Arrange flight services for expats visiting home for Eid: Kerala CM to Centre
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday urged the central government to arrange more flight services and travel facilities for expatriates in the Gulf region who wish to go home for Eid.
The CM said that the festival season of Eid was turning into a time of depression for the expatriate community in the Gulf region and their families in Kerala, due to lack of sufficient flights to return home as a result of the ongoing conflict in West Asia.
Vijayan, in a statement issued by his office, said that usually the festive season was a time of happiness as the expatriates return home, but this time the journey has been disrupted for many due to lack of sufficient flights.
It has also led to soaring ticket prices and insufficient seats in the available flights, he said.
Besides that, there is also a rising concern among expatriates whether they will be able to return to their jobs in the Gulf after the festival due to the existing travel-related uncertainities.
"It is essential to ensure proportionate flight services considering the special circumstances of the expatriate community in Kerala.
"In this situation, the central government should intervene urgently and arrange more flight services and travel facilities," the CM said, whlle extending Eid greetings to the expatriate community in the Gulf region.
He said that expatriates are an integral part of our country and addressing their concerns was a much bigger responsibility than a mere social obligation.
Vijayan said that the concerned authorities should be ready to take immediate steps to provide comfort and confidence to them during the festive season of Eid.
He also commended the members of the Loka Kerala Sabha and expatriate organisations in the Gulf countries for coming together to provide assistance to the Indians stranded there in this time of unrest.
The CM expressed hope that such interventions will be further strengthened.
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Surat spiritual guru among seven held in Rs 2.38 crore fake currency racket in Ahmedabad
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Ahmedabad (PTI): City police has seized high-quality counterfeit Indian currency with a face value of Rs 2.38 crore and apprehended seven persons, officials said on Thursday.
Acting on a tip-off, the crime branch apprehended the accused, including a Surat-based spiritual and yoga teacher, when they arrived here on Wednesday, and seized 42,000 fake notes Rs 500 denomination.
Mukesh Thummar, Ashok Mavani, Ramesh Bhalar, Divyesh Rana, Pradip Jotangiya, Bharat Kakadiya and a woman allegedly brought the high-quality Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) in an SUV which was intercepted near Amraiwadi area, said Deputy Commissioner of Police Ajit Rajian.
Pradip Jotangiya is a 'spiritual and yoga teacher' at Shree Satyam Yog Foundation in Surat. The SUV had a "VVVIP" sticker and a plate reading "Shri Satyam Yog Foundation Recognized by Ayush Mantralay, Govt. of India".
Currency bundles were recovered from a black bag and concealed packaging inside the vehicle, the official said, adding that the process to arrest the accused was underway.
A crime branch team was immediately sent to Surat, and in coordination with the Surat crime branch, another Rs 28 lakh in fake currency was seized from a house where notes were being printed. Some equipment was also seized, DCP Rajian added.
Mukesh Thummar was allegedly the kingpin of the racket and arranged equipment and raw material including printers and paper cutting machines, as per an official release. Counterfeit currency was being printed at the place for the last four months, it added.
The accused had procured security thread paper resembling RBI markings from Chinese sources through e-commerce platforms such as Alibaba, it said.
Probe also revealed that photo-editing software and AI-based platforms such as ChatGPT were used to refine the design, layout, and visual features of counterfeit notes. One of the accused had expertise in graphic editing and printing processes.
The accused initially tested the counterfeit notes by using them in a few transactions. After gaining confidence that the fake currency was not being detected, they engaged agents to produce additional notes, Rajian said.
The accused will be produced before a court later on Thursday and police will seek their custody, he said.
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