PM lays foundation stone for Rs 6,957-cr Kaziranga corridor, flags off 2 Amrit Bharat trains
Kaliabor (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday laid the foundation stone for the Rs 6,957-crore Kaziranga Elevated Corridor, and virtually flagged off two Amrit Bharat trains in Assam's Nagaon district.
Modi, who arrived here from Guwahati in the final leg of his two-day visit to the state, performed ‘Bhoomi Poojan’ of the Kaziranga project.
The corridor is aimed at ensuring safe wildlife movement across the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, reduce road accidents on National Highway-715, and boost ecotourism, while generating local employment opportunities, an official said.
It forms part of the four-laning of the Kaliabor-Numaligarh section of NH-715, and includes around 34.45 km of elevated wildlife-friendly corridors, along with bypasses at Jakhalabandha and Bokakhat, he said.
Modi also reviewed a model of the Kaziranga Elevated Corridor.
The Prime Minister also virtually flagged off two Amrit Bharat Express trains – Dibrugarh-Gomti Nagar (Lucknow) and Kamakhya-Rohtak.
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These trains will significantly enhance long-distance rail connectivity between Assam and multiple states, including West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and Haryana, reduce travel time, and provide modern passenger amenities, the official said.
In a post on X, the PM had earlier said he was looking forward to being in Kaliabor for the ‘Bhoomi Poojan’ of key development projects.
''Looking forward to being in Kaliabor, Assam today for the Bhoomi Poojan of key development works, including the 35 km elevated corridor across Kaziranga. This will go a long way in safeguarding animals, particularly in the monsoon season,'' Modi had said.
During the programme, Amrit Bharat trains will also be flagged off, which will improve connectivity for the people of Assam, he added.
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8 cyber crooks held for investment fraud racket, police say Rs 4 crore routed via mule accounts
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi Police has busted an inter-state investment fraud racket operated by a handler based in Cambodia, an official said on Sunday.
Police have arrested eight people following raids conducted across Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi and claimed to have uncovered Rs 4 crore which was routed into mule accounts within just 14 days, he said.
The arrests were made after a 42-year-old woman from Vasant Kunj was cheated of Rs 15.58 lakh on the pretext of high-return stock market investments, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southwest) Amit Goel said.
"WhatsApp numbers used to contact victims were being operated from Cambodia, while Indian associates facilitated the opening and operation of mule accounts on a commission basis," the DCP said.
Those arrested have been identified as Vanapatla Sunil Kumar (43), Sakinala Shankar (61), Manoj Yadav (38), Sandeep Singh (30), Aditya Pratap Singh (23), Rahul (30), Sheru (38) and Sompal (34).
"We have recovered 10 high-end mobile phones and 13 SIM cards from the accused, which were allegedly used to operate multiple mule bank accounts, transfer cheated money and communicate with handlers abroad," the DCP said.
According to police, an e-FIR was registered on November 7, last year, after the complainant reported being lured through WhatsApp messages offering expert guidance in stock trading with assured returns.
"She was persuaded to transfer Rs 15.58 lakh to various accounts controlled by the fraudsters. A team traced the money trail using technical surveillance and digital forensics. Investigators identified Sunil Kumar, a resident of Telangana, as a key supplier of mule bank accounts.
"He allegedly opened a fake firm in Keesara and arranged a current account in a private bank for routing cyber fraud proceeds," the official added.
During interrogation, Kumar disclosed the involvement of Sakinala Shankar and Manoj Yadav. Subsequent raids led to the arrest of Yadav from Sant Kabir Nagar, followed by Sandeep Singh from Banaras, who managed account operations in Lucknow, police said.
Further surveillance resulted in the arrest of Aditya Pratap Singh from Kota in Rajasthan. Singh allegedly arranged mule accounts across India and shared their access with foreign handlers through social media.
The cheated funds were then layered through multiple Indian bank accounts, including those operated by Sompal and Rahul, to obscure the money trail before being supplied to handlers abroad, said the officer.
Sompal, an MBA graduate who earlier ran a software company, allegedly provided his corporate account for bulk transactions after his business became non-operational.
Police said 51 cybercrime complaints were linked to his account alone, while a total of 63 complaints were found connected to the network.
