Investment fraud targeting Indians from Nepal: Mangaluru police arrest 11 people
Mangaluru (Karnataka) (PTI): The Mangaluru Cyber Crime Police have arrested 11 people allegedly linked to an organised investment fraud syndicate operating from Nepal that targeted Indian citizens and siphoned off crores of rupees, police said on Thursday.
According to the commissioner of Police Mangaluru City Sudheer Kumar Reddy, the cross-border network involved Indian operatives coordinating online investment scams through social media platforms. Five additional suspects remain absconding, while foreign associates are being probed separately.
Digital forensic examination of seized devices revealed details of 624 bank accounts suspected to have routed fraudulent proceeds. Over 4,580 complaints linked to these accounts are recorded on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal.
Investigators said one account alone saw transactions exceeding Rs 167 crore.
The case registered at the cyber police station relates to a complaint in which a victim was allegedly cheated of Rs 1.38 crore through transfers to 10 bank accounts now linked to multiple cybercrime cases nationwide.
Police said the syndicate recruited account holders through Instagram and Telegram, promising commissions and jobs, before diverting funds into cryptocurrency and transferring them abroad.
Authorities also warned of 'digital slavery', where Indian youths are lured overseas on false job assurances and forced into cyber fraud operations.
Those arrested were identified as Makvan Vikram (25) of Gujarat; Soumyaditya Chattopadhyay (21) of West Bengal; Pupla Shiva Kumar Rao (32), Rajesh Mandan (30), and Mithun Kumar Mangaraj (38) of Jharkhand; Gaurav Pandey (24), Harsh Mishra (22), Mohammed Akeeb Ali (27), and Naushad Ali (34) of Uttar Pradesh; Rajiv Ranjan Kumar (30) of Bihar; and Om Prakash Yadav (37) of Rajasthan.
Police seized a laptop, 21 mobile phones, 20 SIM cards and multiple debit and credit cards.
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No need for guv: DMK leader Kanimozhi
Chennai (PTI): Senior DMK leader Kanimozhi Karunanidhi on Friday reiterated her party’s opposition to the office of the governor amid uncertainty over government formation in Tamil Nadu after a fractured election mandate.
Speaking to PTI Videos, Kanimozhi emphasised that the DMK’s demand for the abolition of the governor’s post remained unchanged, especially as questions arise over constitutional propriety during the current political transition.
"Our position that we do not need a governor at all is something the DMK has never changed at any point in time," she said.
When asked about the governor’s actions following the election results—particularly the delay in inviting the leading party to form the government—Kanimozhi pointed to what she described as the "inherent friction" between the office of the governor and the political interests of the state.
She said the current situation "raises a lot of questions" and requires introspection regarding constitutional procedures.
Kanimozhi described the election results as lacking a "clear mandate", which she identified as the primary reason for the prevailing political uncertainty in the state.
"What the people decide is supreme," she said, adding that while the mandate was not decisive, it must be respected.
The Thoothukudi MP attributed the ongoing delays and "many confusions" to the absence of a decisive majority for any single party.
She firmly dismissed rumours about the DMK potentially supporting the AIADMK from outside to help stabilise the government.
She described such reports as mere "speculation" and "rumours".
"We can’t be responding to every rumour," she said, declining to comment on the AIADMK’s claims regarding its numbers to form the government.
The political situation in Tamil Nadu remains fluid as stakeholders await the governor’s next constitutional step in an Assembly where no party has secured a clear majority.
The DMK and AIADMK—both of which suffered significant losses to the TVK—are reportedly exploring tactical manoeuvres to navigate the hung Assembly.
The TVK, with 108 seats and the support of Congress’s five MLAs, is still short of the majority mark. The DMK and AIADMK secured 59 and 47 seats, respectively.
