Aadhaar, PAN card copies of job aspirants misused for financial transactions; probe launched
Thane (PTI): Police in Maharashtra’s Thane district have launched a probe into alleged misuse of identity documents for financial transactions worth Rs 35 crore, police said on Thursday.
Over the past one and a half years, accused Salma Sayyed and her associates collected Aadhaar, PAN, photographs and other identity documents of job aspirants by promising them well-paid employment opportunities, an official said.
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“These documents were later misused by forging signatures and creating firms and bank accounts without the knowledge of the victims,” he said.
A company named ‘Jaljyoti Enterprises’ was fraudulently registered in one man’s name without his knowledge, and current accounts were opened. Financial transactions worth about Rs 35 crore were carried out through these bank accounts, he said.
The 27-year-old resident of the Ambernath area approached the police after learning about the misuse of his identity documents.
Similar companies were opened in the names of other victims as well, resulting in massive financial transactions, the official said.
“The probe is underway to ascertain the full scope of the fraud and identify all those involved,” he added.
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Hormuz Strait disruptions have caused huge economic impact, energy instability in region: Navy chief
Mumbai (PTI): The Strait of Hormuz disruptions have caused severe economic impact and energy instability in the region, Indian Navy chief Admiral D K Tripathi said on Thursday amid the war in West Asia.
Speaking at an event where INS Sunayna, an offshore patrol vessel, set sail from Mumbai as Indian Ocean Ship (IOS) Sagar, the admiral said competition at sea has no longer remained confined to oil and energy.
It is now expanding towards resources that will shape future growth - such as rare earth elements, critical minerals, new fishing grounds and even data, he said.
The West Asia crisis began on February 28 after a joint attack by the US and Israel on Iran.
Iran's strikes on its neighbours along with its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz have disrupted the world's energy supplies with effects far beyond West Asia.
"With the conflict in West Asia well into its fifth week, the disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz have caused severe economic impact and energy instability in the region," Tripathi said.
There is significant increase in the marine survey, deep-sea research activity, and Illegal Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (IUU), often encroaching upon the sovereign rights of littoral nations and exploiting gaps in monitoring and enforcement, he said.
Alongside these, threats such as piracy, armed robbery and narco-trafficking backed by unimpeded access of advanced technology to non-state actors, have also become more complex and challenging to counter, the Navy chief pointed out.
Last year alone, the Indian Ocean Region witnessed a staggering 3,700 maritime incidents of varying nature, the admiral said.
Additionally, narcotics seizures in the region exceeded USD 1 billion USD in 2025, highlighting the persistence and spread of such challenges in the region, he said.
