Srinagar, Oct 1: Police in Jammu and Kashmir Srinagar district said on Thursday they have busted a narcotics module in the city, arrested eight persons, recovered Rs 86.76 lakh cash, gold worth Rs 1.07 crore and a pistol.

SSP Srinagar district, Sundeep Chakravarthy, told the media that police have busted a well-established narcotics module operating from downtown Srinagar, arrested eight persons and recovered cash, gold, banned drugs and a pistol. The police have frozen bank accounts and attached properties.

The case was registered as FIR No. 135/2026 U/S 8/21/22/29/25/27A NDPS Act, 3/4/25 Arms Act, 111 BNS at Police Station Safakadal.

According to police, the arrested accused have been identified as Mohammad Waseem Zargar of Patlipora, Chattabal; Haris Hameed Malla of Guzarbal, Chattabal; Aqib Saleem Dar of Rampora, Chattabal; Inam Ahmad Zargar of Haftiyar Safa Kadal; Sahib Ahmad Ganaie of Danamazar, Safa Kadal; Ansar Hussain Bhat of Zabar Mohalla, Budgam; Peer Shakoor of Palpora, Noorbagh; and Haroon Pandit of Guzarbal Chattabal.

Two accused are absconding and have been identified as Faizan Firdous Khanday, alias Farzan Pujj, son of Firdous Ahmad Khanday of Malik Sahab Safakadal, and Mohd Shahvar Aleem, son of Salim of Muzaffar Nagar, Uttar Pradesh.

SSP Chakravarthy said the module was busted by the MR Gunj Police, and raids were conducted in Chandigarh and Ambala, besides several locations in Srinagar.

Police said major recoveries include 3.830 kg Codeine; 40 grams approx heroin; 414 tablets/capsules containing Tramadol; 2,18,500 approx tablets containing Tapentadol; 1,200 capsules containing Pregabalin; one pistol, cash of Rs 85,76,800 approx; and gold, including 108 gold coins worth Rs 1,27,44,000 and MMTC-PAMP/jewellery 17 grams worth Rs 2,55,000 approx, total gold value Rs 1,05,29,400. In addition, Rs 1.07 crore has been frozen in multiple bank accounts, police said.

Police also attached one house of Mohammad Waseem Zargar in Patlipora, Chattabal, and two vehicles.

Giving details of the modus operandi, SSP said the network was bringing illegal drugs from outside the state to Kashmir, and it is not a normal case but a well-established network.

Raids are going on at pharmaceutical companies outside J&K, he said. “It is a well-established network. There were raids in Chandigarh and Ambala by the MR Gunj Police. We are thankful to the Punjab Police. Raids are going on at pharmaceutical companies there. We will not spare anyone when it comes to drug abuse,” SSP Srinagar said.

Police said further investigation is underway to establish the complete network and identify forward and backward linkages, and more arrests are likely.

The narcotics module was busted in Srinagar city on a day when J&K Police organised a ‘Run for Unity’ marathon race to engage children and youth in healthy and meaningful activity so that they do not fall victim to the nefarious designs of drug traders.

Bhubaneswar, Oct 1: In a shocking incident, an unknown masked miscreant allegedly sexually assaulted a 26-year-old woman engineer at gunpoint in an apartment under the Nayapalli police station area in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday night, the Commissionerate Police said on Thursday.

The cops launched an investigation after registering a case on the basis of the complaint lodged by the victim.

Police sources stated the victim, who reportedly hails from Jagatsinghpur district, is working as an engineer with a private company in Bhubaneswar. She was staying along with her elder sister in an apartment in the Nayapalli area of the city.

After receiving the information about the incident, senior police officers, including the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Bhubaneswar, Saravana Vivek M, rushed to the spot and started the investigation.

“Last night, a 26-year-old woman reported at the police station that when she was in her rented apartment, an unknown person came there and raped her. The victim lives along with her elder sister, and the owners live on the first floor. The accused allegedly showed a gun/toy gun,” the twin city police said.

A senior police official said that the victim’s statement has been recorded, and her medical examination is being conducted. Police have also been examining CCTV footage from the spot and adjoining areas in Nayapalli.

Meanwhile, the locals also expressed shock over the incident and demanded that the police and local administration arrest the culprit at the earliest and ensure stringent punishment. They demanded increased police patrolling in the locality to prevent such crimes from recurring in the future.

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, in his response to a query in the assembly, recently informed that 1606 rape cases have been recorded in the state between January 1 and July 31 in 2026.

According to the data shared in the assembly, as many as 21,069 cases in connection with various crimes against women have been registered across the state during the said period.

Gandhinagar, Oct 1: Gujarat government is set to honour Flydubai Captain Smit Machchhar with the ‘Vishisht Gujarat Garima Award’ for his courageous role in helping avert a major tragedy aboard a Dubai-Tel Aviv flight, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel announced on Thursday.

Patel said Machchhar, despite being wounded and bleeding following the attack, displayed extraordinary courage and helped save the lives of all 174 passengers aboard the flight.

In a post on social media platform X, Patel said the world is saluting the captain’s courage and described his actions as “extremely inspiring and commendable”.

He said Machchhar, who is of Gujarati origin, had brought pride to Gujarat and the country through his bravery.

“To honour his extraordinary bravery and act of humanity, the Gujarat government will honour Captain Smit Machchhar with the ‘Vishisht Gujarat Garima Award’,” Patel said.

He added that the entire state is praying for Machchhar’s speedy recovery.

Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi also announced the award in a post on X, saying that despite being “gravely injured” in the attack, Machchhar displayed extraordinary courage and saved 174 lives.

“Gujarat honours Captain Smit Machchhar with the ‘Vishisht Gujarat Garima Award’,” Sanghavi said, adding that the world saluted his bravery and Gujarat is proud of its “brave son”.

Sources in the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) confirmed to media that the state government has also announced a Rs 25 lakh cash reward for Machchhar in recognition of his actions.

The announcement comes a day after Machchhar was involved in a dramatic incident aboard Flydubai flight FZ1073, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 operating from Dubai to Tel Aviv.

The aircraft was carrying 174 passengers, including 27 children, when the co-pilot allegedly attacked Machchhar inside the cockpit.

The aircraft subsequently experienced a sharp descent before being diverted to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia and landing safely.

Despite his injuries, Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew members to enter and help subdue the attacker.

Two passengers then helped take control of the aircraft, which was safely landed in Tabuk.

The incident has drawn international attention, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu among those publicly praising Machchhar’s actions.

PM Modi on Thursday also spoke to Machchhar’s family and described the injured pilot as a “hero” whose courage helped avert a major tragedy.

Machchhar has more than 13 years of commercial aviation experience and nearly 9,750 flying hours.

He joined Flydubai as a captain in June 2022 after spending more than 11 years with SpiceJet, where he served as a commander and line training captain. Machchhar is currently recovering in Saudi Arabia following the incident.

The circumstances surrounding the cockpit attack and the motive of the co-pilot remain under investigation.

Flydubai has confirmed that an altercation occurred in the flight deck and that the matter is being investigated.