Monthly Archives: August 2018

Fake ED officials fabricated money laundering case

Sheetal Tribune News Service

A 10-day digital arrest ordeal fraught with threatening video calls and fake court notices saw 82-year-old retired Colonel Dalip Singh and his wife Ranvinder Kaur Bajwa lose their entire life savings worth Rs 3.4 crore to swindlers posing as Enforcement Directorate officials.

The couple, residents of Sector 2-A, Chandigarh, filed a complaint with the Cyber Cell of Chandigarh Police after being alerted by an acquaintance. A case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita has since been registered and police are probing the matter.

The ordeal began on March 18 when Singh received a WhatsApp call from an unknown number. The caller falsely accused him of being involved in a money laundering case linked to an account at a Canara Bank’s branch in Mumbai.

Recalling the ordeal, Singh’s wife said, “We got a call from an international number with the caller saying that we are under scanner for involvement in a money laundering case linked with Jet Airways owner Naresh Goyal, who had been in the news for bungling. They told us that there’s an account under my husband’s name, Dalip Singh Bajwa, in Mumbai and even showed a card with his name on it. Everything looked real at the time.”

The scamsters, after showing the card with Singh’s name on it, alleged that he was connected to a Rs 5,038-crore fraud. They sent the couple photos of 24 supposed victims, falsely claiming that one had ended his life and that a whistleblower had been murdered by Goyal.

For the next 10 days, between March 18 and March 27, the fraudsters kept the couple under “digital arrest”, forcing them to keep their phones on at all times and forbidding them from contacting anyone. They used fear tactics, including threats of imprisonment and asset seizure, and even sent fabricated Supreme Court letters. Under immense pressure, the couple disclosed their financial assets and transferred Rs 3.4 crore to various accounts as directed by the fraudsters.

“We were also given a detailed questionnaire to fill as part of investigation and later served notices from Supreme Court of India which we now know were fake,” Kaur added.

Dalip Singh was first asked to pay Rs 8 lakh, but the demands grew to Rs 60 lakh, Rs 80 lakh and Rs 88 lakh. When Singh ran out of fixed deposits to cash, the scammers told his wife to arrange the money to help close the case as early as possible.

When Singh, who lost his two sons and lives with his wife, daughter-in-law and grandchild, contacted one of his son’s friends, he altered them about the digital arrest fraud.

Expressing his anguish, Singh said, “As a youth, I dedicated my life to the service of the nation. Now, in my twilight years, I have lost everything to fraudsters. It is a cruel irony, and my only hope now rests with the Cyber Cell. I hope that our police are equipped with enough skills to nab the fraudsters.”

Dear Veterans

Conduct of CM Bhagwant Mann utter disgraceful and shameful.

Yesterday he promised Mrs Jaswinder Bath and ensured she will get full justice Mrs Jaswinder Bath as daughter. Watch Vedios , but instead he approached Western Command to persue Col Bath to take back his appeal from High Court for CBI Inquiry and insist on SIT inquiry . Details below
It was rightly messaged MLA Pratap Bajwa yesterday
“It’s like seeking Justice from Taliban

Another disgrace is how low WC can go down as per whims and fancy of Pb Govtas if it working as Mesager of Pb Govt sending message to twist ears of Col Bath
to Col P Bath as Received from him “

“ *
Got a msg from CM through WC that SSP will be tfr out of Patiala and SIT will be conducted fairly if I withdraw my petition in HC for tfr of inquiry to CBI. Same has been declined by me *Excellent stand taken by Col P Bath ,Why CM is afraid from CBI inquiry ,It million Dollar Question

Excellent stand taken by Col P Bath ,Why CM is afraid from CBI inquiry ,It million Dollar Question

Family members of Colonel Pushpinder Singh Bath on Monday met Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann demanding the transfer of Patiala SSP Nanak Singh and a CBI probe into the assault on the Army officer and his son by police personnel. The…

Tribune News Service

Family members of Colonel Pushpinder Singh Bath on Monday met Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann demanding the transfer of Patiala SSP Nanak Singh and a CBI probe into the assault on the Army officer and his son by police personnel.

