Crime
Sarnath turtle breeding centre faces cash crunch
The Sarnath Turtle Breeding Centre in Sarnath is facing a severe cash crunch, mainly due to a technical glitch.
The centre had come into existence in 1987 to meet the requirement of the Tortoise Sanctuary that was declared a wildlife protected zone in a seven-km stretch of the river Ganga from Rajghat to Ramnagar in 1989 under the Wildlife (Conservation) Act-1972.
Officials said that they are banking on borrowed resources to feed these aquatic creatures, which are instrumental in Ganga cleaning.
In 2019, the government decided to relocate the Tortoise Sanctuary from Varanasi to Mirzapur district. The order to shift the sanctuary to the Mirzapur-Prayagraj stretch of the river was issued in June 2020 for its relocation to a 30-km area which was found to be a fit habitat for the turtles.
After the relocation, the turtle breeding centre, a part of the Kashi Wildlife Division, is yet to receive funds from the government to feed the turtles.
According to the forest officials, such a situation occurred due to confusion after the government ordered the relocation of the tortoise sanctuary from Varanasi, as it was not clear at that time whether the turtle breeding centre would also be relocated with the sanctuary.
However, the forest officials claim that the confusion has been cleared now and hope that the turtle breeding centre would get the funds soon.
“We sent a proposal last year, which was sanctioned. The release of funds was delayed due to some reasons like the Assembly elections. We are quite hopeful that the fund meant for the turtle breeding centre will be released in this month,” said divisional forest officer (DFO) of Kashi Wildlife Division, Dinesh Kumar Singh.
He admitted that there was a confusion whether, along with the sanctuary, the turtle breeding centre will also be shifted or will remain at its original place in Sarnath situated at the outskirts of the Varanasi city.
He said that it has been made clear that the turtle breeding centre will remain at Sarnath, and the mature turtles will be released in the relocated sanctuary.
“Currently, there are 887 turtles out of which about 250 are adults, ready to be released into the sanctuary area of the Ganga,” he said.
The turtle eggs were procured from the Chambal river for hatching at the Sarnath breeding centre before releasing in the sanctuary area in the Ganga after attaining adulthood.
According to records of the Kashi WildLife Division, so far over 42,000 turtles were reared at the Sarnath breeding centre in Sarnath and released into the Ganga.
Till 1993, when the first phase of Ganga Action Plan (GAP) had been completed, 28,920 tortoises were dropped into the Ganga. With the end of GAP-I, the tortoise breeding project was also stopped in 1993. Later, the forest department revived the programme in 2005.
Crime
NIA files charge sheet against 2 in Vizianagaram terror conspiracy case

New Delhi, Nov 11: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a chargesheet against two accused in an Andhra Pradesh and Telangana terror conspiracy case, an official said on Tuesday.
The two accused, identified as Siraz Ur Rahiman of Vizianagaram (Andhra Pradesh) and Syed Sameer of Hyderabad (Telangana), were arrested by the Andhra Pradesh Police on May 16 and May 17, 2025, respectively.
The chargesheet, filed against them before the NIA Special Court, Visakhapatnam, names them for their involvement in radicalising and preparing gullible youth across India through social media platforms to carry out terrorist attacks at various places in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and across the country.
Siraz Ur Rahiman and Syed Sameer have been charged under various sections of the BNS, Explosive Substances Act, and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
The NIA, which took over the case from Andhra Pradesh Police, collected sufficient evidence establishing that the accused were inspired by ISIS ideology and were actively involved in spreading radical content through various social media groups and channels, targeting hundreds of gullible youths across India with the intent to incite them towards violent jihad and anti-national activities.
The NIA investigations revealed that the accused had created several social media groups on platforms such as Instagram and Signal, which were used to promote unlawful activities threatening the unity, integrity, security and communal harmony of the country.
The NIA continues to investigate the conspiracy to spread extremist propaganda and promote radicalisation, said a statement.
In a separate development, two more accused have been sentenced to Simple Imprisonment (SI) in the Pakistan-linked Visakhapatnam Navy espionage case by a Special Court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), an official said on Tuesday.
The NIA Special Court at Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) has sentenced Kalavalapalli Konda Babu of Visakhapatnam District (Andhra Pradesh) and Aviansh Somal of Kangra District (Himachal Pradesh) to 5 years and 10 months of SI under each of sections 18 of UA(P) Act and section 3 of the Official Secrets Act.
The court has also imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 each, and in the event of default of payment, the accused persons will have to undergo an additional one-year SI in the case, said an NIA statement.
Crime
Mumbai Customs Foils Smuggling Attempt, Seizes ₹14 Crore Worth Of Hydro Ganja At CSMIA

