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Indian Express
23-07-2025
- Indian Express
Gujarat ATS and ED join Bharuch police in hawala racket probe
Officials of the Gujarat Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) and the Enforcement Directorate joined Bharuch police in a probe into the seizure of a 'hawala racket' of Rs 48 lakh, which arrived from Africa's Zambia to Bharuch, a few days ago. A maulavi from Aurangabad is under the scanner of the top investigating agencies after his claims allegedly turned out to be futile. Special Operations Group (SOG) sleuths of the Bharuch police had on July 17 caught three youths from a house in Karmad village on the outskirts of Bharuch and recovered Rs 40.35 lakh in cash from their possession. After the trio failed to provide satisfactory answers about the seized cash, they were detained. They were identified as Huzaifa Patel (22), Zakariya Bariwala (Patel) (23), and Mohammed Javid Patel (24) — all residents of Bharuch, and were interrogated. During interrogation, they confessed to having stolen the money from a car parked at Omkar complex in Ankleshwar on July 14. The trio also revealed that they had chased the car from Bharuch. Huzaifa disclosed that he had hacked into his friend and alleged hawala racketeer Shakir Patel's WhatsApp, and learnt that a huge sum of money would reach a cloth shop at Bharuch market on July 14. Shakir is from Bharuch. The information given by the trio led Bharuch SOG to a A l Quswa cloth shop at Bharuch market, where they questioned owner Afzal Patel, Zakariya's elder brother. Afzal confessed to having given Rs 48 lakh in cash to Maulvi Musa Randera, a teacher and resident of a madressa in Sillod village in Aurangabad and a native of Mangrol taluka in Surat. Afzal also disclosed that the money was given to him by one Zahur Patel on behalf of Shakir. The money was to be handed over to Maulavi Musa. In his statements to the Bharuch police, Maulana Musa disclosed that his cousin, Zahid Nomani from Zambia had sent the money as the former wanted to purchase a property in his village. Bharuch police also took statements of Shakir and continued the probe further. Top officials of the Gujarat ATS reached Bharuch two days ago, after learning about the seizure of a 'considerable amount from an undisclosed source'. The ED officials of Surat also reached Bharuch and collected the details from the Bharuch police and started a probe. A team of Bharuch police has gone to Aurangabad and is collecting more information from Maulavi Musa. Talking to The Indian Express, Bharuch SOG police inspector Anand Chaudhary said, 'The motive behind bringing such a huge amount of money is still not clear. Maulavi (Musa) had told us that he wanted to purchase a property in his village. Our team reached his native village and learnt that there is no such property, which is meant for sale. We also cross-checked the financial status of his cousin, Zahid Nomani, in Zambia, and found that he is living hand-to-mouth. He is doing a petty job and earning around Rs 6 lakhs per year.' He further added, 'The statements of Maulavi are contradictory, as his story of purchasing a property turned futile, and even his brother's financial status is also not sound. Maulavi is serving in a madressa in Aurangabad and stays there with his family and has a monthly salary of Rs 12,000.' Chaudhary further added, 'When we asked Maulavi as to why he had not registered an offence of theft of the cash worth Rs 48 lakh with Ankleshwar police, he could not give a satisfactory reply. This led the needle of suspicion on him. We have collected some vital information from those who have been interrogated and shared it with the ED and the ATS, so that they can dig out more information. The purpose of the transfer and usage of the money is not clear. We suspect that there was some other motive.' Sources in Bharuch police, meanwhile, said that Gujarat ATS officials have started questioning all those involved in this hawala racket, including Maulvi Musa and Shakir. Police suspect that Maulavi might have collected money through a hawala racket earlier as well.
New Straits Times
03-07-2025
- Business
- New Straits Times
Time dotCom names Loh Jenkim as group CEO, redesignates Afzal as executive vice chairman
KUALA LUMPUR: Time dotCom Bhd has named Loh Jenkim as its new group chief executive officer effective from Sept 23. In a filing to Bursa Malaysia, the company said Loh, 53, will succeed Afzal Abdul Rahim. Afzal, 47, will be redesignated as executive vice chairman from his current role as group chief executive officer, also effective Sept 23. Afzal was involved in the founding and growth of the AIMS and Global Transit Groups before joining Time in 2008, where he has since served as group chief executive officer. Meanwhile, Loh brings over 25 years of experience across the telecommunications, energy and professional services sectors. She currently serves as Time's chief commercial officer, responsible for driving the group's commercial strategy to ensure sustainable profitability, return on investments, and alignment with long-term objectives. Prior to joining Time, she held leadership roles at Maxis, Talisman Energy and PwC. At the time of writing, Time's share price was down two sen or 0.38 per cent at RM5.22, giving the group a market value of RM9.65 billion.
