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Teachers scam: WhatsApp chat hinting question paper leak recovered

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 The Enforcement Directorate (ED), probing the multi-crore teachers’ recruitment scam, has recovered WhatsApp chats hinting at possible advance leaking of question papers to select candidates who took the written examination for primary teachers’ posts in West Bengal in 2016.

Sources said that the selective leaking of question papers were mainly done by the youth Trinamool Congress leader, Kuntal Ghosh, who was arrested by the ED from his residence on January 21.

The probe agency has also recovered Whatsapp chats indicating that Ghosh enjoyed the patronage of former state education minister and Trinamool Congress secretary general Partha Chatterjee.

From the documents seized from Ghosh’s residence, the central agency officials have also recovered copies of the admit cards of certain candidates who appeared for the recruitment examination for primary teachers in 2016.

The ED sleuths have come across the names of 35 individuals who secured jobs as teachers in state- run schools by paying money to the arrested youth leader and all of them are currently employed with different schools. Each and every one of them will be questioned to take the investigation forward.

“The recruitment scam seems to be in multiple layers, which again have sub-layers involving multiple players and multiple angles. The uncovering of one layer is leading to other layers. That’s why the investigation process is getting prolonged,” said a legal associate of ED.

The fact that question papers were leaked to select candidates was established after the ED sleuths noticed that some extremely below-average candidates, as per their academic records, scored exorbitantly in the recruitment examination.

Sources said that the marks secured in their academic examinations did not justify their scores in their optical mark recognition (OMR) sheets.

Crime

Mumbai Crime: Oshiwara Police Arrest Habitual Thief, Recover Stolen Valuables Worth ₹1.26 Crore

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Mumbai: The Oshiwara Police have arrested a habitual offender involved in a major housebreaking case and successfully recovered stolen property worth ₹1,26,10,450.

According to police officials, between 11:00 pm on December 29, 2025, and 7:30 am on December 30, 2025, an unidentified person gained entry through the bathroom window of a bungalow (No. 15, Magnum Tower, Bank Road, 2nd Cross Road, Lokhandwala, Andheri West). The accused broke into the complainant’s cupboard and stole a safe containing gold, diamond and silver ornaments along with cash altogether valued at approximately ₹1,37,20,000.

Based on the complaint, Oshiwara Police registered an FIR  on December 30, 2025, under sections 331(4) and 305(A) of BNS. Following the registration of the case, the Senior Police Inspector, Crime Detection Officer and the police team visited the crime scene and conducted a detailed inspection.

Even without knowing the suspect’s residence, officers skillfully gathered intelligence. Sub-Inspector Vikas Kadam and his team laid a trap in the locality where the accused was suspected to be hiding and kept watch for two days. The suspect finally appeared, and on January 3, 2026, the team detained him for interrogation.

During questioning, the accused confessed that he had kept the stolen valuables at his residence and some with a jeweller. Acting promptly, the police recovered stolen diamond, gold and silver ornaments valued at ₹1,26,10,450.

Further investigation revealed that the arrested accused has a criminal history with 14 previous cases registered against him. Police officials also stated that more cases from Oshiwara Police Station and other police jurisdictions are likely to be detected during further interrogation.

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Crime

Mumbai Crime: Around 60 Silver & Gold-Studded Derby Trophies Worth ₹15.24 Lakh Stolen From Club Owner’s House; Domestic Help Booked

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Mumbai: As many as 60 silver and gold-studded trophies valued at Rs 15.24 lakh, won by a club owner in Mumbai in various derby events, have allegedly been stolen from his residence by his domestic help, police said.

The Gamdevi police here have registered a case against the domestic help in connection with the theft, they said.

The thefts occurred between 2023 and November 2025 at a flat located in Westfield Estate Compound, Breach Candy in south Mumbai, an official said on Tuesday.

