Crime
Meth cartels and ISI: How Kerala became India’s narco transit point

New Delhi, Sep 30: There has been a marked rise in the number of drug-related incidents in Kerala in recent years. Security agencies say they had sensed a pattern setting in where the drug smuggling routes would be predominantly through the southern states.
However, the suspension of four prison officials in Kerala for trafficking narcotics to inmates clearly indicates that there is a rot within the system, which has ensured that the drug menace has become big in the state.
Nearly 95 per cent of the narcotics market is under the control of the Dawood Ibrahim syndicate. This is the same syndicate which is backed by the ISI that managed to compromise the state of Punjab. The drugs from Pakistan would enter Punjab in large numbers before it is circulated to the rest of the country. However, this route has become too obvious, and the security agencies have managed to curb this menace to some extent.
The D-syndicate realised that in order to expand, it would need to tap into the southern markets. This is when it decided to create modules in Sri Lanka.
The drugs from Pakistan would land in Sri Lanka before it is smuggled into India by sea. Officials say that one of the most preferred drugs in Kerala is methamphetamine or meth. There is also a huge demand for this drug in the rest of the country, and sensing the same, the syndicate decided to make Kerala a transit point.
Officials say that Kerala is a favoured destination owing to several factors, such as the long coastline and the proximity to international borders.
The operations are overseen by Haji Salim, who is a member of the D-Syndicate. He is in charge of all the operations in South India. Over the last couple of years, Salim has managed to build a deep-rooted network in South India through his operations in Kerala.
Central agencies have often complained that there is corruption within the system, due to which the monitoring is very low. This has made it easy for the drug smugglers to get the drugs into Kerala from Sri Lanka and then circulate them across the country.
Once the meth lands in Kerala, it is smuggled into the rest of the country through the land borders that the state has with Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
In recent times, it has also been found that the Andhra Pradesh border is used to smuggle cannabis. Intelligence Bureau officials say that the drugs are mainly smuggled into the northeastern states from Kerala. However, in recent times, drugs that land in Kerala are also smuggled with the help of international cartels into Thailand and other foreign countries.
The drug smuggling into Thailand is at its highest as there is a very high demand for the same. The D-syndicate has roped in a large number of Nigerians to execute this trade. The Nigerians, who gained experience in this trade while operating in Goa, are now taking over the international operations for the D-Gang.
Officials dealing with the menace say that these cartels are not smuggling meth in small numbers. Their deals are audacious in nature, and the recent seizure of meth worth Rs 30,000 crore at the Andaman and Nicobar Islands is proof of the same. However, after this seizure, these cartels have changed their modus operandi. They are now bringing in drugs in smaller quantities, as this makes the possibility of detection low. Every tactic at their disposal is being used to avoid detection.
The ISI is very reliant on this trade after the Indian agencies have successfully put down the fake currency racket to a large extent. The funds that are generated through this trade are used to fund terror against India, and hence, this trade is of extreme importance to the Pakistani spy agency.
Crime
Jharkhand HC raps ACB over delay in 211 corruption probes, seeks report from DG

Ranchi, Oct 22: The Jharkhand High Court on Wednesday expressed strong displeasure over the pendency of more than 200 preliminary inquiries (PEs) at the state’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).
The court directed the agency’s Director General to submit a detailed affidavit explaining why there is so much delay and when the probes will be completed.
A division bench headed by Chief Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan, while hearing a suo motu public interest litigation, observed that it was a matter of serious concern that out of 613 preliminary inquiries registered with the ACB, 480 have been disposed of, while 211 cases remain pending for a long period.
The bench said the state’s premier anti-graft agency cannot cite workload or shortage of staff as excuses for delays in corruption investigations.
It also remarked that the ACB was created precisely to handle such inquiries and ensure swift action against corruption, adding that any delay undermines public confidence in the system.
During the hearing, a Deputy Superintendent of Police submitted an affidavit on behalf of the ACB, claiming that the bureau was burdened with confidential verifications, intelligence gathering, and a large number of ongoing investigations, which had caused delays in disposing of pending cases.
The court, however, rejected this explanation. It said that such justifications cannot be accepted.
It further noted that arguments citing the retirement or death of officials under investigation were equally untenable.
The court said the responsibility of the ACB does not cease merely because the concerned officer has retired or passed away. Each inquiry must reach its logical conclusion to ensure transparency and accountability.
The High Court has directed the ACB Director General to personally file an affidavit detailing the timeline for completion of the pending inquiries.
The matter has been posted for the next hearing on November 6.
Crime
Surrogacy racket: ED grills accused doctor in Hyderabad jail

