Pune, Oct 11: An unknown person posing as an official of the Election Commission of India (ECI) defrauded a 78-year-old Pune resident of Rs 8 lakh, officials said on Sunday.

The victim, Jitendra Kumar Ahuja, is a resident of Pune’s Ghorpadi. He was cheated of Rs 8,00,015.34. A case was registered at the Mundhwa police station on October 10.

According to the police, the accused gained Ahuja’s trust by posing as an ECI official. He told Ahuja that his documents did not match. He then sent Ahuja a link and asked him to fill in his information.

It is alleged that the accused gained access to Ahuja’s mobile phone through the link and defrauded him of over Rs 8 lakh. This incident occurred between October 1 and 3.

The police have registered a case against the unidentified accused under sections 319(2), 318(4), 3(5) of the Indian Penal Code and sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the Information Technology Act.

This is the second such case that came to light on Sunday.

Earlier in the day, the police said that a person posing as an official of the Election Commission of India (ECI) cheated an 80-year-old man of Rs five lakh online under the guise of updating his voter card in Pune.

A case regarding this incident has been registered at the Lakshminagar Police Station in Pune.

According to the police, the complainant, Kanjasheri Vaidyanathan Venkatesan (80), is a retired employee of an automotive manufacturing company, residing in the Yerwada area of ​​Pune. The accused called him, claiming to be from the ECI’s office, and stated that he needed to update his voter card.

Subsequently, the accused instructed him to download an APK file. After the file was downloaded, the accused gained access to the victim’s mobile screen, compromised his banking passwords, and fraudulently siphoned off Rs. 5 lakh.

A case has been registered at the Lakshminagar Police Station under Sections 308, 318(4), and 319(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), as well as Sections 66(D) and 66(C) of the IT Act.

The full name and address of the accused have not yet been ascertained.

Investigations into both cases are currently underway, and further details are awaited, officials said.

Pune, Oct 10: Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MP Sanjay Raut on Saturday predicted that the central government would collapse within six months, accusing it of using heavy police deployment and blockades to prevent protesters from reaching Delhi for the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) demonstration against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Calling the ongoing protests a “people’s rebellion,” he claimed that the Narendra Modi government was in its final days and would fall by March-April next year.

Speaking to reporters, Raut claimed that the central government is terrified of young citizens and peaceful protesters.

CJP chief Abhijit Dipke on Saturday arrived at the Delhi airport, where the police detained him.

Raut predicted a massive political upheaval in the country, claiming that the central administration is breathing its last.

“This government will not survive. Between March and April, the Modi government will take its last breath, and a national government will be established,” he claimed.

He reiterated his earlier remark that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday on September 17 would be his last as Prime Minister. “If Modi doesn’t remain, Amit Shah won’t remain either,” he added.

Targeting the leadership, Raut used a harsh phrase referencing the late actor Nana Patekar’s famous dialogue, stating that a “cockroach” can make a government powerless. He alleged that current leaders are merely “traders” rather than strong statesmen, and traders are quick to panic.

He claimed that the Centre has effectively turned Delhi into Jammu and Kashmir, with around 15,000 vehicles stranded outside the city and trains halted to prevent protesters from reaching the capital.

Accusing the Centre of using extreme suppression tactics reminiscent of the British era, Raut questioned why the government was sealing Delhi and stopping youth from protesting democratically.

“Not even during British rule were such massive blockades seen. Thousands of vehicles are stuck on all sides. By what law are you branding protesting youth as traitors and anti-nationals?” Raut asked.

He urged the Delhi Police not to follow illegal orders issued by the central government, alleging that the current regime relies on voter manipulation and state machinery misuse.

Mumbai, Oct 10: Former Rajya Sabha MP and veteran Congress leader Husain Dalwai has written to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, expressing strong outrage over the detention of senior social activist Firoze Mithiborawala and several other activists across Maharashtra.

Dalwai, in his letter on Friday, said that activists and student union members were traveling to New Delhi to participate in a peaceful rally scheduled for Saturday.

The protest, organised by various student organisations and the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), aims to demand transparency in the electoral process.

Dalwai stated that the police used high-handed tactics to detain Mithiborawala directly from his residence in Mumbai and kept him in police custody to prevent him from reaching the national capital.

Additionally, several other activists and students travelling by train from Maharashtra were intercepted and detained at various railway stations.

Terming the police action as “authoritarian” and a direct violation of fundamental democratic rights, Dalwai highlighted that the Indian Constitution guarantees freedom of speech, movement, and peaceful assembly. He condemned treating peaceful activists and youth like criminals.

In his appeal, Dalwai urged the Chief Minister to immediately intervene in the matter, take note of the police crackdown, and issue directives to administration officials for the immediate and honourable release of all detained activists and students across the state.

Earlier, the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) launched a scathing attack on the Centre, accusing it of driving Indian democracy to its grave.

The Thackeray camp in the party mouthpiece “Saamana” editorial commented on the intensifying political showdown surrounding Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, widespread opposition protests, and an unprecedented state-sponsored crackdown on democratic dissent.

The editorial highlighted that Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s aggressive campaign against CEC Gyanesh Kumar—triggered by allegations of electoral manipulation—has sent shockwaves through the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

It asserted that instead of addressing accusations of systemic electoral irregularities, the ruling establishment is shielding the election chief at all costs, calling the protection of such actions a “betrayal of the nation”.

Condemning the handling of recent demonstrations, the editorial pointed out a glaring double standard by the administration. While Opposition leaders like Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi were dragged, manhandled, and bundled into police vehicles during peaceful protests at Jantar Mantar, BJP Mahila Morcha activists staging abrasive demonstrations outside the Congress headquarters were granted absolute immunity by the home ministry, alleged the “Saamana” editorial.

The Thackeray camp claimed that the government planned to deploy around two lakh armed members of Bajrang Dal to Jantar Mantar to crush the opposition’s youth-led “cockroach” movement. It argued that relying on political gangs and “private armies” to violently suppress lawful public dissent invites absolute anarchy and civil unrest.