Palghar (Maharashtra), July 3 (IANS) The Maharashtra Police have cracked a major inter-state drug racket operating with mafia links in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh, seized drugs and related stuff worth Rs 327.69 crore, and nabbed 15 persons in connection with the case, officials said on Wednesday.

Mira Bhayander-Vasai Virar Commissioner of Police Madhukar Pandey told mediapersons that busting of the racket with underworld connections also led to the seizure of four weapons and several live cartridges from one of the accused in Palghar.

The seizures include Mephedrone drugs, raw materials, and other articles like vehicles from manufacturing dens in UP, Telangana, and cash from Gujarat.

Eight of the accused are from Uttar Prades, three each from Telangana and Maharashtra, and one from Gujarat, Pandey said.

The lid on the racket blew off when an investigation was launched on May 15 by the police after intercepting two persons in Vasai town (Palghar) at a checkpost in Chenagaon (Thane), and seized 1 kg Mephedrone worth Rs 2 crore from them.

Their sustained interrogation led to the unravelling of the tentacles of the massive racket spread in other states where police teams were rushed to probe.

One of the teams raided a manufacturing den at Narsapur in Telangana on May 17, seized 103 gm MD worth Rs 20.60 lakh and another 25 kg raw materials worth Rs 25 crore, besides arresting two persons.

The questioning led the police to an associate in the Goregaon suburb of Mumbai and seizure of MD worth Rs 14.38 crore, plus the arrest of another person from Varanasi.

The combined probe continued with the dragnet falling on a person at Padgha village in Thane, leading to seizures of raw materials worth nearly Rs 54,000.

Pandey said the probe teams have found that one person from Mumbai – who is still absconding – had allegedly transferred funds for the manufacture of drugs through an associate in Surat.

The other person was nabbed from Surat along with Rs 10.90 lakh cash, which was being remitted through traditional personal couriers called ‘Angadiyas’.

Accordingly, the police targeted their investigations to a couple of Angadiyas in south Mumbai from whom they seized Rs 6,80,000 that was delivered to them by the accused from Surat.

The probe led to the detection of an MD manufacturing unit in Jaunpur, UP, from where the police seized 300 kg of raw materials worth Rs 300 crore and nabbed three more persons on June 25, followed by three further arrests from Lucknow on June 25/26.

They tipped off the police about another associate operating from Nala Sopara in Palghar from whom the police recovered a revolver, 3 pistols, and 33 bullets, Pandey said.

The accused arrested in the entire scam over the past couple of months are — Shoaib H. Memon and Nicholas L. Tritus (both from Vasai in Palghar); Dayanand M. Mudanar alias Daya, Nasir J. Shaikh alias Baba (both from Telangana); Ghanshyam R. Saroj, Babu Taufiq Khan, M. Nadim Shafiq Khan, Ahmed Shah F.S. Azmi, Amir Taufiq Khan, M. Shadab Shamshad Khan, Alok Virendra Singh, and Shubham Narendra Pratapsingh alias Shbham (all from UP); Mohamed S. Moin (Mumbai); Bharat S. Jadhav alias Babu (Thane); and Murtuza M. Kothari alias Zulfikar (Surat).

Besides the 15, the two others nabbed are Mustafa Y. Furniturewala and Hussain M. Furniturewala, both ‘Angadiyas’ from whom the police seized Rs 6.80 lakh sent by an absconder accused named Salim Dola – who is allegedly linked to the Dawood Ibrahim gang.

–IANS

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New Delhi, July 3 (IANS) The ‘Sindhu Darshan Puja’ held at Nimu, a forward brigade post in Ladakh, stands as a testament to cultural resilience and ceremonial significance. Every year, the Sindhu Mahotsav in Leh attracts participants from all corners of India to partake in this unique river worship festival, symbolising the deep-rooted cultural traditions of Leh-Ladakh.

Initiated in 1996, the festival’s inception aimed at environmental conservation alongside the preservation of local culture and heritage.

On July 3, 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s surprise visit to Ladakh included a poignant moment when he participated in the traditional ‘Sindhu Darshan Puja’ on the banks of the river at Nimu.

The ‘Sindhu Darshan Puja’, an ancient ritual spanning millennia, holds profound significance in the cultural fabric of the Indus Valley Civilisation.

During his participation, Prime Minister Modi offered prayers for the nation’s peace and prosperity. He also paid homage to the 20 brave soldiers who sacrificed their lives during the Galwan Valley clash with Chinese troops in Ladakh.

Today, the ‘Sindhu Darshan Puja’ in Leh allows every Hindu to partake in this revered tradition.

Following Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s tenure, the Sindhu Ghat lost prominence until it was revitalised under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government in 2014.

On social media, old photographs from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s unexpected visit to Ladakh on July 3, 2020, resurfaced on the ‘Modi Archive’ X handle.

These images gained traction exactly four years after the event on Wednesday, underscoring the historical perspectives that, after Independence, the entire Indus river came under Pakistan’s control.

However, the rediscovery of sections flowing from Leh district in 1996 prompted the initiation of the ‘Sindhu Darshan Yatra’ in 1997.

This historic event saw participation from 72 prominent figures nationwide, including Narendra Modi during his tenure with the BJP, alongside political stalwarts like Lal Krishna Advani, George Fernandes, Sahib Singh Verma, and Farooq Abdullah.

During his inaugural journey, PM Modi shared a memorable moment with Pandit Jasraj, singing devotional songs on the riverbank.

Since its inception in 1997, Narendra Modi has been a regular participant in the Sindhu Darshan Yatra.

In 2000, serving as the BJP’s national general secretary, he attended when Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee inaugurated the annual festival celebrating the cultural and spiritual heritage of the Indus River.

