Hyderabad (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday took apparent potshots at the ruling TRS in Telangana, saying it has 'betrayed' the people and asserted the 'Lotus will bloom' everywhere in the state.

The PM's statement comes ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections in the state, where the BJP is seeking to challenge the K Chandrasekhar Rao-led TRS.

The political party on which Telangana had a lot of faith has betrayed the people, Modi said without naming the TRS and added signals are indicating that Lotus will bloom in the state.

Modi landed here this afternoon to dedicate to the nation a fertilizer plant at Ramagundam in the state, besides inaugurating and laying foundation stone for multiple development projects.

"In the recent times, whatever bypolls were held, the message is loud and clear that the sunrise is not far. Darkness will vanish. Lotus will bloom everywhere in Telangana," Modi said.

"The party on which the Telangana people had a lot of faith, the same party betrayed Telangana. But friends, when the darkness looms large from all four sides, Lotus will start to bloom, he said, alluding to the BJP's symbol.

"Now Telangana people want a government that works for all the families of Telangana instead of a single family," Modi said indirectly referring to Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.

"They want a BJP government," Modi said.

He said he could see the lotus blooming in Telangana, referring to his party's recent prospects in various bypolls. The party had won two Assembly by-polls in the last two years, besides putting up a good show in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections earlier.

Superstitions are being practiced in the city, known for its information technology presence, he said and opined that superstitions decide the governance, in what seemed to a veiled reference at the Chief Minister.

He further said the state government and its leaders here keep doing injustice to Telangana's capacity and its people's talent.

Referring to the recent Munugode bypoll, Modi said the BJP workers together forced the entire state administration to focus on a single election. The ruling party won the seat by a little over 10,000 votes.

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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.