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Mumbai: In a major wildlife trafficking bust, a 34-year-old man from Chennai was arrested by Customs officials at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport for allegedly smuggling 16 exotic snakes into the country. The accused, identified as Goodman Linford Leo, was intercepted on Friday night after he landed in Mumbai from Bangkok. Officials said a routine baggage scan revealed suspicious contents inside Leo's luggage. Upon further inspection, Customs officers discovered several cotton bags containing 16 live snakes, including rare and exotic species. Among the reptiles were two Kenyan sand boas, five rhinoceros rat snakes, three albino snakes, two Honduran milk snakes, one California kingsnake, two garter snakes and one albino rat snake, reported Hindustan Times. Authorities stated that the accused had no documentation or permissions to import wildlife species and was booked under the Customs Act for illegal trafficking of exotic animals. Preliminary investigations have revealed that Leo may be a part of a larger international wildlife trafficking syndicate operating between Southeast Asia and India. Officials have initiated a deeper probe to trace the network's broader links. The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) has been roped in to assist in the investigation. As per the provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act, steps are being taken to send the reptiles back to their country of origin. The Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare (RAWW), an NGO specialising in the rescue and rehabilitation of wildlife, supported authorities in the safe handling and identification of the seized snakes. 115 Green Iguanas, Rare Species Seized In Another Incident This incident comes just days after another major interception at the Mumbai airport. On June 25, the Air Intelligence Unit of Mumbai Customs arrested two Indian nationals who had also arrived from Bangkok. Their luggage, upon inspection, was found to contain live and dead exotic wildlife species. Among the animals recovered in that case were two Sumatran striped rabbits (Nesolagus netscheri), one Waigeo spotted cuscus (Spilocuscus papuensis), three brown basilisk lizards (two alive, one dead), and a staggering 115 green iguanas (Iguana spp.). All animals had been hidden within personal belongings.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed charges in court against Canada-based gangster-terrorist Satwinder Singh alias Goldy Brar and four others for orchestrating grenade attacks on two Gurugram clubs in December, the agency announced on Saturday. The December 10, 2024 attacks targeted Warehouse Club and Human Club in Sector 29, with investigators linking the violence to a broader conspiracy by the banned Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) to spread communal disharmony across Haryana. The chargesheet names Sachin Taliyan, Ankit, Bhawish and US-based Randeep Singh alongside Brar. All ...Read More >
New Delhi, June 8 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) is preparing to attach immovable properties worth Rs 9.20 crore of a prime accused linked to notorious Mexican cartel and owner of 95.501 kg of Amphetamine that was seized from Noida in October 2024, an official said on Sunday. "The office of Competent Authority and Administrator under the Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators (Forfeiture of Property) Act, 1976) and Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, has confirmed the orders of attachment issued by NCB (Operations branch)," said the official The NC ...Read More >
Bhubaneswar: Nature lovers have a fresh reason to visit Nandankanan Zoological Park in Odisha's Bhubaneswar, as the famed wildlife sanctuary welcomed seven baby yellow anacondas into its reptilian fold on Sunday -- a rare and exciting addition that underscores the zoo's growing reputation as a haven for exotic species. The tiny hatchlings were born to a breeding pair of yellow anacondas brought to Nandankanan from the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust in Chennai in October 2019. With these new arrivals, the zoo now proudly houses a thriving family of 14 yellow anacondas -- two adult males, two adul ...Read More >
New Delhi (India), July 1 (ANI): The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has successfully dismantled India's most prolific darknet drug syndicate, "Ketamelon," in a high-impact operation codenamed "MELON". The operation resulted in the seizure of 1,127 LSD blots and 131.66 grams of Ketamine, with an estimated street value of approximately ₹35.12 lakhs, along with digital assets worth ₹70 lakhs, totaling over ₹1 crore. Also Read | Fraudulent Website sarvashikshaabhiyan.com Makes Fake Job Offers, Claiming To Be Official Website of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, PIB Fact Check Reveals Truth. Following week ...Read More >
