Cong not putting pressure on Kumaraswamy: H.K Patil
Bengaluru, Jan 10: Downplaying reported comments of Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy about working under pressure and alleged interference from coalition partner Congress, the party's state campaign committee chief H.K Patil Thursday said any issue could be discussed with the party leadership and solved.
Reiterating his party's stand that both alliance partners -- the Congress and the JD(S) would face Lok Sabha polls together, the senior Congress leader said they would even go in for joint campaigning wherever necessary.
"I have seen media reports about Kumaraswamy's comments, but want to say that elected members may be putting pressure on the chief minister about development and constituency-related works. He should not feel that we are putting pressure (on him)," Patil said in response to a question.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, "If there are any such minor issues, he can discuss them with our leaders and solve them. Those issues can be solved, it is not a big issue."
When it was pointed out that Kumaraswamy had not given any indication about development or constituency-related work pressure from Congress MLAs, Patil said, "There can be no other pressure on the chief minister from our party other than on these matters."
He declined to elaborate further, saying that media reports are not direct statements from the chief minister.
According to reports, Kumaraswamy told party legislators at a recent meeting that he was working under pressure.
He had reportedly told them that he was functioning like a clerk and accused the Congress of interference.
Responding to reports that the coalition would face trouble after Makar Sankranti and questions were being raised about its longevity, Patil said, "Since the last seven months you in the media are speculating about differences in the coalition and its longevity. There may be celestial changes,but our MLAs won't change."
Stating that the performance of the coalition government would benefit the party in the Lok Sabha polls, he said both parties will contest together.
"The campaign during the Lok Sabha polls will include the work and achievements of the Congress party and also the coalition government. Wherever necessary, we will campaign jointly...we have already done this during the bypolls for three Lok Sabha and two assembly seats," he said.
Ruling out any difference between the coalition partners on the seat-sharing issue, Patil said that JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda has shown flexibility in his party's demand for 12 out of 28 seats for parliamentary polls.
"On seat-sharing we will discuss and take a decision that will be just and satisfactory for both parties," he said.
Patil, a ministerial aspirant till recently, was compensated with the campaign committee chief's post by the Congress during the cabinet rejig on December 22.
Ruling out any dissatisfaction about not being given the minister post, Patil said, "There are 34 ministerial posts, but there is only one campaign committee chief post. I feel it is more important as one can serve the party. I opted for it.
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J-K: International cyber fraud racket busted in Srinagar, 7 arrested
Srinagar (PTI): The Jammu and Kashmir Police's Counter Intelligence Wing (CIK) has busted a highly sophisticated international cyber fraud racket by arresting seven persons here, officials said on Thursday.
The CIK-CID received several technical and credible inputs regarding the operation of "covert call centres" involved in fraudulent online activities targeting both foreign and local nationals.
"The CIK promptly constituted specialised teams comprising technical experts and field operatives and carried out systematic surveillance, digital intelligence gathering and verification across multiple locations, ultimately identifying a key operational hub at the Industrial Area, Rangreth, Srinagar," they said.
Subsequently, a CIK team conducted a swift and well-coordinated raid in different parts of Srinagar city on Wednesday. During the raid, seven suspects were apprehended on the spot, and a large quantity of digital and communication equipment was seized. The seized devices include 13 mobile phones, nine laptops, VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) systems, SIM cards and networking devices, and digital storage media, officials stated.
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The seized material contains substantial incriminating evidence, clearly indicating a highly organised and technologically advanced criminal setup, they added.
According to initial investigations, the accused are part of a larger, well-coordinated cybercrime syndicate with connections extending beyond Jammu and Kashmir, officials stated.
"Part of the network was specifically designed to target victims in countries such as the USA, UK, and Canada, operate through international communication masking technologies, use psychological manipulation and impersonation tactics and launder money through modern digital and cryptocurrency channels," officials informed.
Explaining the technical modus operandi, officials said the accused had established a covert, unregistered call centre infrastructure using VoIP-based systems, enabling them to generate international virtual numbers, mask their real location using server routing and spoofing techniques, and appear as legitimate service providers to unsuspecting victims.
International calls were being generated and routed through this call centre. A fake YahooMail.com website and Google advertisements were used to target victims, they said.
"Individuals across multiple countries were approached through organised call operations and online phishing ads. Once a victim clicked on the advertisement, a toll-free number appeared on their screen. This toll-free number was operated by the suspects, who then deceived innocent people into providing their banking and other personal details," the officials said.
They added that funds were subsequently transferred into various accounts, including mule accounts and cryptocurrency wallets, primarily USDT.
"The illicit proceeds were further layered, converted, and withdrawn to conceal their origin. Victims were contacted and deceived into believing that their devices or bank accounts were compromised and they needed to pay for technical support or avoid penalties," they said.
The fraudulently obtained money was then transferred through banking channels, digital wallets, and cryptocurrency, routed through mule accounts. It was subsequently converted into USDT and other cryptocurrencies, layered multiple times to evade detection and tracing. Notably, no cash transactions were involved, underscoring the fully digital and sophisticated nature of this crime, officials said.
The transactions carried so far seem to be running in several crores, they added.
A case has been registered under relevant laws, including charges of cheating, criminal conspiracy, and pertinent sections of the Information Technology Act.
"Follow-up raids are being conducted to apprehend additional suspects. Forensic analysis of seized devices is underway, and efforts are ongoing to identify victims and trace financial flows," they said.
Investigations into the wider network, including national and international connections, are continuing, officials noted.
