Bhopal/Narsinghpur, Aug 7: Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly, Umang Singhar on Friday demanded a fast-track trial and the harshest punishment for the accused arrested in the alleged rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in the state’s Narsinghpur district, while police said they would seek the maximum punishment in the case.

The demand came a day after 28-year-old Annu Yadav was arrested for allegedly abducting, raping and murdering the Class III student in Gotegaon area of the district.

In a statement, LoP Singhar described the incident as “heart-rending” and alleged that the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh had failed to ensure the safety of women and children.

“The abduction, rape and brutal murder of an eight-year-old innocent girl is extremely painful. The incident has shaken the entire Madhya Pradesh,” he said.

The Congress leader demanded that the case be tried in a fast-track court and the accused be awarded the strictest punishment.

He also sought justice, financial assistance and all possible support for the victim’s family.

“The safety of daughters cannot be ensured through hollow speeches and claims. It requires a strong law-and-order system, speedy justice and an accountable government,” Singhar said.

Meanwhile, Narsinghpur Superintendent of Police, Rishikesh Meena, said the investigation was progressing swiftly and the police would press for the maximum punishment.

“Our investigators and prosecutors will work for the sternest possible punishment for the arrested man. We will get the trial fast-tracked and work towards securing the harshest possible punishment,” Meena told media.

According to police, the girl went missing after school on Wednesday, following which multiple teams were formed to trace her.

During the investigation, she was found to have been last seen with her neighbour, Annu Yadav.

The accused allegedly tried to flee on a motorcycle when police tracked him down but was caught after the vehicle skidded off the road.

Police said he initially tried to mislead investigators but later allegedly confessed to the crime during questioning.

The accused allegedly went to the girl’s school during the lunch break and told her that her father had sent him to take her home. He allegedly took the child to a nearby forest, raped her and strangled her before fleeing.

The girl’s body was recovered on the basis of information provided by the accused, police said. Police said that further investigation was underway.

New Delhi, Aug 7: Criminal syndicates, including the network run by Dawood Ibrahim, have long been involved in circulating fake Indian currency notes.

Backed by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), these networks have treated counterfeit currency as one of their most profitable operations for years.

Indian security agencies have now detected a significant shift in the way counterfeit currency is being pushed into the country. Investigators say the circulation of fake Rs 500 notes has declined sharply, pointing to a change in the strategy adopted by the counterfeit currency network.

Earlier, the network primarily focused on counterfeiting Rs 200 and Rs 500 notes. Agencies have now found that the emphasis has shifted to lower denominations, with fake Rs 10, Rs 20 and Rs 50 notes being circulated in large numbers.

The circulation of counterfeit currency not only finances these criminal syndicates but also poses a threat to India’s economic stability. Officials say this is one of the key reasons why Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has continued to facilitate the trade, much of which is allegedly orchestrated through the Dawood Ibrahim syndicate.

An Intelligence Bureau official said there are credible intelligence inputs indicating that Pakistan’s ISI is planning to flood the market with counterfeit currency in lower denominations. According to the official, the strategy is to circulate fake Rs 10, Rs 20 and Rs 50 notes in much larger volumes than before.

“There are multiple reasons behind this newfound strategy. These elements are aware that people are extremely cautious about notes above Rs 100 denomination and will conduct a detailed check before accepting them. However, that is not the case when it comes to smaller denomination notes,” the official said.

People are generally less cautious when handling Rs 10, Rs 20 or Rs 50 notes and rarely stop to check whether they are genuine or counterfeit. That is precisely what these networks are seeking to exploit, the official said.

Officials said the syndicates believe lower denomination counterfeit notes are less likely to attract attention, making them easier to circulate in large numbers without raising suspicion.

Another official said that the period up to April 2027 will be crucial.

The biggest push would be made by these gangs to circulate fake notes of smaller denominations during these months. India plans to roll out polymer or plastic bank notes by 2028. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has said that polymer bank notes in the denominations of Rs 10 and 20 will be rolled out in 2028.

While the primary objective of introducing polymer notes is to increase their lifespan to nearly four times that of existing paper currency, they are also expected to offer significantly stronger security features. Officials say the enhanced anti-counterfeiting measures will make the notes far more difficult to replicate.

The plastic substrate allows for advanced security integrations which are impossible on paper. These new notes would have transparent windows, specialised metallic links and micro-optic holograms which would make them extremely difficult to forge.

Before this roll out, it is suspected that the ISI-backed gangs may look to ramp up circulation of counterfeit notes of the smaller denominations in the country.

Officials say that these gangs would focus increasingly on notes of smaller denominations. Once the rollout is complete in 2028, these syndicates would look to target the Rs 50 and 100 notes more compared with the notes of the Rs 500 denomination, the agencies warned.

The RBI has repeatedly issued instructions on how to spot a counterfeit note. The apex bank says that the small denominations may not have a high value, but are used more frequently in daily transactions. This makes them a common target for fraud, and hence citizens must be more careful while dealing with such currency, officials point out.

New Delhi, Aug 7: The India-US Counter Narcotics Working Group (CNWG) Pillar I Working Group Meeting was hosted by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in a hybrid format, aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation in combating narcotics trafficking and the diversion of precursor chemicals.

The NCB shared details of the meeting on the social media platform X, stating, “The India-US Counter Narcotics Working Group (CNWG) – Pillar I Working Group Meeting was hosted by the Narcotics Control Bureau on 6 August 2026 in hybrid mode.”

The meeting brought together representatives from several Indian and US agencies. Participants from the Indian side included the NCB, Central Bureau of Narcotics (CBN), Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Department of Revenue, and Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals.

The US delegation included officials from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), LEGAT, Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), and the US Department of State.

According to the NCB, the discussions focused on strengthening operational cooperation, preventing the diversion of precursor chemicals, enhancing policy coordination, and advancing capacity building.

India highlighted its robust precursor control framework and ongoing initiatives to further strengthen regulatory and enforcement mechanisms to prevent the diversion of precursor chemicals.

The meeting follows earlier discussions held in March during the 69th Session of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna, Austria. During those talks, NCB Director General Anurag Garg and Sara Carter, Director of the US Office of National Drug Control Policy, discussed sharing actionable intelligence to bolster counter-narcotics cooperation. Both sides also explored mechanisms for real-time information sharing to facilitate parallel investigations against transnational drug cartels operating across jurisdictions.

Meanwhile, the Central government informed the Lok Sabha this week that the NCB has strengthened international cooperation in drug control through bilateral agreements with 27 countries and Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with 19 countries.

Minister of State (MoS) for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai, in reply to a query, had said that India holds regular Director General (DG) Level/bilateral talks on drug-related matters with countries such as Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Singapore and the US.

Responding to questions by Naresh Ganpat Mhaske and Shrikant Shinde, Rai added that to address the challenge of illicit drug trafficking and abuse of drugs, Vision Document on Narcotics Control (2026-2029) was released on June 26, which lays down a three-year roadmap with clear priorities and time bound targets to be achieved by various stakeholders to control drugs with ‘Whole-of-Government’ and ‘Whole-of-Society’ approach.

The MoS said the NCB has also established a four-tier Narco-Coordination Center (NCORD) mechanism for ensuring better coordination between Central and state drug law enforcement agencies and other stakeholders in the field of controlling drug trafficking and drug abuse in India.