Hyderabad, Oct 22: The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) on Wednesday started questioning Dr Pachipalli Namratha and other accused in Chanchalguda Jail here in connection with the illegal surrogacy racket.
As part of the probe into alleged money laundering, the ED officials were questioning Dr Namratha, her son Pachipala Jayanth Krishna, Muthipeta Nandini, Dhanasri Santoshi Chitikireddi Kalyani, following permission granted by a city court.
The Nampally criminal court permitted the ED to interrogate the accused in jail till October 28.
Last month, the ED conducted searches in Hyderabad, Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in connection with an illegal surrogacy racket run by Dr Namratha alias Athluri Namratha in the name of Universal Srusthi Fertility & Research Centre
The Central agency had seized incriminating documents, details of couples defrauded and properties in possession of Dr Namratha.
The agency initiated the investigation on the basis of multiple FIRs registered by the Gopalapuram Police Station, Hyderabad, for fraud, cheating, criminal conspiracy, illegal surrogacy and child trafficking.
Busted in August this year, the racket involved cheating couples through fraudulent IVF and surrogacy packages, infant trafficking, forged records and illegal operations even after the clinic’s license was cancelled in 2021.
About 25 accused were arrested in the case, which is being probed by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Hyderabad Central Crime Station.
Searches conducted by the ED resulted in the seizure of documents, which revealed that Dr Namratha was offering such services to couples across India in different centres in Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Nellore, Kolkata, etc.
The seized documents also revealed that Dr Namratha was involved in these activities for more than 10 years.
She created legal documents in the form of surrogacy agreements to project that the childless couples and carrier (surrogate) themselves approached her, and she was just providing the surrogacy services.
Crime
CBI charge sheet names TMC MLA, aides in Bengal teachers’ job scam; says accused collected crores deploying agents

Kolkata, Oct 22: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has submitted a charge sheet in the primary teachers’ recruitment corruption case, alleging that many job aspirants were denied teaching positions despite paying substantial sums to influential individuals, investigation agency sources confirmed on Wednesday.
The central probe agency’s charge sheet, filed before a local court, claims that ‘fake interviews’ were conducted for those job seekers who allegedly paid money. The agency leveled these specific allegations against Trinamool Congress MLA Manik Bhattacharya and a former party leader, Bibhas Adhikari.
Giving details about the functioning of the alleged mechanism, sources in the CBI claimed that Adhikari allegedly collected crores of rupees from job seekers on behalf of Bhattacharya.
The CBI recently filed the charge sheet in the primary teachers’ recruitment corruption case before the Bankshal court.
According to the document, agents linked to Bibhas Adhikari were deployed across the state to collect money from the job aspirants. The funds collected by these agents were allegedly routed to Bhattacharya through this close aide, Adhikari.
The charge sheet also names former secretary of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education, Ratna Chakraborty. The CBI said in the charge sheet that she acted on the instructions of Bhattacharya in matters related to the alleged irregularities.
It may be recalled that Bhattacharya served as the president of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education, while Adhikari was the former Trinamool Congress president of Nalhati Block II in Birbhum district of the state.
Ratna Chakraborty was the secretary of the primary education board during Bhattacharya’s tenure. The CBI alleged that all three accused were closely involved in the primary teachers’ recruitment scam.
Bhattacharya was earlier arrested in connection with the case and is presently out on bail. Adhikari appeared multiple times before the CBI in the same matter. He was recently arrested in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, for allegedly operating a fake police station.
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