New Delhi, June 15: In a major action against cyber-enabled financial crimes, the Cyber Police Station of Delhi Police’s Shahdara District has busted an online investment fraud racket linked to transactions of approximately Rs 1.56 crore and arrested two persons for allegedly operating mule bank accounts used to route and conceal proceeds of cyber fraud.

According to police, the accused were actively facilitating cybercriminals by providing and managing bank accounts used to receive the money obtained by cheating and transferring it further to obscure the financial trail. Several digital devices and incriminating evidence have been recovered during the operation.

The case was registered as e-FIR No. 90/26, dated April 9, under Sections 318(4)/319/340 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at PS Cyber, Shahdara, following a complaint by a woman resident of GTB Enclave, Delhi.

The complainant alleged that she was cheated out of Rs 21 lakh through an online investment scam. She stated that in April, she came across a Telegram advertisement promoting stock market investment opportunities with promises of high returns. After joining the group, fraudsters posing as investment experts induced her to invest money in multiple instalments.

However, when she attempted to withdraw her returns, she was denied access and subsequently blocked from all communication channels, after which she realised she had been defrauded.

Taking cognisance of the complaint, a dedicated team comprising Inspector Ashwani Kumar, Head Constables Dhanesh, Anuj, Vikas, and Mahipal was constituted under senior supervision.

Based on technical surveillance and intelligence inputs, police teams conducted raids in Uttar Pradesh’s Amroha and Moradabad districts, leading to the arrest of two accused identified as Mohd Sadik, 32, of Moradabad and Javed Ansari, 34, of Amroha.

During interrogation, the accused admitted to knowingly providing and operating bank accounts used in cyber fraud activities. They were in regular contact with associates through WhatsApp, who used these accounts for committing online investment scams and routing illicit funds.

Police said these accounts were being used as mule accounts to layer transactions and hide the money trail. Preliminary investigation has also indicated the involvement of a wider inter-state cyber fraud network.

Two mobile phones used in the offence, WhatsApp chats, and bank account credentials, along with financial records, have been recovered.

Further investigation is underway to trace the remaining accused, map the money trail, and recover the cheated amount.

New Delhi, June 15: The Ministry of Commerce and Industry on Monday said that it launched a revised Wholesale Price Index (WPI) series with 2022-23 as the new base year and reported wholesale inflation at 9.68 per cent in May.

The new WPI series replaces the existing 2011-12 base year series and is part of a broader overhaul of producer price measurement in the country.

Alongside the revised WPI, the government released new series of Output Producer Price Index (OPPI), Trial Input Producer Price Index (IPPI) and Service Producer Price Indices (PPI) for seven services.

According to the ministry, the transition towards producer price indices is aligned with global best practices and recommendations of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The WPI series will continue to be released for five years to allow users sufficient time to transition to the PPI framework.

In addition, the All India WPI inflation rate for May stood at 9.68 per cent year-on-year, while the index for all commodities rose to 109.9.

Among major groups, inflation in primary articles accelerated to 4.99 per cent in May.

However, fuel and power inflation surged to about 30 per cent, while manufactured products inflation rose to 7.48 per cent during the same period.

The ministry said mineral oils, crude petroleum and natural gas, chemicals and chemical products, and basic metals were among the major contributors to wholesale inflation.

Moreover, the WPI Food Index recorded inflation of 4.49 per cent in May.

As part of the revision, the total number of items covered under the WPI basket has increased from 697 to 957.

The new series also incorporates renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power under the electricity category and includes nuclear electricity in the basket, the government said.

Meanwhile, the government has reorganised the energy basket by moving crude petroleum and natural gas from the primary articles group to fuel and power.

The revised methodology uses gross value of output (GVO) for deriving weights and introduces updated techniques for index compilation and treatment of missing price data.

The ministry said the new output PPI for all commodities stood at 109.6 in May, while the trial Input PPI for the manufacturing sector was recorded at 104.9.

New Delhi, June 15: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday expressed gratitude to the farmers who contributed their land for the construction of the Noida International Airport (NIA), saying that farmers are the foundation of the nation’s prosperity.

Taking to the social media platform X, the Chief Minister said, “Our farmers are the foundation of our nation’s prosperity. It is the responsibility of us all to honour the participation and contribution of farmers in the state’s journey of development.”

CM Yogi also welcomed the farmers who arrived in Lucknow on the inaugural flight from the newly developed Noida International Airport in Jewar, located in Gautam Buddha Nagar district.

Reiterating his government’s commitment to farmers’ welfare, the Chief Minister added, “With the spirit of ‘Honouring our farmers, saluting a prosperous India’, we remain committed to the progress of every single farmer.”

Earlier in the day, low-cost carrier IndiGo became the first airline to commence flight operations from Noida International Airport (NIA) in Jewar, Uttar Pradesh.

The first flight arrived at NIA from Lucknow, while the first departure was to Bengaluru shortly thereafter, said the airline.

IndiGo will directly connect the newly-launched airport to over 16 destinations across the country.

This also enables one-stop connectivity between 14 city pairs like Amritsar to Jodhpur; Bareilly to Bhopal, Jaipur, and Jodhpur; Dharamshala to Jodhpur; Chandigarh to Bareilly, Kishangarh, and Pantnagar; Jammu to Jodhpur; Jaipur to Dharamshala and Pantnagar; Kishangarh to Bhopal; Pantnagar to Jaipur and Jodhpur and so on.

These connections are set to enhance access between tier 2 and 3 cities and major metros, making air travel more seamless for customers across India.

“Opening of the Noida International Airport marks a new chapter in India’s aviation story. Delhi-NCR now joins a select group of global megacities served by multiple airports,” said Aloke Singh, Chief Strategy Officer, IndiGo.

Strategically located along the Yamuna Expressway, Noida International Airport is poised to become a key aviation and logistics hub complementing existing capacity in the region.

“Welcoming IndiGo’s first flights marks the beginning of a new chapter for Noida International Airport. As our launch carrier, IndiGo will connect NIA to key destinations across India, providing passengers with greater choice and convenience from day one,” said Christoph Schnellmann, Vice Chairman, Noida International Airport.