EC approves transfer of returning officers for West Bengal polls
Kolkata (PTI): The Election Commission approved the transfer and posting of returning officers for the upcoming West Bengal assembly polls, including for Bhabanipur, the constituency represented by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, an official said.
In a letter to the chief electoral officer, the commission on Monday agreed to the state’s proposal for the reshuffle, according to an enclosed list, he said.
"The reshuffle covers several constituencies, including the high-profile Bhabanipur seat, represented by the chief minister," the official said.
The poll panel has directed the officers to report to their respective constituencies by 5 pm on March 24, he said.
The move is aimed at ensuring their participation in a training programme scheduled for 11 am on March 25 ahead of the election process.
The order, issued by Election Commission Secretary Sujeet Kumar Mishra, is part of preparatory measures for the smooth conduct of the polls.
Elections to the 294-member West Bengal assembly will be held on April 23 and 29, with counting scheduled for May 4.
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3 officials of private banks arrested in Gujarat in Rs 2,500 crore cyber fraud; 20 held so far
Rajkot (PTI): Three officials of leading private banks were arrested for their alleged involvement in a Rs 2,500-crore cyber fraud racket in Gujarat's Rajkot district, bringing the number of those held so far in the case to 20, police said on Monday.
Those arrested were identified as Maulik Kamani, a personal manager at Yes Bank in Padadhari; Kalpesh Dangariya, a manager at Axis Bank in Jamnagar; and Anurag Baldha, a personal banker with HDFC Bank, Rajkot (Rural) Superintendent of Police Vijay Gurjar said.
Dangariya and Baldha were previously employed with Yes Bank, he added.
Kamani allegedly assisted the earlier arrested accused in opening and managing suspicious accounts. He also helped bypass banking alerts triggered by high-value transactions by submitting additional documentation to keep accounts active, the SP said.
Kamani was allegedly involved in cash withdrawals that were later routed through hawala channels (illegal money transfer system), supported by digital evidence recovered from his mobile device, he added.
Dangariya is accused of facilitating the opening of fraudulent accounts using fake or misrepresented identities, police said.
He also assisted in structuring documentation, including Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC)-related papers, to prevent transactions from being flagged as suspicious, they said.
On the other hand, Baldha opened new accounts after verification and certification processes as part of the racket, Gurjar informed.
All the three accused are in police custody, while others are in jail under judicial remand, SP said.
So far, police have identified 85 bank accounts linked to the racket with 535 complaints filed on the cyber crime portal.
The total transaction linked to the cyber fraud exceeds Rs 2,500 crore, police said.
The earlier fraud amount was pegged by police at Rs 1,500 crore.
