Archbishop of Bangalore expresses gratitude to Siddaramaiah for elevating CDC to Corporation
Bengaluru: The Christian community in Karnataka has expressed its deep appreciation and gratitude to the Government of Karnataka, led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, for the historic decision to elevate the Christian Development Council (CDC) to the status of Christian Development Corporation. Additionally, the community extended sincere thanks to the government for the generous allocation of Rs. 100 Crore towards the progress and upliftment of the Christian community in the state.
The elevation of the Christian Development Council to the Christian Development Corporation is seen as a significant step that reflects the progressive and inclusive vision embraced by the Karnataka government. This move recognizes the invaluable contributions and specific needs of the Christian community.
The allocation of Rs. 100 Crore to the Christian Development Corporation is a commendable stride towards fostering comprehensive development within the Christian community in Karnataka. These funds will play a crucial role in implementing a wide range of programs and initiatives aimed at addressing the unique challenges faced by the community. They will contribute to improving access to quality education, healthcare services, employment opportunities, and overall socio-economic growth. However, members of the community believe that an increased allocation of funds would have further benefited the marginalized and underprivileged, a press statement from the Rev. Dr. Peter Machado, Metropolitan Archbishop of Bangalore stated.
Rev. Dr. Peter Machado, further expressed heartfelt gratitude to Chief Minister Shri. Siddaramaiah and the Government of Karnataka for their proactive approach in recognizing the contributions and aspirations of the Christian community. This gesture reaffirms the government's unwavering commitment to fostering harmony, inclusivity, and the overall well-being of all communities residing in Karnataka, the statement added.
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Traffic fraud: Fake 'no-entry' sticker racket busted in Delhi, mastermind among 3 held
New Delhi (PTI): Police here have busted a crime syndicate involved in traffic fraud and extortion, arresting three people including the alleged mastermind who sold fake stickers to help commercial vehicles bypass no-entry restrictions, an official said on Saturday.
The police said they dismantled a third organised syndicate linked to traffic-related frauds, with the arrest of Rinku Rana alias Bhushan, his associate Sonu Sharma and Mukesh Kumar alias Pakodi, who was also connected to another extortion syndicate.
According to the police, Rinku Rana was running a well-organised network that facilitated the movement of commercial goods vehicles during restricted hours by selling fake 'marka' or stickers for Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000 per vehicle every month. The stickers were falsely projected as authorisation to evade traffic challans.
During raids, the police recovered Rs 31 lakh in cash, property documents worth several crores of rupees, over 500 fake stickers and six mobile phones allegedly used to operate the syndicate.
The crackdown followed a complaint filed by a traffic police officer in April this year after a commercial vehicle tried to evade checking by producing a fake sticker claiming exemption from enforcement action.
Investigation revealed that social media groups were being used to coordinate the illegal movement of vehicles and alert drivers about traffic police checkpoints, police said.
"A parallel system was being run to cheat drivers and vehicle owners while undermining traffic enforcement. On the basis of evidence, provisions related to organised crime under the BNS were invoked," a senior police officer said.
Sonu Sharma, the police said, managed social media groups through which stickers were sold and real-time alerts were circulated regarding traffic police movement. He also acted as a link between Rana and drivers operating in the field.
In a related development, Mukesh Kumar alias Pakodi, an associate of Rajkumar alias Raju Meena, who was earlier arrested under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), was also apprehended.
Mukesh allegedly helped extort money from transporters and was involved in blackmailing traffic police personnel by recording enforcement actions, the police said.
Investigators alleged the syndicate led by Rajkumar deployed drivers to deliberately violate traffic rules and secretly record police officials during challans, later using manipulated videos to extort money under threat of false allegations.
The police said that in total, eight accused belonging to three different organised crime syndicates linked to traffic frauds and extortion have been arrested so far.
Further investigation is underway to trace the remaining members, conduct financial probes, and analyse digital evidence recovered during the raids, officials added.
