The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) arrested Baneet Singh Talwar, son of late Harminder Singh, on Friday, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in a major case linked to large-scale narcotics smuggling, an official statement said on Saturday.

Talwar was produced before the Special Judge (PMLA), Tis Hazari Courts (West District), on Friday and remanded to five days of ED custody, the ED press note said.

The ED probe was initiated on the basis of an FIR registered by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, and the Indian Penal Code against Harpreet Singh Talwar and others.

The NIA has already filed six charge sheets, alleging a conspiracy with an international drug-smuggling syndicate operating from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Dubai under the mastermind Vitaysh Koser alias Raju Dubai, a wanted accused, along with Pakistani ISI agents and Afghan nationals, the statement said.

Investigations have revealed that proceeds amounting to Rs 76 crore generated from the illegal sale of narcotics were transferred via hawala to Afghanistan and used for funding terrorist activities.

Financial probes by the ED have so far identified proceeds of crime totalling Rs 89 crore arising from contraband smuggling, drug sale proceeds siphoned to Afghanistan through hawala channels, and goods received in kind.

Baneet Singh Talwar is brother of Harpreet Singh Talwar. Probe findings show that he continued to manage and operate business entities under the beneficial control of his brother even after the latter’s arrest by the NIA, it said.

He is alleged to have provided more than Rs 55 lakh to M/s Magent India, an entity controlled by Harpreet Singh Talwar and involved in narcotics smuggling.

Financial analysis has uncovered multiple instances of round-tripping of funds, with matching and mirror entries across different entities indicating a structured flow of proceeds of crime.

Baneet Singh is also accused of using cash deposits to finance the purchase of vehicles in the names of benami entities, which have already been seized by the ED, and of parking proceeds to acquire immovable properties whose benefits continue to be enjoyed by Harpreet Singh Talwar and his family.

The ED described the arrest as part of a whole-of-government approach to dismantle the drug-smuggling racket and the nexus involving narcotics trafficking, money laundering and hawala transactions. Further investigation is in progress.

A Class 12 student died on Saturday after allegedly pouring an inflammable substance on herself and setting herself on fire at Sarvodaya Bal/Balika Vidyalaya in East Delhi Krishna Nagar area, officials said on Saturday.

The incident triggered panic among teachers and students on the school premises, prompting the authorities to initiate an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the student’s death.

Officials said certain suspicious items were reportedly found in the student’s school bag. However, the nature of these items has not yet been officially confirmed, and the police are examining the circumstances that led to the incident.

According to officials, a Police Control Room (PCR) call reporting a fire incident was received from the school located in the Krishna Nagar area of Delhi’s Shahdara district.

“Upon receipt of the information, police staff from PS Krishna Nagar promptly reached the spot, where an approximately 18-year-old female student of Class 12th was found in a burnt condition behind the school guard room,” officials said.

They further stated that some materials were recovered during the initial proceedings at the scene and from the deceased student’s school bag. These items are being examined as part of the investigation.

“During preliminary proceedings, certain materials were recovered from the spot and the deceased girl’s school bag,” they added.

The police said a Crime Team of the Delhi Police was called to the school to inspect the scene, examine the circumstances and collect relevant evidence that could help establish the sequence of events leading to the incident.

“The circumstances leading to the incident are being examined, and further enquiry is in progress,” the police said.

A fire brigade team and police personnel were also present at the school as authorities began investigating the incident.

The police are examining the available evidence and the materials recovered from the spot to determine the circumstances surrounding the student’s death.

The investigation is ongoing, and officials have not yet confirmed the nature of the suspicious items reportedly recovered from the student’s bag.

Further details are expected to emerge as the police continue their enquiry into the incident.

A Hindu American parents’ group is taking its campaign to change how Hinduism is taught in American schools directly to teachers, saying it found educators receptive to “accurate and culturally sensitive” material at a New Jersey conference attended by about 200 teachers.

The Hindu Parents Network (HPN) said it sponsored an interactive session on “Accurate and Culturally Sensitive Teaching of Hinduism in a Changing World” at the 2026 New Jersey Teachers Conference.

The session “addressed common misrepresentations, discussed classroom challenges, and shared practical resources to support educators”, the group said in a message to supporters on Friday.

“The response was overwhelmingly positive. Educators recognised the need for accurate resources and welcomed practical solutions,” it said.

“What if we could transform how thousands of students understand Hindu Dharma and history by empowering the educators who teach them?” the group asked, as it appealed for funds to take the effort nationwide.

HPN said it wants to develop “accurate, classroom-ready educational resources”, reach more educators through conferences and workshops, and “work with school districts to address misrepresentations”.

The group says its goal is to ensure “the next generation learns about Hindu dharma through resources that are bias-free, accurate, culturally sensitive, and respectful”.

In its mid-year report, HPN said it supported six new engagements with school districts in 2026 over curriculum bias, misrepresentation of Hindus and culturally sensitive teaching.

The group publishes “Hinduism for Schools” handbooks for primary and secondary classes and free lesson plans, slides and quizzes on topics such as Holi, which it says are meant to complement textbooks.

Earlier this month, HPN launched an educational video for Hindu Heritage Month on the contributions of Hindu civilisation.

Indian American and Hindu American groups have for years contested the portrayal of Hinduism in US textbooks, most prominently in California’s history-social science curriculum debates.

The push comes at a sensitive time for the community. Hindu American organisations have reported a rise in online hate, and lawmakers have demanded a federal hate-crime investigation into the foiled plot at a Hindu temple in Aurora, Illinois, on October 11.

New Jersey has one of the largest Indian American populations in the country.