Latest news with #Gani
News18
08-07-2025
- News18
'Chain' Reaction: Bengaluru Cops In Quandary As Repeated Arrests Fail To Deter Notorious Snatcher
Gani, who has committed more than 160 chain-snatching crimes over the last decade, was recently arrested again Gani Bhai in the Salman Khan-starrer film Wanted gave sleepless nights to the police. Now, in real life, chain snatcher Gani, alias Achyut Kumar, has left Bengaluru cops scratching their heads. He has been arrested multiple times and was shot in the leg once by the police in 2018. But none of this has stopped Gani from snatching gold chains. He has committed more than 160 chain-snatching crimes over the last decade. Girinagar police on June 23 apprehended the chain snatcher and seized 541 grams of gold chains related to 11 different cases. He had sold or pledged these gold ornaments in far-off Hyderabad and Palakkad. He had been targeting areas under ten different police station limits, including Yelahanka, Girinagar, Kodigehalli, Sanjaynagar, and Kengeri. 'Gani' in 60 seconds! Gani is known for committing multiple snatchings within a short span, once striking three times in just three hours, even in broad daylight in the Sanjaynagar and Kodigehalli areas. The accused has been arrested and remanded to judicial custody. Hailing from Koliwad near Hubballi, Gani is exceptionally adept at robbing women wearing gold jewellery. He often wears a full-face helmet and rides stolen motorcycles. He snatches the gold chains in a flash and escapes. To evade the cops, he often changes houses. — Harish Upadhya (@harishupadhya) July 8, 2025 On June 17, 2018, police in Jnanabharathi caught him after shooting him in the leg. The arrest helped the police recover Rs 1 crore worth of stolen gold chains. Gani spent the next four years in the Central Prison at Parappana Agrahara as an undertrial before being released on bail. He was again arrested in October 2022. The police are now considering slapping harsher charges against him, possibly even the Goonda Act. 'This particular accused is involved in more than 160 odd cases of chain snatching in the previous years and other cases also. So it's a serious issue why he's committing crimes like this, and we've discussed this with our crime team also, and our senior officers have been told that he should not repeat this offence. Taking into consideration all these things, we have stricter sections we can book against him," said Seemanth Kumar Singh, Bengaluru city police commissioner. First Published: July 08, 2025, 22:16 IST
NDTV
08-07-2025
- NDTV
Bengaluru's Most Notorious Chain Snatcher, Involved In Over 150 Cases, Arrested
In a major crackdown, Bengaluru Police have arrested Achyuta Kumar Gani, one of the city's most notorious serial chain snatchers, who is allegedly involved in over 160 cases of chain snatching and other theft-related crimes. The arrest was made by Girinagar Police during the investigation of a chain-snatching incident reported on June 16, 2025. The accused had snatched a 50-gram gold chain from a woman outside her home under the pretext of asking for directions. Acting on reliable intelligence, police apprehended Gani along with his two-wheeler from Hosakerehalli, Desouza Nagar, on June 23. During interrogation, Gani confessed not only to the Girinagar case but also to multiple other offences. A massive recovery of 541 grams of stolen gold jewellery from jewellery shops in Hyderabad and Palakkad, Kerala, has been made, valued at 52.89 lakh, in addition to the two-wheeler used in the crimes. Police revealed that Gani is a repeat offender with a long criminal record. Despite having been arrested multiple times in the past, he has repeatedly managed to secure bail and return to committing crimes shortly after his release. This time, police are exploring legal options to book him under stringent sections, including habitual offender provisions, to ensure he remains behind bars. Authorities are also considering invoking the Karnataka Control of Organised Crime Act (KCOCA) or similar laws to prevent his early release. So far, his arrest has helped solve at least 11 chain snatching and burglary cases.