Express Tribune
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
PPP endorses need for dialogue with PTI
The PPP has thrown its weight behind calls for dialogue with the PTI, following the surfacing of a letter on social media purportedly written by PTI Punjab's incarcerated leadership. The letter, penned from behind bars, advocates initiating a national dialogue to pull the country back from the brink of political paralysis. PPP Information Secretary Nadeem Afzal, responding to a social media post featuring the letter, said that if the letter was genuine, it represented a positive development. He added that the government should engage PTI in dialogue to strengthen democracy. Afzal said there was a need for a visionary approach, akin to that of former PPP leader Benazir Bhutto, under whose leadership the Charter of Democracy was formulated. The letter, reportedly written by four jailed PTI leaders — former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, former provincial ministers Mehmood-ur-Rasheed and Yasmin Rashid, and former Punjab governor Umar Sarfraz Cheema — stressed the urgent need for dialogue across all platforms, including with the government and the establishment. It also called for the PTI leadership to be granted access to the party's patron-in-chief, Imran Khan, so they could seek his continued guidance on all matters. PPP Central Punjab General Secretary Hasan Murtaza, speaking to The Express Tribune, said dialogue was the appropriate path to resolving longstanding political issues, but stressed that dialogue should be held only with political stakeholders. He said it was time for PTI's founder to "start behaving like a party chief, not a military chief". Commenting on recent developments in the Punjab Assembly, Murtaza said the PPP supported actions taken against PTI's provincial assembly members, arguing that their conduct had warranted such measures.
The Hindu
28-06-2025
- The Hindu
18-year-old youth gets 30 years in jail for raping minor
The Thiruvananthapuram Principal POCSO Court has sentenced an 18-year-old youth to 30 years of rigorous imprisonment for raping a 13-year-old girl. POCSO court judge M.P. Shibu found Afzal of Perayam, Kollam, guilty of the crime and sent him to prison. The incident took place in 2024. Afzal met the minor girl through Instagram and having got hold of the location of her house, he forcibly entered it when only the minor and her eight-year-old younger sister were present. He then brutally attacked and raped the older of the two sisters. Though the younger girl cried out in alarm, it went unnoticed. The accused was arrested immediately after the incident was reported and following opposition from the prosecution, he was denied bail. The trial was completed in a year. The court accepted the prosecution's argument that since Afzal had raped a girl who was only 13, he did not deserve any mercy. The prosecution examined 28 witnesses and produced 71 documents and 16 exhibits. Public prosecutor Kattayikonam J.K. Ajithprasad and lawyer Bindu V. C. appeared for the prosecution.
Business Recorder
19-06-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
National Tariff Policy draft 2025-30 unveiled
ISLAMABAD: The Government of Pakistan unveiled the draft National Tariff Policy (NTP) 2025-30 during the National Regulatory Reforms Conference organised by the Board of Investment (BoI). The conference, aimed at advancing regulatory simplification and industrial competitiveness, brought together federal ministers, diplomats, and private sector representatives for a strategic dialogue on Pakistan's economic direction. Rana Ihsaan Afzal, Coordinator to the Prime Minister on Commerce, represented the Ministry of Commerce and delivered the keynote address on the minister's behalf. In his speech, Afzal underscored the government's strong commitment to rationalising Pakistan's tariff regime, simplifying business processes, and fostering export-led growth. He stated, 'The National Tariff Policy 2025-30 is designed to create a predictable, transparent, and investment-friendly tariff structure. By facilitating duty-free access to raw materials, phasing out Additional Customs Duties (ACDs) and Regulatory Duties (RDs), and supporting nascent and green industries, this policy paves the way for innovation, employment generation, and sustained economic growth.' The NTP 2025-30 outlined ambitious reform goals, including the phasing out of ACDs in four years, elimination of RDs and the 5th Schedule within five years, and the establishment of a simplified four-slab Customs Duty structure (0%, 5%, 10%, 15%). The policy aims to benefit key sectors including textiles, engineering, pharmaceuticals, and IT, while encouraging investment and reducing production costs across the board. Rana Afzal highlighted that the implementation will begin with the reduction of tariffs on approximately 7,000 tariff lines, largely focused on raw materials and intermediate goods, yielding an estimated Rs 200 billion in benefits to trade and industry. 'These reforms will enable Pakistan's industries to scale, compete globally, and shift towards higher value-added exports,' he said. 'With these changes, we anticipate not just stronger GDP growth, but also increased employment, improved industrial productivity, and enhanced investor confidence.' The conference was also attended by Federal Minister for the Board of Investment Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Industries and Production Haroon Akhtar Khan, senior officials, diplomats, and leading figures from the private sector. Participants lauded the government's efforts to streamline regulation and modernise trade facilitation, calling the draft policy a significant step toward Pakistan's long-term economic transformation. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
