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Tamil Nadu: Smugglers dump gold worth ₹20 crore in sea in Gulf of Mannar, Coast Guard divers recover it

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Chennai: Smugglers on board a fishing boat dumped gold worth Rs 20.2 crore crore in the sea in Gulf of Mannar in Tamil Nadu during a joint operation launched by Indian Coast Guard with DRI and customs to intercept them.

Based on a specific input from DRI regarding illegal smuggling of contraband from Sri Lanka to India, a joint operation was launched by Indian Coast Guard and DRI on May 30. The joint teams deployed by both agencies kept a close surveillance on fishing vessels operating in the Gulf of Mannar, especially near Indo-Srilanka International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL).

3 smugglers were held along with their boat

Defence sources said on the morning of May 30, the joint team from Indian Coast Guard and DRI, detected a suspicious boat approaching Mandapam fishing harbour. “When challenged, the boat tried to evade apprehension but was finally apprehended in north Gulf of Mannar. While being chased, the suspects threw the consignment into water. The boat along with three suspects were apprehended and taken into custody for investigation. Simultaneously, a major diving operation was launched by Indian Coast Guard to search for the illegal gold dumped at sea,” officers said.

Meanwhile, a separate team from DRI apprehended a second suspicious boat off Vadalai village south of Mandapam. The boat had about 21. 269 Kgs of smuggled Gold, which was seized by DRI along with two suspects who were taken into custody.

Gold discovered after 2 days of search

“After relentless diving operation off the coast of Mandapam for two days, the ICG diving team in coordination with local divers successfully recovered the gold consignment from the sea bed in the morning of June 1. This consignment was found to carry gold bars weighing 11.600 kg,” a Defence press release said.

The joint operation by Indian Coast Guard and DRI resulted in total seizure of about 32.869 kg of illegal Gold valued at approx. Rs.20.20 Crores. The seized contraband and suspects are in custody of DRI for further legal action.

Crime

Delhi: Crime Branch arrests habitual offender with 68 cases, cracks snatching incident involving NRI woman

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New Delhi, Nov 28: The Delhi Police Crime Branch has arrested a notorious repeat offender with 68 criminal involvements, securing a major breakthrough in a high-profile snatching case targeting an NRI woman earlier this year, the Delhi Police said on Friday.

The accused, identified as Tarun alias Gadam Wala, a resident of Aman Vihar, had been on the run for over seven months and was declared an absconder by a city court.

According to officials, the arrest was made by the Western Range-I team of the Crime Branch following specific inputs received on November 24.

Tarun, a listed Bad Character (BC) of PS Aman Vihar, had managed to evade multiple police teams after being implicated in a snatching incident involving a woman visiting Delhi from California.

The case, registered under FIR No. 508/2025 at Karol Bagh police station, pertains to an incident on April 5 when the complainant was returning after withdrawing cash from a PNB ATM on Padam Singh Road.

“On April 5, 2025 at about 11:50 a.m., after withdrawing money from PNB ATM, Padam Singh Road, two unidentified boys on a black scooty snatched her gold chain (approx. 15 grams) and fled towards Ganga Mandir Marg. She raised an alarm, but they escaped,” the police said in iots press note.

“During investigation, co-accused Rahul (driver) was arrested and recovery of the scooty and gold chain were affected. However, his associate Tarun alias Gadam Wala had been absconding since the incident,” it said.

A team led by Inspector Mahipal and supervised by ACP Satendra Mohan, acting on secret information and technical surveillance, tracked Tarun to Aman Vihar and apprehended him without incident.

During interrogation, police said, Tarun confessed to being the pillion rider who snatched the chain.

He revealed that Rahul had stolen the scooty used in the crime and that he received Rs 6,000 as his share after the chain was sold. He also told investigators that he is a drug user and committed the crime to fund his addiction. Tarun had been released from jail in January 2025 after serving time in another snatching case.

Police records show the accused has been involved in 68 cases related to snatching, theft, burglary, robbery, and Arms Act violations.

“His capture marks a major success in ongoing efforts to curb repeat offenders and strengthen public safety,” said DCP Harsh Indora.

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Crime

Land fraud case: J&K Crime Branch files chargesheet, two accused sent to judicial custody

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Srinagar, Nov 28: The Economic Offences Wing of Jammu and Kashmir Crime Branch Kashmir said on Friday that it has filed a chargesheet against the accused in the court of law, as two accused have been sent to judicial custody.

A statement issued by the Crime Branch Kashmir said, “The Economic Offences Wing of Crime Branch Kashmir has produced a chargesheet before the Hon’ble Court of Special Judge Anti-Corruption, Anantnag, against Mushtaq Ahmad Bhat, son of Ali Mohammad Bhat, resident of Babapora Qazigund, Tehsil Devsar, District Kulgam, and Mohammad Yousuf Dar, resident of Khandipahari, Harnag, Anantnag.

