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Indian Express
6 days ago
- Indian Express
A wad of ‘cash', a plea for help: 3 of family held for duping women of their gold jewellery in Outer Delhi
A crowded market, a bundle of fake notes, and a cry for help- this is how three family members allegedly duped several women of their gold jewellery in the Outer Delhi markets. The trio identified as Laxman, his wife, and their daughter-in-law, was arrested by the Delhi Police on Monday. Upon questioning, the police found out the family duped women using a carefully orchestrated modus operandi of defrauding. The trio, as police terms, were gaddibaz (bundle users) fraudsters. In this type of fraud, a couple of Indian currency notes is placed on top of a bundle of paper, making it look like huge wads of cash, and offered to the customers in exchange of something. According to the police, the case came to light on Monday, when a team of the Special Staff of the Outer District received a tip-off about individuals trying to dupe women in the Ranhola market. 'While patrolling near Sai Baba Mandir, Vikas Nagar, the team received a tip-off about the presence of suspicious individuals who were reportedly cheating people….,' DCP (Outer) Sachin Sharma said. When the police reached the spot, a man and two women were seen interacting with another woman who was a passerby. The man had his hands folded, while the women were dangling a bundle of notes in front of the passerby, the police said. 'Upon noticing the police presence, the trio attempted to flee, but the alert staff acted swiftly and apprehended all of them,' DCP Sharma said. On how the family went about duping women, a police officer said, 'The trio targeted women in markets, who came from low-income localities, and wore modest gold jewellery. They would tell the victims that they have to go to their village as their son is on his deathbed. Then, the trio would show the women currency notes and tell them that they are scared to carry the cash in the train. They would then offer to exchange the currency notes for the jewellery the women are wearing.' When the women would tell the accused that the money offered is more than the value of their jewellery, the family would start sobbing, the officer added. 'They would say their son's life is more important,' the officer added. According to the police, the crying coupled with the prospect of getting huge amounts of money in exchange for the cheap jewellery made them feel less suspicious of the family's intentions. Upon questioning the trio, the police found out that the family had targeted a woman also on July 17. 'The accused admitted to having duped a woman in the jurisdiction of Ranhola. It was found that a case had already been registered in this regard under sections 303(2), 318(4), 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS),' DCP Sharma said. According to police officers, gaddibaz fraudsters are becoming more prominent in the outer district of the Capital. In July alone, over 15 such fraudsters have been arrested. 'It's difficult to control them. They come out of jail easily and keep repeating the offence. They are in touch with each other and help other groups in targeting unsuspecting women,' an officer said.
Indian Express
14-07-2025
- Indian Express
2 Delhi schools receive bomb threats, police declare them a hoax after searching campuses
Two schools in Delhi received bomb threats through emails Monday morning, prompting the police to dispatch the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS), Cyber Crime unit, and the Special Staff to both institutions. Delhi Fire Services reported they received calls from the Navy School in Chanakyapuri at 8.15 am, and from the CRPF School in Sector 16 in Dwarka at 8.25 am. The police said the BDS, Cyber Crime unit and the Special Staff carried out checks at the Navy School and the CRPF School; however, the mail was soon reported to be a hoax. Since May last year, several Delhi schools have been receiving similar bomb threats. More than 200 schools in the Capital received bomb threats on their official email IDs in May 2024, followed by similar emails to several hospitals, colleges, and the Delhi airport. In January this year, too, several schools reported receiving similar emails containing bomb threats. According to the police, most of the emails were sent using Virtual Private Networks (VPNs). Senior police officers have previously stated that the business model of VPN works on the principle that the server won't disclose the location or details. In June, an Air India flight from Mumbai to Delhi received a bomb threat after an airline crew member discovered a crumpled piece of paper with 'Bomb in flight Air India 2948, Air India 171' written on it. However, checks by the Delhi Fire Services and CISF revealed the threat to be a hoax. A month before that, government offices at Udyog Bhawan received a hoax threat about a bomb being placed in the facilities. The threat, received via email early in the morning, prompted an extensive bomb check, and the building was later declared safe. The threat email, reportedly sent at 6.49 am to top officials of the ministries housed in the buildings, claimed that IEDs had been planted within the building complex. The message ended with a warning to evacuate the building by 3.15 pm.
