Patna, July 2: The investigation into the Maharashtra Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) paper leak has expanded to Bihar, with the Maharashtra Special Task Force (STF), assisted by Vaishali Police, conducting a late-night raid at a cyber cafe in Hajipur.

Three individuals, including the cafe operator, were detained for questioning.

According to the police, a team from the Maharashtra STF and the Thane Police, with support from the Vaishali Police, raided a cyber cafe located on Kachhari Road in Hajipur on Wednesday night.

The search operation continued until around 1:00 A.M. on Thursday, during which investigators examined documents and digital devices inside the premises.

Police said three individuals, including cafe operator Sonu Kumar, were detained following the raid.

The detained individuals are currently being questioned by the Maharashtra STF.

No formal announcement of their arrest has been made in the information provided, and the investigation is ongoing.

According to police sources, investigators recovered several digital items and documents during the operation.

These materials will undergo forensic examination as part of the investigation.

A Maharashtra Police official said, “This case is linked to the Maharashtra TET paper leak. We came here to investigate in connection with this matter; we have recovered some suspicious documents, and further action is underway.”

Sonu Kumar’s elder brother, Jitendra Kumar, said Sonu had left for Hajipur on Wednesday evening but did not return home.

According to him, Sonu’s wife informed the family that he was not answering his phone, prompting them to search for him throughout the night before learning about the police action on Thursday.

The Maharashtra TET paper leak investigation has already led to arrests in Maharashtra, Bihar, and Haryana.

Police investigations have identified Bijendra Gupta, a resident of Bihar’s Samastipur district, as the alleged mastermind behind the network.

Investigators have been conducting raids in multiple states in an effort to trace Gupta.

Earlier, the Maharashtra STF also detained and questioned his wife in Patna as part of the financial investigation into the alleged paper leak.

More than 4.28 lakh candidates had registered for the Maharashtra TET examination.

However, after the question paper was allegedly leaked approximately 24 hours before the scheduled examination on June 28, the Maharashtra State Examination Council cancelled the test.

The Maharashtra Police team continues to investigate the case in Bihar, while officials say further action will depend on the evidence collected during the ongoing probe.

Surat, July 2: The Surat City Police facilitated the return of Rs 2.52 crore to 61 victims of cyber fraud during the first six months of 2026, while broader recovery efforts have secured court orders for refunds totalling Rs 13.38 crore for 1,824 applicants, highlighting the growing use of legal mechanisms to recover money lost in online financial scams.

The recoveries were made under the ‘Tera Tujhko Arpan’ programme, through which 15 beneficiaries were symbolically presented refund cheques by Surat Police Commissioner Anupam Singh Gahlaut on Wednesday.

According to Surat City Police, the recoveries relate to cyber fraud complaints registered between January 1 and June 30.

Following complaints lodged through the National Cyber Crime Helpline 1930, the Surat City Cyber Crime Cell, along with all police stations in the city, coordinated with banks across several states to freeze suspect accounts and initiate the refund process.

“The Cyber Crime Cell worked in coordination with courts, Lok Adalats and banks across the country under the guidance of Police Commissioner Anupam Singh Gahlaut and Additional Police Commissioner (Crime) Karanraj Vaghela, with the process being directly supervised by Deputy Commissioner of Police (Cyber Cell) Bishakha Jain,” officials said.

During the six-month period, Surat City Police obtained court orders through Lok Adalats to facilitate the return of approximately Rs 13.38 crore to 1,824 applicants.

Police also stated that refund applications worth around Rs 7 crore involving 1,690 applicants have been submitted before the Lok Adalat scheduled for July 11.

Once court orders are received, the amounts will be credited to the respective beneficiaries’ bank accounts after completion of the required procedures.

Appealing to the public to report cyber fraud without delay, Surat City Police said victims should immediately call the helpline, as prompt reporting increases the likelihood of freezing fraudulent transactions before funds are withdrawn.

Police also advised citizens not to download unknown applications or APK files received through suspicious links or messages sent in the name of RTO challans, and warned against clicking on suspicious SMS or email links.

They urged the public to remain cautious of social media groups and advertisements promising unusually high returns through online share market investments.

“Victims of sextortion, morphed photographs, nude video calls, digital arrest scams or any other form of cyber crime were asked to report incidents immediately through the helpline or the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal,” officials added.

New Delhi, July 2: The West Asia crisis is transforming Indians’ travel preferences with a hastened shift to electric vehicles (EV) and EV penetration could save Rs 1 lakh crore of import bill with a 20 per cent adoption rate by 2030 from the current 10 per cent, an SBI Research report said on Thursday.

With the onset of the US-Iran war on February 28, the registration of EVs have jumped significantly in India. From average 1.3 lakh registration in 2025, the March-June period exhibited average 2.3 lakh registrations — a whopping 1 lakh more compared to 2025 average.

“At the current rate, we believe, total EV registrations may cross 25 lakh mark in 2026,” said the report.

The penetration of pure EV is continuously rising in overall registration. From merely less than 2 per cent share in 2024, the registration share of pure EV has reached more than 8 per cent share in 2026 to date. In some states, the penetration of pure EV has crossed more than 10 per cent share

India has 29,151 charging stations. Two states (Karnataka and Maharashtra) accounted for 35 per cent of overall charging stations, said the report.

As per new EV policy, the Delhi government plans to install 32,000 charging points infrastructure within the next four years.

“The success of EV will largely depend upon the availability of charging stations,” said the report.

From the current level of 2.86 crore vehicle registered in India (2025), “our projections indicate that by 2030, 4 crore vehicles are going to register. We also estimate that out of these 4 crore vehicles, 20 per cent are EVs (80 lakh from the 2025 level of 15.7 lakh),” the report projected.

“Our estimate indicate that during the four-year period of 2027-2030, 35 lakh more EVs are expected to replace the petrol vehicles (as compared to current BAU scenario),” it added.

In this regard, Delhi’s new EV policy is commendable.

A purchase incentive will be provided to two-wheeler vehicles in the first three years (cumulative: Rs 60,000). For three wheelers, the incentives are Rs 1,20,000 cumulatively. N1 commercial trucks will be provided with a subsidy of Rs 1 lakh in the first year. Delhi also offers 100 per cent waiver on road tax and one-time registration fees for eligible EVs.