Patna, Oct 24: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing his second rally of the day in Begusarai on Friday, launched a scathing attack on the RJD-Congress-led Mahagathbandhan, mocking it as a “Mahalathbandhan”—a grand alliance of confusion and self-interest.

Speaking before a massive crowd in Begusarai, PM Modi contrasted the unity and vision of the NDA with what he called the chaos and hypocrisy of the opposition.

“Since the Bihar elections were announced, one thing is clear — on one side is the NDA, led by Nitish Kumar, Jitan Ram Manjhi, Upendra Kushwaha, and Chirag Paswan, strengthened by our BJP team — Dilip Jaiswal, Samrat Chaudhary, and Vijay Sinha. On the other side is the ‘Mahalathbandhan’, which is resorting to violence and intimidation,” the Prime Minister said.

Calling the opposition a mix of opportunistic factions, he added,

“This ‘Mahalathbandhan’ is made up of Atak Dal, Latak Dal, Jhatak Dal, Ghatak Dal, and Patak Dal — one blocks progress, another clings to power, the next cuts ties, and the rest break promises. Behind the scenes, they are backstabbing each other even while pretending unity on stage.”

PM Modi accused the RJD of arrogance despite two decades of electoral defeat.

“The RJD hasn’t won a single election in the last 20 years, yet it remains steeped in arrogance. It was this arrogance that made them push aside the JMM. The Congress has been following the RJD’s lead for 35 years, and once again, they’ve been thrown out. The RJD also misled the VIP party and left the Left parties hanging,” he said.

Recalling Bihar’s industrial past, the Prime Minister lamented how the ‘jungle raj’ era under RJD rule reversed the state’s progress.

“Our Shri Babu (Shri Krishna Singh) worked to make Begusarai an industrial hub. There was a time when this region led India’s industrial growth. But then came the jungle raj — a dark period of fear, threats, and corruption that locked our factories and drove away investors. Those locks weren’t just on factory gates; they were on your future,” he said.

The Prime Minister asserted that the NDA government had restored law and order and revived industrialisation in Bihar.

“For the NDA, development is the top priority. When industries grow, jobs follow. We freed Bihar from jungle raj and restored the rule of law. Since the formation of the double-engine government in 2014, Begusarai is once again emerging as a major industrial hub of the country,” PM Modi said.

He also targeted the opposition for insensitivity towards the poor.

“The RJD and Congress are problems themselves. They have no solutions. These are the people who mock the poor even during floods. You must understand the power of your one vote — it can shape Bihar’s prosperity and strengthen the resolve to build a developed India,” he urged.

Concluding his speech, PM Modi thanked the people of Begusarai for their overwhelming support.

“You have always trusted Modi and showered your blessings on Nitish Kumar. This love and unwavering faith in the NDA is now taking Bihar into a new era of development,” he said, amid loud chants of “Modi-Modi!” and “Phir ek baar, NDA sarkar!”

Mumbai, Oct 24: India’s foreign exchange reserves rose by $4.5 billion to $702.3 billion for the week ended October 17, mainly driven by an increase in the value of gold reserves, according to data released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday.

India’s gold reserves held by the RBI as part of the country’s foreign exchange reserves surged by $6.2 billion to surpass the $108.5 mark for the first time on the back of a sharp rise in the price of the precious metal and increased purchases by the central bank.

Foreign currency assets, the largest part of the reserves, fell by $1.7 billion to $570.4 billion during the week. These assets are affected by changes in the value of currencies such as the euro, pound, and yen.

India’s reserve position with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) declined by $30 million to $4.62 billion during the week, RBI data showed.

The share of gold in India’s foreign exchange reserves has almost doubled over the past decade – from below 7 per cent to nearly 15 per cent – reflecting both steady central bank accumulation and a surge in global bullion prices. This is the highest proportion of gold in the country’s total reserves since 1996-97, according to market analysts.

