Congress must sack leader for statement on Kathua probe: BJP
New Delhi, April 15: The BJP on Sunday asked Congress President Rahul Gandhi to sack his party's Jammu and Kashmir President Ghulam Ahmed Mir for saying that the investigation in the rape and murder of a young girl in Kathua was motivated.
Addressing the media here, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said: "Mir had made a statement that the local population thinks that the culprits in the Kathua rape case are still out and the investigation is motivated and they are trying to dilute the case."
Javadekar showed a video of Mir to reporters in which he was heard saying: "Somewhere or the other, someone is being protected and hands are being waved here and there. Local population believe that investigation is motivated, the real culprit is being let go and they're trying to fulfil their political criteria."
The Union Minister questioned Gandhi: "We want to ask Rahulji, our two ministers had resigned for joining the rallies in support of the rape accused. So when will he sack his own leader?"
BJP ministers Choudhary Lal Singh and Chander Prakash Ganga resigned on Friday following outrage after they attended rallies to support the rape accused.
Taking a jibe at the Congress President, Javadekar said, "Rahulji had led a candlelight march at night but why don't he take action against his own leader?
"Raising fingers at the leaders of other parties and protecting their own leader is the character of the Congress."
The BJP leader also questioned why Gandhi did not take out any march after the 2012 Nirbhaya gang rape. "Why was he silent on the atrocities on Dalits and women in an inter-caste violence in Mirchpur village of Haryana during Congress rule?"
He said that the Congress was trying to defame the BJP.
"The Congress had done nothing in 10 years when it was in power. They are trying to defame the BJP. They can't compete with us in election, so they are using these tricks," he said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
ED probing role of Canadian colleges, Indian entities in human trafficking
New Delhi, Dec 25: The Enforcement Directorate is investigating the alleged involvement of some Canadian colleges and a few Indian entities in a money laundering case linked to the trafficking of Indians into the US from the Canada border.
The investigation is linked to the death of a four-member Indian family, hailing from Dingucha village in Gujarat. The four died of extreme cold while trying to cross the Canada-US border illegally on January 19, 2022.
The ED said it took cognisance of an Ahmedabad Police FIR against Bhavesh Ashokbhai Patel, who emerged as the main accused in the matter, and a few others, to file a complaint under the criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Patel and others are alleged to have "hatched a well-planned conspiracy to send people (Indians) to the USA through Canada via illegal channels thereby committing the offence of human trafficking," it said.
The agency had earlier found that as part of the racket, the accused "arranged" admission for people, desirous to go to the US illegally, in colleges and universities based in Canada.
A Canadian student visa was applied for such people and once they reached that country, instead of joining the college, they "illegally" crossed the US-Canada border, the agency said in a statement on Tuesday.
"In view of this, the fee received by colleges based in Canada was remitted back to the individuals' account," the ED alleged.
Indians were "lured" into the racket and charged between Rs 55 and Rs 60 lakh per person, according to the ED.
The agency said it undertook fresh searches in this case on December 10 and December 19 at eight locations in Mumbai, Nagpur, Gandhinagar and Vadodara.
It was found, the ED said, two "entities", one based in Mumbai and the other in Nagpur, entered into an "agreement" for admission of Indians in universities based in foreign countries on a commission basis.
The agency said the latest searches found that about 25,000 students are being referred by one entity and more than 10,000 students by the other to various colleges based outside India every year.
"Further, it is gathered that there are around 1,700 agents/partners based in Gujarat and around 3,500 agents/partners of other entities all over India out of which around 800 are active.
"It is further revealed that around 112 colleges based in Canada have entered into an agreement with one entity and more than 150 with another entity. Their involvement in the instant case is under investigation," the ED said.
The agency suspects that out of the total 262 such colleges in Canada, a few, which are geographically located near the Canada-US border, are involved in the trafficking of Indian nationals.
The ED said it froze Rs 19 lakh in bank deposits, some "incriminating" documents and digital devices, and seized two vehicles in connection with its probe.
