Mumbai: Three traders from Zaveri Bazaar are alleged to have defrauded many individuals by guaranteeing substantial returns on their investments in the gold industry. They reportedly put in around Rs 44 crore into Dabba Trading, which included 36 kg of gold and nearly Rs 10 crore in cash.

When encountering losses, the traders stated that the business was struggling. A report was lodged at Lokmanya Tilak Marg police station regarding these traders. A trader located in the western suburbs with a shop in Zaveri Bazaar knew Ladulal, Pallav, and Shubham, who were recognized in the neighborhood for their business activities.

They persuaded the trader to invest, guaranteeing profitable returns via various business strategies, initially drawing in approximately Rs 2 crore in capital. A profitable return enhanced the trader’s confidence, prompting further investments of 36 kg of gold and Rs 10 crore.

When returns stopped, the trader looked for reasons, and although he received cheques from multiple accounts, none were dishonoured. Following the inquiry, it became evident that the three individuals had incurred losses of Rs 44 crore in dabba trading, leading the trader to complain.

Dabba trading is an unlawful activity conducted outside the stock exchange, without proper registration and regulation, resulting in significant losses for investors and tax evasion for the government, while misleadingly asserting greater returns than legitimate stock market investments.

Maharashtra Congress workers staged a protest in Mumbai against the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday, echoing Rahul Gandhi’s fresh allegations of large-scale electoral fraud.

Yesterday, the former Congress president claimed that democracy in India was under threat and called for judicial intervention. He alleged that between the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections in Maharashtra, over one crore new voters were added to the rolls in just five months, a spike larger than the addition made in five years.

CCTV Footage Destruction Raises Eyebrows

Gandhi also accused the ECI of destroying CCTV footage from polling booths, despite questions over a suspicious surge in voting after 5.30 PM in certain areas. He alleged this was part of a cover-up, as Congress workers stationed at booths reported no such spike in voter turnout.

According to Gandhi, the Election Commission has refused to provide the voter list in an accessible format, instead handing over stacks of printed paper — deliberately formatted to block Optical Character Recognition (OCR) scanning.

“This is why we are being given data like this — so it is not analysed,” he said, adding that his team spent six months manually checking records for just one constituency.

Karnataka Example: “Vote Chori” in Mahadevapura

To highlight his claims, Gandhi cited findings from the Mahadevapura Assembly constituency in Karnataka. He alleged over one lakh fraudulent votes were cast in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls there, including:

11,965 duplicate voters

40,009 fake/invalid addresses

10,452 bulk voters (same address)

4,132 invalid photos

33,692 misuse of Form 6

In Bangalore Central Lok Sabha seat, Congress won six out of seven segments but lost Mahadevapura by over 1,14,000 votes — a margin Gandhi says was inflated by “vote chori.”

New Delhi: Congress leader Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for attempting to portray himself as a champion of Indian farmers, after being “hurt and subdued” by recent criticism from US President Donald Trump.

Ramesh recalled the 2020-21 farmers’ protests against the three farm laws, alleging that the Prime Minister mocked the agitators by calling them “protest enthusiasts” in Parliament. He claimed that over 700 farmers lost their lives during the protests, yet the Prime Minister expressed no regret or sympathy.

“Five years ago, there was a time when the Prime Minister, in Parliament, mocked the protesting farmers by calling them ‘protest enthusiasts.’ More than 700 farmers lost their lives during the protests against three black, anti-farmer laws, but not a single word of pain, regret, or sympathy came from the Prime Minister’s mouth for them. Farmer organizations are still demanding a legal guarantee for MSP, calculated by adding 50% profit to the total cost of production (C2), along with concrete debt relief. The Prime Minister remains completely silent on these demands, even though these same issues were raised by India’s former Vice President,” he posted on X.

“In November 2019, the Prime Minister was fully prepared to include India in the RCEP trade agreement, which could have caused significant harm to Indian farmers and dairy producers. However, due to persistent pressure from the Congress Party and farmer organisations, Prime Minister Modi had to back down at the last moment,” he added.

He further took a jibe, saying, “Now, hurt and subdued by Trump’s attacks, PM Modi is trying to present himself as the greatest champion of Indian farmers, but no one is under any illusion about this.”

On Thursday, in a message against the tariffs imposed by the United States, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted that farmers remain India’s top priority and that the country would never compromise their interests.

“For us, the interest of our farmers is our top priority. India will never compromise on the interests of farmers, fishermen and dairy farmers. I know we will have to pay a heavy price for it, and I am ready for it. India is ready for it,” PM Modi said while addressing the MS Swaminathan Centenary International Conference.

His remarks come amid the Trump administration doubling the tariff imposition to 50 per cent on goods from India. During trade negotiations, the United States was pushing for greater access to India’s agricultural market, especially for corn, soybeans, and cotton.

However, India has so far resisted the opening of the agricultural sector and dairy products due to concerns about domestic livelihoods and potential impacts on farmers.