“The case originated from a complaint alleging that Mushtaq Ahmad Bhat, then serving as Patwari Halqa Khandipahari Anantnag, entered into a criminal conspiracy with the complainant’s brothers to fraudulently mutate land falling under Khewat Nos. 05 and 07 at Khandipahari Harnag.

“This was done despite the land being under litigation and a status quo order issued by the Hon’ble Court, which was duly reflected in revenue records,” it said.

Investigations revealed that the Patwari concealed material facts, facilitated the sale of a portion of the disputed land and prepared fraudulent mutations.

Accused Mohammad Yousuf Dar was also found to have procured a fake and forged gift deed purportedly executed by his mother.

“The alleged witnesses to the deed denied any involvement. The complainant further stated that the Patwari demanded money for providing revenue extracts and that no departmental action was taken despite approaching senior revenue authorities,” it said.

Upon enquiry, the allegations were found prima facie substantiated, leading to the registration of FIR No. 45/2015 under sections 420, 468, 471, 120-B RPC, and 5(2) PC Act at Police Station Crime Branch Kashmir.

After a thorough investigation, the chargesheet has now been filed for judicial determination.

During the course of proceedings, the court has remanded the accused Mushtaq Ahmad Bhat and Mohammad Yousuf Dar to the judicial lock-up.

“The Economic Offences Wing of Crime Branch Kashmir remains committed to bringing fraudsters and economic offenders to justice and urges the public to remain vigilant against such fraudulent activities,” the statement added.

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Crime

Mumbai: 72-year-old Man Loses ₹35 Crore In Massive Trading Fraud, Alleges Brokerage Firm Misused Wife’s Account

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Mumbai: A 72-year-old Mumbai resident has alleged that he lost an astonishing Rs 35 crore in a trading scam that spanned four years. Bharat Harakchand Shah, who lives in Matunga West, claims that Globe Capital Market Limited conducted unauthorised trades using his wife’s account, eventually leaving him with a massive debt he never knew existed.

Shah, who runs a low-rent guest house for cancer patients in Parel along with his wife, inherited a share portfolio from his father in 1984. With no understanding of stock markets, the couple never traded actively and kept their holdings untouched for decades.

The alleged fraud began in 2020. Following a recommendation from a friend, Shah opened Demat and trading accounts for himself and his wife with Globe Capital Market Limited, transferring the inherited shares to the brokerage.

At first, the arrangement seemed simple. Representatives from the firm contacted him regularly, assuring him that no additional investments were required and that the inherited shares could be safely used as collateral. Shah was told he would receive “personal guides” to help navigate the process.

Two company employees, identified as Akshay Baria and Karan Siroya, were assigned to manage his portfolio. According to the FIR, this was when they allegedly took full control of the couple’s accounts.

Shah said the two employees initially called every day, advising him on which orders to place. Soon, they began making home visits and even sent emails through their own laptops. He was instructed to share every OTP, open every SMS and email, and grant all permissions.

Believing he was following official instructions, Shah unknowingly allowed the firm to operate freely. He remained unaware that extensive trades were being conducted in his and his wife’s names.

Between March 2020 and June 2024, Shah received annual statements showing consistent profits. With nothing amiss on paper, he had no reason to doubt the firm’s actions.

Everything changed in July 2024 when Globe Capital’s Risk Management Department called him, informing him that he and his wife owed Rs 35 crore due to a large debit balance. He was warned that his shares would be sold immediately if the amount was not paid.

Distressed, Shah visited the firm’s office where he learned for the first time that unauthorised trades, including circular trading, had caused his portfolio to collapse. Shares worth crores had already been sold.

Fearful of losing his remaining assets, Shah sold the leftover shares and cleared the entire Rs 35 crore debt. He later transferred the remaining holdings to a different brokerage.

When he downloaded the original transaction statements from the company’s website, Shah noticed major discrepancies compared to the profit statements emailed to him for four years. He also discovered that the brokerage had responded to multiple NSE notices using his name—without ever informing him.

“For four years, the company presented us with a false picture, while the actual losses continued to mount,” Shah said.

Shah filed an FIR at the Vanrai police station. The case, registered under IPC sections 409 (Criminal Breach of Trust) and 420 (Cheating), has now been handed over to the Mumbai Police’s Economic Offences Wing for a detailed probe.

He has described the episode as an “organised financial fraud”, hoping the investigation will uncover how such large-scale unauthorised trading went unnoticed for years.

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