Bengaluru Airport City breaks ground for 2 million sq. ft. business park
Bengaluru (PTI): Bengaluru Airport City Limited (BACL), a subsidiary of Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), broke ground for its ambitious two million sq. ft. Business Park, aimed at promoting the city as a global hub for Global Capability Centres (GCCs).
This comes as part of the Karnataka Government’s new GCC policy (2024-2029), which aims to create 3.5 lakh jobs and contribute USD 50 billion to the economy, a BIAL statement said on Monday.
Located within the larger Kempegowda International Airport’s (BLR Airport) campus, Bengaluru Airport City is being developed as a mixed-use destination, featuring business parks, an education & health district, R&D hubs, and multiple entertainment and hospitality options, it said.
The Business Park will be built over 17.7 acres.
Executive Director & CEO of BACL, Rao Munukutla, said: “The city has cemented its status as India’s premier hub for Global Capability Centres (GCCs), with 36 per cent of India’s GCC workforce driving growth across IT, biotechnology, automotive, and aerospace.”
The upcoming Airport West metro station, located within walking distance from the Business Park, will enhance connectivity to Bengaluru's city centre, providing faster and eco-friendly travel for employees and visitors, it was noted.
As a future entertainment and hospitality hub, plans include India’s first 'Concert Arena' within an airport ecosystem and a Convention & Exhibition Centre, it added.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
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.
