Noida, Aug 10 (PTI): Six men were arrested in Noida on Sunday for allegedly misleading people through a fake office and by posing as members of international police and various other organisations, officials said.

According to police, the accused are residents of West Bengal. They pretended to be government officials as well and influenced locals with the logo of the office. They had rented an office recently in sector 70 in Central Noida.

The racket was busted and six people were arrested, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central Noida) Shakti Mohan Awasthy said.

"They used to extort money from people by showing fake documents and logos. They also pretended as government officials to impress people," the officer added.

"The arrested accused made a rent agreement on June 4 and were operating the office for the last 15 days. They also had a website -- www.intlpcrib.in -- and took donations. Further investigation is on," he said.

The accused have been identified as Vibhash Chandra Adhikari (27), an arts graduate, Aragya Adhikari (26), a law graduate, Pintu Pal (27), Samapdal (25), Babul Chandra Mandal (27), Ashish Kumar (57) -- all Class-12 pass. While the first four are residents of West Bengal's Birbhum district, Mandal and Kumar are residents of 24 Parganas and Kolkata respectively, police said.

Police have seized nine mobile phones, 17 stamp seals, six cheque books, nine identity cards, a PAN card, a voter card, six ATM cards, three types of visiting cards, certificates recognised by ministries and a CPU. Four boards of the "International Police and Crime Investigation Bureau", Rs 42,300 in cash and other documents were also seized from the possession of the accused.

A case has been registered under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Information Technology Act and Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act at the Phase 3 police station in Central Noida.

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New Delhi (PTI): Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday debunked Union minister Kiren Rijiju's reported claim that the opposition party leader had agreed that the Congress is "anti-women", asserting that at no point did he imply any such thing and that his party has stood for women's rights and reservation.

Reacting to Rijiju's claims, Tharoor stressed that the Congress is totally in favour of women's reservation and prepared to have it implemented right now -- without linking it to delimitation.

In a post on X, the Congress leader said, "I am sorry, but with the greatest respect for Kiren Rijiju, at no point did I say or imply any such thing -- and I have seven witnesses in the photograph who can confirm that!"

"'That was what he meant', our Minister says. No, sir, that is NOT what I meant. 'That Congress can be anti-women...he agreed in a way,' he added. I am sorry but I did NOT agree in any way," Tharoor said.

"The Congress has stood for women's rights and women's reservation under a strong woman president in Sonia Gandhi, initiated the Women's Reservation Bill, passed it in the Rajya Sabha during our tenure and supported it in the Lok Sabha when it was brought by government of India in 2023," he said.

"We are totally in favour of women's reservation and are prepared to have it implemented right now -- without linking it to delimitation," the Thiruvananthapuram MP added.

Rijiju's reported comments came while narrating details of the conversation he had with Tharoor on April 18 after the end of the three-day special sitting of Parliament during which the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill to implement 33 per cent reservation for women in legislatures in 2029 and increase the number of Lok Sabha seats to 816 was defeated in the Lok Sabha.

Tharoor on April 18 had shared a snippet of his conversation with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rijiju after the Lok Sabha was adjourned sine die, and said the BJP leader conceded that “no one could ever call me anti-women”.

Tharoor had said women are by far the better half of the species - 'Humans 2.0' - and deserve representation in Parliament and in every institution.

"Just don’t link their advancement to a mischievous and potentially dangerous Delimitation that could devastate our democracy," he had said on X.

Sharing a picture of some opposition MPs standing with Rijiju in the Lok Sabha, Tharoor had said, "A little post-adjournment gathering of Opposition MPs in the Lok Sabha with our charming Parliamentary Affairs Minister.

"When Kiren Rijiju explained why he and his party were calling the Opposition 'mahila virodhi', it was pointed out to him that no one could ever call me anti-women! He conceded the point…"

While 298 members voted in support of the Bill, 230 MPs voted against it. Out of 528 members who voted, the Bill required 352 votes for a two-thirds majority.

The Bill proposed to increase the number of Lok Sabha seats to 816 from the current 543 to "operationalise" the women's reservation law before the 2029 parliamentary polls, following a delimitation exercise based on the 2011 Census.

Seats were also to be increased in state and UT assemblies to accommodate 33 per cent reservation for women.

The three-day special sitting was convened from April 16 to 18 to secure Parliament's approval for the Bill.

After the bill was defeated, the Congress had said the "nefarious attempt" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to link their "dangerous delimitation proposals" to women's reservation had been decisively defeated in the Lok Sabha, calling it a win for democracy and the Constitution.