Four militants arrested in Manipur over assault, extortion activities
Manipur Police official today said in one operation, Manipur Police apprehended six individuals associated with the group Arambai Tengol for their alleged involvement in the assault of police personnel during a bandh in Bishnupur district on June 9, 2025. The accused were taken into custody from different locations in Imphal West and Bishnupur districts.
In a separate operation, one active member of the proscribed outfit Kangleipak Communist Party (People's War Group) [KCP(PWG)] was arrested from the Kekrupat, North AOC area. The individual was reportedly involved in threatening and extorting money from the public, brick kiln operators, and government employees. A mobile phone and a small amount of cash were seized during the arrest.
Another KCP(PWG) cadre was arrested from Moirang Okshongbung in Bishnupur district. Authorities stated that the individual had extorted significant sums from educational institutions in Thoubal district. Seized items included a mobile phone and an Aadhaar card.
As part of intelligence-led combing and cordon-and-search operations to crack down on extortion rackets, Manipur Police arrested two more KCP(PWG) operatives from the Utlou area of Bishnupur district. The duo was allegedly raising funds for the banned outfit through extortion in the Nambol area.
Among the arrested was a self-styled section commander believed to be leading more than 15 cadres. Police confirmed that efforts are ongoing to track and detain the remaining members of the network.
Security forces reiterated their commitment to maintaining law and order and continue to monitor and respond to threats posed by insurgent and criminal groups in the region.
UNI NS AAB GNK 0840
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scroll.in
33 minutes ago
- Scroll.in
Rush Hour: SC asks EC to consider Aadhaar for voter roll revision, Sheikh Hasina indicted and more
We're building a brand-new studio to bring you bold ground reports, sharp interviews, hard-hitting podcasts, explainers and more. The Election Commission should consider Aadhaar cards, voter ID cards and ration cards as proof for the revision of electoral rolls in Bihar, the Supreme Court has said. It noted that the list of 11 documents that the poll panel had said could be submitted as proof of citizenship was not exhaustive. The court was hearing petitions against the Election Commission's decision to carry out a special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Bihar ahead of the Assembly elections, which are expected to take place in October or November. The matter has been posted for further hearing on July 28. The revision was announced by the Election Commission on June 24. As part of the exercise, persons whose names were not on the 2003 voter list will need to submit proof of eligibility to vote. This means that 2.9 crore out of the state's 7.8 crore voters – or about 37% of the electors – will have to submit documentary evidence to be included on the electoral rolls. Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal framed charges against ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and two others in a case relating to alleged crimes against humanity committed during the July 2024 protests. Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, the home minister at the time of the protests, and former Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun were the other two charged. The tribunal will hear the prosecution's arguments on August 3 and August 4. Hasina had resigned as the prime minister and fled to India on August 5, 2024, after several weeks of widespread student-led protests against her government. She had been in power for 16 years. On June 1, the tribunal had taken cognisance of the charges against her. She has been charged with having instigated mass killings during the protests. Read on The Enforcement Directorate has filed a money laundering case against 29 persons, including actors Prakash Raj and Vijay Deverakonda, for allegedly promoting illegal online betting applications. An Enforcement Case Information Report was registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, following five cases filed by the Telangana Police and Andhra Pradesh Police. The persons accused in the matter are suspected to have received endorsement fees for allegedly promoting the betting applications. Online betting and gambling are illegal in India. Read on At least 85 persons have died in rain-related incidents since the onset of the monsoon in Himachal Pradesh on June 20. Thirty-four persons were missing and 129 have been injured. In neighbouring Uttarakhand, 22 persons have died and 11 injured in rain-related incidents. Over 140 house have been damaged and several families displaced due to the weather. More than 130 roads, including highways, remain blocked. In Delhi, the India Meteorological Department issued an orange alert as heavy rainfall continued to lash parts of the National Capital Region, causing severe waterlogging and traffic disruptions.
Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
Uber for housekeeping: India's newest gig economy boom faces a trust test
Bengaluru: When Sandip Ghosh, an engineer in New Delhi, signed up with Broomees to hire a 24/7 housekeeper, he thought he was finally buying peace of mind. For an annual subscription fee of ₹36,000, he expected the startup, which connects household workers with customers, to provide a hassle-free service, reliable replacements, and verified workers. 'They make you pay before they even start the search," Ghosh said, recounting how the service's pitch had sounded slick and reassuring. The reality, he added, was far from it. The first housekeeper left after four months, as informed in advance. The second vanished in two days. The third came after six weeks and set off alarms. 'When I tried to check her Aadhaar, she said the number on it belonged to someone else. No police verification, no clarity," he said. 'I was being asked to let someone live in my home without any background check." When Ghosh demanded a refund, citing safety concerns and a failure to deliver the promised services, he was told it wasn't possible as per company policy. 'It's like they disappear unless you follow up constantly," he said. 'If you stop chasing them, you hear nothing." Aashish Aggarwal, a finance professional based in Noida, had a similar experience. He, too, was drawn in by Broomees' promise of trained, verified professionals. He was assigned a housekeeper the company claimed had six years' experience. But when Aggarwal questioned, she admitted she'd only worked for two months in the past. 'She didn't even know how to do basic tasks. And then, one day, she just left. No explanation, no replacement," Aggarwal said. The company claims the two instances above are the exception, rather than the rule. 'We have served 20,000 customers, I think the total negative reviews are around about 500, that's about 2%," Niharika Jain Agrawal, co-founder, Broomees, told Mint. 'In some cases, we genuinely would have operationally faulted. But a lot of others have a one-sided story." Startups have been trying, and failing, to organise India's housekeeping market for years. But connecting housekeepers with households through platforms has never quite worked. The challenges are complex: trust, regulation, quality, and the fact that this isn't a product in a warehouse, but a person. Consequently, customer dissatisfaction is a common pain point for those in the business. Amid this, a new wave of startups, such as Snabbit, Pronto, and Urban Company's Insta Help, is betting on speed to crack the market, promising to deliver housekeepers in just 10 minutes. They're targeting specific household needs and offering a wide menu of services—from sweeping, swabbing, cooking, and dusting to laundry, window cleaning, dog walking, pet sitting, and serving food. Broomees, which traditionally catered to long-term housekeeping requirements, has also jumped onto the bandwagon. Another such startup, BookMyBai, is watching closely. Meanwhile, venture capital investors have bought into the premise. 'The fact is there is booming demand," Rahul Taneja, partner at Lightspeed India, an investor in Snabbit, told Mint. 'Consumers want a 'better lifestyle', which this model is able to assist them with. It's a high-frequency business with very high loyalty from customers, which is what we saw when we were investing. So, it's potentially something that can become really meaningful over time." So, is this how housekeepers will be hired in future, through an app, as with groceries and food? The original gangsters For most Indians, hiring housekeepers has long been a word-of-mouth affair. As urbanization picked up pace, agencies began stepping in, recruiting full-time workers, often from rural parts of the country, to serve in city households. But for part-time roles, informal networks still dominate. The entire system remains largely unorganized, with few credible digital alternatives emerging to formalize it. BookMyBai, one of the first in this niche segment, was started about a decade ago by Mumbai-based Anupam Sinhal and Vikash Chowdhury. The duo saw that demand was high and supply extremely fragmented, with no organized effort to crack the model. 'That's when we saw a large gap in the market and got into it," Sinhal told Mint. They brought in a digital platform where workers could register their details. Their profiles would be visible to users looking to hire them, negating the need to go door to door, informing security guards that their services were available. 'She (a woman looking for work as a housekeeper) can simply approach us and we can get her a job very close to where she lives in case she's already in Mumbai, or we can get her a 24-hour living job in case she's a migrant worker," Sinhal said. A few years later, Broomees, MeeHelp, and others entered the space, trying to streamline how users hire housekeepers. These companies typically operate through three models: a recruitment model, where the platform assigns a worker and charges the customer a one-time fee equal to her/his monthly salary; a basic subscription model, where users pay a fee to access contact details of nearby workers; a managed subscription model, where the company assigns a worker, charges an upfront fee, and offers replacements if the worker quits. While BookMyBai started with the first model, it launched the basic subscription option two years ago. Six-year-old MeeHelp followed the same trajectory and now offers the basic subscription and an on-demand or 10-minute service. Broomees, which started in 2020, follows the third model with monthly subscription packages for three, six, 12 and 24 months. Recently, it started offering 10-minute delivery as well. These companies offer their services in major cities such as Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi, Gurugram, and Pune with some extending to tier-II cities, including Surat, Jaipur, and Patna. No easy task Despite the demand and a clear pain point for customers, scale remains elusive for these apps. In the informal setup, agencies that find regular housekeepers and charge customers a month's salary as a commission, have been operating for a long time. Many startups made that model digital but without much innovation. 