Palghar: With police maintaining a strict watch on illegal liquor smuggling in Palghar district ahead of the elections, the Vikramgad police conducted a major operation and seized a truck transporting illicit Daman-made liquor.

Based on a tip-off, police set up a blockade (nakabandi) on the Vikramgad-Talwada road near the village of Dadade. When officers attempted to stop the truck, the driver abandoned the vehicle and fled the scene.

The police confiscated illicit liquor worth approximately ₹11 lakhs from the truck, along with the truck valued at ₹22 lakhs, bringing the total value of seized goods to ₹33 lakhs.

Anticipating an increase in the use of liquor to attract voters during the election season, the police are keeping a strict vigil on smuggling activities. Further investigation is currently underway.

Hyderabad, Nov 26: Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, on Wednesday, appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to declare Bengaluru-Hyderabad as a defence and aerospace corridor.

The Chief Minister said this during the inauguration of the French aerospace major Safran’s largest MRO centre for the CFM International LEAP engines in Hyderabad.

The Chief Minister stated that declaring Bengaluru-Hyderabad as a defence and aerospace corridor will contribute to Viksit Bharat.

The Safran Aircraft Engine Services India (SAESI) facility at the GMR AeroPark (SEZ) near Shamshabad will be operational in 2026.

The Chief Minister congratulated Safran for choosing Hyderabad for a big investment and thanked it for its trust and continued partnership with Telangana.

He stated that this new facility marks an important milestone for Telangana’s growth in the aerospace and defence sector.

Revanth Reddy noted that this is the first-ever Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) centre for LEAP engines in India. Set up with an investment of ₹1,300 crore, the centre will employ over 1,000 skilled technicians and engineers, while also generating new business opportunities for local MSMEs and precision engineering firms, he said.

He said that the foundation stone was also laid today for Safran’s M88 Military Engine MRO, which will support both the Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy.

The Chief Minister emphasised that Hyderabad has emerged as a major aerospace and defence hub, home to more than 25 major global companies and over 1,500 MSMEs. He added that Telangana’s progressive industrial and MSME policies are ranked among the best in India.

He said that Hyderabad’s world-class infrastructure, aerospace parks and SEZs continue to attract mega investments from leading global companies, making the city a top choice for highly complex precision engineering projects.

He noted that Hyderabad is already a preferred destination for companies such as Safran, Boeing, Airbus, Tata, and Bharat Forge for manufacturing and R&D activities, and has become one of India’s leading MRO and aero-engine hubs.

The Chief Minister highlighted that Telangana’s aerospace and defence exports doubled last year, reaching ₹30,742 crore in just nine months, surpassing the state’s pharma exports for the first time.

He also mentioned that Telangana has consistently won the Best State Award for Aerospace from the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

He underscored that skilling is a key factor in attracting aerospace investments. Telangana has upgraded 100 Industrial Training Institutes into Advanced Technology Centres in partnership with Tata Technologies, ensuring youth are job-ready for advanced manufacturing.

He added that the Young India Skills University is offering specialised training in aircraft maintenance and invited Safran to be a lead partner in aerospace and MRO skilling initiatives.

Reaffirming Telangana’s commitment to supporting partners like Safran with world-class infrastructure, the Chief Minister spoke about the upcoming Bharat Future City, being developed across 30,000 acres as a planned, fully green, net-zero global destination – India’s answer to New York, Tokyo, Dubai and Singapore.

He extended an invitation to the Prime Minister to attend the ‘Telangana Rising 2047 – Global Summit’ at Bharat Future City on December 8 and 9, where the state’s long-term vision will be unveiled. Telangana aims to become a $1 trillion economy by 2035 and a $3 trillion economy by 2047.

Kolkata, Nov 26: The sleuths of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday finally arrested another key accused in the assault on the Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials at Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, nearly two years after the incident.

The person arrested in this connection has been identified as Durant Molla, a close associate of the now-suspended Trinamool Congress leader Shaikh Shahjahan, once deemed as the uncrowned king of Sandeshkhali.

The main charge against Molla is that he was the one who led the team of Shahjahan’s associates who attacked the ED officials, in which three of the investigating officers were severely injured.

Even the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel accompanying the ED official also faced the wrath of the mob, who also vandalised several vehicles of the investigating team.

Initially, West Bengal Police investigated the matter. Later, as the CBI took over the investigation, Molla was identified as the one leading the team of attackers.

Although Shahjahan was arrested by the cops of West Bengal Police almost a month after the attack took place on the ED officials, Molla went into hiding and remained untraceable for nearly two years

Finally, on early Wednesday, he was arrested by the CBI sleuths from a hideout in the North 24 Parganas district.

However, the CBI officials were yet to disclose the exact location from where he was nabbed.

Molla will be presented at the court later in the day, and CBI counsel will seek his custody.

Shahjahan, a key accused in the multi-crore ration distribution case in West Bengal, has various other charges against him, including forceful land grabbing at Sandeshkhali, illegal conversion of farmland into pisciculture farms by forcefully flowing in saline water in that land, and sexual exploitation of the local women at Sandeshkhali.