1. World Cup: ED Busts Rs 500 Crore Betting Racket in Gujarat
Bookies have reportedly been making the most of the frenzy surrounding the World Cup, in Gujarat. But the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has now put the lid on that. The Hindustan Times reports.
“The Gujarat branch of the ED team arrested two persons and seized more than 100 mobile phones and 15 laptops in a raid. The arrested persons, suspected to be kingpins of the racket, were identified as Tommy Patel and Kiran Patel. It’s a huge racket in which every World Cup match had close to Rs 20 crore turnover in betting. The racket is likely to be over Rs 500 crore and spread across several cities in the country and also abroad.” - A senior ED official
2. Pune IAS officer Held for ‘Rape’ of Four Minors
An Indian Administrative Services Officer (IAS) has been accused of rape, bringing to the fore the vulnerability of little children and the exploitative powers of senior members of the bureaucracy.
“A senior IAS officer, M H Sawant, 58, director general of the Maharashtra Council of Agricultural Education and Research (MCAER), was arrested by the Pune police on Thursday on charges of molestation and rape of four schoolgirls aged between eight to 10 years. the suspect has been sexually assaulting the girls for the past few days. He called them over to his building basement on the pretext of offering them food.” - A senior police officer.
The Indian Express reports.
3. Two-Year-Old Girl Allegedly Sexually Abused in Suburban Bhandup
PTI reports that in yet another case of sexual assault on a child in the outskirts of Mumbai, a two-year-old girl was abducted and sexually assaulted by unidentified people.
“An FIR was registered at Bhandup police station yesterday after a complaint by a 35-year-old housewife that her two-year-old daughter was abducted and then sexually abused at an isolated place in Millat Nagar area of Bhandup. The woman, who also resides in Millat Nagar, named two suspects alleging that the duo was involved in the sexual assault committed yesterday afternoon.”
4. Seven Die as Vehicle Falls Into Gorge in Jammu and Kashmir
Yet another accident has raised serious doubts over the quality of roads on the Jammu-Srinagar highway.
“Seven people were killed and two others injured today when their vehicle skidded off Jammu-Srinagar national highway and fell into a deep gorge in Ramban district. A Tata sumo vehicle on its way to Srinagar from Jammu skidded off the highway and rolled down into a deep gorge at Shatani Nallah belt in the district. Five persons died on the spot while one succumbed to his injuries on the way to hospital. Another person died in the hospital.” - Police officials.
PTI reports.
5. 22-Year-Old Held, Minor Detained for Possessing Fake Currency Notes
Upping their ante on the check of fake currency notes in circulation, the Pune police has arrested two people.
“The Anti-Terrorist Cell (ATC) of the crime branch of Pune city police has nabbed two persons, one of them a minor boy, for possession of fake Indian currency notes (FICN). Police have recovered 398 FICN of Rs 500 denomination from the suspects. One of the suspects was identified as Faizuddin Ali alias Lalu Taufsar Ali (22), a native of Malda district in West Bengal. Police also detained his aide who is a teenager. Police said that they recovered four bundles containing 398 FICN notes along with two cell-phones and Rs 620 in genuine notes.”
The Indian Express reports.
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