New Delhi, July 9: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has taken the custody of Monika Kapoor, an alleged economic offender, in the US and will bring her back to India, ending an over two-decade-long run from the law, officials said on Wednesday.

The development comes after Kapoor’s extradition from the US.

The CBI in a press release said the chase has ended after two decades “with the successful extradition of Fugitive Ms. Monika Kapoor, who is accused in a 2002 Import-Export fraud and was on run since then, from USA.”

According to the information provided by the Central agency, fugitive Monika Kapoor, Prop. of M/s Monika Overseas in conspiracy with her brothers, namely Rajan Khanna and Rajiv Khanna forged export documents viz. Shipping Bills, Invoices and Bank Certificates of Export and Realisation during the year 1998.

She obtained six Replenishment (Rep.) Licenses for the import of duty-free gold worth Rs 2.36 crore.

“In furtherance of the criminal conspiracy, they sold the said Rep. Licenses to M/s Deep Exports, Ahmedabad, on premium. M/s Deep Exports, Ahmedabad utilised the said licenses and imported duty-free gold, which caused a loss to the Government Exchequer to the extent of Rs 1.44 crore during the year 1998,” the press release mentioned.

The CBI, on the completion of the investigation, filed a charge sheet on March 31, 2004, against Monika Kapoor, Rajan Khanna, and Rajeev Khanna under sections 120-B r/w 420, 467, 468 and 471 of the IPC.

The Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, District Court Saket, New Delhi, vide order dated December 20, 2017, had convicted Rajan Khanna and Rajeev Khanna.

The CBI said the accused, Monika Kapoor, did not join the investigation and trial; she was declared a proclaimed offender by the trial court on February 13, 2006. The Ld. Trial Court had issued an open non-bailable warrant of arrest on April 26, 2010, and a Red Corner Notice was also issued against her.

A request for extradition was sent by the CBI on October 19, 2010, to the US authorities. Following intense coordination with authorities in the US, a CBI team travelled to the country to take custody of the fugitive.

This extradition marks a major breakthrough in the pursuit of justice and reiterates CBI’s commitment to bringing fugitives to face the law in India, irrespective of international boundaries.

The CBI team is returning to India with the fugitive. Monika Kapoor is being produced before the concerned court and will now face the trial.

The press release said that the CBI remains steadfast in its mission to combat economic crimes and will continue to pursue all legal avenues to ensure that the fugitives are brought to justice.

Mumbai, July 7: Mumbai Police have arrested a man from Delhi for allegedly attempting to fraudulently take control of a mobile number belonging to late NCP leader Baba Siddique, which is linked to his family’s businesses.

The accused, identified as Vivek Sabrawal, was apprehended in the Burari area of Delhi and brought to Mumbai for further investigation.

According to officials, Sabrawal tried to reactivate Siddique’s phone number on a new SIM card with the intention of using it for cyber fraud. Police said the accused has a history of cybercrime, with prior cases registered against him.

He was out on bail in one such matter when he attempted this latest fraudulent act.

A case has been registered under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including provisions related to cheating, attempted offences, forgery, fabrication of records, and using forged electronic documents as genuine.

Authorities suspect that Sabrawal aimed to misuse the number for financial or digital scams.

The matter came to light after Siddique’s daughter, Arshiya Siddique, filed an FIR at Bandra Police Station in Mumbai. She reported that an unknown individual had fraudulently attempted to become the “authorised signatory” for her late father’s mobile number, which remains active and is associated with the family’s business interests, including Zears Business India LLP and a food venture she runs under the name Flavour Food Venture.

Police said the fraudster had created a fake email ID in the name of Shahzeen Siddique, Baba Siddique’s wife, and used it to contact Vodafone to enquire about the status of the authorised signatory on the mobile number.

In a more disturbing development, the individual accessed Shahzeen Siddique’s personal documents — including Aadhaar, PAN card, GST details, and the company’s letterhead — to support the fraudulent request.

Using these forged details, the accused submitted a request to Vodafone to update the signatory, listing fake identities such as Michael Sharma, Tarun Kumar, Avinash Arora, and Sumit Sharma.

On June 25, Vodafone responded to the request by CC’ing Shahzeen Siddique’s real email ID, which immediately alerted the family that an unauthorised application had been made using forged credentials.

Alarmed by the development, the Siddique family approached the police. While Sabrawal has been arrested for his involvement in the SIM card reactivation attempt, investigations are ongoing to determine whether there are additional suspects involved in the attempted fraud.

The complainant has urged Mumbai Police to trace the origin of the fake email ID and analyse the call data records (CDR) associated with the number listed in the request, citing fears of a possible connection with individuals involved in Baba Siddique’s sudden demise.

Mumbai Police have said further action will follow based on electronic and forensic analysis of the digital evidence, and more arrests may be made if links to a broader conspiracy are established.

Baba Siddique, a former Maharashtra minister, was shot dead in the Bandra area of Mumbai on October 12, 2024.

Dhaka, July 7: In a span of nine days, 24 women, including an infant, were raped in Muhammad Yunus-led Bangladesh, according to the Awami League, which added that over 281,000 complaints have piled up and are still “unresolved.”

“In just 9 days, 24 women were raped. Among them, a child was raped by a 60-year-old man. These numbers are horrifying, but each number hides a lifetime of pain and trauma,” said the Awami League on Sunday.

According to the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s party, “Rapists aren’t strangers — they’re police officers, teachers, politicians, and many roam free, protected by silence and a broken system.”

“Under Yunus’s illegal rule, Bangladesh is no longer a safe place for women. Every day, women are raped while the state stays silent. When survivors seek justice, they’re humiliated again — by police questions, invasive medical exams, courtroom cruelty, and society’s blaming gaze. In court, survivors are shamed for their clothes and character. Cases drag on for years. Social media adds more wounds, as victims’ images spread while rapists remain anonymous,” the Awami League stated.

“Laws alone won’t save us. We need a social revolution. Women must rise, confront, and demand justice. Men must stand with them. Silence is complicity. As long as leaders like Muhammad Yunus remain in power, nothing will change,” it added.

Calling a Bangladeshi woman’s body “a battlefield,” the party said, “Until the state takes responsibility, this bleeding won’t stop. We must challenge the state — or women will never be safe.”

Recently, the Awami League revealed the statistics mentioned that only in June, 63 incidents of rapes were reported, including 17 gang rapes, seven survivors were women/girls with disabilities, while 19 children and 23 teenage girls were raped.

Additionally, 39 cases of sexual harassment and 51 physical assaults on women were reported.

“These aren’t just statistics. They are devastating proof that women and girls in Bangladesh live in constant fear,” said the party.

Last week, addressing a press briefing in Dhaka, Sharmeen S. Murshid, Social Welfare and Women and Children Affairs Advisor of Bangladesh under the interim government, described the rising incidents of violence against women and children in the country as a “pandemic-level crisis.”

The advisor revealed that over the past 10–11 months, 281,000 complaints have been received by the ministry’s toll-free hotline.

“Violence is being committed in families, workplaces, public spaces, and online. Despite Section 14 of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act and the High Court’s directives, victims’ photos are still being published in the media,” Bangladesh’s leading daily, The Dhaka Tribune, quoted the Advisor as saying.

“Though I am a human rights activist, I now support the death penalty for these criminals. The level of violence has exceeded our tolerance,” Sharmeen added.

Bangladesh has been gripped by protest movements, a deteriorating law and order situation and an increasing number of incidents of violence against women since the ouster of Hasina in August 2024, when the Yunus-led administration took the helm.