United Nations, Aug 13: The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and its partners continue to support the government-led response to the devastating earthquake in Colombia, said the office.

Widespread damage to homes and public infrastructure has also been reported, OCHA said in its daily news update.

Humanitarian assessments are ongoing, particularly in the hardest-hit areas, where disruptions to communications, transport and public services continue to hinder relief efforts. Emergency shelter, food assistance, access to safe drinking water and health care for affected communities are among the top priorities, the office said.

The United Nations and its partners are also mobilising resources. The World Food Programme is sending food, while the World Health Organization is dispatching medical supplies from its warehouses in the country, OCHA said.

Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said Wednesday that an allocation from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund is in the works.

The United Nations will launch an appeal for quake relief in Colombia once information is available about the extent of damage, said Haq, noting that the needs are expected to be very severe, Xinhua news agency reported.

The death toll from Monday’s earthquake in Colombia has risen to 265, with 3,494 people injured and 496 still missing, Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella said Wednesday.

The president said more than 53,000 people had been affected by the disaster.

He said he would declare a state of economic emergency to speed up assistance to those affected, saying the government’s efforts remain focused on searching for the missing.

Earlier on Aug 11, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar had extended condolences to Omar Bula Escobar, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Colombia, on the devastating earthquake in the South American nation.

“Deeply saddened by the tragic loss of lives and the destruction caused by the earthquake in Colombia. Extend heartfelt condolences to the families who have lost their loved ones. Also pray for the swift recovery to those injured. India stands ready to extend all possible assistance,” EAM Jaishankar wrote on X.

Mumbai, Aug 13: The Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray on Thursday claimed that while the ruling administration frequently boasts about sustaining strong economic and industrial growth despite global instability, official government figures presented in Parliament have severely challenged these claims.

According to data released on Monday by the Ministry of Statistics, job opportunities in India neither increased nor decreased over the past year. The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) indicates that the domestic job market remains entirely stagnant, the party said.

The Thackeray camp, in an editorial in the party’s mouthpiece, ‘Saamana’, said that the ministry’s report reveals key indicators regarding the current state of employment in the country. The unemployment rate for the current quarter stands at 5.5 per cent, compared to 5.6 per cent a year ago. Salaried employees constituted 51.4 per cent in June, a slight movement from 51.2 per cent recorded the previous June. The proportion of female workers saw a negligible rise from 32 per cent to 32.7 per cent. Job opportunities in rural areas have continued to decline.

While government supporters argue that stable unemployment figures show resilience, critics highlight a deepening crisis among educated youth, said the editorial. It further added that India’s graduate youth population has reached 6.30 crore, growing 13-fold over four decades, while unemployed graduates grew 16-fold in the same timeframe. Six out of every ten graduate youths are currently unemployed.

According to an Azim Premji University report, two out of every three unemployed youths hold a degree — meaning they possess the qualifications but lack employment opportunities. Out of every 1,000 job-seeking youths, only 12 secure permanent employment, said the editorial.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena argued that the Statistics Ministry’s figures directly contradict recent claims made by Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, who stated that the government created 1.7 crore new jobs annually over its 12-year tenure. The statistics also validate concerns raised recently by Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi during the “Chatron Ki Goonj” event in Prayagraj regarding youth unemployment.

The Thackeray camp claimed that the government, which boasts about a “five trillion” economy, has failed to create a single new job in the past year. The administration has failed to deliver on its promise of creating two crore jobs per year, leaving millions of qualified graduates facing uncertain futures.

“This is the “mirror” to the Modi government’s economic policies, and it has been shown by one of their own ministries. The country’s Home Minister, who suggests “fry pakodas if there is no job,” and the Prime Minister, who made a “Hello Friends” reel addressing the youth out of fear of protests at Jantar Mantar, need to take a look at themselves in this mirror,” it noted.

Surat, Aug 13: The Surat City Cyber Crime Cell in Gujarat has arrested an alleged associate of a Jamtara-based cyber fraud gang who, according to police, handled money siphoned from victims through mule bank accounts and converted the proceeds into cash before routing them back to other members of the network.

The accused, identified as 26-year-old Sitaram Mandal, a welding shop worker from Bisanpur village in Giridih district of Jharkhand, was taken into custody from Sabarmati Jail in Ahmedabad, where he was already lodged.

He was subsequently produced before a court and police obtained his two-day custody remand.

The arrest followed an investigation into a complaint in which a Surat resident’s son allegedly lost Rs 5,02,562 after downloading a fake RTO E-Challan APK file sent through WhatsApp.

Police said the incident began on November 20, 2025, when an unknown WhatsApp number sent the malicious APK file to the phone of the victim’s friend, Rakesh Sharma.

The compromised account was then used to circulate the file in a WhatsApp group involving the victim’s son’s friends.

After the victim downloaded the file, his phone was allegedly compromised without his knowledge, and Rs 5,02,562 was transferred from his bank account in multiple transactions.

The complainant contacted the national cybercrime helpline immediately after discovering the fraud and later approached the Surat Cyber Crime Cell on December 14, 2025.

A case was registered at the Cyber Crime Police Station under Sections 318(4), 336(2), 338, 336(3), 340(2), 61(2) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and Sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the Information Technology Act, 2008.

Police said a technical investigation, including scrutiny of banking transactions, led them to Mandal, who was found to be in Sabarmati Jail.

Investigators alleged that Rs 1,47,954 from the complainant’s son’s account had been used for a credit bill payment arranged through an earlier arrested accused, Nishit Nathwani.

According to police, Nathwani retained a commission of 15 to 20 per cent and deposited the remaining cash through a cash deposit machine into Mandal’s bank account.

Mandal allegedly deducted a further 5 to 10 per cent commission before handing over the remaining cash to absconding members of the Jamtara gang in Jharkhand.

Police also found that Rs 2.72 lakh linked to cyber fraud involving this and other victims had been deposited through CDM transactions into Mandal’s Axis Bank account between November 21 and December 18, 2025.

The account recorded credit transactions totalling Rs 15,87,400 between September 19, 2025 and January 8, 2026. Police said Mandal has a previous criminal record, including an FIR registered in Giridih district in 2017 under cheating, forgery and Information Technology Act provisions.

He is also named in five Ahmedabad City Cyber Crime Police Station cases registered in 2026 involving cheating, impersonation, conspiracy and offences under the IT Act.

The investigation has found that the gang used malicious APK files designed to resemble legitimate applications or services.

According to police, once a victim clicked on and installed the file, the application sought administrative permissions that could allow access to SMS messages, contacts, call logs and photographs.

The gang allegedly used genuine-looking bank names, logos and icons to persuade victims to enter banking and KYC information.

Once access to banking details was obtained, money was transferred from the victim’s bank or payment applications to mule accounts or credit cards.

The proceeds were subsequently withdrawn or converted into cash and deposited through CDMs into accounts controlled by other members of the network, according to investigators.

Police said five accused had already been arrested in connection with the case before Mandal’s arrest.

The Cyber Crime Cell has urged people not to download APK files received from unknown sources, even when they appear to relate to RTO challans, banks, KYC updates, customer support, government schemes, appointment bookings or other familiar services.

It also advised people not to click on suspicious links received through SMS or email.