In a major crackdown, Delhi Police have busted a multi-city network and arrested the mastermind of a gang involved in bringing Bangladeshis into India illegally and deploying them as low-cost labourers, an official said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, Southeast District, Ravi Kumar Singh said seven Bangladeshi nationals, including kingpin Chand Miya, and five Indian facilitators, including one from Kaltali, Assam, were arrested during a recent drive.

Chand Miya used the border area near Benapole, West Bengal and Meghalaya border to bring in Bangladeshis. He used to charge Rs 20,000-25,000 per person for illegal entry. He travelled to Bangladesh frequently and brought some individuals on each trip.

The Cyber Cell of Patna Police has arrested two brothers for impersonating Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials and using the name of a former IAS officer to extort money from prominent individuals, including doctors, in Bihar’s capital.

Sanjay Kumar, DIG of EOU, identified the accused as Ranjeet Kumar and Rajesh Kumar, both residents of Sultanpur, Danapur.

He said that they posed as top ED officers and used the name of retired IAS officer Karu Ram to threaten and extort money from their targets.

“The duo had successfully duped at least 10 individuals using this modus operandi. Their latest target was a well-known doctor from a reputed hospital near Saguna Mod in Patna. However, the plan backfired when the complainant reported to the Economic Offences Unit (EOU), flagged the attempt and alerted the Cyber Crime Cell, which swiftly moved into action and arrested both men,” said DIG Sanjay Kumar.

He added that on May 2, they allegedly demanded a sum of Rs 2 lakh by threatening the doctor with a fabricated ED raid, adding that the complainant informed the police about the call, and immediately constituted a team to nab the accused.

Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata (SMPK), commenced night navigation in the upper reaches of the River Hooghly, from Budge Budge to the sea on Saturday, an official said.

A senior SMPK official said that this crucial step will reduce turnaround time and pre-berthing detention of vessels calling on the Kolkata Dock System (KDS).

He said that the long and meandering 232-km river channel from the sea to KDS, marked by restrictions in navigable depth and strong cross-tidal currents, posed a significant challenge for continuous vessel movement.

“Though high tides result in an increase in draft twice a day, SMPK is unable to make full use of this due to the absence of night navigation between Diamond Harbour and Kolkata,” he added.

Panic gripped passengers of the Jaipur-Jodhpur Intercity Express as smoke billowed from the train's engine, about 4 km before Gotan station in Rajasthan on Saturday.

The incident happened around 9.30 a.m., causing panic among passengers, many of whom deboarded.

According to railway officials, the train departed Jaipur on time at 6.00 a.m. and had already passed Jogi Magra when the engine developed a technical fault.

Emergency brakes were applied by the loco pilot, averting any immediate danger.

A replacement engine was dispatched from Jodhpur and reached Gotan around noon. The affected train was then pulled back to Jogi Magra station, from where it resumed the journey to Jodhpur at 12.15 p.m.

In the aftermath, several other trains on this route were temporarily halted.

In a major administrative reshuffle, Superintendent of Police (SP) Krishna Kumar Bishnoi has transferred the officers-in-charge of three key police circles in Sambhal district of Uttar Pradesh, five months after communal violence broke out in the area.

Among those transferred is Sambhal Circle Officer (CO) Anuj Chaudhary, who courted controversy for his remarks during the festival of Holi this year, stating, “There is only one Holi, but there are as many as 52 Friday prayers.” He has now been assigned to the Chandausi Circle.

Replacing him in Sambhal Circle is IPS officer Alok Bhati, who previously served as Assistant Superintendent of Police.

Meanwhile, Alok Sidhu has been given charge of the Bahjoi Circle, and Dr Pradeep Kumar, the outgoing Bahjoi CO, has been appointed as the new Traffic CO.

Karnataka Police have detained eight suspects in connection with the murder of Hindu activist Suhas Shetty, which was reported from the communally-sensitive city of Mangaluru, officials said on Saturday.

Police sources stated that the department is likely to formalise the arrests and make an official announcement later on Saturday.

The police had formed five special teams to apprehend the killers. All the accused are being interrogated, and they were arrested from various locations within Mangaluru district. Investigators have obtained video footage of the incident, which helped in identifying and apprehending the suspects, sources said.

However, Leader of the Opposition (LoP), R. Ashoka, alleged that a week before the murder, Suhas Shetty was warned by police not to carry weapons in his vehicle, and his vehicle was searched.

Senior Congress leaders including Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi on Saturday expressed deep sorrow over the tragic stampede during the Lairai Devi temple festivities in Shirgao village, North Goa, that claimed several lives and left dozens injured.

The incident occurred in the early hours of Saturday as tens of thousands of devotees gathered for the annual yatra, a revered religious occasion in the region.

According to sources, at least six people lost their lives, and over 30 others sustained injuries during the stampede, which was reportedly triggered by a sudden surge of the crowd on a downward slope near the temple premises.

LoP Rahul Gandhi, took to social media platform X to express his condolences.

"The news of the death of several devotees and injury to many others in a stampede during the annual pilgrimage to the Lairai Devi Temple in Shirgaon, Goa is very sad," he posted.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday extended condolences to those who lost their lives in the stampede that occurred during the Lairai Devi temple festivities in Shirgao village.

The incident took place in the early hours of Saturday as a large number of devotees had gathered for the annual yatra. According to sources, at least six people lost their lives, and over 30 were injured in the stampede.

"Saddened by the loss of lives due to a stampede in Shirgao, Goa. Condolences to those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon. The local administration is assisting those affected," the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement.

PM Modi also spoke with Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and reviewed the situation in detail, offering full support from the Centre during this difficult time.

At least six people were killed and more than 30 injured after a stampede took place during the Lairai Devi temple in Shirgao village of Goa.

The incident occurred in the early hours of Saturday.

Preliminary reports suggest the overcrowding and lack of proper arrangements as possible causes behind the incident.

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Saturday visited the hospital to check on the injured persons.

According to the eyewitnesses, the situation escalated after a part of the crowd lost control. Locals and the volunteers at the temple rushed to pull people to safety.

Continuing its crackdown on terrorists and their network, police on Friday attached the property of a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district.

Stepping up the offensive against cross-border terror networks, the police attached the immovable property of the terrorist.

Police said the action was taken under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), under which a case was registered against the terrorist at the police station in Mendhar.

The property, comprising one kanal and 11 marlas of agricultural land, located in the Kasblari area of tehsil Mankote, belongs to Mohammad Riyaz, son of Sain, a resident currently acting as a handler for LeT, based in Pakistan.

The police said that Riyaz is wanted in several cases related to terrorism.