Choksi's associate arrested, court grants 3-day transit to ED
Kolkata, Nov 6: An executive of a firm linked to fugitive Mehul Choksi was arrested from Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose airport here by ED officials under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, officials said Tuesday.
Deepak Kulkarni was arrested Monday night in connection with the money-laundering probe in the USD 2-billion Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case when he landed there from Hong Kong, they said.
He was produced before a city court on Tuesday and Metropolitan Magistrate, 3rd Court, Calcutta, Jyotirmoy Bhattacharyya granted three-day transit sought by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to take him to Mumbai, where the case was registered.
Kulkarni is allegedly linked to the overseas businesses of Choksi, one of the main accused in the case, and the ED had notified a look out circular against him, the officials said.
Kulkarni was a director in a Hong Kong-based "dummy" firm linked to Choksi and the ED had named him in a chargesheet filed against the fugitive jeweller earlier this year.
A Mumbai court had also issued a non-bailable warrant against him.
Choksi, his nephew and diamond jeweller Nirav Modi and others are being probed under various criminal laws after the fraud came to light this year, following a complaint from PNB that they allegedly cheated the nationalised bank to the tune of about Rs 14,000 crore in connivance with some PNB employees.
Both Choksi and Modi are absconding since the case was registered by the ED and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
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Metro ridership in Haryana sees over 13 pc rise in 2025-26
Chandigarh (PTI): Haryana's urban transit system witnessed a strong growth in 2025-26, with metro ridership registering a robust 13.55 per cent increase, the state government said in a statement on Thursday.
The progress was reviewed in the 64th board meeting of Haryana Mass Rapid Transport Corporation (HMRTC) chaired by Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi.
Between April 2025 and February 2026, the metro network recorded over 1.74 crore passengers, compared to 1.53 crore in the corresponding period the previous year.
July recorded the highest monthly growth at 22.93 per cent, while all months showed consistent positive trends.
Financial performance has also remained strong, with fare revenue rising 12.64 per cent till January 2026, the statement said.
Non-fare revenue surged by 108 per cent, driven by effective monetisation of station spaces, advertisements and commercial activities, resulting in an operating surplus for Rapid Metro.
Further initiatives, including the auction of station naming rights and additional advertisement sites, are expected to strengthen HMRTC's financial position, the statement said.
Appreciating the performance, Rastogi stated that the consistent rise in ridership and revenue reflects the success of Haryana's integrated transport strategy, rising commuter confidence and a clear shift towards public transport.
HMRTC Managing Director Chander Shekhar Khare said that, alongside operational gains, the state is making steady progress on an ambitious pipeline of metro and regional transit projects.
Metro connectivity from Gurugram Sector 56 to Panchgaon is under active consideration, with Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited studying the Detailed Project Report (DPR) and layout plan, and finalising a depot location in Sector 36A near Sihi village, he said.
The Gurugram-Faridabad Namo Bharat corridor has achieved a key milestone, with alignment and station locations finalised and approved by the Haryana government. The National Capital Region Transport Corporation is preparing the DPR, he added.
Similarly, the Delhi-Kundli metro extension is proposed to be placed before the Haryana Cabinet for approval.
The 136.3-kilometre Delhi-Panipat-Karnal RRTS Corridor has also progressed, with the revised DPR submitted for financial concurrence ahead of Haryana Cabinet consideration.
Within Gurugram, DPR preparation has been approved for key intra-city corridors, including the 17.09-kilometre Bhondsi-Subhash Chowk-Rajeev Chowk-Sohna Chowk Railway Station corridor, enhancing connectivity along Sohna Road, Khare said.
