Kolkata, Dec 3: The decision of the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) to strike down 35 castes from West Bengal in the central Other Backward Classes list, all from the Muslim community, proves the appeasement politics pursued by the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government in the state, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said on Wednesday.

The information on the NCBC’s move came through a reply given by Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment B. L. Verma to an unstarred question raised by Jagannath Sarkar, the BJP’s Lok Sabha member from Ranaghat in Nadia district of West Bengal.

“The National Commission for the Backward Classes has given its advice for the exclusion of 35 castes from the Central List of OBCs for the state of West Bengal on 03.01.2025,” Verma’s reply said.

Reacting to this, the BJP’s Information Technology cell chief and the party’s central observer for West Bengal, Amit Malviya, issued a statement on Wednesday morning saying that the step by the NCBC raised serious questions about the grouping of religious communities under OBC quotas for scoring political gain, which in turn denied genuinely backward Hindu groups their fair share.

“The Modi government is correcting decades of appeasement-led distortions and ensuring real social justice based on backwardness, not vote-bank politics. Mamata Banerjee’s regressive politics have run their course,” Malviya said.

Earlier this month, the Supreme Court deferred the hearing in the West Bengal OBC list case for four weeks and made it clear that the Calcutta High Court should not continue with further proceedings while the matter is before the apex court.

In an interim order issued on June 17 this year, a Division Bench of the Calcutta High Court had directed the West Bengal government not to publish the final notification for the new OBC list till July 31 this year.

New Delhi, Dec 3: Delhi Police on Wednesday arrested three interstate smugglers and recovered 40 cartons containing 2,000 quarters of illegal liquor.

According to a statement issued by Dwarka Police, the Special Staff team of Dwarka District apprehended the accused, Sunny, son of Mool Chand, aged 39, from Najafgarh, Delhi; Riti alias Ritik, son of Munshi, aged 19, from Jai Vihar, Najafgarh, Delhi; and Ajit, son of Omprakash, aged 30, from Village Kablana, District Jhajjar, Haryana

The seized liquor was meant for sale in Haryana. Police also confiscated a TVS Jupiter scooter with a temporary registration number (DL12A0XXXX), used in the smuggling operation.

Acting on the directions of DCP Dwarka District, Ankit Singh, the Special Staff team was tasked with keeping surveillance on individuals involved in supplying illegal liquor from Haryana to Dwarka and the surrounding areas. The team monitored interstate borders and deployed local sources to collect actionable intelligence.

On November 15, Head Constable Vijender Kumar received specific information about a TVS Jupiter scooter being used for liquor smuggling. Based on this input, a raiding team led by Inspector Vishvendra and comprising Sub Inspector Vinod Kumar, Head Constable Vijender Silayach, HC Jagdish Chand, HC Ajay, Constable Pradeep and HC Jai Bhagwan was formed under the supervision of ACP Operations Dwarka, Ram Avtar.

The team conducted a raid in Dichaon Gaon, Kumharo Wali Gali, BHD Nagar, where Sunny was spotted arriving on the scooter carrying a black bag. Upon checking the bag, police found illicit liquor quarters.

Further interrogation revealed that the liquor was loaded from a nearby house. During a search of the premises, police found two individuals filling illicit liquor bottles into bags. A total of 38 additional cartons were recovered.

The two men were identified as Riti alias Ritik and Ajit, who were working for Sunny.

A case under FIR No. 373/25, dated November 16, under Sections 33/38/58(D) of the Delhi Excise Act, was registered at BHD Nagar Police Station.

During interrogation, the accused admitted that they were supplying illegal liquor from Haryana to Delhi for quick financial gain.

Further investigation is underway.

Mumbai: Mumbai’s Santacruz Police uncovered a bizarre yet elaborate scam in which a gang allegedly promised to ‘make money rain’ to solve a businessman’s financial problems. Two suspects, identified as Gujarat residents Ilyas Karim Musani and Sohilbhai Jigarbhai Shaikh, were arrested recently, while police are searching for additional accomplices believed to be part of the racket. Cops are also verifying whether the gang has duped more victims using similar deceptive rituals.

The complainant is a 76-year-old resident of Juhu Tara Road in Santacruz who operates a dairy business registered in his late wife’s name. For nearly two years, his wife had been seriously ill, leading him to lease the dairy for Rs 2 lakh and to rent out a room for Rs 3 lakh to cover her medical treatment. Despite his efforts, she succumbed to the illness. After performing her funeral rites in his hometown, the grieving senior citizen returned to Mumbai burdened with heavy debt accumulated during the prolonged medical battle.

During this challenging period, he met a man identified only as Khan Sahab and confided in him about his financial distress. Khan then introduced him to two men, Sahil and Imran, claiming they possessed supernatural abilities and could create money rain to wipe away his debt. The complainant was taken to them, where the duo allegedly performed a demonstration by pulling out small bundles of currency from their clothing, convincing him they could generate money through mystical rituals.

The scammers instructed the victim to procure certain ritualistic items along with cash. On 25 October 2025, he met the accused at Juhu Chowpatty as directed. There, the gang collected Rs 1.5 lakh from him and performed a staged ritual. They handed him a bag, assuring him that it contained money generated through their powers and quickly disappeared from the spot.

However, according to the report, when the businessman returned home and opened the bag, he found it filled with fake Rs 500 and Rs 200 notes marked as ‘Indian Entertainment Bank’ and ‘Indian Children’s Bank.’ Realising he had fallen prey to fraud, he approached the Santacruz Police and lodged a complaint, leading to the registration of a cheating case.

Cops then tracked the accused using CCTV footage and technical surveillance, eventually learning that they had fled to Gujarat. A police team was sent to Botad town, where Musani and Shaikh were detained. During questioning, both confessed to the crime and were brought back to Mumbai for arrest. Police continue efforts to recover the stolen amount and identify other members of the racket involved in the elaborate con.