New Delhi, Sep 4: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has launched a nationwide crackdown on organised syndicates involved in digital arrest crimes, conducting coordinated searches at 89 locations across 20 states under Operation Chakra-VI, the national probe agency said on Friday.

During the operation, the CBI arrested three persons in Haryana and Kolkata for their alleged roles in receiving, layering and dispersing the fraud proceeds, it said.

The CBI has taken over several digital arrest-related cases registered in different states. In three such cases, investigators carried out extensive searches based on detailed financial and technical analysis.

The probe involved scrutiny of bank accounts, online account access data and other digital trails to identify the movement of fraud proceeds and trace the handlers and beneficiaries of the syndicates.

“One of the cases relates to BITS Pilani, where the victim was allegedly kept under digital arrest for three months and defrauded of Rs 7.67 crore by scammers posing as police officers. In another case in Gujarat, a victim was digitally detained for three months by individuals impersonating police officers and allegedly defrauded of Rs 19.24 crore. The third case, registered in Karnataka, involves a victim who was kept under digital arrest for a month and allegedly cheated of Rs 15.45 crore,” the CBI said.

The searches resulted in the seizure of banking documents, account-related records, digital devices and other material considered crucial to the investigation.

“The seized evidence is being subjected to forensic examination to establish the broader financial and technological infrastructure used by the syndicates to operate across state boundaries,” said the agency.

The CBI also arrested three accused during the operation. Their examination allegedly revealed their roles in receiving, layering and dispersing the proceeds of the fraud.

According to the agency, Akash, a resident of Haryana, received Rs 1.95 crore of the defrauded money in his bank account.

Investigators found that he had opened the account himself and transferred the funds to other accounts on the same day, indicating his alleged direct involvement in laundering the proceeds.

Raja Karmakar of Kolkata allegedly received Rs 1.5 crore of the fraud proceeds in his firm’s account. Jyoti Rani, whose account received part of the defrauded amount, allegedly withdrew some of the money in cash and transferred the remainder to other accounts to conceal its trail, the agency said.

The action comes amid growing concern over the spread of digital arrest fraud, in which cyber criminals impersonate police officers, government officials and other law-enforcement personnel to intimidate victims and force them into transferring large sums of money.

The Supreme Court has also directed the CBI to take concerted action against perpetrators and the wider networks facilitating such crimes.

The CBI said efforts are continuing to identify and apprehend other members of the wider network. Further investigation is underway, with the agency maintaining that it will pursue those involved in digital arrest crimes and organised cybercrime in accordance with the Supreme Court’s directions.

Patna, Sep 4: A 12-year-old girl was killed, and four members of her family were injured after a mud house collapsed in Bihar’s Aurangabad district, police said on Friday.

The incident, which happened in Sinhudi village under the Obra police station area, triggered panic in the village after screams and cries for help alerted residents, who rushed to the spot and found the family trapped beneath the debris.

Villagers immediately launched a rescue operation and, after considerable effort, managed to pull all five family members out of the collapsed structure. However, the girl, identified as Babli Kumari, could not be saved.

Her mother, Poonam Devi, and three other children — Nandani Kumari, Rimi Kumari and Kundan Kumar — sustained serious injuries. They were rushed to Sadar Hospital in Aurangabad for treatment, where doctors declared Babli Kumari dead on arrival.

According to villagers, Poonam Devi had been sleeping in the old mud house with her four children, as they did every night, when the walls and roof suddenly collapsed, bringing down the entire room.

The incident plunged Sinhudi village into mourning, while the injured mother and children remain under treatment at the hospital.

Former MLA Rishi Yadav expressed grief over the tragedy and urged the district administration to provide the affected family with a permanent house and adequate compensation.

Obra SHO Nitish Kumar said police received information about the incident and reached the spot. He said a girl had died after being trapped under the debris, while the injured family members were admitted to Sadar Hospital for treatment.

“We have conducted the post-mortem of the dead body and handed it over to the family for the last rites,” the SHO said, adding that further investigation into the incident is underway.

He also said that the case was recommended to the district magistrate’s office for compensation.

The area has experienced heavy rainfall over the past few days, which may have weakened the structure of the mud house and possibly led to its collapse.

Ahmedabad, Sep 4: Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ) on Friday said it is launching a dedicated Empty Container Yard (ECY) with integrated warehousing at Mundra, offering end-to-end services across the empty container lifecycle, including storage, maintenance, inspection, and seamless movement to exporters and CFSs (container freight stations).

As part of its ‘Ambition 2031’ roadmap, APSEZ is making significant investments to expand capacity across its network, with Mundra at the forefront of this growth.

India’s largest integrated transport operator plans to add more than 6 million TEUs of container handling capacity over the next five years, said the Adani Group company.

“The dedicated Empty Container Yard at Mundra, to be operated by APSEZ and/or partners (including CFS and shipping lines), will enhance efficiency across the container ecosystem by enabling faster turnaround times, reducing unnecessary container movements, and optimising logistics costs,” said Ashwani Gupta, Whole-time Director and Chief Executive Officer, APSEZ.

Strengthening trade-enabling infrastructure remains central to APSEZ’s commitment towards supporting India’s growth and the vision of Viksit Bharat, Gupta added.

Adani Ports commands a 45.5 per cent share of India’s container market as of FY26. Within this, Mundra Port alone handles nearly 35 per cent of the country’s container trade, making it India’s largest container-handling port.

The volume of empty containers handled at Mundra is estimated at around 1.6 million TEUs annually, underscoring its critical role in supporting India’s import-export supply chains, said the company.

Moreover, the initiative aligns with the government’s focus on developing efficient, technology-enabled logistics systems and improving ease of doing business.

Adani Ports operates a comprehensive ecosystem of 16 strategically located ports and terminals with a diversified marine fleet of 136 vessels and integrated logistics capabilities.

With a current cargo handling capacity of 653 million tonnes per annum, APSEZ commands approximately 27 per cent of India’s total port volumes, targeting 1 billion tonnes throughput by 2030.