The Citizen
17-06-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
Increased risks of cyberattacks, limited skills among Sapo's challenges
The Sapo aims to move from a loss of R1.03 billion in 2025 to a net profit of R1.48 billion in 2029. The South African Post Office (Sapo) has a plan in place to turn its business around by 2029. However, several hurdles remain that it must overcome to reach its goals. In 2023, the state-owned enterprise entered business rescue with R8.7 billion in outstanding debt to creditors. It requested a R3 billion bailout at the end of 2024 to avoid liquidation, but National Treasury decided against the move. ALSO READ: Post Office rescue plan is working, but more money is needed For the financial year 2024-25, Business Rescue Practitioners (BRP) managed to pay creditors R1 billion. On Tuesday, Sapo presented its corporate plan to the Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies, outlining its strategy for turning things around over the next five years. Sapo's corporate plan Acting CEO Fatima Gani stated that the entity is exploring the formation of partnerships with e-commerce platforms and small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to unlock new revenue streams. Public-private partnerships would also help modernise Sapo infrastructure without requiring full privatisation, she said. The Sapo hopes to reach the R5 billion mark in revenue; however, this can only be achieved with the help of investments. ALSO READ: Union fights liquidation of Sapo while govt says it cannot bail it out 'If we had to achieve this revenue stream, there needs to be an investment, whether it's through a partnership, capital injection, equity injection, or raising funds on our own. We need those investments to make Sapo fit for business, to achieve a diversified revenue stream,' said Gani. 'We are forecasting to be breaking even around 2027–2028, which means working capital stress that we feel, and we keep on coming back to the government to say please help us fund this organisation, will fall away as we are on our investments from our diversified revenue stream.' Market threats Among other threats, Sapo will have to outplay increasing competition from more agile and technologically advanced private sector operators amid a decline in demand for traditional postal services. It will have to find growth amid weak economic conditions and increasing business costs, which will negatively impact Sapo's operational costs. There is also a threat of an increase in cyberattacks, which have recently targeted the public sector. Security costs are expected to increase by 6% per annum due to network expansion over the next five years. ALSO READ: Ramaphosa signs Post Office Bill into law 'This one keeps me awake at night, as it is relevant, and we have seen it happening in the public and private sectors. Unfortunately, if the very clever people put their minds into something positive, we would be ahead of this, but these very clever people join the dark side of the world,' said Gani. 'They are always a step ahead. How do you stay on top of cyberattacks? As a national asset, we hold critical information regarding citizens, including their personal information, residences, and addresses. This is something that keeps me awake at night.' Escalating operational costs, including employee wages, transport, and security services, exacerbate Sapo's financial distress. Employee salaries Last month, Sapo and the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) reached an agreement to fund employee salaries for the last half of the year. The Ters scheme will inject R381 million to assist 5 956 employees. Gani lamented that the Sapo's slow pace to embrace digital transformation has limited its ability to compete effectively with the private sector. This is in addition to the limited skills to transform and modernise the entity 'We have multiple vacancies from a leadership perspective. We have limited skills internally.' The Sapo aims to move from a loss of R1.03 billion in 2025 to a net profit of R1.48 billion in 2029. READ NEXT: More millions to save jobs at SA Post Office
IOL News
22-04-2025
- IOL News
Investigation launched into KZN teacher's alleged sexual misconduct at Pitlochry Primary School
An investigation is underway by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education (DoE) into allegations that a teacher had sent a grade 7 learner text messages of a sexual nature at Pitlochry Primary School in Westville. Several parents and concerned residents staged a protest outside the school on Tuesday calling for the removal of the teacher. Spokesperson for the DoE, Muzi Mahlambi, said the matter was reported to the school principal on April 5, 2025. Mahlambi said the circuit manager instituted an investigation immediately. 'The findings and the recommendations are now at the desk of the head of the department to apply his mind and take appropriate actions. We are very disappointed as the department to have such a character teaching our learners. The department frowns at such behaviour,' Mahlambi said. KwaZulu-Natal Parents Association chairperson, Vee Gani, said the matter was brought to his attention on Thursday. Gani said the matter was already being investigated by the DoE. Gani said the complaint was lodged with supporting evidence, and that the DoE should have acted immediately to remove or suspend the teacher. Gani said the department must not place him at another school. On vetting of teachers, Gani said it had a good and bad notion. Gani said a teacher can be cleared today but the nature of the person can change tomorrow. 