Apple Trader Runs Pablo Escobar-esque Drug Op, Evades Cops For Years

The orders for the drug were generated through WhatsApp, supplies were initiated and delivery made; but the delivery person and the final receiver never saw each other. In fact, people in the demand and supply chains operated like unrelated units.

Shahi Mahatma aka Shashi Negi, an apple trader in the upper Shimla region, ran an interstate 'chitta' (adulterated heroin) racket for five to six years, avoiding enforcement agencies by ensuring the dots were always so wide apart that they could not be connected to reach him. Negi remained the only common link between the demand and supply chain in his 'chitta'.

But he ran out of luck on September 20, a day after the police made this year's biggest haul of drugs in Shimla - 465 grams of 'chitta' from Kharapathar.

"Links of the accused Mudasir Ahmed Mochi, a resident of Bhatpura village in Kupwara district in Jammu and Kashmir (who was arrested on September 19) were established with Shahi Mahatma alias Shashi Negi and the kingpin was arrested," SP Shimla Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi told PTI on Saturday. 

Mr Gandhi said Negi and his 40 associates were supplying drugs in Rohru, Jubbal-Kotkhai and Theog areas of Upper Shimla under the garb of his apple business, and he had links with Nigerian drug gangs in New Delhi, gangs in Haryana and people in Kashmir.

Explaining the modus operandi of Negi's gang, Mr Gandhi said he made sure the drugs being delivered changed hands four times before getting to their destination. He had hired different sets of unrelated people for bringing in demand, supplying drugs and receiving payments.

He himself never used to come in direct contact with any of the partners, Mr Gandhi said.

The demand for drugs was generated in WhatsApp groups and, after verification of the drug user, it was sent to Negi, who had another team to supply the drugs.

At the time of the final handover too, the delivery person would keep the drug in an isolated place and share a video with the buyer, who would pick it up from there, Mr Gandhi said.

As for the money, it reached Negi's Dhan Laxmi account in Solan after travelling through various bank accounts, police said. And the people whose accounts were used during these transactions never knew it was drug money.

A fund flow of Rs 2.5-3 crores was detected in the bank accounts of the accused in the past 15 months, the police said.

Before the arrest of Negi, the police had already registered five FIRs under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act against nine persons who were part of the drug racket, police said, adding that, so far, 25 associates of the gang have been arrested. 

The social integrated intelligence network system involving local residents as informers helped in the registration of 650 cases and arrest of 1,100 drug peddlers, including 205 interstate dealers, in Shimla district in the past 18 months, said Mr Gandhi.

For impact assessment, police will increase intensive patrolling and the reach of social networking. Education institutions and large public places will be kept under surveillance to prevent such drug peddlers, he added. 

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Firing At Delhi Car Showroom, Shooters' Note Reads "Bhau Gang, Since 2020"

Over 20 rounds of bullets have been fired at a luxury car showroom in southwest Delhi's Naraina as part of an extortion attempt with the shooters leaving behind a slip, reading "Bhau Gang, Since 2020". No injuries have been reported.

The "Bhau Gang" mention is seen as a reference to wanted gangster Himanshu Bhau, who is believed to be in Portugal and sources said Rs 5 crore has been demanded from the owners of the showroom. 

The firing occurred on Friday at a showroom called 'Car Street Mini' on Naraina Road, barely a kilometre from the Naraina police station. Officials said at least 20 rounds were fired by three men who entered the showroom, causing panic in the area. A local police team reached the spot first, followed by Special Cell and Crime Branch officials.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Vichitra Veer said, "We received information about the firing at 7.30 pm. Our teams are investigating. Initial investigations point to there being three shooters. We are trying to identify and trace them."

The involvement of the Himanshu Bhau gang is suspected. 

A few months ago, a similar shooting was carried out at a car showroom in West Delhi's Tilak Nagar and the same gang was suspected to be behind the attack.
 

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Supreme Court To Hear Petitions Seeking Probe Into Row Over Tirupati Laddoos

After roiling the political arena for over a week, the row over animal fat allegedly being used to make the famed Tirupati laddoos will now be heard by the Supreme Court on Monday.

