Crime
Pirate attack: Kin of kidnapped Indian sailor in distress, prays for safe return
Family members of the missing Indian sailor Pankaj Kumar believed to be kidnapped by sea pirates from the ship MV Tampen anchored in West African nation Gabon are distressed.
Pankaj Kumar, aged 30, hailing from the Gurdaspur district in Punjab was the Second Engineer of MV Tampen.
“Only last year he got married. We are all distressed a lot. There is no information about his whereabouts in Gabon. The shipping company officials are saying that my brother is missing and beyond that there is no information,” Sandeep Kumar, the younger brother of sailor Pankaj Kumar, told IANS over phone.
According to Sandeep Kumar, the family consists of younger sister, their parents and wife of Pankaj Kumar.
“We have sent an email to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We are yet to hear anything from his office,” Sandeep Kumar added.
He said requests have been made to the shipping company the Mumbai based Proactive Shipping Management to do the needful to trace his elder brother.
According to him, aerial search operations were carried out by Gabon authorities on Monday and after that it was stopped.
The ship, with 17 Indian crew, was sailing from Cameroon to the UAE when it developed some propulsion problems and was anchored just two kilometres away from Gabon’s Owendo anchorage when pirates boarded the ship on Sunday morning.
While the pirates threw Pankaj Kumar overboard, they also shot and injured Cook Sunil Ghosh and Chief Officer Naurial Vikas who were later admitted to a local hospital.
“Ghosh (from West Bengal) is doing fine in the hospital. Family members-wife and others- had spoken to him. There is no information about his discharge from the hospital,” a relative told IANS.
“All the sailors on the ship are distressed and would want to come back home,” Nithin Suresh Kuttipravan, a friend of one of the sailors Deepak Udayaraj told IANS.
Kuttipravan is reaching out to various official agencies so that the Indian sailors are brought back at the earliest.
“An official of the Indian Embassy in Congo is trying to reach out to the sailors. The ship captain is under a lot of stress and is answering the officials from the Gabon government,” Kuttipravan said.
He said as per the information from the sailors on board of MV Tampen, the ship’s satellite phone was not working for the past one month.
“They were communicating using email. Now they are using Whatsapp using their Indian SIM cards. We have requested the Indian Embassy to provide the sailors local SIM cards so that they can stay in touch with their family members,” Kuttipravan added.
The Honorary Consulate of India in Gabon is John Rupchandani.
According to Kuttipravan, all the sailors are ready to sign off and reach India at the earliest.
“It seems the shipping company wants the sailors to sail to Dubai after setting right the ship,” he said.
“As per my information, the pirates wanted to kidnap about three/four sailors. While resisting the kidnap attempt, the pirates had shot two Indian sailors,” Kuttipravan said.
According to him, the ship was sailing at a speed of four knots powered by one propulsion and the ship dropped anchor just two kilometres away from Gabon’s Owendo anchorage.
The ship is owned by Prince Marine Transport Service Pvt Ltd, Mumbai and the sailors were provided by Proactive Ship Management.
The ship sailing from Cameroon to the UAE has been facing technical problems enroute. Both its propulsion systems had stopped several times.
The vessel was diverted to Owendo for repairs as it was the nearest port.
On Sunday, six pirates attacked the ship and kidnapped Pankaj Kumar and shot two sailors.
“The marine and local police in Gabon are questioning three persons who had boarded the ship two days before the attack. We hope to know some information about the attackers and the missing crew today (Wednesday),” Captain Sunil Kumar, Security Officer of Proactive Ship Management, told IANS on Wednesday.
“One garbage cleaner and two technicians had boarded the ship as per the information conveyed to us by our agent there,” he had said.
Officials of Prince Marine Transport and Proactive Ship Management were not available for an update when contacted by Mumbaipress.
Crime
Six students detained after suspected ragging assault in Karnataka private college

Mangaluru, Aug 5: A suspected ragging incident at a reputed private college in Mangaluru left a first-year student with serious neck injuries, following an alleged assault by a group of senior students, police said on Wednesday.
The incident reportedly took place near Juhharakere in Mangaluru, where two first-year students, identified as Adarsh and J. Khadar, were allegedly attacked by senior students.
According to the victims, the seniors objected to the juniors wearing black shoes and picked up an argument, which soon turned violent. The students alleged that they were brutally assaulted by the seniors during the confrontation.
One of the injured students sustained a serious neck injury and was admitted to a hospital. Doctors have reportedly diagnosed him with a neck fracture, and he is currently undergoing treatment.
Personnel from the Pandeshwara Police Station rushed to the spot after receiving information about the incident. Police later visited the hospital and recorded the statement of the injured student.
A case has been registered by the police, and provisions of the anti-ragging law have been invoked in the FIR. Six students have been taken into custody for questioning in connection with the incident.
Mangaluru City Police Commissioner C.H. Sudheer Kumar Reddy said the incident prima facie appears to be a case of ragging.
“The statements of the victims are being recorded by the police. Based on the preliminary findings, an FIR will be registered at the Mangaluru South Police Station, and a detailed investigation will be initiated,” he said.
The Commissioner added that the investigation would ascertain the exact sequence of events and determine the role of those involved in the alleged ragging incident.
Police said further action would be taken based on the findings of the investigation.
According to official records, Karnataka recorded 181 ragging complaints in higher educational institutions between 2022 and July 22, 2026, the highest among South Indian states despite mandatory anti-ragging committees and stricter enforcement measures.
In January, a violent ragging and assault incident occurred at a reputed educational institute in Devanahalli, Bengaluru Rural, resulting in an FIR against 22 to 23 senior students and an outsider, with three key arrests made.
Crime
Mumbai Police probe social media post warning of possible terror attack in August