Gold prices have shot up by as much as 65 per cent in 2025 due to the increased demand for the precious metal as a safe haven asset amid rising geopolitical uncertainty in the Middle East and the trade wars triggered by the US tariff hikes.

Central banks worldwide have accumulated substantial amounts of gold as a safe-haven asset in their foreign exchange reserves amid uncertainty created by geopolitical tensions. The share of gold maintained by the Reserve Bank of India as part of its foreign exchange reserves has almost doubled since 2021.

The RBI has added approximately 75 tonnes to its gold reserves since 2024, bringing its total holdings to 880 tonnes, which now constitute about 14 per cent of India’s total foreign exchange reserves, according to a Morgan Stanley report.

India is the world’s second-largest consumer of gold, next only to China and relies on imports to meet demand. Buying gold is deeply rooted in Indian culture and is used in large quantities in the form of jewellery gifts for the bride and bridegroom during wedding ceremonies. It also constitutes an important channel of safe-haven investment and a status symbol for families and individuals.

Bhopal/Damoh, Oct 24: In a brazen bid to exploit trust and siphon funds from unsuspecting contacts, cybercriminals allegedly created a fake WhatsApp account impersonating Damoh District Collector Sudhir Kochhar, using fabricated documents and a Vietnamese country code to mask their tracks.

The audacious scheme, targeting the collector’s personal network of friends and associates, was thwarted before it could blossom into a full-blown cyber crisis, thanks to the vigilant intervention of the district administration and police.

The impostor account, complete with the collector’s profile picture and official details, began dispatching urgent messages soliciting financial aid under false pretences – ranging from fabricated emergencies to urgent “official” transfers.

Recipients, believing the pleas emanated from the trusted IAS officer, were moments away from compliance when the ruse unravelled.

Collector Kochhar, upon receiving wind of the anomaly through a tip-off from a wary contact, wasted no time in alerting Superintendent of Police Shrutkirti Somvanshi.

“As soon as the information surfaced, my e-governance and cyber teams swung into action,” Kochhar recounted in a press briefing at the SP’s office.

“We traced the suspicious activity within hours, preventing any pecuniary loss.”

A formal complaint against an unidentified perpetrator was promptly lodged at the Damoh SP office, invoking provisions under the Information Technology Act, 2000, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for identity theft and attempted fraud.

The cyber cell of Madhya Pradesh Police in Damoh, a specialised unit equipped with advanced forensic tools, has since launched a meticulous probe.

Investigators are delving into digital footprints, including IP logs, device metadata, and the forged credentials used to register the account via WhatsApp’s Vietnamese (+84) prefix – a common ploy to evade Indian jurisdiction and detection algorithms.

“The fraudsters’ use of international codes underscores their sophistication, but our team is collaborating with national cyber agencies to unmask them,” affirmed SP Somvanshi, emphasising round-the-clock monitoring.

This incident is not an isolated skirmish in Madhya Pradesh’s escalating cyber warfare.

Statewide, cyber frauds have surged by 45 per cent in 2025, per Madhya Pradesh Police data, with impersonation scams claiming over Rs 150 crore in losses.

High-profile targets like district collectors are prime prey, as seen in recent cases from neighbouring Gwalior and Sagar, where fake profiles duped officials into transferring lakhs.

Nationally, similar ruses have ensnared bureaucrats in Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, where fraudsters posed as superiors to extract funds via WhatsApp.

Underscoring the gravity, Collector Kochhar issued a stark public advisory: “I maintain no personal IDs on any social media or messaging platforms. Disregard any such accounts purporting to be mine.”

He urged citizens to abstain from engaging with unsolicited requests for money, sharing sensitive details, or initiating transactions, labelling such overtures as hallmarks of cyber entrapment.

“Report anomalies immediately to 1930, the national cyber helpline, or your local police. Vigilance is our collective shield,” he urged, flanked by cyber cell officers demonstrating scam-spotting techniques.