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Cooperative scam allegations rock BJP in Kerala ahead of local body polls

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Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 5: A spate of alleged cooperative society scams in the state capital has put the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on the defensive, threatening to dent its image ahead of the upcoming local body elections.

The party, which has served as the principal opposition in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation for the past two terms, now finds itself battling allegations of financial impropriety and internal discord.

The crisis deepened after the suicide of Anil Kumar, a sitting BJP councillor in the Corporation and president of a local cooperative society.

He reportedly took his own life following severe financial distress after the institution failed to return deposits.

His death has not only sparked emotional outrage within the party but also turned the spotlight on the functioning of a few BJP-linked cooperatives in the city.

Adding to the turbulence, M.S. Kumar, one of the party’s prominent faces in Thiruvananthapuram and a former state secretary, publicly alleged large-scale loan defaults by senior BJP leaders from another Society, of which he is a key office-bearer.

According to Kumar, loans worth over Rs one crore were taken by state- and district-level leaders and never repaid.

One senior leader allegedly owes Rs 40 lakh, while another has defaulted on Rs 35 lakh.

Kumar accused the party’s top brass, including state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar, of failing to act despite repeated complaints.

He has also threatened to release the names of all defaulters, claiming that a good number of those who failed to repay loans are BJP members.

His revelations, first reported by the CPI(M) party daily ‘Deshabhimani’, have created ripples within the BJP and given ammunition to the Left, which has accused the party of “moral and financial decay”.

The CPI(M) has demanded a detailed probe into the alleged misuse of cooperative institutions under political patronage.

With the BJP scrambling to contain the fallout, senior leaders are reportedly in talks with Kumar to withdraw his damaging Facebook post.

However, as the controversy widens, the cooperative scandals threaten to overshadow the party’s campaign and undermine its credibility in Kerala’s politically charged capital.

Meanwhile, in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, the CPI(M)’s State Education Minister V. Sivankutty has expressed confidence of a sweeping win, while the Congress-led UDF has already taken the early lead by announcing candidates in 64 of the 101 seats and launching its campaign.

Kumar’s allegations have left the BJP rattled, with damage-control efforts now underway.

Crime

Accused in Rs 2 crore Pune embezzlement case arrested in Nashik

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Nashik (Maharashtra), June 16: An absconding accused in a Rs 2 crore embezzlement case registered in Pune was arrested in Maharashtra’s Nashik on Tuesday, police said.

According to a complaint filed by Kiran Dadasaheb Shinde, 38, with Pune police, the responsibility for flat sales and related activities across four buildings (A, B, C, and D) of the ‘Ganga Fernhill’ project had been entrusted to Senior Sales Manager Simon Ronnie Peter, 42, but he allegedly, instead of depositing the proceeds from flat sales into the company’s account, transferred the funds to a fraudulent private bank account belonging to his associate, B. Chandrashekhar, thereby embezzling approximately Rs 2 crore collected from 32 customers.

Based on the complaint, a case was registered at Pune’s Kalepadal Police Station on June 9 (Crime No. 257/2026), under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.

However, following the registration of the case, Peter went absconding and even switched off his mobile phone to evade arrest.

During the course of the investigation, Pune police received information that the accused was hiding in Nashik city and officials from Kalepadal Police Station contacted Senior Police Inspector Ashok Sharmale of the Gangapur Police Station and sought assistance in tracing and apprehending Peter.

Acting on credible intelligence, Sharmale learned that the accused Peter had arrived in Nashik in a car and was staying in Room No. 301 of Hotel Treebo Sapphire in Kalenagar on Gangapur Road.

Upon receiving the information, Crime Investigation Team officer Ghanshyam Bhoye and his team were immediately dispatched to the location. Acting swiftly, the police team detained the accused and subsequently handed him over to the Pune police for further legal proceedings.

The operation was successfully carried out under the leadership of Senior Police Inspector Sharmale of the Gangapur Police Station, and his team, including Assistant Sub-Inspector Tushar Deore and Police Head Constables Ravindra Mohite, Girish Mahale, Bhagwat Thavil, Ghanshyam Bhoye, Pravin Kedare, Gorakh Salunke, Sujit Jadhav, and Tulshidas Chaudhary.

