Crime
Cyber fraudsters impersonate Damoh collector on WhatsApp; swift action averts potential crisis
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.
Crime
Mumbai Crime: TV Actor Anuj Sachdeva Assaulted Over Parking Dispute In Goregaon Housing Society; FIR Registered

Mumbai, Dec 15: Actor Anuj Premchand Sachdeva, 40, was allegedly assaulted with a stick by another society member, Pradeep Singh, after the actor complained about a car being wrongly parked and later over Singh being angered by his dog barking, on the night of December 14 at Harmony Mall Residency in Goregaon West.
Following the incident, Sachdeva filed a complaint at the Bangur Nagar police station, and on Monday, an FIR was registered against Pradeep Singh. The incident caused a stir after the actor shared a video of the assault on social media.
According to the FIR, the actor resides in flat number 701 of Harmony Mall Residency, located on Link Road in Goregaon West. On Sunday, at around 10.30 pm, Sachdeva was walking his dog, named Simba, in the society’s parking area. At that time, he posted a photograph of a car parked out of a parking slot in the society’s WhatsApp group.
While the actor and his friend, Priyanka Pereira, were talking around 10.45 pm, an enraged resident, identified as Pradeep Singh, arrived at the spot and began arguing with him. Singh reportedly told Sachdeva that he would not remove his car and challenged him to do whatever he wanted.
During the argument, the actor’s dog barked, which further angered Singh. He allegedly picked up a wooden stick from the watchman and attempted to hit the dog. However, Pereira moved the dog away.
In a fit of rage, the accused then allegedly assaulted Sachdeva with the stick, striking him on the head, back, and right leg, causing injuries. Singh is also accused of threatening Pereira by saying, “You are a woman, stay at home,” and threatening to kill the actor.
Sachdeva recorded the attack on his mobile phone and later shared the video on social media. The altercation stopped after the society’s watchman intervened, following which the accused fled the scene in his car. The complaint further states that Singh threatened that the police could do nothing to him.
After receiving treatment at a private hospital, Sachdeva approached the police, who registered an FIR against Singh under Sections 118(2) (voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means) and 351(3) (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
The actor also uploaded the video on Instagram and stated, “I am posting this evidence before this person tries to do any damage to me or my property. He tried hitting my dog and me with a rod for notifying the society group regarding his car, which was parked in the wrong place in the society parking lot in Harmony Mall Residency, Goregaon West. This person is from A Wing, flat 602. Kindly share this with people who can take action. I am bleeding from my head.”
Crime
ED seizes Rs 79 crore properties of Punjab firm involved in water pollution

Jalandhar, Dec 15: In a money laundering probe related to an environmental crime, the Enforcement Directorate attached properties, including land, building and plant and machinery, worth Rs 79.93 crore belonging to a Punjab-based company involved in water pollution, an official said on Monday.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED), Jalandhar Zonal Office, provisionally attached the immovable properties of Malbros International Pvt Ltd on Saturday in the money laundering investigation related to environmental crime, under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
The ED initiated an investigation based on a criminal complaint filed by the Punjab Pollution Control Board against Malbros International for violating the provisions of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, by injection of untreated wastewater through reverse boring into deep aquifers.
The ED investigation revealed that the company (with its industrial unit at village Mansoorwal, Tehsil Zira, District Ferozepur) was involved in the generation and acquisition of Proceeds of Crime by deliberately causing pollution of groundwater by persistently and covertly injecting untreated effluents into deep aquifers through reverse boring.
The company was also accused of repeatedly discharging wastewater onto land, drains, and an adjacent sugar mill.
Its daily functioning involved persistent illegal discharge of untreated effluents into land and groundwater, causing large-scale irreparable ecological damage in the form of water pollution and consequent health hazards, causing crop loss, cattle deaths and serious health impacts for residents of villages around its premises, said a statement.
Earlier, searches were conducted at six locations on July 16, 2024, and an amount of Rs 78.15 lakh cash was seized from the premises of Malbros International Pvt Ltd and its Directors under the provisions of Section 17 of the PMLA, 2002.
In a separate case, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Shimla, teams conducted search operations at eight premises located in Himachal Pradesh and Punjab on Saturday in connection with an ongoing investigation into a large-scale fake/fictitious cryptocurrency-based Ponzi/Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) scam.
The perpetrators of the scam allegedly duped lakhs of investors belonging to the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to the tune of Rs 2,300 crore
The search operations conducted by the ED resulted in the freezing of three lockers and bank balances/fixed deposits totalling Rs 1.2 crore.
The ED also recovered incriminating documents relating to investments made in numerous immovable properties, including benami properties, which were acquired by the accused individuals by utilising proceeds of crime (PoC) generated through the Ponzi scheme.
Crime
‘Fearing’ SIR, another person dies by suicide in Bengal’s Nadia district

Kolkata, Dec 15: Another person has died by suicide due to alleged fear of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise of the voter list being carried out by the Election Commission, in West Bengal’s Nadia district, said the police on Monday.
An elderly man in the Ranaghat area of the district has taken his own life. The deceased has been identified as Sushanta Biswas (60). His family claimed that he committed suicide by hanging himself at his home due to this fear on Monday morning.
According to the police, Sushanta Biswas lived in Matikumra Madhyapara under the Dhantala police station in Ranaghat. He worked in Kolkata.
According to his family, Sushanta Biswas had been living in fear since the SIR process began in the state. He was worried because his name was not on the 2002 voter list. He even stopped going outside. Neighbours tried to reassure him, but his fear persisted. He became increasingly depressed, fearing that his name might be removed from the voter list and that he might have to leave his home and move elsewhere.
A family member said Sushanta Biswas had filled out the enumeration form.
His wife, Namita Biswas, said, “He was always afraid. He had almost stopped talking. We tried to explain things to him, but he would only talk about the SIR. He would say, ‘If they take me to jail, I will get a six-year sentence’. My mother-in-law’s name is on the 2002 list. Our names were removed because we were living away. This morning, I woke up to find him hanging with a towel around his neck.”
A senior officer of Ranaghat Police District said, “The body has been recovered and sent for autopsy. It has been learnt that he died by suicide after living in fear for some days over his name not being on the 2002 voter list. A case has started. Investigation is underway.”
A few days ago, another person had similarly died by suicide in the same district over alleged fear of the Election Commission’s SIR process.
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