Hyderabad, Dec 5: Utter chaos continued at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) on Friday as IndiGo Airlines cancelled 92 flights for the day.

For the fourth consecutive day, the airline cancelled flights, causing severe inconvenience to thousands of passengers.

A total of 92 IndiGo flights have been cancelled for the day, an airport spokesman said. These include 43 arrivals and 49 departures.

This is the highest number of flights to be cancelled in four days. The airline had cancelled 74 flights on Thursday.

A total of 220 flights have been cancelled since December 2.

The cancellations for the fourth consecutive day triggered a protest by passengers at the terminal building. Angry passengers had heated arguments with the IndiGo staff.

A group of passengers was seen surrounding an official of the airline, seeking replies to their queries. Passengers complained that flights were cancelled after check-in.

The cancellations on key domestic routes severely disrupted the travel plans of the passengers for the fourth consecutive day.

A large number of passengers remained stranded at the airport. Long queues were seen outside and inside the terminal. Tempers were running high in the terminal building as angry passengers confronted the airline staff. Some were asking why the airline scheduled the flights when the staff was not available. Frustrated passengers had a heated argument with the staff and even raised slogans of ‘shame’.

Departures and arrivals on key domestic routes like Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Visakhapatnam, Goa, Madurai and Bhubaneswar severely inconvenienced passengers.

A large number of Ayappa devotees were also stranded due to the cancellation of flights to Kochi. As a mark of protest, the devotees were seen chanting slogans of “Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa”.

Andhra Pradesh Minister Kolusu Partha Sarathy, who was at the airport to board a flight to Vijayawada, intervened to help Ayyappa devotees. He spoke to Civil Aviation Minister K. Ram Mohan Naidu over the phone to arrange a special flight.

The minister, who missed his flight to Vijayawada, later left by road.

Meanwhile, eight IndiGo flights were cancelled at Visakhapatnam airport. With flights to key destinations like Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru and Ahmedabad getting cancelled, passengers lodged their protest with the airline staff.

IndiGo attributed the disruption to ‘a multitude of unforeseen operational challenges’ including minor technology glitches, winter-season driven schedule changes, adverse weather, increased congestion in the aviation system and the implementation of updated Flight Duty Time Limitations for crew.

RGIA authorities have advised passengers to check the latest status of their flights with their respective airlines before heading to the airport.

Mumbai: In a major crackdown on an international online fraud network, the Mumbai Crime Branch (Unit 9) has arrested eight individuals for allegedly running an illegal call centre that impersonated pharmaceutical companies and duped foreign nationals — particularly US citizens — by selling fake Viagra and other controlled medicines.

The Crime Branch Unit 9 has busted a fake call centre operating in the Amboli area, allegedly involved in illegally selling sex-enhancement drugs to US citizens. Eight accused have been arrested, while two more suspects are currently absconding.

Police received a tip-off that a call centre named “Team Grand 9 Security Services LLP” was being run from Kevnipada, S.V. Road, Amboli, Jogeshwari (West), where employees were posing as Americans and targeting foreign citizens through telemarketing.

Acting on the information, a raid was conducted around 2:00 am on 4 December 2025, during which police detained Maher Iqbal Patel (26) and Mohammad Amir Iqbal Shaikh (40), the alleged partners of the call centre.

According to police, callers used fake names such as Mike, Alex, James, Shawn and Steven while convincing US citizens to buy medicines such as Viagra, Cialis and Tramadol, and collected payments in US dollars.

Police seized multiple laptops, headsets, pen drives and hard drives during the raid. Two more suspects, including alleged partners Muzaffar Shaikh and Amir Shaikh, are currently on the run.

Police said the call centre had been operating for around six to seven months and used illegally obtained private data of American citizens. The seized digital equipment will be analysed to determine the extent of financial fraud and data theft.

The arrested accused have been identified as Mohammad Aamir Iqbal Shaikh (40), Mahir Iqbal Patel (26), Mohammad Shabib Mohammad Khalil Shaikh (26), Mohammad Ayaz Parvez Shaikh (26), Adam Ehsanullah Shaikh (32), Aryan Mushaffir Qureshi (19), Amaan Aziz Ahmed Shaikh (19) and Hashmat Jamil Jariwala (29), while the main accused Muzaffar Shaikh (43), along with Aamir Maniyar and others, are currently absconding.

Police said that the accused conspired together to falsely represent themselves as authorised sellers of Viagra and other regulated medicines without any licence or agreement from pharmaceutical companies; created a specialised computer system to reach foreign victims; used VOIP and other online calling platforms to contact citizens in the United States and other countries, offering controlled medicines for sale; collected payments from victims through illegal channels; and did not disclose the earnings nor pay the required taxes, thereby causing financial loss to the Government of India.

All eight arrested accused were produced before the Esplanade Court today. The court has sent the accused to police custody till December 10 for further investigation. Police said the search is ongoing to trace the absconding suspects and investigate the financial trail of the fraud.

Officials confirmed that further investigation is underway to trace the supply chain of the medicines and the international payments involved. The Crime Branch has also warned that more arrests are likely.

New Delhi, Dec 4: After Congress MP Rahul Gandhi alleged that the Centre has been advising foreign delegations against meeting or interacting with the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) – a practice he said was followed during previous UPA and NDA regimes, ruling party leaders on Thursday rejected the claim, asserting that the “government follows due protocol” in all matters.

The startling charge by Rahul Gandhi, while speaking to reporters outside Parliament, comes hours ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s two-day visit to India. His remarks are set to raise eyebrows in the political corridors and also set the stage for heated sparring between the BJP and Congress.

Rahul Gandhi said, “Meetings with the LOP take place with delegations coming from outside. It has been a long-held tradition and has always been done this way,” he said, while citing instances during Manmohan Singh and Atal Bihari Vajpayee governments.”

Speaking to Media, BJP MP Kangana Ranaut said, “These decisions are made by the government. Atal ji was a national asset, and the entire country was proud of him. He was a great patriot. I don’t know why Rahul Gandhi is not being allowed, but in my opinion, his commitment to the nation is questionable. His role in creating unrest and trying to divide the country raises doubts about his intentions. And if Rahul Gandhi is comparing himself to Atal ji, then I would suggest he join the BJP — only then could he become like him.”

BJP MP Bhim Singh said, “Why would the government stop him? He only creates chaos and does not speak where he is supposed to speak.”

Echoing a similar stance, BJP MP Brij Lal added, “The government follows protocol, and work will be carried out accordingly. Rahul Gandhi is only making this political.”

JD(U) leader K. C. Tyagi clarified, “The government does not decide such protocols. Visiting heads of state themselves decide whom they wish to meet.”

Union Minister Ramdas Athawale added, “Foreign leaders visit on the invitation of the ruling party or government. If President Putin wishes, Rahul Gandhi, as LoP, can meet him. The government has no role in that.”