Four cops suspended after ambulance halted for Assam CM’s convoy

Bhubaneswar, June 9 (IANS) The Crime Branch of Odisha Police has apprehended two accused from Delhi and Uttarakhand for their alleged involvement in a Rs 1.38-crore “digital arrest” cyber fraud case targeting a Bhubaneswar-based victim, said a senior Crime Branch official on Tuesday.

The case was registered following a complaint filed by a Bhubaneswar resident who was duped by fraudsters posing as Mumbai Cyber Crime officials. The accused allegedly informed the victim that his Aadhaar number had been linked to a money laundering case and threatened him with arrest and imprisonment.

Fearing legal action, the victim transferred Rs 1.38 crore to multiple bank accounts provided by the fraudsters. “During the course of investigation, a detailed analysis of bank transactions, account-opening documents, mobile records and money trail established the involvement of a Delhi-based cyber fraud network,” the official added.

Investigators found that Rs 13.50 lakh from the defrauded amount had been credited to an HDFC Bank account operated under the name “Rana Garments.” Acting on the lead, a special team travelled to New Delhi and arrested Subham Sharma alias Sanjay Rana (29), a resident of Bhagwati Vihar in Uttam Nagar.

During interrogation, Sharma allegedly confessed to creating a fake identity in the name of “Sanjay Rana” using forged documents. Police said he, along with his associates, opened multiple bank accounts in HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, IndusInd Bank, AU Small Finance Bank and Yes Bank using fabricated credentials. He had also reportedly availed loans under a fake identity.

The investigation revealed that Sharma operated bank accounts used to receive proceeds from cyber fraud and had purchased a car with illicit funds. The vehicle has been seized by the Odisha Crime Branch. Police also recovered forged Aadhaar and PAN cards, bank-related documents, mobile phones, SIM cards and vehicle records.

In a parallel operation, another team arrested Amit Kumar (31), a resident of Bijnor district in Uttar Pradesh, who was staying at a hostel in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. Investigators identified him as a first-layer account holder, with nearly Rs 13 lakh from the cheated amount allegedly deposited directly into his account. A mobile phone, two SIM cards, Aadhaar and PAN cards were seized from his possession.

Officials said the accused were part of an organised cyber fraud syndicate involved in creating fake identities, opening mule bank accounts, layering funds through multiple transactions and withdrawing money through various channels to conceal the trail of crime proceeds.

Earlier, a mother-son duo from Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, had also been arrested in connection with the same case. Police sources said an investigation is underway to identify other members of the network, trace additional proceeds of crime and establish interstate linkages of the cyber fraud syndicate.

–IANS

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New Delhi, March 3 (IANS) The current escalation between the United States, Israel, and Iran underscores fundamental lessons about the intersection of military power, diplomacy, and strategic communication, a report cited on Tuesday.

“First, the use of coercive military force against a highly motivated adversary does not necessarily ensure compliance or quick surrender; instead, it may strengthen resistance and expand the scope of the conflict. Second, without credible and sustained diplomatic engagement, supported by enforceable security guarantees and mutual commitments, the negotiations are unlikely to succeed when overshadowed by threats of force. Third, regional conflicts are rarely confined in space or time, and they tend to spread across alliances, economic systems, and domestic political arenas,” an article in Indian Narrative explained.

The direct military strikes of the US and Israel against Iran in February, wrote Professor Anu Sharma, can be one of the most consequential escalations in West Asia geopolitics. What distinguishes this episode, she opined, is not merely the scale of violence, but the convergence of long-standing structural tensions like nuclear proliferation, regional hegemony, deterrence and domestic political pressures that together transformed a protracted rivalry into active, kinetic confrontation.

“Before the strikes, the US–Iran relations had fluctuated between tentative diplomatic engagement over Tehran’s nuclear programme and periodic military brinksmanship. However, underlying these struggles remains the deep mutual distrust. Washington perceives Iran’s nuclear enrichment and missile capabilities as threats to regional security and global non-proliferation norms, while Tehran interprets American pressure and allied military presence as existentially hostile,” Sharma wrote in India Narrative.

“For years, Iran has pursued a composite deterrent strategy combining asymmetric forces and proxy networks in the Middle Eastern region. At the same time, Iranian domestic imperatives, including concerns about leadership legitimacy and economic struggles, have constrained Iranian flexibility in negotiations. Iranian leaders encountered domestic criticism for making what were seen as concessions without securing clear or concrete security guarantees in return. This situation strengthened hardline factions, who contended that Iran should assert its strength by responding firmly to any actions perceived as hostile or aggressive,” she further stated.

US considered using major combat operations due to multiple pressures. In 2026, decision makers in the US considered this operation punitive and preventive, with a goal to deter future threats.

“Regionally, the confrontation has exacerbated existing fault lines across the Middle East. The Gulf states have welcomed action by the United States and Israel that checked Tehran’s regional influence but also expressed concern about being drawn into wider conflict. For Israel, participation in pre-emptive strikes against Iran underscored both the depth of its security anxieties and its willingness to act when it deems existential threats imminent. Yet, this alignment also tied Israeli strategic fortunes to American military frameworks, raising complex questions about autonomy in future regional engagements.”

The conflict also has an impact well beyond the West Asia with oil prices having increased amid fears of supply chokepoints and logistical disruptions to shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz. According to the report, prolonged uncertainty even in diversified energy markets encourages consumer states and producers to reassess risk exposures. Nations relying on energy sources from this region face immediate economic volatility while long term investment patterns accelerate shifts toward alternative energy sources and strategic reserves.

–IANS

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