Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 5: A spate of alleged cooperative society scams in the state capital has put the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on the defensive, threatening to dent its image ahead of the upcoming local body elections.

The party, which has served as the principal opposition in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation for the past two terms, now finds itself battling allegations of financial impropriety and internal discord.

The crisis deepened after the suicide of Anil Kumar, a sitting BJP councillor in the Corporation and president of a local cooperative society.

He reportedly took his own life following severe financial distress after the institution failed to return deposits.

His death has not only sparked emotional outrage within the party but also turned the spotlight on the functioning of a few BJP-linked cooperatives in the city.

Adding to the turbulence, M.S. Kumar, one of the party’s prominent faces in Thiruvananthapuram and a former state secretary, publicly alleged large-scale loan defaults by senior BJP leaders from another Society, of which he is a key office-bearer.

According to Kumar, loans worth over Rs one crore were taken by state- and district-level leaders and never repaid.

One senior leader allegedly owes Rs 40 lakh, while another has defaulted on Rs 35 lakh.

Kumar accused the party’s top brass, including state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar, of failing to act despite repeated complaints.

He has also threatened to release the names of all defaulters, claiming that a good number of those who failed to repay loans are BJP members.

His revelations, first reported by the CPI(M) party daily ‘Deshabhimani’, have created ripples within the BJP and given ammunition to the Left, which has accused the party of “moral and financial decay”.

The CPI(M) has demanded a detailed probe into the alleged misuse of cooperative institutions under political patronage.

With the BJP scrambling to contain the fallout, senior leaders are reportedly in talks with Kumar to withdraw his damaging Facebook post.

However, as the controversy widens, the cooperative scandals threaten to overshadow the party’s campaign and undermine its credibility in Kerala’s politically charged capital.

Meanwhile, in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, the CPI(M)’s State Education Minister V. Sivankutty has expressed confidence of a sweeping win, while the Congress-led UDF has already taken the early lead by announcing candidates in 64 of the 101 seats and launching its campaign.

Kumar’s allegations have left the BJP rattled, with damage-control efforts now underway.

Mumbai: A 62-year-old retired government employee has been duped of ₹1.68 crore in an elaborate online share trading scam that promised lucrative returns on investments. The Mumbai Cyber Police have launched a detailed investigation after the victim lodged a complaint on November 2, 2025.

According to the complaint, the victim who retired as a Senior Administrative Assistant in July 2025  invested his and his wife’s life savings in what turned out to be a bogus trading scheme. With his wife’s pension being their only source of income, the fraud has left the couple financially distressed.

The incident began on June 24, 2025, when the complainant was added to a WhatsApp group named “M4 Wealth Creator.” The group, allegedly managed by two individuals  Karan Singh and Alok  introduced him to stock trading. They presented forged documents claiming that their firm, Conifer Wealth Management, was registered with SEBI.

Encouraged by the false assurances, the victim opened an account on a trading app sent via a registration link on September 29 and made an initial investment of ₹50,000 through Google Pay. Over the next month, between October 1 and October 31, following the suspects’ instructions, the complainant transferred large sums through UPI, RTGS, and IMPS to multiple accounts.

The fraud was exposed when the victim attempted to withdraw ₹80 lakh from the trading app on October 23 but failed. When questioned, Alok told him the funds were converted into an IPO and demanded another ₹50 lakh to “unlock” his account. Under pressure, the victim transferred the amount on October 31, only to be asked for yet another ₹80 lakh the same evening. Realizing he had been cheated, he cut off contact and filed a police complaint. The fraudsters had siphoned a total of ₹1,68,14,058 by exploiting the victim’s trust and financial hopes.

The East Region Cyber Police have registered a case against Karan Singh, Alok, and others connected with the fraudulent trading portal (https://m.conifer-llc.com/). Investigators are now tracing the linked bank accounts and digital trail to identify the full extent of the racket. Police have once again urged citizens to exercise caution while investing through online trading platforms and to verify the authenticity of financial entities before transferring funds.

Chandigarh, Nov 4: After the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct for the by-election to the Tarn Taran Assembly constituency, Punjab Police, following the directions of the Election Commission, has made seizures of drugs, liquor, cash and freebies valued at over Rs 57.47 crore.

According to details, from October 7, the day the Model Code of Conduct came into effect, till November 3, the police in the Tarn Taran constituency seized 51,429.50 litres of liquor valued at Rs 32,89,160, narcotic substances of Rs 56,67,10,500 (21,811.10 grams), cash amounting to Rs 9,73,480, and other items valued at Rs 37,85,700.

Chief Electoral Officer Sibin C said the police have been directed to maintain round-the-clock surveillance through CCTV cameras at all checkpoints in the constituency to curb illegal smuggling activities.

He added that strict action is being ensured against those attempting to influence voters by distributing cash or any other kind of freebies during the elections.

The Chief Electoral Officer said there are a total of 192,838 voters in the constituency, which includes 100,933 men, 91,897 women and eight third-gender voters. There are 1,357 service voters, 1,657 voters aged above 85 years, 306 NRI voters, and 1,488 voters with disabilities. The number of young voters aged between 18 and 19 years stands at 3,333.

He said there are 222 polling stations set up at 114 polling station locations, of which 60 are urban and 162 are rural.

The Tarn Taran bypoll on November 11 was necessitated by the death of AAP MLA Kashmir Singh Sohal, who had won the seat with 52,935 votes, defeating Shiromani Akali Dal’s Harmeet Singh Sandhu.

Fifteen candidates are in the fray. They include Sukhwinder Kaur of the Shiromani Akali Dal, Harjit Singh Sandhu of the BJP, Harmeet Singh Sandhu of the Aam Aadmi Party, and Karanbir Singh of the Congress.