–IANS

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Tumakuru (Karnataka), July 3 (IANS) The police have arrested a suspected Maoist, who was allegedly involved in the 2005 massacre of seven policemen and a bus cleaner at Venkatammanahalli village in Karnataka’s Tumakuru district, sources said on Wednesday.

The accused has been identified as Komulu Mutyala Chandru, a resident of Garaladinne Keshavapura in Andhra Pradesh.

According to the police, Chandru was part of a gang of about 300 Maoists who laid siege to a police camp at Venkatammanahalli in 2005.

The accused, who was working as a civic worker in the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), has been sent to judicial custody, the police said.

On February 11, 2005, at about 10.30 p.m., nearly 300 Maoists ambushed a police camp at Venkatammanahalli village, killing seven policemen and one civilian besides leaving five others injured.

–IANS

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Amaravati, July 3 (IANS) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Thursday to discuss various state-specific issues.

This will be his first meeting with the Prime Minister after assuming office as the Chief Minister on June 13.

He is likely to seek the Centre’s help for building the state capital Amaravati, completing the Polavaram project, and tiding over the state’s difficult financial position.

Naidu, whose Telugu Desam Party (TDP) is a key partner in the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre, will submit a memorandum to the Prime Minister.

The Chief Minister will subsequently meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to discuss various issues relating to the state. Before leaving for Delhi on Wednesday, he told media persons that he would discuss all issues.

“Not just Amaravati, all issues will be discussed,” he said after releasing a White Paper on Amaravati.

Naidu said rebuilding the state was the responsibility of everyone in the NDA. “Three parties contested together as NDA partners. We will explain to them and take the Centre’s help. Rebuilding of the state should start,” he said.

Stating that people gave 164 out of 175 Assembly seats to the NDA, Naidu said the alliance has to live up to people’s expectations. The TDP, which won 16 out of 25 Lok Sabha seats from the state, is the second biggest party in the NDA after the BJP.

–IANS

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New Delhi, July 3 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi, replying to the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address in Rajya Sabha, launched a tirade at the Opposition for orchestrating a ‘samvidhaan bachaao’ campaign despite having a dark history of abusing it for ‘personal interests’ and also boasted about the government’s achievements and vision for next five years.

PM Modi started off his speech in the Rajya Sabha by turning the tables on Congress ‘1/3rd government’ jibe with his 20 more years retort and said that nothing could be bigger truth than this.

“A Congress colleague repeatedly said 1/3rd government. We have completed 10 years now and there is 20 more to go. So, we have completed 1/3rd term, 2/3rd remains. So, ‘unke muh mein ghee shakkar’ for his prophecy,” said PM Modi, drawing cheers from the Treasury benches.

During the later part of the speech, PM Modi came down heavily on the Congress over waving booklets of the Constitution and reminded how it abused the supreme rule book and took the democracy for a ride during its rule.

He reminded the party of the dark period of Emergency, belittling the chair of Prime Minister in UPA I and II by ‘Super PM’ and tearing apart of the Cabinet note by the then Congress MP (Rahul Gandhi).

The Prime Minister underlined that the Constitution is not just a compilation of Articles but its spirit and imprint are extremely valuable.

“It is the Constitution given by Baba Saheb Ambedkar which has allowed people like me, who have zero political lineage, to enter politics and reach such a stage,” he said.

PM Modi also recalled that there was a staunch opposition when his government had proposed to commemorate November 26 as the “Constitution Day”.

He said that Congress ran its governments on auto-pilot mode, left people to fend for themselves and is now resorting to fake propaganda campaign to mislead and misguide the public.

The Prime Minister added that it is not surprising to see the party ‘reducing itself to mere slogan-shouting group’.

PM Modi, further speaking about the achievements and milestones of his government, said that the people of the country voted the NDA to power thrice to achieve the goals of development and reliance through ‘Viksit Bharat’ and ‘Atamnirbhar Bharat’.

“The country has seen its economy rising from tenth to the fifth-largest economy in the last 10 years despite challenges like global disturbances and pandemic. This mandate is to take the economy to third place from the present fifth place,” he said.

Speaking about the government’s priorities and developmental pitch, PM Modi underlined the importance of strengthening the four pillars of farmers, poor, narishakti and youth and impressed upon the members on how the Kisan Credit Card and PM Kisan Samman Nidhi and Kisan Kalyan Schemes were benefitting crores of farmers.

PM Modi said that his government gave a subsidy of Rs 12 lakh crores for fertilizers to the poor farmers, the highest figure since Independence.

The Prime Minister said that the era of ‘ifs and buts’ has ceased to exist today as Bharat has gone global and is now welcoming foreign investments which are paving the way for employment opportunities for its youth while also showcasing their potential and talent on an international platform.

He also recalled the time of the 1977 Lok Sabha elections when the press and radio were curtailed and people’s voices were muted.

The Prime Minister expressed concern for the tendency to protect the corrupt by certain quarters in the opposition.

Mentioning various scams committed by the various governments run by the opposition parties, the Prime Minister rejected the charge of misusing enforcement agencies. He also criticised double standards in the sphere of the fight against corruption.

“They join ranks with a motive, accuse the Centre of misusing investigative agencies and then plot a conspiracy against their own alliance partners in the states,” he said.

Reiterating the President’s concern over the recent paper leaks, PM Modi assured the youth that his government is taking strict action against those playing with the future of our country and will not let them go unpunished.

On Manipur, PM Modi reiterated that the government was continuously making efforts to ease the situation in the northeastern state. He added that there were more than 11,000 FIRs lodged and more than 500 wrongdoers were arrested during and after the unrest in Manipur.

“We must acknowledge the fact that the incidents of violence in Manipur are on a continuous downward trajectory and this means that the hope for peace was a definite possibility in Manipur,” he emphasised.

–IANS

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