Mumbai, Oct 9: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday stated that the dynamism of India and the expertise of the UK together create a distinctive synergy. “Our partnership is trustworthy, driven by talent and technology, which will help make the future of both countries brighter,” PM Modi said after meeting his UK counterpart Keir Starmer at Raj Bhavan here.

He said, “India and the UK are natural partners. The foundation of our relationship is a shared belief in values such as democracy, freedom, and the rule of law. In the current era of global instability, this growing partnership between India and the UK is becoming a crucial foundation for global stability and economic progress.”

“Under the leadership of Prime Minister Starmer, there has been remarkable progress in the relations between India and the UK. During my UK visit in July, we reached an agreement on the historic Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement. Your visit to India just a few months after the Agreement and the largest business delegation to accompany you so far is a symbol of the new energy and broader vision that has come into the India-UK partnership,” said PM Modi.

“We shared views on peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and West Asia, as well as the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. On the Ukraine conflict and the Gaza issue, India supports all efforts to restore peace through dialogue and diplomacy. We are fully committed to enhancing maritime security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region,” said PM Modi.

“We have reached an agreement on cooperation in military training. Under this, Flying Instructors of the Indian Air Force will work as trainers in the UK’s Royal Air Force,” said PM Modi.

Prime Minister Modi said, “The largest and most influential delegation from the education sector so far has come with Prime Minister Starmer. It is a matter of great joy that now nine universities from the UK are going to open campuses in India. The Gurugram campus of Southampton University was recently inaugurated, and the first group of students has also taken admission.”

Mumbai, Oct 9: Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed UK Prime Minister Keri Starmer at Raj Bhavan and held a meeting as part of the process to strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries.

The Ministry of External Affairs shared photos of Prime Minister Narendra Modi meeting UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

“Together for stronger India-UK ties…,” posted Randhir Jaiswal, the MEA spokesperson, on X.

Earlier, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said his meeting with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer here further deepened trade and economic partnership for mutual prosperity between the two nations.

Starmer arrived in India for a two-day visit on Wednesday, accompanied by the biggest-ever trade delegation from the country to India.

“Delighted to call on UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Discussed avenues to further deepen India-UK trade and economic partnership for mutual prosperity,” Goyal posted on X social media platform.

Goyal earlier met Peter Kyle, the UK’s Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with a view to moving forward with the operationalisation of the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and doubling the bilateral trade by 2030.

“The meeting marked a significant step towards operationalising the India-UK CETA, with both Ministers agreeing to reposition the Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) to oversee its implementation and delivery,” according to the Commerce Ministry statement.

Both sides underlined their commitment to ensuring swift, coordinated, and results-oriented implementation of the Agreement, aimed at realising its full potential for businesses and consumers in both countries. The ministers reaffirmed their shared ambition to double bilateral trade by 2030, leveraging the complementarities between the two economies in areas such as advanced manufacturing, digital trade, clean energy, and services.

Emphasising the transformative scope of CETA, they discussed ways to maximise its benefits through regulatory cooperation, addressing non-tariff barriers, and promoting supply chain integration. The highly productive Commerce Secretary and Director General-level meeting set the tone for the Ministerial meeting, which laid a strong foundation for a full day of engaging and forward-looking discussions.

Mumbai: A major human trafficking racket was exposed at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport due to the alertness of immigration officials. The accused, Vijay Kumar Radheshyam Grover (43), was caught attempting to take 28-year-old Kamaljit Kaur to the Netherlands’ Amsterdam by posing as her husband.

Officials found discrepancies during questioning, leading to the discovery of fake documents. The case is currently under investigation by the Property Cell of the Mumbai Crime Branch, and a team has been dispatched to Punjab for further probe. Grover has been remanded in police custody till October 15.

According to police sources, Accused VijayKumar, who works as a travel agent in Delhi, has traveled abroad 13 times to nine different countries including Thailand, China, Dubai, and London.

He is suspected to have facilitated passports and visas for around 30 to 35 individuals. On October 7, he arrived at the Mumbai international airport with Kamaljit Kaur, claiming she was his wife and that they were flying to Amsterdam.

However, immigration officers noticed inconsistencies in their responses during routine questioning. Further scrutiny revealed that the marriage certificate dated December 2023 they presented was fake. Kaur was immediately rescued, while Grover was detained for questioning. Investigations revealed that Kaur’s cousin, Sonu — a Belgium citizen — had introduced her to Grover.

A case has been registered at the Sahar Police Station under sections 143(2), 336(2), 336(3), 340(2), and 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, for human trafficking, cheating, and forgery.

The accused allegedly forged marriage documents to fraudulently obtain a European visa for himself and Kamaljit Kaur and attempted to take her illegally to Amsterdam on flight 6M-21 from Mumbai.

The investigation is being led by Senior Police Inspector Mangesh Desai and PSI Sachin Jadhav of the Property Cell, Crime Branch. Police are now tracing agent Gagandeep Singh Bhinder and others suspected to be part of this trafficking network. Authorities are also probing whether this is part of a larger cross-border trafficking racket operating from Punjab and Delhi.