Hindenburg report: LIC seeks clarification from Adani Group
Mumbai: A senior official of the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) has said that a clarification will be sought from the Adani Group regarding the Hindenburg Research report.
The release of the report, alleging irregularities by the Adani Group, caused uproar in the stock market in three sessions, with the share price of the Adani Group plummeting in the market.
LIC has said that, over the years, it purchased Adani stocks worth Rs 30,127 crore and which stood at a value of Rs 56,142 crore on January 27, reports Times of India.
The insurance agency, which has a total of Rs 41.6 lakh crore as assets under management (AUM) as of September 2022, has said in a statement issued on Monday that the holding of the Corporation under equity and debt in Adani Group is Rs 35,917 crore. “The credit rating of all Adani debt securities held by LIC are AA and above which is in compliance with Irdai investment regulations as applicable to all life insurance companies,” LIC has said.
The statement was issued in response to the media speculation regarding LIC exposure to Adani Group. LIC has said that, in terms of book value, its investments in Adani Group are less than 1% of its AUM. Raj Kumar, LIC managing director, has said that the agency took a long-term view at its investment ‘unless there is something going very bad”.
“We have to gather all information, clarifications, and a further call will be taken after that. The decision will also be based on an independent risk-assessment, internal risk-assessment, business profile and growth trajectory,” the MD added.
LIC invested Rs 300 crore, which amounts to 5 per cent of the anchor portion in Adani Enterprises’ follow-on public offer (FPO). The Corporation holds a 4.2% stake in Adani Enterprises, 9.1% stake in Adani Ports and nearly 6% in Adani Total Gas, although, according to sources, the Adani Group was not LIC’ top investment.
With Raj Kumar’s term as MD ending on January 31, the government has appointed M Jagannath as the new MD of LIC.
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Jharkhand horror: Man kills live-in partner, chops body into 40 pieces
Ranchi (PTI): A 25-year-old man, who works as a butcher, allegedly strangled to death his live-in partner and chopped her body into 40 to 50 pieces in a forested area in Jharkhand’s Khunti district, police said on Wednesday.
The accused, identified as Naresh Bhengra, was arrested.
The matter came to light after around a fortnight after the killing when a stray dog was found with human body parts near Jordag village in Jariagarh police station on November 24.
Bhengra was in a live-in relationship with the deceased, a 24-year-old woman also from Khunti district, in Tamil Nadu for the past couple of years. Sometime back, he returned to Jharkhand, got married to another woman without telling his partner anything and went back to the southern state without his wife to join her.
"The brutal incident occurred on November 8 when they reached Khunti as the accused who had married another woman did not wish to take her home. Instead, he took her to a forest near his house at Jordag village in Jariagarh police station and chopped the body into pieces. The man has been arrested," Khunti Superintendent of Police Aman Kumar told PTI.
Inspector Ashok Singh who investigated the case said the man worked in a butcher shop in Tamil Nadu and was expert in slicing chicken.
“He admitted chopping the body parts of the woman into 40 to 50 pieces before leaving those in the forest for wild animals to feast on. The police recovered several parts on November 24 after a dog in the area was seen with a hand," Singh told PTI.
Singh said that the woman, who was unaware of his marriage, pressured him to return to Khunti. After reaching Ranchi, they boarded a train on November 24 and headed to the man's village.
"Under a plan, the man took her to Khunti in an autorickshaw near his home and asked her to wait. He returned with sharp weapons and strangulated her with her dupatta after raping her. He then cut the body into 40 to 50 pieces and left for his home to live with his wife," Singh said.
The woman, however, had informed her mother that she had boarded a train and would be living with her partner, the police officer said.
Following the recovery of body parts, a bag was also found in the forest with the murdered woman's belongings including her Aadhaar card. The mother of the woman was called at the spot and she identified her daughter's belongings.
"The mother suspected the man behind the crime who after being nabbed by the police admitted to chopping the woman into pieces," the official added.
The incident has sent shockwaves among people in the region, with the Shraddha Walker murder case of 2022 still fresh in their memory.
Walker was killed by her live-in partner who chopped her body into pieces before dumping them in the jungle in South Delhi’s Mehrauli.
