BENGALURU POLICE RECOVER ₹14 LAKH LOST IN ‘DIGITAL ARREST’ FRAUD
Bengaluru police have recovered ₹14 lakh that BJP Chikkaballapura MP K. Sudhakar’s wife, Preeti, lost in a cyber fraud involving a scheme known as “digital arrest,” officials said Tuesday. According to police, the incident took place on Aug. 26, when Preeti, 44, a resident of Basaveshwaranagar, received a WhatsApp video call from fraudsters posing as Mumbai Cyber Crime Police officials. The callers told her money had been illegally transferred from her account and demanded that she send funds to the Reserve Bank of India for “verification.” They claimed the money would be returned within 45 minutes but threatened that she would be arrested if she failed to comply. “By threatening, they got a total of ₹14 lakh transferred from the complainant’s HDFC Bank account to an unknown YES Bank account and committed fraud,” police said in a statement. Preeti lodged a complaint the same evening and also contacted the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal helpline number 1930 within the so-called “Golden Hour,” police said. A case was registered and investigators worked to freeze the account where the money was transferred. On Sept. 3, the 47th Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Court directed YES Bank authorities to return the frozen funds to the complainant. Acting on the order, the full amount was restored to Preeti’s account. Deputy Commissioner of Police (West Division) Girish S. said efforts are underway to trace the fraudsters. He urged the public not to panic in similar situations and to immediately call the cyber helpline. “If a complaint is lodged within the Golden Hour with the National Cyber Helpline 1930, and a case is registered at the nearest police station without delay, prompt action can be taken to prevent losses,” Girish said. Police said “digital arrest” scams have emerged as a new form of cybercrime in which fraudsters impersonate law enforcement or enforcement agencies through video calls and coerce victims into transferring money.
BJP, TMC workers clash at Dum Dum station during AC local train launch
Supporters of the BJP and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Sunday clashed at Dum Dum railway station during the launch of a new air-conditioned local train service between Sealdah and Ranaghat, officials said. Union Minister and former state BJP president Sukanta Majumdar, along with BJP MPs Shantanu Thakur and Jagannath Sarkar, was travelling on the train from Sealdah when the incident took place. As the train reached Dum Dum, a group of TMC-affiliated INTTUC supporters entered the station premises holding party flags and shouting “Go back” slogans at Majumdar, accusing him of being “anti-Bengali” and alleging that the BJP was behind attempts to harass Bengalis outside the state. BJP supporters present at the station protested against the slogans, leading to a scuffle between the two sides, the officials said. An INTTUC supporter alleged that BJP workers, led by local leader Tamegnya Ghosh, attacked them. Ghosh denied the charge. Speaking to reporters, Majumdar said, “If Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has the courage, let her remove all non-Bengali MPs and leaders from her party. TMC is so afraid of the SIR that it sent goons to disrupt a government programme at the station.” He also accused TMC workers of misbehaving with BJP women activists and criticised the state Government Railway Police (GRP) for “remaining mute spectators”. A TMC supporter claimed that several non-Bengali railway officers were executing the BJP’s agenda and working against the interests of Bengalis. Large contingents of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and GRP were deployed at the station to disperse both groups and restore order. No arrests have been reported so far, the officials added.
BJP’s Sukanta Majumdar Accuses West Bengal Government of ‘Jizya Tax’ on Hindu Pilgrims
Amid heightened political tension over issues of migrant safety outside Bengal, BJP MP and former state president Sukanta Majumdar has made a sensational allegation against the Trinamool Congress (TMC)-led West Bengal government, accusing it of extorting money from Hindu pilgrims during the month-long Shravani Mela in Tarakeswar. Taking to social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Majumdar claimed that the state authorities are charging a Rs 10 fee per devotee at the Nimai Tirtha ghat in Baidyabati — a popular spot where pilgrims collect Ganga water before embarking on the journey to offer it at the Shiva temple in Tarakeswar. He referred to the levy as a modern-day “jizya tax” — a term historically associated with a tax imposed on non-Muslims during medieval Islamic rule. “Is this merely a revenue-collection tactic or a veiled message to Bengali Hindus that their religious practices will now come at a cost?” Majumdar questioned in his post. He described the move as a “blatant display of the TMC government’s anti-Hindu and fundamentalist mindset”. The Shravani Mela, which began this week, draws lakhs of devotees from across West Bengal and other states. Pilgrims, known as ‘kanwarias’, walk barefoot for several kilometres carrying holy water from the Ganges to pour over the Shiva lingam in Tarakeswar. The fair is one of the largest religious gatherings in south Bengal. In preparation for the influx of devotees, the Hooghly district administration has deployed additional police forces, installed CCTV surveillance, and coordinated with health departments and civic volunteers to ensure drinking water, food, shelter, and emergency medical services are in place. While the state government and local authorities have not yet responded to Majumdar’s allegations, volunteers and organisers say a nominal fee is often collected at certain ghats for maintenance and sanitation during the mela period — a long-standing practice not unique to West Bengal. However, Majumdar insisted that such collections amount to “extortion under the garb of administration” and are being carried out in the name of public facilities, while “innocent Hindu devotees are being forced to pay to perform their rituals”. The remark comes at a time when TMC leaders have been criticising the BJP-led central government over the safety of Bengali migrant workers in other states. The fresh row is expected to further fuel the polarised political atmosphere in Bengal ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.