Chandigarh, July 17 (SocialNews.XYZ) In a remarkable success, Border Security Force (BSF) troops on Thursday recovered 8.6 kg of heroin along the India-Pakistan border in Punjab's Ferozepur sector. The BSF Punjab Frontier said a thorough search of the suspected area by the BSF troops in the wee hours resulted in the recovery of 15 packets of suspected heroin of 8.6 kg. The recovery was made from an agricultural field near the border village of Bhanewala in Ferozepur district. Each narcotics packet was wrapped in yellow adhesive tape with an iron hook and illuminating device attached. "This ...Read More >
Jhansi: A bomb threat delayed the Durg-bound Chhattisgarh Sampark Kranti Express on Friday night, when it was halted at Virangana Laxmibai Jhansi railway station for nearly an hour. The threat turned out to be a hoax, and the train resumed its journey after a thorough inspection. According to SP, GRP, Vipul Srivastav, after the train left Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station in Delhi around 6pm on Friday, a call was recieved at the railway helpline 139, claiming that a bomb had been planted in a sleeper coach of the train. The railway control room in Lucknow started preparations for search of the ...Read More >
Guwahati: At least 42 poachers were arrested, six major rhino poaching gangs with links to illegal trade of animal parts through Myanmar were identified and nine poaching attempts were foiled under 'Operation Falcon' by the Assam Police and forest department since the operation was launched last year.CM Himanta Biswa Sarma shared a video on 'X' on Monday, hailing the success of the departments' efforts against poaching. He said the operation broke the back of poaching and illegal animal trade. He ...Read More >
Guwahati/Morigaon, Jun 6 (PTI) The flood situation in Assam continued to be critical with over 5.6 lakh people reeling under the deluge in 16 districts, an official bulletin said on Friday. The toll in this year's floods and landslides stands at 21, with two more deaths reported on Thursday. Also Read | Thane Shocker: Wife Booked for Hurling Hot Oil on Autorickshaw Driver During Fight Over Domestic Issues in Kalyan. Wildlife has also been affected with nearly 70 per cent of the Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary in Morigaon district facing inundation, an official said. The Regional Meteorological ...Read More >
Guwahati (Assam) [India] June 6 (ANI): The flood situation in Morigaon district of Assam has shown a slight improvement, but the district is still struggling, with 117 villages remaining submerged on Friday. According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), the floodwaters have affected over 5.60 lakh people across 19 districts in the state. Also Read | Ahmedabad Horror: Woman Alleges Dowry Harassment by In-Laws, Accuses Husband of Forcing Her To Watch Porn and Engage in Unnatural Sex; FIR Registered. Earlier, it was reported that the flood situation in Assam has reached a ...Read More >
Navi Mumbai: In a tragic incident that has sparked outrage among environmentalists, a golden jackal was crushed to death by a speeding vehicle around midnight on Sunday near DPS Flamingo Lake, Nerul. The accident occurred on the service road parallel to Palm Beach Road, an area known for its rich biodiversity. According to a volunteer from the Wildlife Welfare Association (WWA), the jackal was hit on its back by an unidentified four-wheeler, leaving it badly mangled. The volunteer rushed to the spot after receiving a distress call around 12 a.m., but the animal could not be saved. The incide ...Read More >
Patna, July 19 (SocialNews.XYZ) In a major action against corruption, the State Vigilance Unit (SVU) on Saturday arrested Sub-Inspector Putul Kumari, the SHO of the Women's Police Station in Samastipur, for accepting a bribe of Rs 20,000. Her driver was also arrested in the case. The arrest has created a stir within the police department. According to an official, Putul Kumari was caught red-handed while taking the bribe from Rajiv Ranjan, a resident of Chhatauna village under Mufassil police station limits, in connection with an assault case. Rajiv Ranjan had filed a written complaint with ...Read More >
Srinagar, June 7: Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, on Saturday, congratulated the University of Kashmir for getting an A++ grade in the NAAC inspection. The Lt Governor extended his heartiest congratulations to the Vice Chancellor, faculty, staff, and students of the University of Kashmir for attaining the prestigious A++ Grade by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), and securing an outstanding Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 3.68 on a seven-point scale. Calling it a proud moment for J&K UT, the Lt Governor said, "The A++ Grade places the Un ...Read More >
