New Delhi, Aug 25: Prompt action by the staff of Delhi’s Hauz Qazi police station led to the arrest of a 20-year-old man on Tuesday and the recovery of 200 quarters of illicit country-made liquor being transported for illegal sale in the national capital.

The police also seized a grey-coloured scooty used for transporting the liquor. A case under the relevant provisions of the Delhi Excise Act has been registered, and further investigation is underway.

According to police, the incident took place on August 24 at around 10.30 p.m., when staff of PS Hauz Qazi were conducting routine patrolling in the area of Lal Kuan Road near Farashkhana Road.

During the patrolling, the police team noticed a person on a scooty coming from the Lal Kuan side. On spotting the police personnel, the rider suddenly turned the vehicle around and started moving in the opposite direction, raising suspicion.

The police team immediately followed and intercepted the scooty. During the subsequent checking, a heavy white plastic bag was found placed on the vehicle. The rider allegedly failed to provide any satisfactory explanation regarding the contents of the bag.

Upon checking the bag, the police recovered 200 quarters of country-made liquor, each containing 180 ml. The bottles were bearing the label, “For Sale in Haryana Only”.

The rider was identified as Akash, a resident of Burari in Delhi, aged about 20 years. The recovered liquor was taken into possession in accordance with the law, while the scooty used for its transportation was also seized.

Accordingly, FIR No. 389/26 under Sections 33 and 38 of the Delhi Excise Act was registered at PS Hauz Qazi, and further investigation was initiated.

The recovery was made by a police team comprising SI Ranvijay Singh, In-charge of Police Post Rodgran, Head Constable Paramveer, and Constable Daya Chand. The operation was carried out under the leadership of Inspector Amrender Kumar Suman, SHO of PS Hauz Qazi, and under the overall supervision of Rajiv Bhardwaj, ACP, Kamla Market.

Police said the alertness and prompt response of the patrolling team led to the interception of the accused and the recovery of a substantial quantity of illicit liquor. The seizure of the scooty allegedly used for transportation has further strengthened the investigation into the illegal transportation and supply of liquor.

During interrogation, Akash disclosed that he used to procure illicit liquor from areas near the Haryana border and subsequently supply it in and around the Sadar area of Delhi to earn money and meet his personal expenses.

The accused was further questioned about the source of the recovered liquor and the persons allegedly involved in its procurement and supply. Police said efforts are underway to identify the source and ascertain whether other persons are involved in the illegal liquor supply network.

Police records revealed that Akash, son of Pappu, was previously involved in an Excise Act case registered at PS Burari. He was named in FIR No. 254/25 under Sections 33 and 38 of the Delhi Excise Act.

Further investigation is in progress.

New Delhi, Aug 25: The body of 15-year-old Mithun, a Class 8 student who went missing after falling into an open drain in southeast Delhi Jasola village, was recovered on Tuesday, bringing a tragic end to a four-day search operation.

Mithun reportedly fell into the drain on Saturday morning while trying to retrieve a kite near his home. The teenager had gone missing at around 11 a.m., following which his family feared that he had been swept away in the drain.

His family, originally from Uttar Pradesh, lives in the area and works as daily-wage labourers here.

Soon after the incident, a massive search operation was launched involving multiple agencies. Personnel from the Delhi Fire Service, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), other rescue teams and divers searched the drain and connected areas in an attempt to trace the boy.

Despite continuous efforts, Mithun could not be located for several days. His body was eventually recovered on Tuesday and has been sent for a post-mortem examination.

The incident also sparked outrage after a video purportedly showing Mithun’s father searching for his son inside the drain went viral on social media. In the video, the distraught father was seen entering the drain with a stick in his hand and looking for the teenager as the search operation continued.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta had earlier expressed deep grief and strong displeasure over the incident. She directed the Chief Secretary to provide details regarding the jurisdiction and responsibility for the drain within an hour and called for action against officials found responsible for any lapse.

Following the incident, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) suspended a junior engineer of the South East (Central) Zone for alleged dereliction of duty.

The civic body said disciplinary proceedings had been initiated against the official. The action came amid questions over the safety and maintenance of the open and unguarded drain where the teenager reportedly fell.

New Delhi, Aug 25: UN-designated terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) headquarters in Pakistan’s Bahawalpur, which were damaged in strikes launched by India under Operation Sindoor last year, have been rebuilt, according to reports.

According to images and intelligence inputs accessed by several media reports, the Markaz Subhanallah, which was badly damaged in India’s strikes last year, has been rebuilt with new plaster, paint, and polished marble.

The central hall of the facility, which had been damaged, has been repaired, with the craters filled and the structure refurbished. The structure, which was fully damaged, now seems to be prepared for regular use by JeM.

The Pakistani establishment provided approximately (Pakistani) Rs 25 crore to JeM in cash instalments, with approximately Rs 11 crore reportedly given for reconstruction of the central hall, several media reports claimed, citing intelligence inputs.

The structures adjoining the main complex, including the Madrasa Al-Sabir, described as an indoctrination centre, and residential quarters used by JeM commanders, which were damaged during Operation Sindoor, have been cleared or demolished, and new construction has taken place at the site.

The Bahawalpur facility was among the sites targeted by India during Operation Sindoor launched in May last year, in response to the terrorist attack carried out in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam.

India struck at the heart of Pakistan-based terror infrastructure, targeting well-known training camps in Muridke and Bahawalpur in a joint operation conducted by the Indian Army, Air Force, and Navy.

The highly coordinated operation, launched on May 6 and 7, saw firing of 24 missiles that precisely hit nine terror facilities across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), killing an estimated 70 terrorists.

Only verified terror camps were targeted, including the Lashkar-e-Taiba headquarters in Muridke and key facilities in Bahawalpur — both long identified as hubs of extremist training and indoctrination.

Operation Sindoor was a significant demonstration of India’s military and strategic capability, combining both military and non-military measures.

India launched the operation in response to the Pahalgam terror attack that took place on April 22, 2025, in which Pakistan-backed attackers singled out victims after asking about their religion, forcing them to recite the Islamic ‘kalima’ to identify non-Muslims. Among those killed were 25 tourists and one local pony ride operator who tried to save the tourists.