Crime
Rajasthan: Cyber gang responsible for breaching govt portals busted; 6 arrested
Jaipur, Oct 27: In a major breakthrough, the Jhalawar Police in Rajasthan have busted an interstate cybercrime network that infiltrated several central and state government welfare portals, including the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, Jan Aadhaar, Raj SSP (Social Security Pension), and the Disaster Management Department’s DMIS portal.
Superintendent of Police Amit Kumar said that the crackdown codenamed “Operation Shutdown” has led to the arrest of six accused and detention of two others across Delhi, Punjab, and multiple districts of Rajasthan, including Jaipur, Bharatpur, Dausa, and Jodhpur. Police have so far frozen Rs 1 crore across 11,000 suspicious bank accounts linked to the gang.
SP Kumar said the gang was involved in large-scale financial fraud worth crores by exploiting loopholes in government welfare schemes.
“This was an organised and well-connected interstate gang operating at both the state and national levels,” he said.
SP Kumar said that during the operation, which began on October 22, police recovered Rs 53 lakh in cash, note-counting machines, thousands of chequebooks, passbooks, and ATM cards, along with 35 laptops, 70 mobile phones, and data related to over 11,000 bank accounts.
“Luxury vehicles, including cars, motorcycles, and tractors, used by the accused were also seized,” SP Kumar said.
He said that among those arrested are Mohammad Laiq (Jaipur), identified as the State Nodal Operator of PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, accused of creating unauthorised IDs using his official credentials and performing illegal land seeding for ineligible beneficiaries.
“Subhash (Delhi) provided land seeding data for fake beneficiaries in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. Mohammad Shahid Khan (Bharatpur) is a former Land Development Bank employee who aided in fraudulent activations. Rohit Kumar and Sandeep Sharma (Jalandhar, Punjab) designed and managed clone websites resembling government portals. Sunant Sharma has been identified as the main handler of the gang,” he said.
SP Kumar said that two others, including Ramesh Chand (Phalodi Collectorate employee) and Bhag Chand (Dausa), were detained for facilitating bulk registrations and enrolling the highest number of ineligible beneficiaries in Jhalawar district.
“The gang exploited dormant or inactive registrations of ineligible beneficiaries. Data collected from rural agents was routed to operators like Laiq, who used official credentials to generate unauthorised nodal IDs at night. These IDs were used to bypass OTPs and reactivate accounts for ineligible beneficiaries, siphoning government funds overnight before deleting or disabling the login IDs by morning,” he said.
SP Kumar said that in the DMIS portal, criminals abused vulnerabilities in the Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AePS).
“They accessed 1,500 SSO IDs and official emails — from collectorates to patwaris — to divert compensation funds meant for farmers into fake accounts. Forensic analysis of seized devices revealed sophisticated cyber tools used to bypass Aadhaar verification and gain access to e-Mitra Plus systems,” he said.
SP Kumar added that police have also recovered thousands of Pension Payment Orders (PPOs) and account details from social security schemes.
“Suspicious fund transfers were detected for over 17,000 beneficiaries in Jaipur, Jodhpur, and Sikar, indicating widespread data theft and manipulation. To dismantle the network, a six-member Special Task Force (STF) was constituted under Jhalawar Police, with support from cyber forensics units and intelligence agencies across multiple states,” he said.
He further pointed out that authorities say the investigation is ongoing, with more arrests likely as data analysis and inter-state coordination continue.
Crime
Bengal man arrested for sexually assaulting minor daughter

Kolkata, Sep 12: A man in West Bengal South 24 Parganas district has been arrested for sexually assaulting his 13-year-old daughter, police said on Saturday.
According to the police, the elder daughter had filed a complaint against her father with the Baruipar police. She claimed that she left home due to sexual assault, which she was subjected to by her father, and alleged that he was doing the same to her younger sister. Based on that complaint, officers of Baruipur Women Police Station have arrested the accused.
According to the police, the arrested person is a hawker by profession.
Allegedly, in December last year, the accused’s elder daughter was subjected to physical abuse. She left home in anger and fear. The younger daughter alleged that her father’s misbehaviour was not resolved even after she informed her mother. The mother kept quiet even after knowing everything.
It is alleged that after the elder daughter left home, the father continued to sexually assault the younger daughter. The ‘victim’ claimed that this had been happening for the past few months. She said that there was no situation to tell anyone. She spoke to her sister on the phone. After that, both sisters informed their mother. Even after that, the mother remained silent and refused to accept their allegations.
Incidentally, the accused’s elder daughter called 100 and informed the police about the matter. Based on that, officers of Baruipur Women Police Station arrested the accused from the Kulpi Road area last night. A case has been registered against the accused under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012. Police have applied for his custody to investigate the matter further.
“Based on the complaint by the daughter, the father has been arrested. We will seek his custody to interrogate him further. Investigation is on, and all the allegations are being looked into,” a senior officer of Baruipur Police District said.
Crime
School bus driver shot at in MP’s Dabra; 50 terrified children on board witness crime