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Crime

Telangana ACB raids govt official’s premises, seizes Rs one crore in cash

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Hyderabad, June 16: Telangana’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Tuesday conducted searches at premises linked to an official in the Lands and Surveys Department in an alleged case of disproportionate assets (DA).

ACB officials conducted simultaneous searches at 12 locations in and around Hyderabad against Sunkari Narahari, Deputy Director of Lands and Surveys (Multi Zone-2), over allegations of amassing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.

Led by ACB DSP Gangasani Sridhar, raids were carried out at Narahari’s residence in Chatrinaka in the old city, his office in Narayanaguda, and properties linked to his relatives and close associates.

Sources say officials seized around Rs one crore in cash, along with documents related to multiple properties and significant bank deposits.

ACB officials were using currency counting machines to count wads of notes and weighing machines for gold jewellery and silver items. The anti-graft agency is continuing investigations into his assets, bank accounts and investments.

The ACB is likely to issue a detailed statement on the searches and its findings in the evening.

The raids were conducted following allegations that the official was involved in corrupt practices.

This comes a week after the ACB arrested Roads and Buildings (R&B) Engineer-in-Chief Mohan Naik in a disproportionate assets case.

The ACB officials on June 9 conducted searches at the residence and other premises linked to Mohan Naik and his relatives.

The officials recovered Rs 60 lakh cash, gold jewellery weighing a kilogram, and 13 gold biscuits. They also found documents of properties in Hyderabad and Nizamabad.

According to the ACB, assets identified during raids have an official value of about Rs 17.95 crore. However, their market value is estimated at nearly Rs 200 crore.

The agency produced Mohan Naik before a court, which sent him to judicial custody for 14 days.

There have been allegations that the Engineer-in-Chief favoured certain companies in awarding contracts and building a large network of influence across Telangana.=

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Crime

Delhi: Three arrested in cyber fraud case under ‘Operation Pre CyHawk’

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New Delhi, June 16: In a significant breakthrough under ‘Operation Pre CyHawk’, the Delhi Police’s Okhla Industrial Area Police Station successfully solved a cyber fraud case involving the unauthorised transfer of Rs 99,000 and arrested three persons from Rajasthan’s Jhunjhunu district.

According to Delhi Police, the case surfaced after complainant Anoop Haldhar, a resident of Okhla Phase-I, reported receiving a suspicious link on his mobile phone. After clicking on the link, his device was allegedly compromised, leading to the unauthorised withdrawal of Rs 99,000 from his Kotak Mahindra Bank account through UPI and Google Pay transactions. Acting promptly, the victim reported the incident to the National Cyber Crime Helpline 1930.

During the investigation, police officials traced the digital money trail and identified the beneficiary account located in Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan. Based on the findings, FIR No. 330/2026 dated June 12, 2026, was registered at the Okhla Industrial Area Police Station under Sections 318(4) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The investigation was assigned to Sub-Inspector Sanjay Meena.

A police team comprising Sub-Inspector Sanjay Meena, Head Constable (HC) Dharampal, and Constable Jai Ram immediately proceeded to Rajasthan and apprehended the beneficiary account holder, identified as Rajat. During sustained interrogation, Rajat disclosed the involvement of two associates, Mitesh and Manoj Kumar, who allegedly arranged and operated the account as a mule account to route the fraudulently obtained funds.

Police said the accused attempted to evade detection by communicating only through voice and WhatsApp calls and frequently switching off their mobile phones. However, sustained technical surveillance, digital analysis, and cyber investigation, with support from ASI Rakhi and HC Abhay, enabled investigators to track and arrest the remaining two accused from a rented accommodation in Nawalgarh, Rajasthan.

The operation culminated in the arrest of all three accused. Police also recovered Rs 21,000 in cash, WhatsApp chats linking the conspirators, the beneficiary’s bank passbook, and an Aadhaar card, all of which are expected to serve as crucial evidence in the ongoing investigation.

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