The Mumbai Customs Department has seized 14 crore rupees worth of hydro ganja and smuggled gold in five separate operations at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport between November 6 and 9. Officials from Zone 3 of the Customs Department carried out the operations, which led to the arrest of multiple passengers arriving from Bangkok, Phuket, and Nairobi.
The first seizure took place on November 6, when a passenger arriving from Bangkok was found carrying 2.87 kilograms of hydroponic cannabis valued at Rs 2.87 crore. The next day, two more passengers flying in from Phuket were caught with nearly 4 kilograms of hydro cannabis, worth approximately Rs 4.2 crore.
On November 8, Customs officials intercepted more passengers arriving from Bangkok and Nairobi, recovering additional hydro cannabis and smuggled 22-carat gold bars weighing 358 grams. The estimated value of the gold is Rs 3.7 lakh.
In total, 13 kilograms and 84 grams of hydro ganja and 358 grams of gold were confiscated over three days. Customs officials stated that strict surveillance measures are being maintained at the airport, and all attempts to smuggle narcotics or gold will be firmly dealt with.
Hydroponic cannabis, often called hydro cannabis, is grown without soil using a nutrient-rich water solution. Common in Thailand, this method enables cultivators to precisely control growing conditions, resulting in faster growth and higher yields. These plants are usually grown indoors under LED or HPS lights, with regulated temperature, humidity, and nutrients. The increasing production of hydro cannabis in Thailand has led to rising smuggling attempts into India.
Crime
Uttarakhand man injured in Delhi blast was in Chandni Chowk for wedding shopping

New Delhi, Nov 11: A young man from Gadarpur in Uttarakhand’s Udham Singh Nagar district was among those injured in the blast near Delhi’s Red Fort Metro Station. The injured man has been identified as 28-year-old Harshul Setia.
According to information received, Harshul, son of Sanjeev Setia, is a resident of Saraswati Vihar Colony in Gadarpur. His father said that Harshul is scheduled to get married in February. He had travelled to Delhi with his mother, brother, and fiancee for wedding shopping. They were shopping in a lane opposite the blast site when a shard of glass from the explosion struck Harshul on the head.
Sanjeev Setia said he received a phone call last evening informing him about his son’s injury. He added that Harshul is now safe and in stable condition. Following the advice of security agencies, he declined to make further comments.
He said he is leaving for Delhi to bring his son and family back home. After Harshul’s discharge from LNJP Hospital, the family will return to Gadarpur, where he will introduce his son to the media.
Meanwhile, the white Hyundai i20 car that exploded on Netaji Subhash Marg in Delhi near the Red Fort was parked outside a mosque for nearly two hours before the incident, sources said.
The police managed to piece together the route of the vehicle by obtaining CCTV footage from the area.
The blast took place at around 7 p.m., the police said. The car then took a U-turn near the Old Delhi Railway Station and then headed towards Lower Subhash Marg.
The car slowed down at the traffic signal on Chhata Rail Chowk, and then the explosion occurred, the police said.
It is, however, unclear whether the explosion was meant to take place at the signal or the occupants intended to ram the car into the Red Fort, officials said.
The trail of the car’s ownership is also under investigation. It has been found that the car was sold several times.
The vehicle bore the registration number HR26CE7674. It was first registered in 2014 to one Mohammad Salman, a resident of Gurugram. Following this, the car had been sold multiple times.
Salman sold it to a person called Devender, following which it was sold to a person in Ambala.
The current owner of the car remains unknown, and investigators are working on that aspect.
The registered owner, however, is under arrest and being questioned.
Multiple agencies are working on the case.
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