New Delhi, Aug 24: After Indian agencies apprehended three absconding Indian gangsters in Malaysia, ensured their deportation to India, and handed them over to the police, the Union Home Ministry on Monday said that, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a safe and secure India, the agencies had facilitated the deportation of 51 hardened criminals in 2026 alone.

The Punjab Police, in coordination with central agencies, secured the deportation of three operatives of the Davinder Bambiha gang from Malaysia on August 19 in a major crackdown on transnational organised crime.

“Indian agencies got three absconding Indian gangsters apprehended in Malaysia, deported them to India, and sent them to police custody”, the Home Minister’s Office said in a post on its X handle.

“The fugitives, namely Jaspreet Singh, Ajay Singh, and Pawandeep Singh, are linked to the Bambiha Gang and are accused of multiple crimes, including extortion, cross-border arms and narco-trafficking, and a foiled grenade attack in Ludhiana. Under Modi Ji’s vision of a safe and secure India, our agencies have facilitated the deportation of 51 hardened criminals in 2026 alone.”

Earlier, the Central government said that India had successfully brought back 274 fugitive criminals from 36 countries between 2019 and July 2026 as part of an intensified drive to ensure that offenders evading Indian law while staying abroad are brought to justice.

The achievement was made possible through stronger legal provisions, enhanced international cooperation, coordinated action among multiple agencies and technology-driven investigations carried out under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the guidance of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, it said.

In a statement, the Ministry of Home Affairs said: “Previous governments lacked the political will to bring back fugitives; the Modi government has made the extradition of fugitives a ‘national priority’… Amit Shah has described the issue of fugitive offenders as one that is intrinsically linked to the country’s sovereignty, economic stability, law and order, and national security.”

According to the Ministry, the government’s approach to tackling fugitive offenders has been built around three major pillars — global outreach, stronger coordination, and smart diplomacy.

The MHA said that the legal framework for pursuing absconding offenders has been significantly strengthened through the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018, amendments to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in 2019, along with provisions under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which permit trials in absentia under Sections 355 and 356.

To strengthen international cooperation, the government launched BHARATPOL in January 2025, creating an integrated platform connecting more than 1,400 state and central law enforcement agencies with INTERPOL.

Dhar (Madhya Pradesh), Aug 24: Around 20 devotees were injured, some of them critically, when a tractor-trolley carrying Kanwariyas fell off a bridge in Madhya Pradesh’s Dhar district on Monday, police said.

The devotees were on their way to the Narmada River near Old Chikhalda to fetch water as part of the Kanwar Yatra on the fourth and final Monday of the holy Sawan month when the accident took place on a bridge around a kilometre from Kadmal village under the Nisarpur police outpost of Kukshi police station.

The tractor’s steering allegedly failed when the vehicle reached the bridge, causing the driver to lose control and leading to the tractor-trolley plunging off the bridge, police said.

On getting news of the crash, locals and police launched a rescue operation and shifted the injured to hospital after providing them first aid.

“Information was received about a tractor-trolley carrying devotees falling from the bridge. A police team immediately reached the spot and, with the help of local residents, rescued the injured and shifted them for treatment,” a police officer said.

Some devotees sustained serious injuries, while two of them, in a critical condition, were referred to Indore.

According to police, around 30 devotees were travelling in the tractor-trolley at the time of the accident.

Dr S.N. Patidar of the Barwani District Hospital told media that 20 injured people from Dhar had been admitted to the facility. “Six to seven patients are in critical condition. They have suffered injuries to their heads, waists, arms, and abdomens. Some of the seriously injured have been referred to Indore for advanced treatment,” he said.

Police said an investigation was underway to determine the exact cause of the accident and ascertain whether any other factor contributed to the accident.

Chennai, Aug 24: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on Monday announced that the state government would abandon the proposed greenfield airport project at Parandur and identify an alternative site that would cause minimal disruption to farmers and residents.

Making a statement in the Legislative Assembly, CM Vijay said the decision was taken following concerns about the project’s potential impact on agricultural lands, waterbodies and residential settlements in Parandur and surrounding villages.

The Chief Minister acknowledged that Chennai required a second airport because of the rapid expansion of the metropolitan region, rising passenger traffic and increasing demand for cargo transportation. However, he said such a major infrastructure project should not come at the cost of farmers’ livelihoods or result in the large-scale displacement of residents.

The existing Chennai airport at Meenambakkam, operated by the Airports Authority of India, can currently handle about 30 million passengers annually.

CM Vijay accused the previous government of attempting to proceed with the Parandur project despite sustained opposition from residents. He recalled visiting Ekanapuram and nearby villages on January 20, 2025, to meet people protesting against the acquisition of their land for the airport. The Chief Minister said he had publicly opposed the project during a meeting at Vikravandi in October 2024.

While reiterating his government’s support for industrial growth and improved aviation infrastructure, he maintained that Parandur was unsuitable for the airport.

CM Vijay said the government arrived at its decision after consulting senior officials, aviation specialists, academicians and other experts. Technical feasibility studies will now be conducted at alternative locations before the new airport site is finalised.

“As promised, the measures initiated to establish the new airport at Parandur will be abandoned by this government,” he told the Assembly.

Meanwhile, the state government will work with the Airports Authority of India to expand the Meenambakkam airport.

A new Terminal 5 has been proposed in the airport’s northwestern section, along with additional roads and flyovers to improve connectivity. The ongoing construction of Terminal 3 is expected to increase the airport’s annual passenger-handling capacity to 35 million. Terminal 5, once operational, could add another 20 million passengers, taking the overall capacity to 55 million annually.

CM Vijay said the expansion would help Chennai manage its growing aviation requirements until the proposed second airport becomes operational at a suitable alternative location.