Ahmedabad, June 18: A 17-year-old NEET aspirant died after falling from the sixth floor of a residential apartment building in Ahmedabad’s New Ranip area, just three days before the nationwide NEET-UG retest scheduled for June 21.

According to Sabarmati Police, the teenager, a student preparing for the medical entrance examination, fell from the balcony area of a flat in Aristo Anandam Apartments.

Police received information about the incident at around 4.30 a.m. on Thursday and reached the scene to begin an investigation.

An accidental death case has been registered under the provisions of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita pending further inquiry.

The body was sent for post-mortem examination, and an inquiry was conducted to establish the exact cause of death.

Sabarmati Police Inspector Yuvrajsinh Vaghela said the incident occurred during the night.

“The incident occurred around 2-3 a.m. We received the information around 4.30 a.m. No suicide note has been recovered as of now. The cause cannot be ascertained at present, including whether the student was under stress. Investigation is going on,” he told Media.

Police said they are examining the circumstances surrounding the death and are speaking with family members, friends and others known to the student.

No official conclusion has been drawn regarding the reason behind the incident.

The death comes days before the rescheduled National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate), one of India’s largest competitive examinations for admission to medical courses.

The National Testing Agency (NTA) announced the retest after cancelling the original NEET-UG 2026 examination conducted on May 3 following allegations of a paper leak and other irregularities.

The re-examination was approved by the Central government after concerns were raised about the integrity of the test process.

More than 22 lakh candidates were affected by the cancellation, which triggered widespread uncertainty among students and parents across the country.

The NTA has said additional security measures have been introduced for the retest, while the Supreme Court has been informed that strengthened safeguards are in place to protect the integrity of the examination.

In recent days, authorities have intensified preparations for the June 21 examination.

The Indian Air Force has assisted in transporting question papers to multiple locations across the country. The NTA has launched training programmes for examination staff and issued advisories warning students against misinformation and fake paper leak claims circulating online.

Police have not linked the student’s death to the examination, and investigators said the cause of the incident remains under investigation.

New Delhi, June 18: A proclaimed offender who was allegedly involved in an illegal arms trafficking case and had been evading arrest, was nabbed from Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshahr district, police said on Thursday.

As part of its ongoing drive against proclaimed offenders and habitual criminals, the Special Staff team of the national Capital’s Shahdara district was actively gathering Intelligence regarding absconding accused persons wanted in various criminal cases.

On June 16, credible secret information was received that the proclaimed offender, identified as 35-year-old Punit alias Punjabi, was present in Khurja, in Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh.

Verification of records revealed that the accused had been declared a proclaimed offender by the Patiala House Court in New Delhi, in connection with a 2013 case.

Upon receiving the information about the accused, a dedicated police team was constituted comprising SI Rajkumar, HC Nitin, Ct. Rudrapratap and Ct. Shekhar. The team functioned under the leadership of Inspector Ashish Kumar, I/C Special Staff, Shahdara District, under the close supervision of ACP/Operations, Shahdara District and overall supervision of DCP Shahdara.

The team immediately proceeded to Khurja in Bulandshahr and conducted sustained surveillance and field verification. Through meticulous efforts and strategic deployment, the team successfully located and apprehended the proclaimed offender.

According to investigators, the accused was taken into custody and legal proceedings under Section 35(1)(D) BNSS were initiated. He is being produced before the court for further legal action.

Officials revealed that the accused Punit alias Punjabi is a notorious and habitual culprit with a long criminal history. In 2013, he was arrested by the Special Cell, Delhi, in a major arms trafficking case wherein 10 illegal pistols along with 10 spare magazines were recovered from his possession.

Investigation at that time revealed his involvement in trafficking illegal firearms from Munger in Bihar to Delhi. The accused had subsequently absconded from legal proceedings and was declared a proclaimed person by the court.

The arrested accused was previously involved in eight criminal cases, including offences under the Arms Act, Attempt to Murder, House Trespass, Criminal Intimidation, Assault, and Dowry Prohibition Act.

Nagpur, June 18: The Nagpur Police have arrested a cleric who was allegedly involved in the forced religious conversion of a 24-year-old woman, the wife of an Indian Air Force officer. The accused, identified as Hazrat Maulana, was apprehended in Madhya Pradesh and brought into custody for questioning.

The case, which surfaced earlier this week, has attracted widespread attention due to the serious allegations made by the woman. In her complaint, she accused a former classmate and his several associates of sexual assault, blackmail, coercive religious conversion, and performing rituals claimed to be linked to black magic.

The controversy intensified after a video circulated widely on social media. The footage allegedly showed a man holding the woman by the hand while reciting religious verses. The video sparked outrage and led to increased scrutiny of the case.

According to NDTV, the principal accused, Ayaaz Madare (26), and his associate, Ameen Shaikh, are already in police custody. Investigators believe the arrested cleric played a significant role in the alleged conversion process and the conduct of a purported marriage ceremony.

As detailed in the FIR, the woman alleged that on February 8, 2025, she met Ayaaz at a hotel where he allegedly mixed an intoxicating substance into her drink. She claimed that after losing consciousness, compromising photographs and videos were taken without her consent. The accused allegedly used these materials to threaten her, warning that they would be shared with her husband and posted online. The woman further alleged that she was repeatedly subjected to sexual assault and forced to hand over nearly Rs 4 lakh.

In the viral video, the woman can reportedly be seen crying and pleading to be released while the accused recites verses and performs rituals. She claimed that following the incident, she was told that she had been converted against her will and that further attempts were made to sexually assault her.

The complainant also alleged that Ayaaz regularly forced her to consume a liquid from a plastic bottle. After drinking it, she claimed he would chant in Urdu, blow on her face, and describe the process as hypnosis or black magic before assaulting her.

Another incident mentioned in the complaint allegedly took place on May 31, when the woman was taken to Kalmeshwar by the accused and his associate. There, Hazrat Maulana allegedly conducted religious rituals and compelled her to utter “qubool hai” against her wishes. She stated that the cleric subsequently declared her conversion and performed a nikah ceremony with Ayaaz.

Police officials said further details are expected to emerge during the cleric’s interrogation. Investigators are now seeking documents related to the alleged marriage and examining whether additional individuals were involved. Authorities are also exploring whether similar incidents involving other women may have occurred.