'Even though vetted, they can still cause a crime. The department should have acted with speed and should have protected the reputation of the school. The relevant parties should have gotten involved to minimise the reputational risk,' he said. Gani said that parents must be vigilant and monitor their children's cellphone. Gani said role-players must do all that they can to prevent it from happening again. 'It gets worse when a protector becomes a violator. I hope justice takes its course and if he is found guilty the department must dispense whatever sanction is appropriate for the crime. Putting an article on social media opens the door for all sorts of blame games to happen,' Gani said. Thirona Moodley, National Professional Teachers' Organisation of South Africa (NAPTOSA) chief executive officer, said they are against any act of sexual grooming or any advances of a sexual nature between an educator and learners. 'Educators stand in for parents while learners are at school .They are to protect learners and not use their positions to exploit our learners. These are allegations that must be tested and before that we cannot be judge and jury. It is for this reason the department must investigate and report their findings to all concerned,' Moodley said. Concerned parent Lee Maharajh said the outcome of the awareness protest on Tuesday did not yield the desired results they expected. Maharajh said parents have been left frustrated with the process. "We wanted answers as parents and community activists as to why it took so long for the school to give feedback on this matter, even via the D6 communicator app. The school failed to give us answers. Instead they chose to go the silenct route. Parents have heard about the matter through social media and television news. We wait with bated breath for the outcome of the investigation," Maharajh said Sydenham police are investigating a case of child grooming following reports that a man was allegedly sending explicit messages to a 12-year-old girl, said police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda. [email protected]
IOL News
22-04-2025
- IOL News
Investigation launched into teacher's alleged sexual misconduct at Pitlochry Primary School
An investigation is underway by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education (DoE) into allegations that a teacher had sent a grade 7 learner text messages of a sexual nature at Pitlochry Primary School in Westville. Several parents and concerned residents staged a protest outside the school on Tuesday calling for the removal of the teacher. Spokesperson for the DoE, Muzi Mahlambi, said the matter was reported to the school principal on April 5, 2025. Mahlambi said the circuit manager instituted an investigation immediately. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. 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Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ 'The findings and the recommendations are now at the desk of the head of the department to apply his mind and take appropriate actions. We are very disappointed as the department to have such a character teaching our learners. The department frowns at such behaviour,' Mahlambi said. KwaZulu-Natal Parents Association chairperson, Vee Gani, said the matter was brought to his attention on Thursday. Gani said the matter was already being investigated by the DoE. Gani said the complaint was lodged with supporting evidence, and that the DoE should have acted immediately to remove or suspend the teacher. Gani said the department must not place him at another school. On vetting of teachers, Gani said it had a good and bad notion. Gani said a teacher can be cleared today but the nature of the person can change tomorrow. 'Even though vetted they can still cause a crime. The department should have acted with speed and should have protected the reputation of the school. The relevant parties should have gotten involved to minimise the reputational risk,' he said. Gani said that parents must be vigilant and monitor their children's cellphone. Gani said role-players must do all that they can to prevent it from happening again. 'It gets worse when a protector becomes a violator. I hope justice takes its course and if he is found guilty the department must dispense whatever sanction is appropriate for the crime. Putting an article on social media opens the door for all sorts of blame games to happen,' Gani said. Thirona Moodley, National Professional Teachers' Organisation of South Africa (NAPTOSA) chief executive officer, said they are against any act of sexual grooming or any advances of a sexual nature between an educator and learners. 'Educators stand in for parents while learners are at school .They are to protect learners and not use their positions to exploit our learners. These are allegations that must be tested and before that we cannot be judge and jury. It is for this reason the department must investigate and report their findings to all concerned,' Moodley said. Concerned parent Lee Maharajh said the outcome of the awareness protest on Tuesday did not yield the desired results they expected. Maharajh said parents have been left frustrated with the process. "We wanted answers as parents and community activists as to why it took so long for the school to give feedback on this matter even via the D6 communicator app. The school failed to give us answers. Instead they chose to go on the silence route. Parents have heard about the matter through social media and television news. We wait with bated breath for the outcome of the investigation," Maharajh said Sydenham police are investigating a case of child grooming following reports that a man was allegedly sending explicit messages to a 12-year-old girl, said police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda.
