Odisha EOW Arrests Fraudster In Umrah Pilgrimage Fraud Case

by Hemanta Pande

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Odisha Police has arrested a person in Mumbai on the charges of duping several Muslim devotees of more than Rs 1 crore on the pretext of providing cheap, secured and safe Umrah pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia

Bhubaneswar, Sep 30: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Odisha Police has arrested a person in Mumbai on the charges of duping several Muslim devotees of more than Rs 1 crore on the pretext of providing cheap, secured and safe Umrah pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, said a senior EOW official here on Monday.

The accused identified as Nabeel Abdul Mubin Shaikh was arrested by a team of Odisha Police on September 27. He was later produced before the local court in Andheri, Mumbai and brought to Odisha on transit remand.

Based on a complaint lodged by one Mir Khursid of Kazimahala under Dhamnagar police limits of Bhadrak district, the EOW on September 12 registered a case against the proprietors of ‘Al-Adam Tour & Travels’ including the accused Nabeel, his mother Firdos Bi Abdul Mubin Shaikh and sister Saima Anjum Shaikh, and one of their partners, Md. Bismillah Shaikh, the proprietor of Al-Izma Tours & Travels of Vikhroli Kurla, West Mumbai.

In his complaint, Khurshid alleged that the tour companies' accused proprietors collected a total of Rs 1.2 crores from 189 devotees, between 2019 and 2023, to arrange their pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia on the eve of Umrah. But, they neither took the prospective pilgrims on pilgrimage nor did they refund the amount collected from them.

“As found on the investigation, during the period from 2019-23, the accused proprietors of M/s Al-Adam Tour & Travel Agency floated advertisements in social media apart from distributing leaflets containing the lucrative packages, contact details etc,” said EOW sources.

The accused induced the Muslim devotees to avail the opportunity under two of their tour packages of Rs 45,786 and Rs 50,786 per individual pilgrim to go on Umrah pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.

Being induced, several devotees of Bhadrak, Balasore, Baripada and other parts of Odisha deposited their respective amounts in accounts mentioned in the advertisements through bank transfers, in UPI and even by cash.

“The arrested accused Nabeel and his mother are the authorised signatories of the accounts in which the pilgrims’ money has been deposited. The collection of money from devotees by the accused persons continued till the first half of 2023 after which the proprietors switched off their mobile phones and remained disconnected from the depositors,” informed EOW sources.

The accused proprietors had also provided cheques to a few investors but the cheques were later dishonoured by the bank.

The sleuths also came to know that the tour packages cover the catering facilities extended by the Pakistani nationals for which there was a transaction between the Pakistani nationals and the arrested accused which is still under verification, said EOW sources. (IANS)

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Under PM Modi 3.0, First 100 Days Mark Momentous Diplomatic Outreach For India: MEA

by Hemanta Pande

New Delhi, Sep 30: After assuming office for the third consecutive term, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited seven nations, including Russia and Ukraine, according to Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

After being sworn in for the third time as PM, he first participated in the G7 Leaders' Outreach meeting in Italy at the invitation of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in June.

Earlier in July, PM Modi travelled to Russia at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend the 22nd India-Russia Annual Summit.

PM Modi visited Poland and Ukraine in August. A Prime Ministerial visit to Poland from India took place after 45 years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited war-hit Ukraine after a 10-hour journey from Poland aboard the trail Rail Force One.

This is the first-ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Ukraine. He visited Ukraine at the invitation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. During the first 100 days of his third term, PM Modi also visited Singapore and Brunei.

The Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance secured a third consecutive term after winning 293 seats in the Lok Sabha elections.

After assuming office, PM Modi hosted the 3rd Voice of Global South Summit (VOGSS), which was attended by 173 dignitaries. The dignitaries who attended the VOGSS included 21 Heads of State/Government, 34 Foreign Ministers & 118 Ministers/Vice Ministers - from 122 countries.

Earlier in August, President Droupadi Murmu was on a State visit to Fiji, New Zealand and Timor-Leste. During her visit to Timor-Leste, President Murmu announced that India will soon open an embassy in the country as part of the growing friendship between the two nations.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited UAE, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Kazakhstan, Mauritius, Maldives, Kuwait, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland and Germany, according to MEA.

He travelled to Kazakhstan to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit. He participated in the Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Japan.

During his visit to Laos, Jaishankar participated in the ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers' Meeting. He hosted the 2nd BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers Retreat in New Delhi. The Prime Minister of Malaysia and Vietnam arrived in India for a State visit during the first 100 days of PM Modi 3.0.

Earlier in July, Vietnam Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh arrived in India for his three-day state visit. In August, Malaysia's PM Anwar Ibrahim visited India at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

PM Modi inaugurated the 46th World Heritage Committee (WHC) Session hosted by India. The inclusion of India's nomination of the Charaideo Moidam, the burial ground of the Ahom Dynasty (1228-1826) in Assam, in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites showcased India's cultural diplomacy under the Modi 3.0 government.

Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) hosted the first International Yoga Conference in South Africa. In addition, renewal of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the ICCR Chair on Sanskrit and Indian Philosophy in Mauritius.

During the first 100 days of the third term of PM Modi-led government, the Deka Pumping Station and River Water Intake System in Zimbabwe was upgraded. According to MEA, there was procurement of Haemo-Dialysis units to supply to 8 Pacific Island Countries - Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Papua New Guinea, Kiribati, Marshall Islands and Nauru.

A 20MW hydroelectric project was completed in Burundi's Kabu, according to MEA. India also supplied APIs to Cuba. India announced the opening of new Indian missions in Albania, Gabon, Georgia, Latvia and Timor-Leste and two Indian Consulates in Auckland and Barcelona. (ANI)

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After Lokayukta, ED Files Case Against CM Siddaramaiah In MUDA Case

by Hemanta Pande

Bengaluru, Sep 30: In a major setback to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) against him in connection with the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) case, sources confirmed.

The case is being taken up by the ED after social activist Snehamayi Krishna, one of the petitioners in the MUDA case, filed the complaint. The case will be taken up under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA), the sources said.

The ED will investigate the money transactions linked to the MUDA case, the sources added.

Snehamayi Krishna, the complainant, reacting to the development stated he had lodged the complaint with the ED against CM Siddaramaiah. The ED has given the acknowledgement for my complaint. They will verify the complaint on whether it will come under the PMLA Act, 2001.

Snehamayi Krishna has sought an investigation into the misuse of official powers by CM Siddaramaiah in connection with the illegal allotment of 14 sites by MUDA in favour of Parvathy, wife of Siddaramaiah, and huge scam by MUDA authorities and the commission of an offence under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

He had also submitted all the complaints and orders of courts linked to the case. The Governor’s sanction for prosecution, FIR filed by Lokayukta, order copy of the Special Court and other documents, have been submitted to the ED.

Snehamayi Krishna submitted these documents to the Bengaluru office of the ED on Monday. He also filed a petition before the High Court seeking the investigation of the MUDA case by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Karnataka Lokayukta is presently investigating the MUDA scam and preparing to initiate legal action against the accused persons.

Meanwhile, the complainant Snehamayi Krishna expressed displeasure over the investigation by the agency which directly comes under the Karnataka Congress government.

He said that he has no trust in the Lokayukta investigation and he will approach the CBI and the ED.

In the Valmiki Tribal Welfare Board case, the case was initially investigated by the SIT formed by the state government. The ED joined the investigation later and arrested sitting minister B. Nagendra. However, the SIT which submitted its chargesheet to the court does not mention the name of Nagendra in the case. (IANS)

Odisha EOW Arrests Fraudster In Umrah Pilgrimage Fraud Case

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