Mumbai, June 11: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday said that it has successfully secured the deportation of Red Notice subject Ganesh Balaso Kale from Thailand to India.

The deportation process was carried out in coordination with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), and the Embassy of India in Bangkok.

According to the officials, Kale is wanted in connection with cybercrime fraud, in which victims were lured by the offer of online part-time jobs. They were asked to make certain deposits as monetary investments and were later defrauded.

Investigators said that the accused used to operate a network of cyber financial criminals by involving various unsuspecting persons in the scam. “He used to lure individuals by promising interest/commission in exchange for allowing the use of their bank accounts for the transfer of illicit funds and subsequently utilised such accounts to cheat multiple innocent victims,” the officials said.

“The subject also allegedly instructed co-accused persons to arrange mobile phones and procure fake SIM cards to facilitate the commission of offences,” the CBI officials added.

Based on the Interpol Red Notice, the accused was located in Thailand. He was detained by the Thai Authorities on May 24 in Bangkok. Following due legal proceedings and close coordination between Indian and Thai authorities, the accused was successfully deported to India.

Officials announced that a Red Corner Notice for Kale was issued in May. He was successfully located, apprehended, and returned to India within about 20 days of the notice.

On Thursday, the accused arrived at Mumbai Airport, where he was taken into custody by the Maharashtra Police’s Cyber Cell.

“The CBI, as the National Central Bureau for INTERPOL in India, coordinates with all Law Enforcement Agencies in India through BHARATPOL for assistance via INTERPOL channels,” officials said.

Investigators said that over 160 wanted criminals have been successfully brought back to India in the last few years through coordination between different agencies.

New Delhi, June 11: The Cyber Police Station of South District, Delhi Police, has successfully busted an organised interstate cyber fraud syndicate involved in operating fake online helicopter booking websites and cheating unsuspecting travellers.

Three accused persons have been arrested in the case, and significant digital evidence, along with electronic devices, has been recovered.

A complaint was received from a victim who was cheated of Rs 20,328 on the pretext of booking travel services through fake websites, namely irctc-helicopter.com and irctc-heliyatra.com. These websites were designed to resemble genuine travel booking portals to deceive users.

Based on the complaint, FIR No. 30/2026 dated May 21, under Sections 318(4), 61(2), and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), was registered at PS Cyber South District, and an investigation was initiated.

A dedicated team comprising SI Ashish, Head Constables Praveen, Vikas, and Vinod, Constables Praveen Joon and Sultan, conducted the investigation under the leadership of SHO/Cyber South, Inspector Hansraj Swami, and under the overall supervision of Additional DCP (Operations), South District, Arvind Kumar.

During the investigation, police carried out a detailed analysis of the money trail, bank account details, domain registration records, Gmail accounts, IP logs, and technical data obtained from service providers such as Hostinger and Google.

The analysis led to the identification of individuals operating the fake websites and associated digital advertisements. Based on technical surveillance and local intelligence inputs, accused Omprakash Kumar and Rohit Kumar were arrested from Bihar’s Nalanda.

During interrogation, the accused disclosed the involvement of co-accused Shreyansh Tiwari alias Shivam, who was identified as the developer and manager of the fake websites. He was subsequently arrested from Greater Noida.

Investigations revealed that the accused were running fake travel booking portals and promoting them through paid advertisements on Meta (Facebook), targeting individuals searching for travel-related services online. Their digital network has been linked to approximately 30 NCRP complaints registered across various states and Union Territories, involving a total cheating amount of nearly Rs 10 lakh. The involvement of another associate, Anurag, a resident of Nalanda, is also under verification.

The accused created fake travel booking websites that closely resembled legitimate platforms and promoted them through paid social media advertisements. Victims searching online for travel bookings were redirected to these fraudulent websites and were induced to make payments for bookings.

After the initial payment, victims were further pressured to make additional transfers on the pretext of processing refunds, confirming bookings, registration charges, or other fabricated reasons. The cheated funds were routed through mule bank accounts and various digital payment channels to conceal the money trail.

During the operation, police recovered several incriminating items from the possession of the accused, including eight mobile phones, two laptops, and a 10th-generation iPad. Officials also seized multiple ATM and debit cards allegedly used in the commission of cyber fraud. In addition, Rs 20,328 was marked as a lien in a bank account linked to the case. Investigators further recovered substantial digital evidence and electronic records connected to the fraudulent activities, which are being examined as part of the ongoing probe.

Of the arrested accused, Omprakash Kumar has a previous involvement in a criminal case, as per FIR No. 06/2022 registered under Sections 420/34 of the IPC at PS Cyber North-West Delhi. Rohit Kumar has no previous criminal involvement reported so far, nor does the third accused, Tiwari, a resident of Uttar Pradesh’s Jaunpur.

Further investigation is in progress to identify additional associates and dismantle the complete network behind the fraud.

New Delhi, June 11: Three Indian sailors, who were reportedly missing after the US forces attacked a vessel off the coast of Oman earlier this week, have been confirmed dead in the deadly attacks.

The killing of Indian seafarers was confirmed by Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, who called it a “profound loss for India’s maritime community”.

The minister said that the bodies of all three missing sailors have been recovered. He also informed that steps are being taken to repatriate the bodies of fallen seafarers for their last rites.

“It is deeply unfortunate to learn of the tragic incident aboard the Palau-flagged MT Settebello. Sadly, three Indian seafarers initially reported missing are now confirmed dead after bodies have been located and identified,” Sonowal said in a post on X.

Preliminary inputs, after the attack on the oil vessel, said that 21 Indian sailors were rescued from the ship while three seafarers were reported missing.

The Union Minister described the tragic incident aboard the Palau-flagged MT Settebello as “deeply unfortunate” and said that the government was standing by the bereaved families in this difficult hour.

“Modi government stands firmly with the bereaved during this difficult hour and is fully committed to supporting the next of kin. I have directed officials to ensure immediate repatriation of the rescued crew members and swift return of the mortal remains of the deceased for their final rites,” he said in the post on X.

The oil tanker had a total crew of 28 members, including 24 Indian nationals and four foreign nationals– two Pakistanis, one Ukrainian, and one Russian– when it came under a US military attack in the Gulf of Oman. The US, justifying the attack, said that the vessel violated the prescribed instructions and hence came under its radar.