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ED to question Rujira Banerjee on coal scam today

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Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is conducting a parallel probe along with Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the coal smuggling case in West Bengal, has summoned Rujira Narula Banerjee, wife of Trinamool Congress’s national general secretary and party MP Abhishek Banerjee, on Thursday.

She has been asked to be present at the agency’s office at central government office (CGO) complex at Salt Lake in northern outskirts of Kolkata at 12 p.m.

A team of ED officials from New Delhi landed in Kolkata early this morning and reached the agency CGO complex office. ED sources said that besides notice to Rujira Banerjee, they have also sent separate communications to the chief secretary H.K. Dwivedi and Bidhannagar City Police Commissioner Supratim Sarkar, so that adequate security arrangements are made around the CGO complex office. Accordingly, the road and lanes leading to the CGO complex have been wrapped under blanket security cover since 9 a.m.

To recall, although ED, the investigation arm of the Union finance ministry, initially wanted to grill Rujira Narula Banerjee in connection with the coal smuggling scam at New Delhi only, the Supreme Court allowed the agency to integrate her in Kolkata. At the same time, the apex court also directed the state government to ensure that the central agency sleuths do not face any difficulty in conducting the integration process.

On June 14, a team of CBI officials went to the residence of Rujira Banerjee in South Kolkata and questioned her for a marathon seven hours in connection with the coal smuggling scam. She was mainly questioned about a bank account in the Thailand- capital of Bangkok, which is purportedly held by her and where huge amounts of money were transferred in phases. She had, however, denied knowledge of any such bank account. She was also questioned about a Howrah-based Chartered Accountant Neeraj Singh, who reportedly transferred money to the said bank account. Neeraj Singh is currently absconding.

As per CBI estimates, the total financial involvement in this coal smuggling racket was around Rs 1,300 crore. ED’s probe is mainly pertaining to the money-trail angle in the matter.

Crime

Mumbai Crime: 24-Year-Old Call Centre Employee Stabbed To Death In Malad; Accused Held

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Mumbai: A 24-year-old call-centre employee was brutally killed late on Wednesday, November 26, in the jurisdiction of Malad Police Station. According to Mumbai Police, the youth was attacked with a sharp-edged weapon and stabbed multiple times, leading to his death on the spot.

The accused has been detained and is currently being interrogated as cops work to uncover the motive behind the fatal assault. Police officials said that the incident appears to be a targeted attack, but all angles are being examined.

Meanwhile, in another horrifying murder that took place on the night of November 20 in Ghatkopar West, a 65-year-old retired railway loco pilot, Surendra Dhondiram Pachadkar, was killed in a seemingly sudden act of violence on a busy public road in the CGS Colony area, commonly known as Old Furniture Gully.

Pachadkar, a resident of Vikhroli West, lived with his wife and stepson at Anandgad, Triveni Society. A diabetic and known for maintaining a disciplined lifestyle, he followed a strict routine, taking evening walks between 7 pm and 9 pm from Vikhroli to Ghatkopar and back.

On the night of the incident, at around 9:30 pm, Pachadkar was returning from his walk and passing through the Old Furniture Market when he reportedly brushed against 19-year-old Aman Verma. What began as a trivial accidental contact quickly escalated into an argument, and then into violence.

Police said that in a sudden burst of rage, Verma grabbed an iron rod lying nearby and struck Pachadkar on the head. The impact of the blow was so severe that Pachadkar collapsed on the spot. The accused fled immediately after the assault.

A passerby noticed the victim lying unconscious and used Pachadkar’s mobile phone to alert his family. His stepson, Ashok Sathe and wife, Shubhangi, rushed him to Zenova Hospital, but doctors declared him dead during treatment. Ghatkopar Police conducted a panchnama soon after and registered a case of murder. The accused, Aman Verma, was tracked down and detained.

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Crime

Red Fort blast: Accused Soyab sent to 10-day NIA custody

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New Delhi, Nov 26: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) was granted a 10-day custody of Soyab, the accused in the Delhi terror blast case, who was arrested in Faridabad earlier on Wednesday.

Soyab was presented before the Patiala House Court, which approved his transfer to NIA custody for 10 days.

Additionally, another key accused, Aamir Rashid Ali, had his NIA custody expiring on the same day. He was also presented before the court, which extended his custody by an additional seven days.

The NIA, earlier in the day, arrested Soyab, a resident of Faridabad’s Dhoj, for harbouring terrorist Dr Umar Muhammad, also known as Umar Un Nabi, immediately before the Delhi terror bomb blast.

Soyab is the seventh person to be arrested in connection with the case.

According to the NIA, he not only harboured Umar before the attack but also provided logistical support crucial to the execution of the November 10 car bombing near the Red Fort that killed several people and left many others injured.

Before this arrest, the NIA had taken six of Umar’s close aides into custody as part of ongoing investigations under case number RC-21/2025/NIA/DLI.

The NIA stated that it is actively pursuing multiple leads related to the suicide bombing and has been conducting coordinated searches across several states with the assistance of local police forces. The agency said its objective is to identify and apprehend all members linked to the larger terror network responsible for the attack.

Meanwhile, ongoing investigations have revealed chilling details about terrorist Umar’s methods and preparations.

According to interrogation inputs from arrested members of the terror module, Umar maintained what investigators describe as a “mobile workstation” — a large suitcase containing bomb-making tools, chemical compounds and containers. He carried it with him wherever he went.

Umar, a medical professional associated with Al-Falah University in Faridabad, reportedly conducted chemical tests in his room on campus before creating the final Improvised Explosive Device (IED).

One of the arrested suspects, Dr Muzamil Shakeel, also affiliated with the same university, confirmed to interrogators that Umar experimented with substances that were later used in the blast.

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Bollywood

252-Crore Drugs Case: Social Media Influencer Orry Appears Before Mumbai Crime Branch’s ANC Ghatkopar Unit

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Mumbai: In a major development in the ₹252-crore drug trafficking case, social media influencer Orry appeared before the Ghatkopar Unit of the Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) of the Mumbai Crime Branch today for questioning.

The ANC had issued a second summons to Orry, directing him to join the investigation. Earlier, he was summoned on November 20, but he informed the agency that he would not be available until November 25. Following this, a second summons was issued, requiring him to appear on November 26.

The ANC is expected to record Orry’s statement as part of the ongoing probe into the high-profile drugs syndicate.

Further details are awaited as the investigation continues.

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