Connect with us
Monday,13-July-2026
Breaking News

National News

NEET-UG exams: Solver gang busted in Bihar, 30 arrested for alleged impersonation

Published

on

Patna, June 22: Bihar police cracked down on a racket of impersonators during the NEET-UG examination 2026 after cases of cheating and alleged manipulation of biometric verification procedures surfaced at multiple examination centres in different districts.

A total of 30 people have been arrested during checks, including the ones who doubled up ‘imposters’ and appeared at exam centres, in place of genuine candidates, in brazen violation of laid down rules and guidelines.

Police sources said that a student of Pawapuri Medical College in Rajgir was the alleged mastermind of the racket. According to investigators, the suspect organized a network involving medical students from different institutions who were recruited to take the examination on behalf of candidates.

The gang reportedly targeted aspirants seeking medical admissions and allegedly negotiated deals ranging from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 12 lakh per candidate.

Investigators claimed that the gang manipulated the biometric verification process at multiple examination centres.

According to preliminary findings, individuals associated with biometric verification were allegedly in cahoots, to facilitate impostors enter the examination centres.

Police are investigating the exact manner in which the biometric procedures were bypassed.

Police state that all nine alleged “solvers” arrested in the case are medical students. The 30 arrested individuals reportedly include medical students acting as solvers, personnel associated with the biometric agency, and other members of the alleged racket. Several additional suspects are currently being questioned.

Lakhisarai SDPO Shivam Kumar stated that preliminary investigations indicate that monetary deals worth Rs 10 lakh to Rs 12 lakh were made for each candidate.

An advance payment of Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2 lakh was allegedly collected, and the remaining amount was to be paid after examination results and admission.

Police are examining bank accounts, mobile phone records, and digital transactions to trace the money trail.

The process of registering an FIR was initiated on the basis of a complaint filed by Dinesh Kumar Bhagat, Acting Principal of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Lakhisarai, who was serving as the city coordinator for the examination.

Police officials have stated that the investigation is being expanded and that the role of every individual connected to the alleged racket is being examined.

Authorities believe that further interrogation of the accused could reveal additional members of the network, financial transactions, and possible links to other examination centres.

Business

Piyush Goyal to lead business delegation to Spain, Belgium and Finland to deepen trade, investment ties

Published

on

New Delhi, July 12: Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal will lead a high-level Indian business delegation on a five-day visit to Spain, Belgium and Finland from July 13 to 17, as India seeks to deepen its economic engagement with Europe through enhanced cooperation in trade, investment, technology, innovation and sustainability, it was announced on Sunday.

The delegation will include leading Indian companies from sectors such as advanced manufacturing, clean energy, digital technologies, gems and jewellery, food processing, healthcare and design. The visit is aimed at expanding business-to-business partnerships and exploring new opportunities for collaboration with European industries, the Ministry of Commerce & Industry said.

The visit will begin in Spain on July 13, where Goyal will participate in a business roundtable jointly organised by the Chamber of Commerce of Spain, CEOE and ICEX Spain Trade & Investment. The discussions are expected to focus on sectors including automotive, renewable energy, railways, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, food processing and tourism.

The meeting will bring together industry leaders from both countries at a time when India and Spain are celebrating the Spain-India Dual Year 2026, marking 70 years of diplomatic relations. Several Spanish companies, including Iberdrola, Acciona, CAF, Talgo, Gestamp and Indra, have already established a strong presence in India, while Indian technology and engineering firms such as TCS, Infosys, Wipro, Tech Mahindra and Larsen & Toubro are expanding their operations in Spain to support digital transformation and Industry 4.0 initiatives.

In Belgium, where the delegation will travel on July 14 and 15, the minister will visit the Port of Antwerp to study Europe’s leading logistics hub and gain insights into multimodal connectivity, green logistics and resilient supply chains.

During the Belgium visit, Goyal will hold CEO-level meetings with senior executives of Thales Group and Silox Group.