India Today
21-06-2025
- India Today
Delhi cop suspended, two probed over Rs 2.4cr fake NCERT book seizure
Nearly a month after a major seizure of counterfeit NCERT textbooks worth Rs 2.4 crore, the Delhi Police has suspended a special staff inspector and launched an internal enquiry against two other officers over alleged procedural lapses linked to the raid, carried out on May 16, followed a tip-off received by the now-suspended operation, led by the Special Staff unit of Shahdara district in coordination with NCERT officials, resulted in the arrest of three individuals involved in the illegal printing and sale of fake According to officials, the team raided a premise on Mandoli Road, where they found Prashant Gupta (48) and his son Nishant Gupta (26), allegedly running the operation with help from several labourers. A significant stock of counterfeit NCERT books was recovered during the questions have now been raised about the legitimacy of the raid and the role of the officers involved. Two sub-inspectors, one from the Special Staff and another from the Anti Auto Theft Squad (AATS), are now facing a departmental enquiry. Authorities are investigating how the raid was approved and whether the team had proper jurisdiction to carry out the operation.'Special Staff is typically assigned to deal with serious criminal cases. It's unusual for them to conduct raids on counterfeit school books,' a senior police officer said. The enquiry will also look into financial discrepancies, if any, related to the the current controversy, the Delhi Police had publicly announced the success of the May 16 operation in a press wasn't the first crackdown on fake textbooks. A month earlier, on April 15, police had seized over 4,000 counterfeit NCERT books from Arvind Gupta, 33, who was allegedly distributing them to students and shopkeepers in Samaypur Badli. Gupta, based in Rohini Sector 16, is believed to have sourced the fake books from several printing presses across Delhi to stay under the latest developments raise serious concerns about internal processes within the police force, even as they continue to tackle the growing problem of counterfeit educational material.(With PTI inputs)
Hindustan Times
19-06-2025
- Hindustan Times
NCERT book piracy: Inspector suspended for 'embezzlement' of ₹2 crore
The inspector in-charge of Shahdara district's Special Staff has been suspended for alleged embezzlement of ₹2 crore in connection to a massive piracy racket of NCERT books, an official said on Thursday. Police said two sub-inspectors of Anti-Snatching Cell and Anti-Auto-Theft Squad are also facing departmental inquiry for certain "lapses". The suspension of the inspector in-charge on Wednesday comes nearly a month after Delhi Police seized lakhs of counterfeit NCERT textbooks being circulated as original, the official said. Pirated textbooks worth over RS ₹2.4 crore have been seized so far in the case. Police said the suspended inspector is accused of financial irregularities during the investigation and seizure process. On May 16, three men, including a father-son duo -- Prashant Gupta (48) and Nishant Gupta (26) -- and Arvind Kumar were arrested after seizing around 1.7 lakh pirated NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and Training) textbooks from a warehouse in Hiranki near Alipur and a shop on Mandoli Road in Shahdara. "Acting on a tip-off received on May 16, a raid was conducted at Anupam Sales, a shop allegedly run by Prashant and Nishant. The police, accompanied by NCERT officials, found 27 pirated Class 12 Social Science textbooks bearing forged NCERT emblems and fake signatures, making them appear authentic," a senior police officer said. During interrogation, they said spoke of a storage facility in Hiranki, where further raids led to the recovery of pirated books valued at over ₹2.4 crore. NCERT officials confirmed the entire consignment was counterfeit and violated copyright laws. An FIR was then registered under Section 318 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (cheating) and relevant sections of the Copyright Act at MS Park police station.
Indian Express
19-06-2025
- Indian Express
Fake NCERT textbook seizure: Special staff inspector of Delhi Police suspended, inquiry ordered against 2 cops
Almost a month after the seizure of fake NCERT textbooks worth Rs 2.4 crore, the Delhi Police on Wednesday suspended a special staff inspector and initiated a departmental inquiry against two sub-inspectors for alleged irregularities in connection with the case. In a major crackdown, the Delhi Police on May 16 seized counterfeit National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) textbooks, based on a tip-off to the accused inspector. The raid, in which three people were arrested, was part of an operation led by the in-charge of the Special Staff of Shahdara district. A joint team led by the police and NCERT officials arrived at Mandoli Road on May 16 before proceeding to a shop owned by Prashant Gupta, 48, and his son Nishant Gupta, 26, the police said. They were present at the shop along with five or six labourers aiding in the illegal activity, police had said. The other two sub-inspectors set to face the departmental inquiry belong to the Special Staff team and the AATS (Anti Auto Theft Squad) team of the Shahdara district. 'Special Staff is usually deployed for hard crime cases. The raids on counterfeit NCERT books are not usually their responsibility. It will look into how and when they got the approval for the raid,' a senior police officer said. The police said that they would investigate the alleged irregularities of finances during the raid and the jurisdiction of the officer to conduct the raid. However, after the May 16 raid, the Delhi Police held a press conference, announcing the operation. On April 15, the Delhi police seized as many as 4,091 counterfeit NCERT books of different classes from a man named Arvind Gupta, 33, who was selling these books to students and shopkeepers at Samaypur Badli. Gupta, operating from Rohini Sector 16, allegedly sourced the counterfeit copies from multiple printing presses across Delhi to avoid detection.