New Delhi, June 8 The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) is preparing to attach immovable properties worth Rs 9.20 ... New Delhi, June 8 The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) is preparing to attach immovable properties worth Rs 9.20 crore of a prime accused linked to notorious Mexican cartel and owner of 95.501 kg of Amphetamine that was seized from Noida in October 2024, an official said on Sunday. "The office of Competent Authority and Administrator under the Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators (Forfeiture of Property) Act, 1976) and Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, h ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jun 29 (PTI) The Congress on Sunday attacked the Centre and Rajasthan governments over the reported plan to redraw the boundaries of the Sariska Tiger Reserve for the reactivation of over 50 mining operations, saying the move would be "ecologically devastating". The opposition party also said that with the Rajasthan and Union environment ministers both being from Alwar, this "double engine" cannot be supporting such a move. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh shared on X a media report which claimed that a plan to redraw the boundaries of Rajasthan's ...Read More >
MADURAI: Likening the custodial murder of Ajith Kumar in Tiruppuvanam to an 'organised crime by police where the state kills its own citizens,' Madras high court lambasted the Tamil Nadu police and said the action against the perpetrators should be more stringent than in normal murder cases.A division bench of Justice S M Subramaniam and Justice A D Maria Clete pointed to 44 external injuries on the person of Ajith Kumar and said no part of the body was spared by the delinquent cops. "Even an ordinary murderer would not have inflicted such kind of injuries," the bench said on Tuesday.The natur ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jul 18 (PTI) The Supreme Court has said money cannot be recovered by filing an FIR and seeking help of police as it quashed a cheating case against the producer of Bollywood movie "Tanu Weds Manu". A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan expressed displeasure over the approach of the Allahabad High Court in dealing with the petition of producer Shailesh R Singh for quashing of the FIR against him by complainant Kunal Jain. "Money cannot be recovered, more particularly, in a civil dispute between the parties by filing a first information report and seeking the help of the ...Read More >
NEW DELHI - Indian customs officers in Mumbai said they have stopped a plane passenger arriving from Thailand with a wriggling cargo of live snakes, the third such seizure in June. "Customs officers... foiled yet another wildlife smuggling attempt, 16 live snakes... seized from a passenger returning from Thailand," said a customs officer at Mumbai's airport The passenger, who arrived on June 29, has been arrested, the customs agency said in a statement, with "further investigation underway". The live snakes included reptiles often sold in the pet trade, and were largely non-venomous, or wit ...Read More >
Guwahati: A new tree species belonging to the Garcinia genus has been discovered in Assam, adding to the region's botanical richness. The newly identified species, Garcinia kusumae, has been named in honour of Kusum Devi, the late mother of Jatindra Sarma, a noted botanist and Chairman of Assam's State Expert Appraisal Committee under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge! The discovery has been detailed in the latest issue of Feddes Repertorium, a peer-reviewed journal focused on plant taxonomy ...Read More >
Indian customs officers in Mumbai said they have stopped a plane passenger arriving from Thailand with a wriggling cargo of live snakes, the third such seizure this month. "Customs officers... foiled yet another wildlife smuggling attempt, 16 live snakes... seized from passenger returning from Thailand," said customs officers in the airport in the Indian financial hub. The passenger, who arrived on Sunday, has been arrested, the customs agency said in a statement, with "further investigation un ...Read More >
Mumbai: In a significant move to combat the rising menace of drug abuse in the state, the Maharashtra government has introduced a bill to amend the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) in the Legislative Assembly. The proposed amendment aims to empower law enforcement agencies to take stronger action against organized drug trafficking networks. Minister of State for Home Affairs, Yogesh Kadam, presented the bill and highlighted the urgent need to protect the youth from falling prey to drug addiction. "This is not just a technical amendment to the law; it reflects our responsibi ...Read More >
Mumbai Customs has arrested a traveller at the international airport here for allegedly trying to smuggle 15 kg of hydroponic weed with an estimated value of Rs 14.73 crore, officials said. The contraband was concealed in a packet labelled as 'Diplomatic Pouch of Ministry of External Affairs', officials said on Sunday. The traveller had landed at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport from Bangkok, an official said. "During the examination of his baggage, Customs officials recov ...Read More >
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], August 14: Medulla Communications Pvt. Ltd., one of the world's most awarded healthcare-specialist advertising agencies, has announced the launch of its new hub in Singapore. With over 15 years of experience in solving complex healthcare challenges, Medulla is now looking to create a super-specialist category as the first digital healthcare advertising agency in Asia. New Hub to Deliver Scalable, Specialist Healthcare Marketing Solutions Across APAC. Also Read | New Cheque Clearing System: Banks To Clear Cheques Within Few Hours Starting October 4, Announces RBI. ...Read More >
