New Delhi, Oct 15: The Special Staff of Shahdara district has arrested a man posing as a tantric and two of his associates for cheating a 79-year-old man on the pretext of extracting buried ancestral gold through occult rituals and stealing gold jewellery worth approximately Rs 15 lakh from his residence, Delhi Police said on Thursday.

The police recovered Rs 2.73 lakh in cash, a Mahindra Scorpio-N, clothes used during tantric rituals, fake identity documents, mobile phones, and other articles in connection with the case.

The case was registered at Seemapuri police station under FIR No. 622/2026 under Sections 318(4), 305, 123 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), following a complaint by Girijesh Singh, 79.

According to the complaint, the accused, identified as Shoaib Ali, Mahakader Khan, and a man posing as ‘Krishna Pandit’, gained the complainant’s confidence by showing him a genuine gold coin and promising to extract buried ancestral gold through tantric rituals. They induced him to pay approximately Rs 39.30 lakh through cash and UPI transactions.

During the intervening night of August 4, the accused staged a ritual at the complainant’s residence using steel pots containing soil and fake gold biscuits. The complainant alleged that he was administered a sedative and became unconscious. Upon regaining consciousness, he discovered that gold jewellery worth approximately Rs 15 lakh was missing from his cupboard.

Following verification, a case was registered, and the investigation was handed over to the Special Staff of Shahdara district.

A dedicated team was constituted under the leadership of Inspector Ashish Kumar, in-charge of Special Staff, under the supervision of ACP, Operations, Pavan Kumar and the overall supervision of DCP, Shahdara, R.P. Meena.

During the investigation, the main accused, who allegedly posed as Krishna Pandit, was traced to Amba Vihar in UP’s Muzaffarnagar. His identity was established as Tahsin, 48, and he was subsequently arrested.

Police said a black Mahindra Scorpio-N, Rs 2.73 lakh in cash, 11 rings, tantric clothes, two Aadhaar cards bearing the names of Tahsin and Krishna Sharma, a PAN card, an ATM card and two mobile phones were recovered at his instance.

The two alleged associates, Shoaib Ali, 40, a resident of Mayur Vihar in Dasna, Uttar Pradesh, and Mahakader Khan, 48, a resident of Dabagram Salboni in West Bengal, were also arrested. They introduced the complainant to the main accused and facilitated the subsequent transactions.

Police said further investigation is underway to establish the individual roles of the accused, trace the money transferred through various accounts and payment modes, identify the beneficiaries and determine whether other persons were involved in the alleged crime.

Chennai, Oct 15: Tamil Nadu BJP President Nainar Nagendran paid tribute to former President late A.P.J. Abdul Kalam on his birth anniversary on Thursday, recalling his contributions to India’s scientific development and his enduring influence on generations of young people.

Born on October 15, 1931, in Rameswaram, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam became one of India’s most admired public figures, earning recognition as a scientist, the country’s ‘Missile Man’ and a leader who encouraged students to pursue ambitious goals.

His birthday is observed by the Tamil Nadu government as Youth Renaissance Day, reflecting his close association with young people and his emphasis on education, scientific curiosity and national development.

In a message posted on social media platform X, Nagendran described Kalam as a distinguished scientist whose life and ideas continued to inspire the country’s youth.

“Today marks the birth anniversary of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, India’s former President, the Missile Man and a great scientist who inspired young people,” the BJP leader said.

Nagendran said Kalam had made significant contributions to India’s progress in science and technology while encouraging young people to dream, develop their abilities and strive for achievement.

He said the former President’s message went beyond aspirations, urging people to translate their dreams into sustained effort and meaningful accomplishments.

Recalling Kalam’s call to dream and work towards realising those dreams, Nagendran said the message would remain deeply embedded in the minds of Indians.

He urged people to remember Kalam’s lofty ideals and the work he had undertaken for the nation’s advancement, and to honour his memory on his birth anniversary.

The tribute highlighted two closely connected aspects of Kalam’s public life: His role in strengthening India’s scientific capabilities and his commitment to motivating young people to contribute to the country’s future.

His journey from Rameswaram to the presidency remains central to the admiration he commands, particularly among students who associate his name with perseverance, learning and the pursuit of excellence.

Political leaders and public figures also remembered Kalam on the occasion, paying homage to his achievements and recalling the values he championed.

The annual observance of Youth Renaissance Day in Tamil Nadu places particular emphasis on that legacy, linking the remembrance of the former President with the aspirations of younger generations and the importance of turning individual ambition into contributions to society and national progress.

New Delhi, Oct 15: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday accused the Congress and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi of attempting to “destroy Indian democracy” and facilitate a “regime change”, following remarks by All India Students’ Association (AISA) President Neha Bora praising Bangladesh’s Gen-Z movement, which she claimed, served as “inspiration” for young people in India.

The BJP’s reaction came after Bora, speaking at an event on Wednesday, praised Bangladesh’s Gen-Z movement and said it had inspired young people in India to stand up for democracy and voting rights.

“Revolutionary greetings to the Socialist Students Front on your sixth National Conference. We present you our red salute. And we know that the Gen-Z movement that we are seeing everywhere in this country first started in Bangladesh. And congratulations to you for showing us the way,” Bora said.

The AISA leader also spoke about young people in India participating in and leading movements to defend democratic principles and voting rights, drawing parallels between the struggles of students in India and those in the neighbouring country.

Reacting to her remarks, BJP National Spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari alleged that Rahul Gandhi and the Congress ecosystem were not interested in pursuing political resistance through democratic means but were instead attempting to bring about a change of regime.

“Rahul Gandhi and the entire ecosystem do not want to engage in political resistance; they want to bring about regime change,” Bhandari said.

Notably, Rahul Gandhi had backed Bora during the student protests earlier this year.

“Neha Bora, who is the poster girl of Rahul Gandhi’s entire protest movement, stated in an interview that she is inspired by the Gen-Z movement in Bangladesh, and they want to do the exact same thing in India as what happened in Bangladesh. This proves that Rahul Gandhi’s intention is not political resistance; his intention is to destroy the Constitution and the democracy of India,” Bhandari said.

Bhandari also referred to remarks allegedly made by advocate Prashant Bhushan, claiming that they indicated a wider effort to undermine India’s democratic system.

“Prashant Bhushan had also said that there should be a revolution in which blood will flow. This proves that the entire Congress ecosystem’s only focus is to destroy Indian democracy and bring about regime change like Bangladesh. Rahul Gandhi and the Congress ecosystem are dangerous for Indian democracy, and everyone who believes in the Indian Constitution should oppose Rahul Gandhi and his ecosystem,” Bhandari said.

Bora has emerged as a prominent face in the ongoing protests against the Election Commission of India (ECI) over allegations of ‘vote theft’. The Opposition has raised concerns over the electoral process and alleged irregularities in the revision of electoral rolls.

Rahul Gandhi has been leading the INDIA bloc’s campaign on the issue, with Opposition parties demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Neha Bora was also invited for a tea meeting hosted by the LoP Rahul Gandhi, attended by INDIA bloc leaders, activists and members of civil society earlier this week.The gathering was part of the Opposition’s efforts to coordinate its campaign against the ECI and strengthen its collective stand on the allegations surrounding the electoral roll revision exercise.

The BJP, however, accused the Congress of politicising the matter and attempting to discredit democratic institutions.