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Mumbai Crime: 3 Employees Booked For Cheating Devotees In Vrindavan Ashram Fraud Case

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Mumbai: Three employees of ISKCON New Vrindavan East Trust (Madhuban Ashram) have been booked for allegedly embezzling the trust’s donation funds. The Khar police have registered a cheating case based on a complaint filed by the trust. The accused have been identified as Prem Prakash Rana, Harsh Kumar Kaushal, and an unidentified individual.

According to the FIR, the trust’s head office is located in Khar West. The trust manages temples and ashrams in Gurgaon (Haryana), Kurukshetra (Haryana), and Rishikesh (Dehradun), along with Madhuban Ashram. At these premises, the trust provides accommodation and meals to devotees at affordable prices. The administration of Madhuban Ashram is operated from the trust’s Khar office. The ashram has a 25-room guest house for devotees.

On January 12, a devotee, Satyavrat Gaud, approached the trust’s Khar office and filed a complaint. He stated that when he visited Madhuban Ashram in December 2025, he had a meal at the ashram’s restaurant. Initially, the cashier asked for cash, which he refused, and then he paid the bill online. Although he received a receipt, it carried the GST number 05ABRPA4645H1ZP, which does not belong to the trust and is not authorised for its use.

In another incident, a devotee, Shreya Torane, visited Madhuban Ashram in January 2026. She was also asked to pay in cash while booking a room. When she refused, the cashier provided a staff member’s mobile number for payment via Google Pay, which she used.

Further, on January 20, another devotee, Rahul Patil, filed a complaint via email stating that the ashram did not accept online donations and insisted on cash payments. After he donated ₹5,000, the staff issued him two receipts of ₹2,000 each and one receipt of ₹1,000.

Following these complaints, the trust initiated an internal inquiry. It revealed that Prem Prakash Rana alias Paramanand Das (50), who worked as a cashier at the Madhuban Ashram guest house, along with another employee, Harsh Kaushal, and their associates, had created a separate entity with a similar name, “Nav Madhuban Ashram Trust”. The accused allegedly used this entity to cheat devotees by issuing fake receipts. Devotees believed they were dealing with the original trust.

The accused allegedly collected donation money in a personal account opened in the name of “Nav Madhuban Ashram Trust”. They also distributed pamphlets during Krishna Janmashtami (August 2025), printing their own UPI IDs to collect donations. The inquiry further revealed that the accused had been defrauding devotees from 2022 to 2026.

Hirishkesh Mafatlal, 71, founder trustee, subsequently filed a formal complaint. Based on this, the police registered a case on March 29 under Section 318(4) (cheating) and other relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Meanwhile, a similar case had been registered against the accused in Uttarakhand in 2019. However, in 2025, a district court in Tehri Garhwal acquitted them due to a lack of evidence.

Crime

13-year-old girl sexually assaulted by father in Delhi’s Jahangirpuri; accused on run

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New Delhi, July 19: In a terrifying case from Delhi, a man has been accused of sexually assaulting his own 13-year-old daughter in the Jahangirpuri area of the National Capital, officials said on Sunday, adding that the accused is currently absconding.

According to the police, a case has been registered under the POCSO Act following a complaint at Mahindra Park police station by the mother of the victim. Following this, the father was reported to be on the run.

The complainant stated that her father, Shakir Ali, resides at Badli Village with her grandmother, while she lives with her mother and her 10-year-old brother in Jahangirpuri.

The survivor alleged that on July 7, her father came to their residence when her mother and brother were not at home.

“During this time, he allegedly established forcible physical relations with her against her will and threatened to kill her and her mother if she disclosed the incident to anyone,” she was quoted by the police as saying.

“The accused is absconding, and efforts are being made to trace and apprehend him,” officials said.

Further details in the case are awaited.

This comes just months after a man was arrested for sexually assaulting his 13-year-old stepdaughter in Delhi.

The minor girl was pregnant after being subjected to the heinous crime by her stepfather.

When the police reached the spot, they took the girl to a safe environment.

In the preliminary investigation, it was revealed that the accused, who was residing with the victim, had been sexually assaulting the girl for over a year.

The officials shifted the girl to a hospital where the doctors confirmed that she was about five months pregnant.