'It can become a profitable business, but it is not a billion-dollar scalable idea. We also fell in that pitfall but then realized, we don't want a large number of people sitting at the office only trying matchmaking," said Shiv Kumar Goyal, co-founder of MeeHelp, which started with an agency-like model but has now shifted to an on-demand/10-minute service and a subscription model. Safety and trust remain critical pain points on both sides. While startups claim to offer background verification and training, setting up a robust verification system is both complex and costly, and even then, gaps exist. Bookmybai's Sinhal draws a contrast to explain the challenge. 'When you hire an accountant from Naukri and he ends up doing some financial scam, the blame is not put on Naukri. But in my line of business, if you hire a domestic worker through my platform and something goes wrong, then we are directly involved." As for background verification, most companies typically partner with third-party organizations to do the job. For instance, BookMyBai has tied up with a company that does court record verification. Minor complaints in some local police stations, however, go unflagged, which becomes a big issue, according to the company's founder. Demand has never been the industry's problem; supply of skilled workers is. And with more startups entering the fray, the challenge is only growing. Onboarding quality supply is something that's hard, said Broomees' Agrawal. 'We're very clear that we're going to control the supply and demand so that we find it easy to do it. But, if you were to ask me if we can do the background verification for 15,000 workers, that's hard," she explained. Broomees used to train workers until two years back but stopped due to capital constraints. It is now looking to raise money to train workers again, to fill a yawning gap. 'Acquiring quality workers who pass the assessment or go through training to fill that gap is what's needed and is what's tough," she said. Each new startup is now trying to crack the supply puzzle in its own way. Help in minutes? On a quiet Sunday evening, this writer booked a dish-cleaning service on MeeHelp. Within minutes, a housekeeper was assigned, much like booking a ride on Uber. Sayani Sahoo, a 26-year-old gig worker, called to confirm the address and arrived within half an hour, having travelled over 7.5 km. Sayani and her husband joined the platform six months ago, after a friend recommended it. Before this, she had never worked, while her husband was employed as a security guard, earning ₹25,000 a month. Now, working five to six gigs a day, the couple rakes in nearly ₹1 lakh a month. 'Why would I take up a full-time job when I can make good money on my own terms and still take care of my young son?" she said, while cleaning the dishes. 'If you do your job well, customers treat you with respect. Going to the same house every day often comes with too much drama." Concerns about safety don't seem to bother her. 'The platform has all our details. That's enough for me," she added. Sayani typically earns ₹300 per visit, with extras like cleaning a fridge (not listed on the app), fetching her more money. Platforms such as Urban Company, MeeHelp, Snabbit, Pronto and even Broomees have entered the fast house-help game, eyeing a clear use case: young professionals living alone and households left scrambling when their regular housekeeper takes a day off. Investor bets on the quick model for home services, despite operational complexity, are heating up. In May alone, Snabbit raised $19 million from Lightspeed and Nexus Venture Partners, while Pronto bagged $2 million from Bain Capital Ventures and is already chasing a fresh round. Broomees is also in the market for funds. Some newer platforms have tried to fix one of the biggest hurdles for this model, which is maintaining a steady supply of quality workers and ensuring they're paid fairly, by offering payroll-like contracts or hybrid models with fixed and variable pay. While this gives platforms such as Snabbit and Pronto more control, it also drives up fixed costs. MeeHelp co-founder Goyal, who experimented with putting workers on payroll, said it wasn't viable in the long run. The company now uses a prepaid model: workers have to recharge their wallet with ₹500 to receive job leads worth ₹5,000. As for its main revenue, MeeHelp gets a 20% commission when an order for a worker gets placed. Pronto and Snabbit are also training workers to bridge the skill gap. A standardised experience through training is important as these platforms rely on repeat usage for the model to work. 'As the density increases, prediction power increases because there is more data. Timing improves and your economies of scale start happening because your utilization of supply improves. That's when the business starts looking meaningfully profitable," Snabbit founder Aayush Agarwal explained. Challenges ahead While the idea has found some takers, scepticism around the model remains high, with many experts wondering if the economics can work beyond a handful of dense neighborhoods. Then there's a bigger question: are Indians truly ready to let a new, unfamiliar person into their homes on demand? Much of the market optimism hinges on a speculative shift in consumer behaviour, not on proven or consistent demand. Lightspeed's Taneja is optimistic. 'I do believe a large target addressable market (TAM) will get created here, just like it has in big commerce or even Urban Company. If you can create a product that is innovative enough to serve your demand, you will see a TAM unlock." Young companies such as Snabbit and Pronto are going up against the deep pockets of Urban Company, which is aggressively using low introductory pricing to grab demand. With years of consumer data, Urban Company has a head start in understanding where demand lies. But even for UC, cracking the housekeeping market won't be easy. Unlike plumbing or electrical services—traditionally gig work—housekeeping has long been a fixed job with a steady monthly income. Such workers may not be willing to make the shift to on-demand work. How these startups crack the puzzle of scale and profitability in the segment remains to be seen. Help might come in 10 minutes, but building a business will take a lot longer.