The meeting came a day after the family met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi over the issue while rejecting the probe by a three-member special investigation team constituted by the state police.

Meanwhile, the SIT visited Patiala to investigate the incident that had allegedly taken place on March 13 over a parking dispute.

After the meeting held at the CM’s official residence in Chandigarh, the family said Mann assured them action in the case by evening.

“We will wait for the outcome of the meeting as the CM told us that he will be meeting a battery of senior officers from Punjab and take strict action,” said Jaswinder Kaur Bath, the wife of the Army officer.

The family members were accompanied by Patiala BJP leader Gurtej Singh Dhillon, who is also a relative of the Army officer. Colonel Pushpinder Bath, currently posted at the Army headquarters in New Delhi, underwent treatment at a Military Hospital with multiple injuries.

The accused 12 police officers were suspended following the incident.

Jaswinder Kaur said the CM met them for about an hour. “He told me that I was Punjab’s daughter and such an incident should not have happened to anybody. The CM said he called a meeting of senior officers and a decision would be taken by 6 pm,” she claimed.

However, talking to The Tribune late evening, Jaswinder Kaur said though the Chief Minister assured of strict action, they were “yet to hear anything from his office and it is already 8 pm”.

“We are firm on our stand for an independent probe into the whole incident by the CBI and shifting of Patiala SSP Nanak Singh. I am hopeful that justice will prevail. Our fight for what is right will continue,” she said.

Meanwhile, the SIT headed by Additional DGP AS Rai visited the alleged spot of crime and said the CCTV footage of the incident had been sent to the Central Forensic Science Laboratory of the Union government.

Rai told reporters at the Circuit House in Patiala that the SIT would investigate the entire case in a fact-based manner “without any bias”.

“If anyone has any video, any other evidence related to this case or has any other information, then they can meet the SIT at the Circuit House Patiala on April 2 from 11 am to 2 pm,” he said, adding that people can contact SIT member DSP Dalbir Singh Sidhu on 75083-00342.

The Assam Government has extended the application of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) in three districts of the state for six more months following a review of the law and order situation. The government, however, withdrew the…

The Assam Government has extended the application of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) in three districts of the state for six more months following a review of the law and order situation. The government, however, withdrew the controversial law from Dibrugarh district as the situation “improved” there.

Home and Political Department Secretary Debaprasad Misra, in an order on Sunday, stated that the four districts were kept under the purview of AFSPA since October 8 last year after withdrawing the act from the rest of the state.

“Following the receipt of reports from various security agencies, it has been observed that the overall security situation in Assam has significantly improved, particularly over the last three-and-a-half years, due to the sustained efforts and proactive counter-insurgency measures by the Assam Police and security forces,” it added.

In light of these improvements, the Government of Assam believes that the “disturbed area” status under the AFSPA need not be extended in Dibrugarh district beyond March 31, 2025, the order stated.

“Despite these improvements, there have been sporadic incidents of IEDs being planted by ULFA (I), the only militant group active in the state, in various districts, alongside their involvement in kidnapping for ransom to fund their activities,” Misra said in the notification.

The Congress on Monday called Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann as the “foot soldier” of the BJP’s troll army, a day after the CM in a sharp remark said party leader Rahul Gandhi has been forced to become a leader…

Tribune News Service

The Congress on Monday called Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann as the “foot soldier” of the BJP’s troll army, a day after the CM in a sharp remark said party leader Rahul Gandhi has been forced to become a leader despite lacking the quality for it.

The CM had made the remark in an interview to a private news channel in New Delhi when asked about Gandhi, who is also the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, Partap Singh Bajwa, reminded Mann of Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra during which he travelled from Kanyakumari to Kashmir on foot.

“Rahul Gandhi walked 4,080 km in Bharat Jodo Yatra to unite India and fight for the poor and minorities while Punjab drowned in drugs and despair under your #6pmNoCM watch-unfulfilled promises and skipped Budget Sessions. @RahulGandhi robustly defends the constitution in Parliament; you hide from questions, echoing @BJP4India lines,” Bajwa said.