Shiven Surendranath (59), an advertisement film director and owner of the Royal Western India Turf Club Limited (RWITC) Club and the Diamond Band Racing Syndicate Pvt Ltd, recently filed a police complaint in this connection, he said.

The complainant had won various prominent derbies since 2006 and received silver and gold-studded trophies. He alleged that all those trophies were stolen by his domestic help, Rajendra Benudhar Jena (42), hailing from Odisha.

Jena was employed at Surendranath’s house for the past five years and had been staying there for the last six months, the police said.

On November 23, 2025, Jena told the complainant that he needed to travel to Kolkata for a couple of days for urgent work. He called five days later to say he was returning, but subsequently stopped answering calls, the official said.

After Jena failed to return and remained unreachable, Surendranath checked his collection of trophies and other valuables on January 2 and found that several items, valued at Rs 15.24 lakh, were missing.

He then approached the Gamdevi police station and lodged a complaint, based on which a case was registered against Jena on Sunday, the official said.

A probe was on into the case, he added.

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Crime

Delhi demolition drive: BJP condemns stone-pelting incident, says officials followed HC order

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New Delhi, Jan 7: BJP leaders on Wednesday strongly condemned the stone-pelting incident that took place during a demolition drive near a mosque in Old Delhi, asserting that the action was carried out strictly against encroachments in accordance with a High Court order.

They said those responsible for creating chaos and attacking security personnel must be dealt with firmly under the law.

The incident occurred near the Faiz-e-Ilahi Mosque in the Turkman Gate area, close to the Ramlila Ground, where the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) launched an anti-encroachment operation to remove unauthorised structures from land adjoining the mosque and nearby areas, in compliance with directions issued by the Delhi High Court on November 12, 2025.

As the demolition process began, a large number of local residents gathered outside the mosque, raising slogans and protesting against the action. The situation soon escalated when some members of the crowd attempted to breach police barricades and started pelting stones at security personnel deployed at the site.

Reacting to the incident, BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal told media, “I have been informed by the officials that this was a High Court order. The forces removed encroachments on government land. I am a resident of Old Delhi, and the people here are peace-loving. The removal was carried out strictly under the law and as per the High Court order.”

“The local police are investigating the matter, and based on CCTV footage, appropriate action will be taken. The police are monitoring the case,” he further said.

Minister Ashish Sood described the incident as unfortunate and said the demolition was carried out strictly under court directions.

“This is an unfortunate incident. Action was taken against commercial establishments near the Faiz-e-Ilahi Mosque strictly as per court orders, but some anti-social elements protested and resorted to stone-pelting, which is unacceptable,” Sood told reporters.

“The mosque remains completely safe, and the government has no role in the action, which is court-directed. Those involved in violence will face legal action, and people are urged to identify miscreants who incite such acts, as innocent youths ultimately suffer legal consequences,” he added.

Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa also underlined that the action was based on judicial orders.

“These are orders from the High Court, and the High Court’s orders are being implemented. However, those who are doing such activities are wrong, and the police must take action against them. Whether it is an order from the High Court or the Supreme Court, it is the duty of the police and the government to enforce it,” he said.

Speaking to Media, Delhi Assembly Deputy Speaker Mohan Singh Bisht said unauthorised encroachments must be removed irrespective of their nature.

“Certainly, action should be taken in cases where there is unauthorised encroachment, and such encroachments must be removed. If illegal constructions of mosques or wedding halls have been made in areas like the Ramlila Ground, the importance of the location must be respected, and such action should definitely be taken,” he said.

Minister Ravinder Indraj Singh said that any encroachment must be removed. “There is no question of caste, community, or religious sentiment in this matter. Anything that causes inconvenience to individuals or society should be addressed and removed,” he told Media.

Meanwhile, police have registered an FIR under sections related to rioting, assault on a government servant and obstruction of a public servant in the discharge of official duties.

The police said 10 individuals have been identified and detained, and searches are underway to trace others allegedly involved in the violence.

Further details in the case are awaited.

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