Hyderabad, Oct 5: Hitting out at the Opposition for allegedly misleading the masses, Telangana BJP President R. Rao said that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is not done by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) but by the Election Commission of India (ECI), and that it was just a process to remove fake and dead voters from the voters’ list.

Rao said, “AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi and other leaders who are opposing the SIR process should know that it is initiated by the Election Commission of India, and not the BJP.”

He added that the process was also done during the Congress’ rule, but it was not opposed then.

Rao said, “Owaisi and other leaders who are opposing SIR should know that it is a process not introduced by the BJP. It is an Election Commission process. It was also carried out during the Congress’ rule. They did not oppose it then, so why are they opposing it now?”

He said, “Even in Keralam, Congress won after SIR, but they have no answer for it. Whenever the Congress or the INDIA Bloc loses elections, they blame either the Election Commission of India or EVMs.”

He added, “Owaisi and Congress are frustrated because the BJP has been in power for the last 12 years, and it appears that it will continue to be in power, because people have lost faith in the Congress and the INDIA Bloc.”

He also said, “Therefore, Congress and Owaisi are trying to mislead the people about SIR, which is a process to delete voters who are dead, duplicate voters, or foreigners, and it is also a process where, if people are residing elsewhere, their votes must be shifted there; this is what SIR is. So there is no illegality; there is nothing to object to; there should be no objection in this regard.”

The Opposition parties staged protests at several places across the country, including at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on Sunday, accusing the Election Commission of using the SIR process to exclude voters and stating that over 13 crore names had been dropped from the draft rolls. They also alleged that the exercise could benefit the BJP.

Opposition parties have also alleged that the CEC has compromised the fairness of the electoral process and have demanded that the SIR exercise be withdrawn. The ruling BJP, however, has rejected the allegations.

New Delhi, Oct 5: Delhi Police have busted two fake job-placement call centres operating from Lal Ratan Building near Shadipur Metro Station in Ranjit Nagar and apprehended 11 operatives in separate raids.

According to police, the two operations were carried out by teams of Special Staff, Ranjit Nagar Police Station and Cyber Police Station, Central District. The accused targeted unemployed job seekers by obtaining their personal data from online job-search and recruitment platforms and using it to make targeted calls.

The fraudsters posed as recruiters and offered attractive employment opportunities to prospective candidates. They subsequently demanded registration and processing fees under different pretexts. Police said amounts of Rs 3,500, Rs 1,400 and Rs 1,200 were demanded from job seekers under different packages.

The first operation was conducted on October 3 after police received information about a suspected fake job-placement centre functioning in the area. Technical analysis and field verification indicated that a significant number of calls linked to the suspected recruitment activity were originating from the location.

A police team subsequently raided the premises and apprehended six persons, including four women and two men. During the search, police examined computer systems, calling applications and digital material allegedly being used to contact job seekers.

Police said the suspects were using job-seeker data and contact details to approach prospective candidates and offer them employment. After collecting registration fees, the callers allegedly continued communicating with the candidates for a few days, assuring them about the proposed employment and further formalities. Communication was then allegedly discontinued without providing the promised jobs.

In a separate operation, a joint team of Special Staff and Police Station Cyber, Central District, raided another suspected fake job-placement call centre in the same building based on specific intelligence. Five male operatives were allegedly found actively working from calling cubicles and were apprehended.

When questioned, the operatives failed to produce corporate authorisation letters, placement agreements or records establishing that candidates had actually been placed in jobs. Police also found “Xlite” VoIP calling software installed on computers, along with job-seeker data and other digital evidence.

The two raids resulted in the apprehension of 11 persons in total.

Those apprehended from the first centre have been identified as Arpit, 38; Sakina, 29; Karishma, 27; Meenakshi, 28; Chanchal, 27; and Ashok, 36. All are residents of different parts of Delhi.

The five operatives apprehended in the second centre have been identified as Asim, 32; Sandeep, 29; Gaurav Malik, 34; Gyan Singh, 32; and Rohit, 34.

Police seized 13 computer systems, five mobile phones, calling applications, job-seeker data, contact details, communication records and digital evidence related to suspected financial transactions from the two premises.

According to police, the accused allegedly obtained job-seeker information from online recruitment platforms, including Shine.com in one case, and used the data to make targeted calls. They lured candidates with attractive job offers before demanding registration or processing fees.

Further investigation is underway to identify the alleged owners and masterminds behind the two operations, trace the source of the job-seeker data, examine financial transactions and identify other persons involved in the suspected network.

A case under Sections 319(2), 318(4), and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) has been registered in the case investigated by Police Station Ranjit Nagar. The seized electronic devices and digital data are being examined as per the law.

New Delhi, Oct 5: Delhi Police’s North District has arrested five accused in connection with a Rs 19.50 lakh robbery case registered at Kashmere Gate Police Station. Police have recovered Rs 9 lakh in cash and an iPhone purchased with the looted money.

The incident took place on September 30, when two men travelling on separate motorcycles were robbed of approximately Rs 19.50 Lakh in cash on the Rani Jhansi flyover in Delhi.

According to police, the victims worked for a businessman in Chandni Chowk and were carrying the cash after leaving the area. A man working in Chandni Chowk tracked their movements and subsequently planned the robbery with four associates from Ghaziabad.

The accused initially intercepted the victims near Kashmere Gate, assaulted them and attempted to rob them. However, the victims managed to escape with the help of members of the public. They did not make a PCR call at that time.

The accused later followed the victims and intercepted them again on the Rani Jhansi flyover, where they assaulted them and robbed them of the cash.

A team led by North Delhi Deputy Commissioner of Police Niharika Bhatt subsequently launched an investigation and arrested five accused in connection with the case. Police recovered Rs 9 lakh in cash and an iPhone bought using the stolen money. Efforts are underway to identify and apprehend other suspected accomplices.

In a separate case, also linked to Kashmere Gate, police on September 30 had arrested a 21-year-old man and his 24-year-old associate and apprehended a juvenile for their alleged involvement in the killing of a cash collection agent during an armed robbery at an underpass in north Delhi.

Joint Commissioner of Police (Central Range) Madhur Verma had said that the victim, identified as Prabhat, was returning home with his nephew, Sachin, after collecting payments from shops in Gandhi Nagar Market when four armed men intercepted their e-rickshaw at around 7.20 p.m. on September 24.

According to police, the assailants had snatched their cash bag and stabbed Prabhat, Sachin and another passenger when they resisted. Prabhat was declared dead at a hospital, while two others sustained injuries.

DCP Niharika Bhatt had said the investigation team traced a Maruti Swift that had made a sharp U-turn near the underpass. However, the registration number displayed on the vehicle was found to be fake.