The petitions have been filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy and former Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) chairman YV Subba Reddy, who is a Rajya Sabha MP from the YSR Congress Party. The party has been the focal point of attacks since Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu claimed last week that animal fat was used to make the sought-after laddoos given as 'prasad' by the Sri Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati under the previous YSR Congress government led by Jagan Mohan Reddy.

Both Mr Swamy and YV Subba Reddy have requested a court-monitored probe into the allegations. 

In his Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed earlier this week, the BJP leader requested the Supreme Court to direct the Andhra Pradesh government to file a detailed report on the ghee used for making the laddus and also sought a detailed forensic report. The state government had cited a report by a laboratory in Gujarat to claim that the ghee used in the laddoos contained traces of beef tallow, fish oil, and lard (pig fat). 

"There ought to have been checks and balances internally to supervise and verify and check the quality or the lack of it, of the suppliers supplying various ingredients to the temple which go into the making of the prasad," the petition said. 

YV Subba Reddy also filed a PIL seeking an independent special investigation team (SIT) monitored by a retired Supreme Court judge to probe Mr Naidu's allegations. Mr Reddy, who has been at the forefront of his party's defence against the Andhra Pradesh chief minister's claims, has repeatedly said that no adulterated ghee was used in the making of the laddoos.

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After AAP Vs Lt Governor, Election For Delhi Civic Body Panel Called Off

The latest flashpoint between Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party and the Lieutenant Governor came to an abrupt halt late this evening as the election of a single Standing Committee member of the civic body, which VK Saxena was insisting on being held tonight, was called off.  After an all-evening drama that included an eleventh-hour press conference by senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia, officials from Raj Bhavan said the election will not be held tonight. 

Pointing to the Lieutenant Governor's message that the election has to be held by 10 pm, Mr Sisodia had told reporters, "How can elections be held without councillors? AAP and Congress councillors have gone home". 

Then he added, "Elections on one hour's notice is unconstitutional'.

Election for the seventh member of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi's Standing Committee - scheduled for today -- was deferred by Mayor Shelly Oberoi till October 5. Her move came after a row over security check of the councillors -- who were not being allowed even to carry their cellphones inside. The mayor had called it "undemocratic" and "unconstitutional". 

But Mr Saxena overturned it with an order that said the MCD Commissioner, Ashwini Kumar, is "directed to submit a report of conduct of elections of the sixth member of standing committee by 10 pm today".

"In case the Mayor is unavailable or refuses to preside over the meeting. the Deputy Mayor may be requested to preside over the meeting for conduct of elections," the order read. 

The Standing Committee of the MCD is responsible for taking most of its financial decisions. Currently it has three AAP and two BJP members. 

The appointment of a sixth member - pending for months - is expected to break the tie. With 12 members from zones already elected, it would take the tally to eight members for AAP and nine for the BJP in the 18-member Standing committee.

AAP has alleged that today's order was the Lieutenant Governor's tactic to tilt the balance of power towards the BJP.

In a statement, the BJP said it had asked the MCD Commissioner to hold the election as per law and directions of the Supreme Court. The party said it would file a contempt petition against the Mayor and Arvind Kejriwal tomorrow on Friday. 

This vacancy was created after BJP councillor Kamaljeet Sehrawat resigned following her election to the Lok Sabha from the West Delhi parliamentary seat earlier this year. 

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Explosion At Courthouse In California, Suspect Arrested: Report

Authorities were responding on Wednesday to a reported explosion at the Santa Maria Courthouse in California, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office amid reports that a suspect was in custody.

It was not immediately clear if there were any injuries

"Santa Maria Courthouse: report of an explosion. Please avoid the area. Scene has not been deemed safe. More info to follow," the sheriff's office said in a post on X.

Santa Maria Courthouse: report of an explosion. Please avoid the area. Scene has not been deemed safe. More info to follow.

— PIO Raquel Zick (@SBSOPIO) September 25, 2024

A suspect was inside the court building and threw a bag in an arraignment courtroom that then exploded, reported the Noozhawk, a local online news outlet in Santa Barbara County, citing Superior Court Executive Officer Darrel Parker.