Bajwa said Mann has “enrolled himself in the BJPs troll army as another foot soldier who takes orders from Union Home Minister Amit Shah”.

Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said the Punjab Chief Minister seems to have “volunteered himself for going an extra mile to appease the BJP”.

Former Punjab Congress president Shamsher Singh Dullo said Mann was himself “an accidental CM” and should respect the sacrifice made by the Gandhi family for the country.

Move reflects public sentiment, Indian culture, says CM Dhami

Amid the ongoing controversy over Mughal emperor Aurangzeb’s tomb in Maharashtra, the BJP-led Uttarakhand government on Monday renamed 17 locations across four districts, removing all Mughal-era references.

At least 10 places which have undergone a name change are located in Haridwar district, four in Dehradun, two in Nainital and one in Udham Singh Nagar.

Aurangzebpur in Haridwar has been renamed Shivaji Nagar, Ghaziwali as Arya Nagar, Khanpur as Shri Krishnapur and Khanpur Kursali as Ambedkar Nagar.

Likewise, Miyawala in Dehradun will now be called Ramjiwala, Chandpur Khurd as Prithviraj Nagar, Nawabi Road in Nainital has a new name Atal Road and Panchukki Marg has been renamed Guru Golwalkar Marg after the second RSS chief.

The BJP officially lauded the state government for changing the names as part of the campaign to eradicate “the last vestiges of slavery”.

“Uttarakhand has announced the renaming of several locations across Haridwar, Dehradun, Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar districts. The new names reflect public sentiment and uphold India’s cultural and historical heritage. This initiative seeks to honour great personalities who have played a significant role in preserving Indian culture, inspiring future generations,” BJP leader Amit Malviya said on X.

A report in The New York Times linking a company that is part of a British aerospace major to public sector Indian defence company Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) and claiming that the latter has ties with a Russian arms agency…

Tribune News Service

A report in The New York Times linking a company that is part of a British aerospace major to public sector Indian defence company Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) and claiming that the latter has ties with a Russian arms agency is “factually incorrect” and “misleading”, official sources said on Monday.

The newspaper report suggested that military hardware supplied by the British firm to the Indian company may have found its way to the Russian agency, Rosoboronexport.

The report has “tried to frame issues and distort facts to suit a political narrative”, the sources said, adding that the media outlet “overlooked” basic due diligence.

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“The Indian entity mentioned in the report has scrupulously followed all its international obligations on strategic trade controls and end-user commitments,” said the sources. “India’s robust legal and regulatory framework on strategic trade continues to guide overseas commercial ventures by its companies,” they said.

‘Supplied’ UK firm gear to Moscow agency

The newspaper report suggested that military hardware supplied by the British firm to the Indian company may have found its way to Russian agency Rosoboronexport

Citing “documents”, it claimed that one of the biggest corporate donors to the populist Reform UK party had sold almost $2 million worth of transmitters, cockpit equipment, antennas and other sensitive technology to a major supplier of Moscow’s blacklisted state weapons agency

“We expect reputed media outlets to undertake basic due diligence while publishing such reports, which obviously was overlooked in the instant case,” the sources said.

The New York Times report, citing “documents”, claimed that one of the biggest corporate donors to the populist Reform UK party had sold almost $2 million worth of transmitters, cockpit equipment, antennas and other sensitive technology to a major supplier of Moscow’s blacklisted state weapons agency.

During 2023-24, the company, part of the British firm HR Smith Group, shipped the equipment to an Indian firm that is the biggest trading partner of the Russian arms agency, the report claimed.

The records do not prove that HR Smith’s products ended up in Russia. However, they show that, in some instances, the Indian company received equipment from HR Smith and, within days, sent parts to Russia with the same identifying product codes,” the report said.

The HR Smith Group said its sales were lawful and the equipment was destined for an Indian search-and-rescue network. The parts “support lifesaving operations” and are “not designed for military use”, it quoted a company lawyer as saying.