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Crime

Ten arrested in Delhi for digital circulation of child sexual abuse material

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New Delhi, July 19: In a decisive operation aimed at protecting children from online sexual exploitation and strengthening digital safety, the capital’s Central District Police arrested 10 accused in a coordinated enforcement drive against accessing, uploading, and circulating Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse Material (CSEAM), officials said on Sunday.

An official statement said that the operation was initiated following detailed analysis of digital indicators and international cyber tip-line inputs, which pointed towards illegal online activities involving CSEAM. Subsequent technical verification confirmed the transmission of prohibited material, leading to the registration of criminal cases and coordinated action across the district.

To ensure simultaneous action against multiple identified targets, dedicated police teams were constituted across all police stations in the Central District. The operation was conducted under the overall supervision of Delhi’s Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) (Crime) Rohit Rajbir Singh.

According to investigators, the police teams conducted coordinated field operations at different locations over the last five days based on technical intelligence, digital scrutiny, and electronic tracing, which resulted in the identification and apprehension of the accused persons.

A total of 10 FIRs have been registered under the relevant provisions of the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act and the Information Technology Act at various Police Stations (PS), including – PS IP Estate, PS Paharganj, PS Jama Masjid, PS Kamla Market, PS Patel Nagar and PS Chandni Mahal.

Accordingly, a total of 10 accused persons have been arrested during the coordinated drive.

The arrested accused were found to be directly linked to the uploading and circulation of Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse Material (CSEAM). Their identities are being dealt with in accordance with the ongoing investigation and applicable legal provisions.

Police said that mobile phones used by the accused persons and other digital hardware used in the commission of the offences have been seized during the investigation.

All seized devices have been secured and are being subjected to comprehensive forensic examination.

Further investigation into the case is underway as technical experts are conducting detailed forensic analysis of the seized electronic devices and auditing additional digital footprints.

Sustained legal proceedings are also underway, and the teams are continuously monitoring additional internet footprints. As the technical analysis of the remaining datasets progresses, further arrests are likely in these cases, officials said.

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Crime

Delhi Police arrest three for sextortion-based cyber fraud

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New Delhi, July 19: In a significant breakthrough, the Delhi Police cyber cell has solved a cheating and sextortion case involving around Rs 5.80 lakh and arrested three youths, officials said on Sunday.

An official statement said that the Cyber Police Station of the national capital’s north-east district solved the case registered vide e-FIR No. 00126/2026 under Sections 308/318(4)/319/340 BNS, by arresting three accused persons for their involvement in a sextortion-based cyber fraud.

The arrested accused have been identified as 18-year-old Rajesh, 22-year-old Kunal and 23-year-old Imran. All of them are residents of Haryana’s Faridabad.

According to the police, the complainant, K.L. Tripathi, a resident of Delhi’s Ganga Vihar area, reported that on May 6, he received a WhatsApp video call from an unknown woman who impersonated one of his social media friends. She lured him into removing his clothes during the call and secretly recorded an obscene video.

Thereafter, Tripathi said that he continued to receive calls from various unknown numbers, with the callers posing as police officers, social media officials, and government authorities. They threatened to make the video viral, implicate him in legal proceedings, and have him arrested unless he paid money.

Under constant intimidation and fear, the complainant transferred approximately Rs 5.80 lakh in multiple instalments through different bank accounts, UPI IDs, and QR codes.

Upon realising that he had been duped, Tripathi approached the Cyber Police Station and lodged a complaint.

Officials said that subsequently, a dedicated team led by Inspector Rahul Kumar (SHO/Cyber), comprising Sub Inspector Mohit, ASI Manoj, Head Constable Sandeep, Constable Kapil, and Ct. Abhishek was formed, and they launched a meticulous financial and technical investigation.

The team traced a portion of the cheated amount to mule bank accounts belonging to accused Rajesh and Kunal.

The accused, Rajesh, was arrested on June 17. After further investigation and drawing a detailed analysis of the financial trail, another account holder, Kunal, was identified and arrested. Based on his disclosure, the third accused, Imran, who was involved in withdrawing the cheated money from ATMs, was also apprehended.

A mobile phone, along with a SIM card, used in the commission of the crime, was recovered from the third accused.

During sustained interrogation, the accused disclosed the involvement of a well-organised sextortion syndicate operating from the Mewat region of Rajasthan.

Investigators have not found any previous criminal involvement of any of the three arrested accused.

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