Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested two accused including Office Assistant/ Verification Officer working at Passport Seva Kendra (PSK), Lower Parel Mumbai and an agent (private person) in a case related to issuing passports based on fake documents in lieu of bribe.

A case was registered by CBI against Office Assistant/VO, PSK, Lower Parel, Mumbai and other private persons working as passport agents. It was alleged in FIR that during the years 2023-2024, said accused public servant entered a criminal conspiracy with other private persons and in furtherance of the said criminal conspiracy, he has been obtaining undue advantage for doing passport related work.

In furtherance of the conspiracy with agent (private person) and other unknown persons, accused public servant has got issued fake passports of unknown applicants based on forged documents.

It was further revealed that unknown seven persons purporting as applicants had submitted forged documents such as Aadhar card copy, Pan card copy, Bank Account Statement and Birth Certificates as their address and identity proofs, in the Passport Office. During investigation, all the documents provided by them have also been found to be forged.

Further, communications chats between accused public servant and agent (private person) revealed discussion about payment of undue advantage concerning these fake passport applicants.

Investigation also revealed that mobile numbers provided by applicants in the passport applications are not in service. The Police Verification reports carried out after issuance of those passports under Tatkaal Scheme (which were earlier waived of during issuance of passports) have been found to be adverse, as addresses given on passport applications were fake.

As accused were evasive and did not cooperate during investigation. Both the accused were arrested. They were produced before Special CBI Court, Mumbai and have been sent to police custody for 05 days i.e. till 02.6.2025.

Investigation is continuing.

Srinagar, May 28: Four drug peddlers were arrested in Jammu and Kashmir’s Sopore area, said police on Wednesday, adding that narcotic substances were recovered from them.

“Based on specific inputs received from the public, Sopore Police launched a series of well-coordinated operations leading to the arrest of four drug peddlers and seizure of narcotic substances, including codeine-based syrup and brown sugar-like material,” said the police in a statement.

Three separate FIRs have been registered under relevant sections of the NDPS Act.

In the first incident at Adipora Crossing, one Rameez Ahmad Mir, son of Ghulam Hassan Mir, resident of Adipora Sopore, was arrested with 13 bottles of codeine-like substance with tampered labels. In the second operation, Waseem Ahmad Mir, son of Ghulam Hassan Mir, also a resident of Adipora Sopore, was apprehended at Malpora-Warpora Crossing while attempting to flee from the naka point. A quantity of brown sugar-like substance was recovered from his possession.

In another significant bust at Chijhama Crossing, two individuals — Javid Ahmad Bhat, son of Mohammad Subhan Bhat, and Rayees Ahmad Baba, son of Bashir Ahmad Baba, both residents of Marzipora — were arrested while transporting codeine-based substances in a truck (JK05E-4845), which was also seized.

“These arrests are part of Sopore Police’s sustained crackdown on the drug network threatening the lives of local youth,” said the statement.

SSP Sopore, while reaffirming the district police’s commitment, stated: “These operations underscore our zero-tolerance policy against drug peddling. Let this be a strong message — those involved in the narcotics trade will face strict legal action. With public support, we are determined to rid Sopore of this menace.”

Sopore Police has thanked the public for their continued cooperation and urged citizens to keep reporting suspicious activities to help build a safer, drug-free society.

Police and the security forces have started an aggressive campaign against drug smugglers and drug peddlers in Jammu and Kashmir.

Security forces and the intelligence agencies believe that the funds generated by drug smuggling and hawala rackets are finally used to support terrorism in the union territory. The anti-terrorism operations, therefore, include operations against drug smuggling as well.

Chennai, May 28: Nearly five months after the sexual assault of a student inside the Anna University campus, the Mahila Court in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, on Wednesday found the sole accused, Gnanasekaran (37), guilty on 11 counts, including rape.

The court, presided over by Judge M. Rajalakshmi, announced that sentencing will be pronounced on June 2.

The charge sheet in the case was filed on February 24 by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) that took over the probe from the Greater Chennai Police.

Gnanasekaran, a roadside biryani

vendor and a DMK local leader with a known criminal background, was initially arrested by the local police soon after the incident.

According to the prosecution, the incident took place on December 23, 2024, when the victim, a second-year engineering student, was spending time with her male friend on campus.

Gnanasekaran confronted the couple, threatened them with a fabricated video of them being intimate, and warned that he would share it with university officials to have them expelled.

He then coerced the boy into leaving and manipulated the girl into following him to a secluded part of the campus. Pretending that the boy was being investigated by university staff, he further intimidated the victim.

When she refused to comply with his demands, Gnanasekaran allegedly sexually assaulted her and recorded the act on his mobile phone.

He later took her phone number and blackmailed her, threatening to send the video to her father and college authorities if she failed to meet him again. However, the girl demonstrated remarkable courage by refusing to stay silent.

With the support of her family and college authorities, she filed a complaint the very next day at the Kotturpuram All Women Police Station. The swift action by the police led to Gnanasekaran’s immediate arrest.

During the trial, his counsel pleaded for leniency in sentencing, citing personal grounds. However, the prosecution strongly objected, stressing the heinous nature of the crime and the long history of criminal offences attributed to the accused.

Judge Rajalakshmi, after hearing both sides, reserved the pronouncement of sentence for June 2.

The verdict has been hailed as a significant step toward justice for the survivor and a strong message against crimes targeting women on educational campuses.