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Top news of the day: July 10, 2025
ECI may consider Aadhaar, voter id, ration card as valid proof for SIR, says Supreme Court A Supreme Court Bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi ordered the Election Commission of India (ECI) to consider Aadhaar, EPIC or Voter ID, and ration cards as valid proof of documentation for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll underway in poll-bound Bihar. The top court allowed the ECI to continue with its SIR of electoral rolls in Bihar, calling it a 'constitutional mandate'. Noting that none of the petitioners, including leaders of 10 opposition parties, prayed for an interim stay of the poll panel's exercise, the Bench sought a response on the batch of petitions and posted the hearing on July 28. Maharashtra introduces bill to 'curb' Left-wing extremism The Maharashtra government introduced a revised draft of the Special Public Security Bill aimed at curbing 'left-wing extremist organisations' in the Assembly on Thursday (July 10, 2025). Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, introducing the Bill in the Assembly, said that the Bill is necessary to contain Maoism in the State. He said that while at least four districts in the State were affected by Left Wing extremism earlier, only two taluks are now affected. He said that such organisations are against the Constitution of India. Mr. Fadnavis said more than 12,500 suggestions received from the public have been taken into consideration while finalising the Bill. It includes provisions for an 'Advisory Board', which will be headed by the Chief Justice of the High Court or a retired Chief Justice. Actors, anchors, TV hosts among 29 booked by ED for promoting illegal betting apps The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has registered an Enforcement Case Information Report against 29 individuals, including actors, television hosts, social media influencers, and YouTubers, for allegedly promoting illegal betting applications in breach of the Public Gambling Act, 1867. The action comes under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, following five separate FIRs registered in Panjagutta, Miyapur, Cyberabad, Suryapet, and Visakhapatnam. The case revolves around paid promotions for platforms such as Junglee Rummy, A23, JeetWin, Parimatch, Lotus365, and others suspected to be involved in large-scale money laundering. The ED believes the individuals received significant financial compensation to endorse these apps, many of which masqueraded as skill-based games but allegedly facilitated gambling under the radar. Indian team to visit U.S. again to seek clarity, further negotiate on trade deal An Indian team of negotiators will be travelling to the U.S. once again to seek clarity regarding several of the U.S.' most recent announcements, including a proposed 10% tariff on BRICS countries, as well as to continue negotiations for a mini deal and an overall Bilateral Investment Treaty. According to sources and trade experts, the prospect of a BRICS tax despite tariff letters having already been sent to several BRICS countries calls into question the sanctity of a trade agreement with the U.S. A government official confirmed to The Hindu that India was going to seek additional clarity on this. 'We are engaged with the U.S. team virtually, and an Indian team will be heading to the U.S. soon,' the official said. 'Along with clarity on this, negotiations will continue on the mini deal as well as the overall Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA).' Supreme Court posts plea on July 14 seeking government help to save Nimisha Priya awaiting execution in Yemen The Supreme Court on Thursday (July 10, 2025) agreed to hear on Monday (July 14, 2025) an organisation fighting to save the life of a Malayali nurse, Nimisha Priya, whose execution has been tentatively fixed for July 16 by the Republic of Yemen for the murder of a local man there. A Bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi, meanwhile, asked 'Nimisha Priya — International Action Council', the organisation represented by senior advocate Raghenth Basant and advocate Subhash Chandran KR, to immediately serve an advance copy of their plea to the office of the Attorney General of India to facilitate any diplomatic efforts, if possible, to protect her from the gallows. The execution of Ms. Priya is reportedly scheduled for July 16 and Directs the petitioner organisation to serve an advance copy of their petition to the AG office for possible early diplomatic interventions. Congress in Kerala scrambles to stay clear of Shashi Tharoor's controversial article on Emergency The Congress party in Kerala on Thursday (July 10, 2025) appeared to struggle to stay clear of Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor's controversial article that blamed late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her son, Sanjay Gandhi, for the 'unspeakable cruelty', including forced vasectomy and slum demolitions, in New Delhi, during the Emergency. Responding on the sidelines of the Opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) leadership meeting in Kochi, Kerala's Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan, said. 