Srinagar, Feb 22: Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti was on Monday unanimously re-elected as president of the PDP for a three-year term.

Mufti's name was proposed by senior leader Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura and seconded by Khurshid Alam, a party spokesperson said after the election.

Senior PDP leader Abdul Rehman Veeri was the chairman of party election board, he said.

The spokesperson said the party's electoral college in Jammu had earlier unanimously re-elected Mufti as party chief.

Senior leader Surinder Chaudhary was the returning officer for the election. Talking to reporters, Mufti said Jammu and Kashmir was going through tough times and that she will continue to lead the PDP on the mission for which it was established.

"The PDP was established for raising the voice of the people and problems they face. We will continue to do that," she said.

In response to a question, the PDP president said, "If they (police) think that I should be arrested for fighting for peoples' rights, let them do their duty. I will continue to do my work."

Asked about restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, Mufti said, "It is not for me to decide. The Centre has to restore it."

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was formed in 1998 by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed as a regional alternative to the National Conference.

The party grew from strength to strength during the last two decades with many political stalwarts joining it. Several technocrats and bureaucrats, after retiring from service, also joined the PDP over the years.

However, the party was on the verge of split after the PDP-BJP coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir fell in June 2018.

While Mufti has managed to retain the grip over the party, most of the prominent leaders including some founding members have left over the last two years.

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Bengaluru, Dec 26: A Japanese national, Hiroshi Sasaki, who works in Bengaluru, lost Rs 35.5 lakh after being 'digitally arrested' by cyber fraudsters, police said, on Thursday.

 

The incident occurred between December 12 and 14, police added.

Sasaki, who lives in a flat near Dairy Circle, received a phone call on December 12. The caller was claiming to be from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. The caller informed him that his phone number would be blocked due to its unauthorised use.

To avoid the disconnection Sasaki was asked to dial a number.

Upon dialling the number, he was immediately connected to a WhatsApp call from someone claiming to be from the Cyber Crime wing of Mumbai Police. The caller informed Sasaki that he was involved in a money laundering case.

The fraudsters "digitally arrested" him and siphoned off Rs 35.5 lakh by having him make payments through various means, including RTGS.

He was also told that the money would be returned after the investigation was completed.

After realising that he had been duped, the victim approached the South East Cyber Crimes, Economics and Narcotics (CEN) police station and lodged a complaint.

'Digital arrest' is a new cyber fraud, where the fraudster poses as law enforcement agency officials from agencies like CBI, and customs and threatens people of arrest by making video calls.

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