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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

MVA protests for third day:

Mumbai: The Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies continued their agitation for the third day in different parts of Maharashtra with an aggressive state Congress hitting the streets today to protest the detention of Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, his sister Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra and other Congress leaders yesterday, here on Wednesday. State and city Youth Congress again carried out vociferous protests near Mantralaya raising slogans, carrying banners and placards slamming the...

MVA protests for third day:

Mumbai: The Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies continued their agitation for the third day in different parts of Maharashtra with an aggressive state Congress hitting the streets today to protest the detention of Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, his sister Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra and other Congress leaders yesterday, here on Wednesday. State and city Youth Congress again carried out vociferous protests near Mantralaya raising slogans, carrying banners and placards slamming the state and central Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and when some attempted to enter inside, they were prevented by a strong posse of Mumbai Police deployed there since Monday. As tensions appeared to escalate, the police clamped down by detaining top state and city Youth Congress leaders including President Harshwardhan Sapkal, Vijay Wadettiwar, Bhai Jagtap, Hussain Dalwai, and many others. Thousands of students carried out a fresh demonstration at Dadar west Shivaji Park to vent their ire at the police action on Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)’s agitation in New Delhi on Monday. Several MVA leaders and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray visited or expressed solidarity with the protesting youth, comprising many women. Opposition’s Voice The Congress leaders alleged that Rahul Gandhi was targeted by the BJP-led government to muzzle democratic dissent, suppress the Opposition voices inside and outside Parliament and trampling upon the peoples' Constitutional Rights to protest peacefully. Defying pouring rains in the city on Wednesday, Congress workers along with activists of MVA allies, staged a noisy demonstration in Chembur and another group attempted to storm the BJP office in south Mumbai, condemning the assault on students in New Delhi and the detention of the Gandhi siblings. Senior Congress leader Hussain Dalwai flayed the government for “misusing the police” to gag democratic rights and the protests were intended to defend the Constitution and democracy against the BJP’s policy of intolerance of dissent in any form. “This is gross injustice. We are not allowed to protest against the government failures as they are misusing the police. The PM is scared of taking the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as he could be the next. We want to highlight to the BJP to govern the country as per the Constitution,” Dalwai declared, interacting with the media at Nariman Point. As the BJP also threatened to launch counter-protests, the police cordoned off and deployed a precautionary security ring around Tilak Bhavan, the state Congress headquarters, as leaders from both sides exchanged political darts and looked aggressive enough for a confrontation. MVA ‘bandh’, ‘Tricolour’ march today The state is set for another two days of political turmoil as the MVA has announced a Maharashtra shutdown (‘bandh’) on Thursday followed by a non-partisan ‘Tricolour Peace March’ on Friday. MVA allies, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) President Prakash Ambedkar and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray, besides other leaders of the alliance, informed of the state and city level actions today. Ambedkar appealed to the masses and also the BJP youth to participate wholeheartedly in the bandh tomorrow and claimed that students’ bodies, parent-teachers associations, colleges, universities, other institutes of higher education, private coaching institutions, and other governmental departments could support the shutdown, as it has now become a national issue. Aaditya sought the peoples’ participation in the ‘Tricolour Peace March’ on the theme of “One Nation, One Emotion” planned on July 24 afternoon to Shivaji Park, in support of environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk, the Cockroach Janta Party, plus the youth and students protesting in New Delhi. Terming it as a national citizens’ movement rather than a political party, he called upon the people not to carry any party flags but unite under the National Tricolour to assert democratic rights and express resentment against the government’s high-handed policies. Meanwhile, Mumbai Police have already imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 across the city from July 23-to- August 6, apprehending the possibility of law-and-order disturbances.

Cybercrime kingpin deported to Mumbai

Three weeks after issuing InterPol Notice

Ganesh Balaso Kale
Ganesh Balaso Kale

Mumbai: In one of the swiftest international manhunts in recent years, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), working in close coordination with multiple Indian and foreign agencies, secured the deportation of notorious cybercrime accused Ganesh Balaso Kale from Thailand to Mumbai - barely 21 days after an Interpol Red Corner Notice (RCN) was issued against him.

 

Absconding since nearly a year, Kale was wanted in connection with a series of large-scale cyber fraud cases in which unsuspecting victims were lured with promises of lucrative online part-time jobs and easy earnings.

 

The victims were subsequently arm-twisted to make mandatory ‘investment’ payments or deposits against the promise of high returns, only to be cheated of large sums of money in crores of Rupees, before disappearing.

 

Officials said the Interpol RCN against Kale was published in late May. Acting swiftly on the alert, Thai authorities traced him to Bangkok and detained him on May 24, and informed Indian agencies.

 

The CBI, coordinating with the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian Embassy in Thailand, brought Kale to Mumbai late Wednesday. He was handed over to the Maharashtra Cyber Cell, which took him into custody on Thursday for further investigation.

 

Extensive Syndicate

 

Investigators said that Kale operated an extensive syndicate of cyber fraudsters and financial criminals who preyed on innocent citizens across multiple states. His network allegedly recruited individuals by assuring them of hefty commissions and attractive returns in exchange for allowing their bank accounts to be used for financial transactions.

 

These accounts were then allegedly converted into conduits for laundering, routing or parking the proceeds of cyber fraud, which the gang siphoned off while concealing the trail of funds, estimated to be crores of Rupees.

 

According to the CBI, Kale and his accomplices also asked the victims to arrange for mobile phones, forged identity documents and illegally procured SIM cards to facilitate  their dark operations while evading detection. The network is believed to have shady links beyond India, prompting agencies to probe possible international connections.

 

“Notably, the RCN against Kale was published in May 2026 and he was successfully traced, apprehended and brought back to India within approximately 20 days, reflecting swift and effective international coordination among the concerned agencies,” the CBI said.

 

Till date, the CBI has secured the return of over 160 wanted fugitives from different countries, including Thailand. Prominent among them are: Among those deported or extradited in recent years are gangsters Rajendra S. Nikalje alias Chhota Rajan; his close aide Santosh P. Shetty; terror accused gangster Abul Salem A. Q. Ansari; financial fraud accused J. Sundaram; gangster Ravi Pujari; the absconding brothers Gaurav Luthra and Saurabh Luthra, and many others.

 

Haryana murderer also deported
In a related operation, the CBI secured the extradition of a wanted mafiosi, Vainket Garg from Georgia. Wanted by the Haryana Police, he is facing serious criminal charges, including murder, extortion, organised crime and illegal firearm offences.
 
Garg was earlier arrested and jailed, but jumped bail and sneaked out to Georgia after which an InterPol RCN was issued, leading to his arrest by the Georgian law enforcers.

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