New Delhi, Aug 14: Five places in the national Capital received bomb threats a day before the nation celebrates its 80th Independence Day, officials of the Delhi Fire Service (DFS) said on Friday.

According to the DFS, the locations in Delhi which received calls alleging bomb blasts are Jamnagar House, Jhandewalan Flatted Factory Complex, District Magistrate Office in Saket, Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport and SDM Office at Delhi Cantt.

Fire tenders have been dispatched to all these locations. However, nothing suspicious has been found during the investigation so far, officials said.

Similarly, an email sent to the Delhi Mayor’s office on August 3 threatened multiple bomb blasts at the Red Fort on August 15, prompting security agencies in the capital city to spring into action to comb the entire area around the iconic monument.

As soon as the Mayor’s office received the bomb threat by email, it alerted the Delhi Police and other security agencies.

Soon after receiving the alert, police personnel, bomb disposal squads, and other security teams rushed to the historic Red Fort and carried out extensive sanitisation and inspection of the premises, an official said.

Delhi Police sources said that after receiving the information about the bomb threat, the security of the area was beefed up and an investigation was launched.

On July 11, a bomb threat targeting the Red Fort had also triggered a major security response, prompting police and security agencies to conduct a comprehensive combing exercise at the monument before declaring the threat to be a hoax.

According to Delhi Police, last month’s threat originated from a phone call made to the Mumbai Police Control Room, during which the caller allegedly claimed that the historic Red Fort would be blown up. Mumbai Police immediately relayed the information to the Delhi Police Control Room, which alerted the North District Police to initiate security measures.

After thoroughly checking the area, police officials found no suspicious object or explosive material and confirmed that the threat was false.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to address the nation from the ramparts of the iconic Red Fort on August 15, Saturday. The event is expected to draw large crowds and involve extensive restrictions on movement in the capital city.

Guwahati, Aug 14: Drugs worth an estimated Rs 39.4 crore were seized in Guwahati after police intercepted a truck near the Inter-State Bus Terminal (ISBT), leading to the arrest of two persons, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

Taking to his official X account on Thursday, Sarma praised the Guwahati Police for the operation and said the seizure would help protect the younger generation from the growing threat of drug abuse.

“Mirror mirror on the wall, tell me how much drugs in all? Rs 39.4 crore!” the Chief Minister said in his X post, while highlighting the quantity of narcotics recovered during the operation.

According to the Chief Minister, the police intercepted a truck near the ISBT and recovered 10 soap cases containing heroin along with 1,40,000 YABA tablets.

YABA tablets, which commonly contain methamphetamine, are a synthetic drug associated with serious health and addiction risks.

The seizure represents a significant disruption to an alleged narcotics trafficking network operating through Assam.

Two accused persons were apprehended in connection with the seizure.

Police are expected to investigate the source of the consignment, its intended destination and the wider network involved in transporting the drugs.

The operation comes amid intensified efforts by Assam Police to curb the trafficking and distribution of narcotics in the state.

Assam has emerged as an important transit route for drugs because of its geographical location and proximity to international borders and neighbouring states.

Sarma, in his X post, credited the Guwahati Police for the “excellent” operation and described the seizure as an effort aimed at “saving the future of our youth”.

The recovery of such a large quantity of YABA tablets and heroin is likely to trigger further investigation into the movement of narcotics through Guwahati, which serves as a major transportation hub connecting Assam with other parts of the Northeast.

The police action also underscores the increasing focus on intercepting drug consignments before they reach their intended markets and preventing narcotics from reaching young people.

Further details about the identities of the arrested persons and the exact value and weight of the seized substances are awaited.

New Delhi, Aug 14: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday hailed the return of alleged drug kingpin Virender Singh Basoya from the United Arab Emirates, calling it a major milestone in the government’s “zero tolerance” policy against narcotics.

In a post on X, Shah said the Narendra Modi government was relentlessly pursuing drug traffickers operating from abroad and dismantling their networks.

“Modi govt is relentlessly tracking down drug traffickers hiding abroad and destroying their entire ecosystem with a ruthless approach,” Shah said.

“Creating a new milestone in the policy of zero tolerance against narcotics, the NCB secured the return of fugitive drug kingpin Virender Singh Basoya from the UAE,” he added.

According to the initial background shared in connection with the case, Basoya was brought to India from Dubai on Air India flight number 4310 following efforts by Indian authorities.

Basoya is an accused in the Pune drug case involving narcotics allegedly worth Rs 6,000 crore. The Narcotics Control Bureau had issued a Red Corner Notice against him, and he was subsequently arrested in Dubai.

He was deported to India following an initiative by the Government of India, marking what authorities described as a significant success in the country’s ongoing crackdown on international drug trafficking networks.

Basoya is considered close to Sandeep Dhunia, who is described as the main accused in a Delhi Police drug case involving narcotics worth around Rs 13,000 crore.

Dhunia, according to the information provided, managed to travel from Dubai to Pakistan.

Shah said Indian agencies had tracked Basoya by following the criminal network at multiple levels.

“By tracing the criminal through a top-to-bottom and bottom-to-top approach, our agencies have once again proven that no matter where drug traffickers hide, they cannot escape the long arm of Indian law,” the Home Minister said.

The development is being seen as a major success for the NCB and other agencies involved in pursuing fugitives accused of operating large-scale narcotics networks from overseas.

The government has repeatedly maintained that its anti-drug strategy focuses not only on individual traffickers but also on dismantling the wider financial, logistical and criminal ecosystem supporting narcotics syndicates.