Tragic road accident claims lives of two young students in Bhatkal
Bhatkal: Two youths lost their lives in a tragic road accident late on Saturday night on the Venkatapur stretch of the National Highway in Bhatkal, triggering grief and shock across the town.
According to sources, the victims were travelling in a car from Shirali towards Bhatkal at around midnight when the vehicle reportedly lost control and rammed into an electric pole on the roadside. The exact cause of the accident is yet to be ascertained.
It was noted that three to four CCTV cameras are installed in the vicinity of the accident spot. Police officials are expected to examine the footage to determine the sequence of events leading to the collision.
In the impact, a 15-year-old boy, identified as Bilal, son of Mohammed Ashraf Ruknuddin Shipai of Azad Nagar in Bhatkal, died on the spot. Bilal was a Class 10 student. The car was driven by Ayan, son of Abdul Salam Akrami, aged 20, who sustained critical injuries in the crash. He was being shifted to Mangaluru for advanced medical treatment but succumbed to his injuries on the way. Ayan was pursuing a degree at a college in Mangaluru.
Police have registered a case and are continuing further investigation into the incident.
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8 cyber crooks held for investment fraud racket, police say Rs 4 crore routed via mule accounts
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi Police has busted an inter-state investment fraud racket operated by a handler based in Cambodia, an official said on Sunday.
Police have arrested eight people following raids conducted across Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi and claimed to have uncovered Rs 4 crore which was routed into mule accounts within just 14 days, he said.
The arrests were made after a 42-year-old woman from Vasant Kunj was cheated of Rs 15.58 lakh on the pretext of high-return stock market investments, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southwest) Amit Goel said.
"WhatsApp numbers used to contact victims were being operated from Cambodia, while Indian associates facilitated the opening and operation of mule accounts on a commission basis," the DCP said.
Those arrested have been identified as Vanapatla Sunil Kumar (43), Sakinala Shankar (61), Manoj Yadav (38), Sandeep Singh (30), Aditya Pratap Singh (23), Rahul (30), Sheru (38) and Sompal (34).
"We have recovered 10 high-end mobile phones and 13 SIM cards from the accused, which were allegedly used to operate multiple mule bank accounts, transfer cheated money and communicate with handlers abroad," the DCP said.
According to police, an e-FIR was registered on November 7, last year, after the complainant reported being lured through WhatsApp messages offering expert guidance in stock trading with assured returns.
"She was persuaded to transfer Rs 15.58 lakh to various accounts controlled by the fraudsters. A team traced the money trail using technical surveillance and digital forensics. Investigators identified Sunil Kumar, a resident of Telangana, as a key supplier of mule bank accounts.
"He allegedly opened a fake firm in Keesara and arranged a current account in a private bank for routing cyber fraud proceeds," the official added.
During interrogation, Kumar disclosed the involvement of Sakinala Shankar and Manoj Yadav. Subsequent raids led to the arrest of Yadav from Sant Kabir Nagar, followed by Sandeep Singh from Banaras, who managed account operations in Lucknow, police said.
Further surveillance resulted in the arrest of Aditya Pratap Singh from Kota in Rajasthan. Singh allegedly arranged mule accounts across India and shared their access with foreign handlers through social media.
The cheated funds were then layered through multiple Indian bank accounts, including those operated by Sompal and Rahul, to obscure the money trail before being supplied to handlers abroad, said the officer.
Sompal, an MBA graduate who earlier ran a software company, allegedly provided his corporate account for bulk transactions after his business became non-operational.
Police said 51 cybercrime complaints were linked to his account alone, while a total of 63 complaints were found connected to the network.
