The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) conducted raids at two locations in Maharashtra’s Nagpur, which led to the seizure of unaccounted cash amounting to Rs 1.95 crore and the freezing of bank balances worth more than Rs 40 lakh, officials said on Saturday.

The search operations were conducted under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on October 26 at two locations in Nagpur linked to Shashank Govind Prasad Pandey, proprietor of M/s Prayag Developers & Builders, an ED statement said.

“The searches led to the seizure of voluminous incriminating documents/records, digital devices, as well as unaccounted cash amounting to a total of Rs 1.95 crore and freezing of bank balances worth more than Rs 40 lakh. The search operations also resulted in the identification of several immovable properties, collectively valued at crores of rupees, suspected to have been acquired from the Proceeds of Crime,” the officials added.

According to officials, the ED investigation was initiated on the basis of an FIR registered at Ajni Police Station in Nagpur City, and Ranapratapnagar Police Station in Nagpur, for offences under Sections 418 and 420 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860.

“Investigation has revealed that Shashank Govindprasad Pandey is engaged in a series of fraudulent activities, causing wrongful loss to several innocent persons,” officials said.

They mentioned that in one instance, Pandey entered into a development agreement in respect of land owned by a senior citizen widow, under which he was obligated to pay Rs 1.75 crore and allot 14 residential flats to the complainant.

“Although the flats had been earmarked in her favour through a Declaration-cum-Correction Deed, the accused fraudulently cancelled the said deed without her knowledge or consent and subsequently sold the earmarked flats to third parties,” the officials said.

They mentioned that the sale proceeds, amounting to Rs 8.93 crore, were misappropriated and siphoned off for his personal gain. Additionally, an amount of Rs 45 lakh payable under the development agreement was withheld, resulting in an aggregate wrongful loss of Rs 9.4 crore to the complainant.

In another case relating to the project Divya Prayag Apartment, the ED officials said that the investigation revealed that 22 flats had been mortgaged to Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Limited (DHFL) against a project loan of Rs 22 crores, out of which Rs 11 crore was disbursed.

“Pandey sold the mortgaged flats without obtaining the requisite No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the lender or disclosing the subsisting mortgage to the purchasers. He also allegedly submitted a false affidavit to the bank in connection with a home loan, concealing the existing mortgage,” they said.

Subsequently, according to the ED, outstanding dues amounting to Rs 12.84 crore were reported, and proceedings under the SARFAESI Act were initiated.

“The concealment and misrepresentation are suspected to have resulted in wrongful loss to the flat purchasers and corresponding wrongful gain to the accused,” officials said.

An investigation is underway, and further details are awaited.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday expressed deep anguish over the brutal attack on a Class 10 girl student inside her classroom at Zilla Parishad High School in Raptadu of Anantapur district.

A Class 10 girl student is undergoing emergency medical treatment after being brutally attacked with a chainsaw inside her school premises in Raptadu, leaving her with severe injuries to her face, head, and throat, officials said.

The girl sustained deep wounds to her neck and abdomen, while her right hand was reportedly almost severed in the assault.

Another girl student, who attempted to intervene and save her, was also seriously injured during the attack. Both victims are currently battling for their lives at a private hospital.

The Chief Minister expressed shock over the incident and spoke to officials to enquire about her condition and the treatment being provided.

Personally monitoring her recovery, CM Naidu directed the medical team to accord her the highest priority and provide the best possible care.

Condemning the attack in the strongest terms, he said, “I am deeply shaken and enraged by the barbaric attack on a Class 10 student inside her classroom at Raptadu ZP High School. Attackers who target our young girls inside schools have no place in our society.”

“I have ordered the police to hunt down the monster responsible and deliver the harshest legal punishment swiftly,” he added.

Later, CM Naidu spoke to the student’s mother over the phone and offered her words of comfort and reassurance. He urged her to remain courageous and assured her that the accused would be punished severely, according to the Chief Minister’s Office.

The Chief Minister assured the family that the government would extend complete support and that every possible effort would be made to save the student’s life.

He also spoke to local MLA Paritala Sunitha regarding the medical treatment and assistance being provided to the injured student.

The Chief Minister also enquired about the health condition of another student who was also injured in the attack.

TDP National Working President Nara Lokesh also condemned the incident and said, “I am deeply anguished and shocked by the brutal attack on a Class 10 student inside her school in Rapthadu, Anantapur district.”

“Such an inhuman act against a young girl in a place meant for learning and safety is utterly reprehensible,” he said.

“The safety and dignity of every girl and woman are paramount. Such acts of brutality will not be tolerated,” Lokesh added.

Meanwhile, police have launched an extensive investigation into the incident and are yet to determine whether the accused man was known to the girl before the attack. Investigators are examining multiple aspects of the case as efforts continue to identify and apprehend the attacker.

In a horrific incident that has shocked people in the country, a six-year-old student was allegedly brutally assaulted by a Class 3 student at a government school in Haryana’s Panchkula, officials said on Saturday.

The incident, that was captured on CCTVs present in the classroom where the deadly assault took place and went viral later, has raised serious concerns over the school’s security arrangements.

The little girl’s family has questioned how the alleged assault on her went unnoticed despite the presence of CCTV cameras in the classroom that were monitored from the principal’s office.

The family has alleged that the accused student lured the girl to the first floor of the school by telling her that her father had called her. It was there that the girl was allegedly attacked and left severely injured and unconscious.

In a disturbing account of the incident, the family claimed that the same eight-year-old student accused of assaulting the girl later led them to the spot where she was lying unconscious inside the school premises.

The girl’s uncle, Faisal, said that when the family reached the school and began searching for her, it was the accused boy who eventually took them to the place where she was lying.

“She went to school in the morning as usual. There were no issues or fights. When school got over, our hired auto driver went to pick her up, but she was not there. The school staff told him that the girl was missing. He returned home and informed my brother, who immediately went back to the school.

“When my brother reached there, he could not find her nearby. The boy who assaulted her told my brother that she was upstairs and lying there. When my brother went upstairs and saw her, he fainted. There was blood everywhere in the room,” Faisal told media.

Describing the severity of the alleged assault, he said the injuries inflicted on the girl were extremely disturbing and reflected the brutality of the attack.

“He has beaten her so mercilessly, not even an animal is treated with such cruelty,” he said.

Faisal also questioned the school’s arrangements for monitoring students, alleging that inadequate staff deployment and the absence of the principal during the relevant period may have contributed to the incident.

“According to the teachers, some staff members had been assigned government duty elsewhere. As a result, two to three classes had been combined under one teacher. The principal’s duty hours ended at 3 p.m., and the incident took place between 3 p.m. and 3:15 p.m. The CCTV cameras installed in the principal’s room provide a view of who is moving where and how,” he said.

“However, nobody was present in that room because the principal had already left. Had someone been sitting in the office and noticed the boy taking the girl upstairs, perhaps this incident would not have happened,” the victim’s uncle added.

The family further alleged that the girl was initially hit with a stone before being attacked with a flower pot and a brick.

According to the family’s account, the girl was eventually found lying unconscious, with blood spread across the room.

The family has also raised concerns over the functioning of the CCTV cameras, particularly those installed in the principal’s office, and questioned whether adequate monitoring arrangements were in place during school hours.

They have sought accountability from the school management over the security lapses and the assault.