The suspect was in custody, the news outlet reported.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Paris Fashion Week: Neetu Kapoor Cheers For Daughter-In-Law Alia Bhatt

Neetu Kapoor one more time appeared as the biggest cheerleader for her daughter-in-law Alia Bhatt. Alia made her debut at Paris Fashion Week this year and Neetu Kapoor didn't forget to share her shout-out post on social media feed. Neetu Kapoor shared a video clip from Paris in her Instagram stories in which Alia and Andie MacDowell slaying the ramp like divas. Neetu wrote in the caption, "We screamed the loudest." Alia walked the ramp with stars like Andie MacDowell, model Kendall Jenner, Brazilian top model Luma Grothe, Ethiopian actress and top model Liya Kebede. The actress wore a silver bustier over a black jumpsuit from the shelves of Gaurav Gupta. Take a look at what Neetu Kapoor posted here:

Bubah Alfian, an internationally reputed makeup artist, shared a heartwarming video on his Instagram feed from the event. In the video, Alia Bhatt can be seen hugging him while he breaks into tears. Bubah Alfian can be seen greeting Alia by holding her hands. Sharing the video, Bubah wrote, "Several years ago.. Alia met @pevpearce, Then Pev said "my make up artist really likes you" then they took a photo together... and sent it to my WA with Pev...Then after that I met @harnaazsandhu_03 @missuniverse made a video singing the song Meri Jaan, then screenshot it with Aliaa and posted it on IG... and today I met Alia in Paris... and she chatted with Cinta... previously I also chatted with Enzy and I also told you about Pev.. she's so kind.. thanks a lot @aliaabhatt @claurakiehl @enzystoriacrying. so touched." Take a look:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Bubah Alfian (@bubahalfian)

On the work front, Alia Bhatt made her big Hollywood debut with Gal Gadot's Heart Of Stone last year. She also featured in Karan Johar's hit film Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahaani with Ranveer Singh, Dharmendra, Jaya Bachchan and Shabana Azmi.

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Duolingo Will Let You Hone Your English on a 'Video Call' With a Chatbot

Duolingo, the ed-tech platform focused on teaching languages, mathematics, and music on Tuesday announced new features at its annual Duocon 2024 conference. The platform announced a new artificial intelligence (AI) feature with its Max subscription that will allow users to have conversations with an AI chatbot while simulating a video call. The company claims that this feature will enable users to have realistic conversations and improve their language proficiency. Apart from this, a game-like feature dubbed Adventures, and an expansion of its music courses with the partnership with Loog was also announced at the event.

Duolingo Unveils AI-Powered Features at Duocon 2024

At Duocon 2024, the platform unveiled several new capabilities, including the AI-powered 'Video Call with Lily' feature that allows users to start a conversation with Lily, one of the prominent virtual characters on Duolingo and engage in spontaneous and realistic conversations with the chatbot.

The company stated that the feature is aimed to “simulate natural dialogue” and offer a “personalised, interactive practice environment” to users. The AI-powered video calling feature is not restricted to any level of expertise in the language, and even users beginning to learn a new language can have conversations.

The AI can adapt to the user's skill level, allowing them to practice regardless of their proficiency, the company claims. Currently, the feature is available for Duolingo Max subscribers learning English, Spanish, and French languages.

Duolingo Max was introduced by the company last year, and the subscription tier offers AI features to help users learn more effectively. At launch, the subscription was available to users in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the US, and the UK. The company highlighted that it would be expanded to more countries in the future. The Max subscription costs $29.99 (roughly Rs. 2,400) a month and $239.99 (roughly Rs. 19,960) for the yearly family plan.

Duolingo's new Adventures feature
Photo Credit: Duolingo

 

Apart from this, a new feature dubbed Adventures is also being introduced. The company describes it as a “game-like experience”, and it lets users play out different storylines and interact with the characters to improve their language proficiency.

These storylines are placed in real-life scenarios such as ordering food or getting their passport checked to be more functional. This feature will be available on Android and iOS, but the company did not specify if it will also be available on the web client.

Duolingo is also expanding its music course capabilities with a partnership with portable instrument manufacturer Loog. With this collaboration, the platform will offer users to practice Duolingo Music lessons on a three-octave digital piano. This Duolingo x Loog Piano can be pre-ordered on the company website and is priced at $249 (roughly Rs. 20,800).

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