Deve Gowda's claim on Kerala CM's nod for JD(S) alliance with BJP in Karnataka creates stir in state
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): A political row has erupted in Kerala over a statement by JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda a day ago that Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had greenlit his party's alliance with the BJP in Karnataka to protect its interests.
Kerala JD(S) leader, K Krishnankutty on Friday, firmly refuted Gowda's statement.
Opposing the national leadership's association with the BJP, Krishnankutty also emphasised the state unit's commitment to maintaining its alliance with the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF).
"I met him (Deve Gowda) along with our state president, Mathew T Thomas, MLA, and informed him about our objection in joining the BJP. The state party unit stands by the earlier decision to stand firm with the Left party in Kerala," Krishnankutty, who is also a minister in the LDF government in Kerala, said.
The opposition Congress alleged that the JD(S) revelation had established an undercurrent between the ruling CPI(M) and the BJP in Kerala.
Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala today said this is further evidenced by Krishnankutty's continued presence in the cabinet.
The CPI(M) state leadership is yet to officially react on the issue.
Earlier, the Kerala JD(S) unit had rejected the central leadership's decision to join the NDA, opting to stand firmly with the LDF in the state.
This decision was made clear after a state committee meeting held in Kochi on October 7, where JD(S) Kerala president Mathew T Thomas underscored that the high command's announcement lacked prior discussion within any party forum.
On Thursday, Gowda, a former Prime Minister, had asserted that all state units of the JD(S), including Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Maharashtra, had provided their consent to align with the BJP.
"In Kerala, we are part of the government and our MLA is a minister there. These units understood the situation that made us to go with the BJP and supported our move. Our minister in the Left party's government (K Krishnankutty) in Kerala has given consent to us," he said.
"Kerala's Left government's Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has given full concurrence to move forward in Karnataka with the BJP to save the party. This is the position," Gowda claimed.
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Bank account in Ramgarh tracked for fraudulent fund transactions across 24 states, 4 arrested
Ramgarh (Jharkhand) (PTI): Jharkhand police on Thursday said it has unearthed a network of interstate cyber frauds and arrested four miscreants for fraudulent transactions through a bank account in Ramgarh district after complaints of 274 suspected transactions in 24 states.
The states where complaints for fraudulent transactions were registered included Maharashtra, Karnataka, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh.
The action followed inputs received through 'Samanvaya portal', a centralised, web-based platform launched by the Union Home Ministry to curb cybercrime.
"We arrested four cyber miscreants after a current account with Kuju (Ramgarh) branch of the State Bank of India was found to have registered suspected financial transactions in 24 states with the help of the Pratibimba portal of the Home Ministry through the Samanvaya portal," Ramgarh Superintendent of Police Mukesh Kumar Lunayat said.
During the probe, police found that the account was opened under the MSME Udyam Registration scheme in the name of Shree Ganesh Enterprises, he said.
The account had been linked to as many as 274 complaints from different states related to cyber fraud and illegal fund transfers.
The registered proprietors of the enterprise were identified as Rahul Gupta (37), Ravi Kumar Verma (34), and Ajay Sharma (33), all residents of Ramgarh district, a statement from the Ramgarh police said.
During interrogation, Rahul Gupta and Ravi Kumar Verma revealed that they had opened multiple current accounts at the behest of Ritesh Agrawal alias Munna (40) and Sonu Kumar Jha (34).
They admitted receiving Rs 1.2 lakh in exchange for facilitating the opening of these accounts.
"The accused further confessed to sharing OTPs, activating mobile banking services, and handing over control of the accounts to the main operators through WhatsApp and Telegram groups. These accounts were then allegedly used to route fraudulent transactions.
Police said mobile data analysis of the accused led to the recovery of crucial digital evidence, including details of SIM cards, bank accounts, passbooks, ATM cards, QR code scanners, Aadhaar cards, and PAN cards shared through messaging platforms.
A total of four accused have been arrested so far and sent to judicial custody.
A case has been registered at the Cyber Crime Police Station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023 and Sections 66C and 66D of the Information Technology Act, 2000.
Further investigation is underway, the police said.
