Saudi King appoints female deputy minister, sacks military chiefs
Riyadh: In a series of late-night royal decrees, Saudi Arabia announced political appointments, including the rare appointment of a female Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Development, Tamadar bint Yousef al-Ramah.
At the same time, the Saudi king sacked its top military commanders, including the Chief of Staff.
The sackings come as the war in Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition is fighting rebels, is nearing the end of its third year.
Saudi King Salman, who is also the Defence Minister, replaced the heads of the ground forces and air defences too. The news was published by the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA), but no reason for the sackings was given.
This is another sweeping overhaul of Saudi institutions that has become the hallmark of the reign of King Salman, although the driving force is once again his son and heir, Crown Prince.
The Saudi intervention in the Yemen conflict was his initiative - one of the first indications of just how dramatically he was going to break away from the country's traditional caution.
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Kerala man arrested in Mangaluru for Rs 1.71 crore cyber fraud
Mangaluru, Dec 24: A 22-year-old man from Kerala has been arrested in connection with a cyber fraud case involving Rs 1.71 crore, officials said on Tuesday.
The accused, identified as Akash A, a resident of Chokkath in Kozhikode district, allegedly used his bank account for cybercrimes, they said.
According to the police, an FIR was registered under various sections of the Information Technology Act and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita based on a complaint about fraudulent activities.
The complainant reported receiving harassing calls and messages from an unknown person impersonating a representative of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).
The impersonator claimed that a mobile number had been registered in the complainant's name and linked it to unlawful activities in Mumbai.
The fraudster allegedly opened a bank account in the complainant's name at Canara Bank in Mumbai and used it for fraudulent transactions. Through various manipulative tactics, the complainant was defrauded of Rs 1.71 crore in phases, a senior police officer said.
During the investigation, the police traced the involvement of Akash A. His bank account was found to be linked to the cybercrime, the officer added.
A police team apprehended him in Kerala and brought him to Mangaluru for further proceedings. He has been produced before the court, the officer said.
Efforts are ongoing to trace other suspects involved in the case, police said.