Mumbai: Drugs, gold and other expensive or illegal items are often seized from passengers during inspection at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai, the country's financial capital. However, this time, customs officials seized as many as 48 poisonous snakes and 5 turtles from a passenger. Even the security guards were alarmed when it came to light that the passenger had been found with poisonous snakes. The passenger concerned had been to Thailand and had taken a flight from Bangkok on his way to India. At Mumbai's airport, customs found 48 poisonous snakes and five tur ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has attached a flat and a factory premises worth Rs 9.20 crore in Uttar Pradesh's Noida of a "prime" accused involved in a 2024 trans-national drugs trafficking case linked to a Mexican cartel, officials said on Sunday. The officials said that the federal anti-narcotics agency has recently secured a confirmation on the attachment from the designated competent authority and administrator constituted under the Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators (Forfeiture of Property) Act (SAFEMA) and the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) A ...Read More >
BENGALURU: BBMP marshals deployed at lake security and supervision wing, ward monitoring and Indira Canteens are working without salaries since March. The situation has arisen after Bangalore Solid Waste Management Limited was carved out of BBMP for garbage management. Their salaries are usually given through the Ex-Servicemen Welfare Society and each marshal is paid Rs 17,500 monthly. "Supervisors say the delay is due to a set of procedures. Earlier, the amount was given to the Ex-Servicemen Welfare Society towards payments from BBMP. Now the files have to be cleared from BWSML to ward mars ...Read More >
New Delhi, Dec 11 (PTI) India's maritime sector is poised to play a transformative role in the country's vision of becoming world's third-largest economy, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar said Wednesday. Today, India stands as an emerging maritime powerhouse, strategically leveraging its geographical location and advanced infrastructure to spearhead global maritime initiatives, the Vice President said. "With the global blue economy projected to reach USD 6 trillion by 2030, India's maritime sector stands poised to play a transformative role in our emergence as the world's third-largest econom ...Read More >
Sambalpur: The population of Indian Bisons (Gaur) in Odisha's Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary has increased to 788 from 659 in six months, a forest officer said. The authorities of the Hirakud wildlife division conducted the census from May 11 to May 13, this year and published the report Friday. As per the report, the total number of Indian Bison in the wildlife sanctuary was 788, which includes 315 juveniles (less than 2 year old) and 128 newborns (less than 3 months). Of the total bison population, 315 (40 per cent) are juvenile. For the first time, the census of Indian Bisons was conducted ...Read More >
Assam continues to face a severe flood crisis, affecting nearly seven lakh people across 21 districts. The death toll from the first wave of floods and landslides has risen to 19, with one person missing in Cachar district. Nine major rivers, including the Brahmaputra and Barak, are flowing above danger levels, causing widespread inundation. A total of 1,494 villages across 66 revenue circles have been affected, with Sribhumi district hardest hit, impacting over 2.5 lakh people. Floodwaters have ...Read More >
Chennai: Madras high court has clarified that private self-financing medical colleges are required to pay only a stipend, and not a full salary, to in-service govt doctors pursuing postgraduate or super-specialty courses under the govt quota.A division bench of Justice R Subramanian and Justice K Surender passed the order while partly allowing a batch of appeals moved by Karpaga Vinayaga Medical College and others. They challenged a single judge's order that directed private colleges to pay salaries to in-service doctors studying in their institutions.The appeals were moved based on a GO dated ...Read More >
A young woman named Oleti Pushpa (22) was killed by her live-in partner Sheikh Shamma (22) in the Ambedkar Konaseema region of Andhra Pradesh, reported India Today. She was living with Sheikh for the past 6 months after she separated from her spouse. The incident took place in Siddhartha Nagar, B Savaram village of Rajolu mandal on 16th July. Shamma reportedly accused Pushpa of having affairs with other men. He forced her to engage in prostitution and frequently instigated fights with her when intoxicated. As per police, Shamma was addicted to ganja. On the fateful night, he against pressuri ...Read More >