Gwalior, Sep 12: In a shocking incident, a school bus driver was shot at by two youths following a dispute over a car parked in the middle of the road in Dabra town of Gwalior district on Saturday morning. Alarmingly, there were around 50 schoolchildren in the bus at the time of the incident who were left terrified after witnessing the crime, police said.
The incident occurred near Badi Akbai village under Pichhore police station limits when the bus belonging to Glorious Convent School, Tekanpur, was taking children to school.
According to police, a Swift car was parked in the middle of the road, obstructing traffic.
Unable to move forward because of the car parked in an awkward manner, bus driver Khem Singh sent his helper to ask the occupants to move the vehicle.
However, the men allegedly refused to move the vehicle, saying the car had run out of fuel.
When Singh got down and suggested that the car be pushed aside to clear the road, the youths allegedly became angry and an argument followed.
One of them allegedly pulled out a country-made pistol and fired four rounds at Singh. Pellets hit him near the eye and on the cheek, leaving him injured. The accused then fled from the spot.
The injured driver was initially taken to a hospital in Dabra and later referred to Gwalior for further treatment.
Pichhore SHO Shivam Singh Rajawat said the car had tinted windows and the word “Gurjar” was written on its rear windshield.
The firing took place while around 50 children were inside the school bus, triggering concern over their safety.
The children were reportedly terrified after the sudden gunfire and the attack on their driver.
SDOP Saurabh Kumar said police teams were working to identify and arrest the accused.
CCTV footage from the area is also being examined to trace their movements.
Police have launched an investigation into the incident and are questioning witnesses to establish the circumstances leading to the firing.
Crime
Two convicted in 5.25-kg opium trafficking case in Aurangabad

Patna, Sep 12: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Patna Zonal Unit, has secured the conviction of two men in a drug trafficking case involving the seizure of 5.250 kg of opium in Bihar’s Aurangabad district.
The contraband was seized on February 24, 2021, following specific Intelligence received by the NCB.
Acting on the information, officers intercepted accused Pramod Prasad at Ramabandh Bus Stand in the Town Police Station area of Aurangabad and recovered 5.250 kg of opium, which he had allegedly concealed in his clothes.
According to the NCB, the opium had been sourced from Daltonganj in Jharkhand and was being transported to Aurangabad in Bihar.
The case was registered as NCB Patna Zonal Unit Crime No. 04/2021 under provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.
During the subsequent investigation, the alleged supplier, identified as Bikesh Kumar Gupta, was also arrested.
The NCB said its investigation gathered evidence that was subsequently presented before the court to establish the involvement of both accused.
The 1st Additional District and Sessions Judge-cum-Special Judge (NDPS Act), Aurangabad, found Pramod Prasad, a resident of Imamganj in Gaya district, and Bikesh Kumar Gupta alias Bikash Kumar Gupta, a resident of Panki in Palamu district of Jharkhand, guilty of offences under the NDPS Act.
The court sentenced both men to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh each under the applicable Sections.
The court further directed that, in case of failure to pay the fine, each convict would undergo an additional one year of simple imprisonment.
The NCB attributed the conviction to the investigation and prosecution conducted by its officers and said it remains committed to curbing illicit drug trafficking and preventing drug abuse.
The Bureau has also appealed to members of the public to share information about the illegal trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances through the MANAS portal or helpline number 1933.
The NCB said the identity of informants would be kept strictly confidential.
-
Crime4 years agoClass 10 student jumps to death in Jaipur
-
Maharashtra2 years agoMumbai Local Train Update: Central Railway’s New Timetable Comes Into Effect; Check Full List Of Revised Timings & Stations
-
Maharashtra2 years agoMumbai To Go Toll-Free Tonight! Maharashtra Govt Announces Complete Toll Waiver For Light Motor Vehicles At All 5 Entry Points Of City
-
Maharashtra2 years agoFalse photo of Imtiaz Jaleel’s rally, exposing the fooling conspiracy
-
National News2 years agoMinistry of Railways rolls out Special Drive 4.0 with focus on digitisation, cleanliness, inclusiveness and grievance redressal
-
Maharashtra2 years agoMaharashtra Elections 2024: Mumbai Metro & BEST Services Extended Till Midnight On Voting Day
-
National News2 years agoJ&K: 4 Jawans Killed, 28 Injured After Bus Carrying BSF Personnel For Poll Duty Falls Into Gorge In Budgam; Terrifying Visuals Surface
-
Crime2 years agoBaba Siddique Murder: Mumbai Police Unable To Get Lawrence Bishnoi Custody Due To Home Ministry Order, Says Report