The minister will also participate in the India-EU Business Roundtable and the Trade and Technology Council (TTC) Plenary, where discussions will cover foreign direct investment, trade facilitation, sustainable technologies and resilient supply chains.

The final leg of the tour will take the delegation to Finland on July 16 and 17. Goyal will participate in the India-Finland Business Roundtable, engaging with Finnish companies across digitalisation, clean energy, advanced manufacturing and the circular economy.

Continue Reading

Crime

Speeding Ferrari crashes into apartment building in Hyderabad Jubilee Hills

Published

on

Hyderabad, July 12: A speeding Ferrari car crashed into the gate of an apartment building in Hyderabad’s Jubilee Hills area in the early hours of Sunday. There were no casualties, said officials.

The incident occurred on Road Number 5 in the upscale Jubilee Hills under the Film Nagar Police Station limits.

The occupants abandoned the heavily damaged Ferrari Roma, said to be worth more than Rs 3.50 crore, and fled before police arrived at the scene.

The gate of Fort View Apartments was completely damaged in the collision. The front portion of the luxury car was badly mangled.

The man driving the vehicle escaped after the accident. Police suspect that the person at the wheel was under the influence of alcohol and driving the vehicle at a high speed and in a rash manner.

Police registered a case and launched an investigation into the person who was driving the vehicle at the time of the accident. Police were examining the CCTV footage to ascertain if there were other persons in the vehicle.

Police shifted the damaged Ferrari to the police station with the help of a towing vehicle.

This is the second such incident in Jubilee Hills in less than a week. An SUV had crashed into Tollywood actor Dharma’s residence on the night of July 9.

A man who was under the influence of alcohol had rammed the SUV into the residence of Dharma on Road Number 10. The compound wall of the actor’s house was damaged in the incident.

The accused was identified as Karthik Kumar, who drove the SUV in a rash and negligent manner before losing control and ramming into Dharma’s house. Luckily, there were no casualties.

The actor alerted the police, who rushed to the spot and arrested the accused. A breathalyser test confirmed that the accused was drunk while driving the SUV.

Police registered a criminal case against Kartik Kumar and launched further investigation.

Continue Reading

National News

4.5 magnitude earthquake in Bay of Bengal triggers tremors in Visakhapatnam

Published

on

Visakhapatnam, July 12: A 4.5 magnitude earthquake in the Bay of Bengal triggered tremors in parts of Visakhapatnam and adjoining districts of Andhra Pradesh on Sunday.

Some areas in the coastal city of Visakhapatnam were jolted by the tremors around 5.05 a.m.

The tremors were felt in Gajuwaka, Mangalapalem, Sagar Nagar, Pedda Waltair, Arilova, MVP colony, Appughar and other areas.

According to the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), a mild earthquake measuring 4.5 on the Richter scale occurred in the Bay of Bengal early on Sunday, and mild tremors were felt in several parts of Visakhapatnam city.

National Center for Sesimology said the earthquake occurred at 5:05:46 a.m. IST at a depth of 10 km, with its epicentre located about 225 km off the Kakinada coast in the Bay of Bengal. The epicentre was located at latitude 16.805 degrees N and longitude 84.381 degrees E.

No casualties, property damage or any other loss have been reported due to the earthquake.

There are reports of tremors being felt in parts of Anakapalli, Vizianagaram, Kakinada and Konaseema districts.

Experts described it as a shallow earthquake. They said there was no need for people to be worried as the tremors were mild due to structural adjustments. They pointed out that the region is considered tectonically stable.

In November last year, Visakhapatnam and Alluri Sitharamaraju districts were jolted by a mild earthquake.

An earthquake of magnitude 3.7 had struck the Alluri district in north coastal Andhra on November 4, 2015. The tremors triggered panic among residents in some areas. People ran out of their houses on hearing a loud sound. However, there were no casualties or any other damage. According to the National Center of Seismology, the epicentre of the earthquake was at G. Madugula in Alluri Sitharamaraju district at a depth of 10 km. The epicentre was 110 km from the port city of Visakhapatnam.

Continue Reading

Trending