arrest everyone allegedly involved in the assault, death and vandalism.