Misleading message circulating on WhatsApp related to donation for Army's modernisation: Govt
New Delhi, Apr 27 (PTI): The Ministry of Defence on Sunday cautioned that a "misleading" message is doing the rounds on WhatsApp claiming that the government has opened a bank account seeking donation for modernisation of the Indian Army.
In a statement, the ministry debunked the message and urged people to "remain cautious and not fall prey to such fraudulent messages".
"There is a misleading message doing the rounds on WhatsApp pertaining to donation to a particular bank account for the modernisation of the Indian Army and for the soldiers injured or killed in action," the statement said.
The message being circulated erroneously quotes a "Cabinet decision" to this effect and invokes the name of actor Akshay Kumar as being the "prime mover" of the proposal, the ministry flagged.
"The account details in the said message are wrong, leading to online donations getting dishonoured," it said.
The ministry said the government has "initiated several welfare schemes for soldiers killed or disabled during active combat operations".
"In 2020, the government instituted 'Armed Forces Battle Casualty Welfare Fund' which is utilised for grant of immediate financial assistance to the families of soldiers/sailors/airmen who lay down their lives or get grievously injured in active military operations," it said.
The Indian Army, on behalf of the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare, Ministry of Defence maintains the accounts for the fund. Contribution can be made directly in the account of Armed Forces Battle Casualties Welfare Fund, it added.
The PIB Fact Check also alerted people about this "misleading" message with a post on X.
"A WhatsApp message is going around claiming that government has opened a bank account for the modernization of the Indian Army. #PIBFactCheck This claim is MISLEADING. The bank account mentioned in the message is NOT meant for modernization of Indian Army or for purchase of weapons," it posted on X.
"Armed Forces Battle Casualties Welfare Fund was created to provide immediate financial assistance to the families of soldiers who have sacrificed their lives or were injured during military operations," it added in its post and also shared a screenshot of the message with the word "misleading" stamped on it.
A WhatsApp message is going around claiming that government has opened a bank account for the modernization of the Indian Army.#PIBFactCheck
— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) April 27, 2025
❌ This claim is MISLEADING
❌The bank account mentioned in the message is NOT meant for modernization of Indian Army or for purchase… pic.twitter.com/flm2vGe22G
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Bus helper held for stealing USD 1,600 from Iranian woman's purse in Delhi; money recovered
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi Police has arrested a bus helper and recovered USD 1,600 that was allegedly stolen from the purse of an Iranian woman who had forgotten it on a private bus at ISBT Kashmere Gate, an official said on Sunday.
The incident came to light on December 15, when a complaint was lodged at the ISBT Kashmere Gate police post by Dr Ali Akbar Shah, a professor at Delhi University and a resident of Mukherjee Nagar, the police said.
He informed police that his guest, Fareshteh Sayanjali, an Iranian national, had arrived in India on December 13 and was staying at his residence, they said.
The woman had travelled to Uttarakhand's Rishikesh and was returning to Delhi on December 15 in a bus. While de-boarding at ISBT Kashmere Gate around 1.45 pm, she inadvertently left her purse on the bus seat, the police officer said.
After some time, she received a phone call from the bus operator informing her that the purse had been found in the vehicle. However, when the purse was handed back to her, she discovered that USD 1,600 in cash kept inside was missing," the officer added.
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Based on Dr Shah's statement, an FIR was registered at Kashmere Gate police station on December 16, and an investigation was taken up, police said.
During the investigation, the team questioned the driver and conductor of the bus in which the woman had travelled, police said.
During questioning, the conductor told police that Monish, the bus helper, found the purse lying abandoned on a seat and handed it over to him, police said.
Monish initially attempted to mislead the investigators, but later confessed to stealing the US dollars from the purse, police said
Following his disclosure, Monish was arrested on December 17 and recovered the entire stolen amount, police said.
The accused, Monish, 26, is a resident of Jahangirpuri in north Delhi.
He has studied up to Class 10 and has been working as a helper with the private bus service for the past year, they said.