'I read Mr. Tharoor's article and I have an opinion about it, which I reserve for myself. Mr. Tharoor is a member of the Congress Working Committee. No Congress leader in Kerala will hazard an adverse comment about Mr. Tharoor. If at all, if any party worker has a difference of opinion, the person can approach the All India Congress Committee (AICC), which is the sole arbitrator on matters concerning CWC members.' Vadodara bridge collapse: Death toll rises to 15 as search continues The number of fatalities in the Vadodara bridge collapse climbed to 15 on Thursday (July 10, 2025), following the recovery of four more bodies, according to officials. The incident occurred after a section of the Gambhira bridge in Gujarat's Vadodara district collapsed early on Wednesday (July 9, 2025), sending multiple vehicles crashing into the Mahisagar river below. Earlier in the day, one body was recovered as search operations entered their second day, with authorities working against time to locate possible survivors. At dawn, a joint team of NDRF personnel, local firefighters, and divers resumed search operations in the swift river currents. District Collector Anil Dhameliya and other senior officials were present at the site to oversee the efforts. Magnitude 4.4 earthquake hits Haryana, tremors felt in Delhi-NCR An earthquake of magnitude 4.4 struck near Jhajjar in Haryana on Thursday (July 10, 2025), sending tremors across the Delhi-NCR region. The epicentre was 3 km northeast of Jhajjar and 51 km west of Delhi. The earthquake struck at a depth of 10 km at 9.04 a.m., the National Centre for Seismology said. Besides Jhajjar, the tremors were felt in neighbouring Rohtak and Gurugram districts, Panipat, Hisar and Meerut. In Delhi, panic gripped neighbourhoods soon after the tremors were felt and people gathered in the open. Kremlin says the Ukraine peace process has not stalled The Kremlin said on Thursday (July 10, 2025) that Russia did not think peace talks on Ukraine had stalled despite Donald Trump's remarks about Russian President Vladimir Putin and Washington's resumption of some weapons to Ukraine. Earlier, Mr. Trump said that he was not happy with Mr. Putin and accused the Kremlin chief of throwing 'a lot of bullshit'. The United States is delivering artillery shells and mobile rocket artillery missiles to Ukraine, two U.S. officials told Reuters. Asked by Reuters if the peace process on Ukraine was stalled due to Mr. Trump's remarks and the resumption of U.S. weapons deliveries, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: 'No, I don't think so. You cannot say that.' Bangladesh ex-PM Sheikh Hasina formally indicted in crimes against humanity case Bangladesh's deposed Premier Sheikh Hasina was on Thursday (July 10, 2025) formally indicted in a crimes against humanity case by the country's International Crimes Tribunal, media reports said. The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) ordered a crimes against humanity case against the ousted Prime Minister, former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan and former Inspector General of Police Abdullah Al Mamun for their attempts to suppress the July-August student-led protests last year. Mr. Mamun has pleaded guilty and petitioned to turn state's witness in the case, according to the bdnews24 news portal. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen comfortably survives confidence vote European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen comfortably survived a vote of no confidence on Thursday (July 10, 2025), as an overwhelming number of European Union (EU) lawmakers rejected a censure motion against her. The motion contained a mix of allegations against Ms. Von der Leyen, including text messaging privately with the chief executive of vaccine maker Pfizer during the COVID-19 pandemic, misuse of EU funds and interference in elections in Germany and Romania. The motion was defeated in a 360-175 vote against it, with 18 lawmakers choosing to abstain during a plenary session at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. Sachin Tendulkar's portrait unveiled in MCC Museum at Lord's A portrait of the legendary Sachin Tendulkar was unveiled in the MCC Museum at Lord's before the start of the third Test between India and England in London on Thursday (July 10, 2025). The portrait, which has been painted by Stuart Pearson Wright from a photograph taken by the artist at his home 18 years ago, will remain in the MCC Museum until later this year and will then be relocated to the Pavilion. 'As the work progressed, so did Pearson Wright's approach, eventually ending with oil on abraded aluminium. The abstract background illustrates Tendulkar's timelessness, unrestricted by any era or specific location,' a release said.