Mumbai, Aug 5: Mumbai Police has launched an investigation after a social media post warning of a possible terrorist attack in Mumbai and other parts of India surfaced on X, triggering security concerns.
The police took cognisance of the post and initiated a probe to verify its authenticity, identify the person behind it and assess whether there was any credible threat linked to the message.
According to preliminary information, a post was shared from an X account named @AstroPrashnath9, claiming that India could face a potential security threat during August 2026. The post stated that the period between August 9 and August 18, 2026, could be “highly sensitive” and alleged the possibility of a major terror attack by Pakistani terrorists.
The post read: “India shall be careful in the month of August 2026… 9th to 18th August very dangerous time period… Big terrorist attacks possible by Pakistani Terrorists.”
The post was reportedly brought to the attention of Mumbai Police after another X user, operating the handle @tstark86v1, tagged the police department and highlighted the warning message.
Following the alert, the Mumbai Police social media monitoring team informed senior officials about the post. Authorities have started examining the content with the assistance of cyber police teams to determine the source of the message, the identity of the account holder and whether the claims were based on any actual information or were intended to create panic.
Police officials said the matter is being investigated and urged citizens not to believe unverified information circulating on social media platforms.
Mumbai Police appealed to people to remain calm and rely only on official communication from authorities regarding any security-related developments. Officials also stressed that spreading rumours or sharing unverified claims could create unnecessary fear among the public.
The investigation into the social media post is currently underway, and further action will be taken based on the findings of the enquiry. Authorities have not confirmed any specific threat at this stage and continue to verify all aspects related to the post.
Crime
Delhi Police detain 11 Bangladeshi nationals for violating visa conditions

New Delhi, Aug 5: The Delhi Police’s Central district has apprehended 11 Bangladeshi nationals for violating the conditions of their double-entry visas by overstaying beyond the permitted duration of each visit, officials said on Wednesday.
The action was carried out under Operation VISTA 1.0 (Visa Status Verification), a special enforcement drive launched by the Foreigner Cell of the Special Staff, Central district, to identify foreign nationals who have either overstayed in India or violated the conditions of their visas while residing in the national capital.
As part of the operation, a dedicated police team was constituted under the leadership of Inspector Sandeep Dabas, In-Charge of the Anti Auto Theft Squad (AATS), Central district, and under the close supervision of ACP (Operations) Padam Singh Rana.
Police said that on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday, while patrolling the Paharganj area, the police team received specific information from a reliable source that certain Bangladeshi nationals, whose visas had already expired, were staying illegally in Delhi.
Acting on the information, the police apprehended one individual identified as Nayeem Ahmed, a resident of Sylhet, Bangladesh, and questioned him regarding his identity and place of residence. During the inquiry, he disclosed that he was a Bangladeshi national currently residing in the Paharganj area.
He produced his Bangladeshi passport, which was verified by the police on the spot. During verification, officials found that the passport had been issued on March 23 and that his authorised stay in India was valid only until June 28.
However, he was allegedly continuing to stay in the country beyond the permitted period without obtaining any valid extension or legal authorisation, thereby violating the applicable immigration regulations.
During sustained interrogation, Nayeem Ahmed allegedly disclosed that several other Bangladeshi nationals were also residing illegally in Delhi after overstaying their visas.
The information was immediately conveyed to the In-Charge of AATS, who directed the formation of a dedicated police team to verify the inputs and take further action.
Acting on the information provided by Nayeem Ahmed and based on his identification, the police team conducted a raid at Flat No. 158, Hauz Rani in South Delhi’s Malviya Nagar, where ten more Bangladeshi nationals were allegedly found residing illegally.
The police apprehended all ten individuals and examined their passports and travel documents. Upon verification, officials found that all of them had allegedly remained in India beyond the validity of their visas and had no lawful authority to continue their stay in the country.
The findings were once again brought to the notice of the In-Charge of AATS, following which directions were issued to initiate deportation proceedings against all 11 Bangladeshi nationals in accordance with the prescribed legal procedure.
The detained individuals have been identified as Tahmid Ahmed Tanjid (19), Sajjad Hussain (25), Sabbir Ahmed (28), Nayeem Ahmed (22), MD Kamal Hossian (43), Shakil Ahmed Naim (23), MD Asharaful Haque Mamun (35), Sultan Ahmed Sojib (29), Mujammil Ahmad (30), Bakhtiar Ahmad Johuri (29), and Jakaria (26).
According to officials, verification of their passports, visas and immigration records revealed that all 11 individuals had entered India on double-entry visas, under which they were permitted to stay in the country for a maximum period of 15 days during each visit.
However, the investigation found that all of them had allegedly remained in India beyond the permissible period, thereby violating the conditions of their visas.
Following their apprehension, all 11 foreign nationals were produced before the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO), which initiated the necessary legal proceedings and issued Restriction Orders directing their detention pending completion of the deportation process.
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