Out To Party, Bengaluru Woman Falls From 13th Floor Of Building

A young woman, out to party with friends, fell to her death from the 13th floor of an under-construction building in Bengaluru. 

Officials said the woman had gone to the building, under the jurisdiction of Parappana Agrahara police station, with a group of friends on Wednesday night. "They were partying and the woman fell into a shaft, where a lift was supposed to be installed in the future," an official said. 

While some reports suggested that she was shooting a reel, the official said no such recording was recovered from her phone.

All angles are being investigated but the police, so far, believe that the woman fell accidentally. An unnatural death report has been registered. 
 

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Woman Allegedly Molested In Delhi Hospital, Dies During Treatment

A woman who was allegedly molested in a hospital and was later taken to another hospital in Delhi died during treatment, the police said.

A case has been filed, and the next course of action will be decided based on the autopsy report, the police said.

The woman was admitted to hospital on June 21 for treatment of an illness. On June 23, while she went out of the ward in GTB Hospital, she was allegedly molested, following which the New Usmanpur police took swift action.

She was subsequently referred to Jag Pravesh Chandra (JPC) Hospital for specialised treatment, the police said, adding the doctors found no visible external injuries when they checked her.

On Thursday, the police said they received information that the woman died during treatment.

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Rs 540 Crore Of 'Drug Money' Laundered By Akali Leader, Says Probe Agency

The Punjab Vigilance Bureau on Wednesday arrested senior Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia for allegedly laundering more than Rs 540 crore of "drug money".

Former minister Bikram Singh Majithia's arrest came after a vigilance team conducted a raid at his residence in Amritsar.

The bureau claimed preliminary investigations revealed that more than Rs 540 crore of "drug money" has been laundered through several channels allegedly facilitated by Majithia.

A spokesperson of the bureau said in a statement that assets, both movable and immovable, in the names of Majithia and his wife Ganieve Kaur Majithia increased substantially, for which no legitimate sources of income were provided.

Majithia, who is the brother-in-law of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, is already facing a probe in a 2021 drugs case.

During the raid, the vigilance team from Mohali faced protests by Majithia and his wife Ganieve Kaur, an Akali MLA, who accused the officers of barging into their house in Green Avenue on Wednesday morning.

Sukhbir Badal, his wife and former Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, and many senior Akali leaders also lashed out at the AAP government in Punjab over the raid at Majithia's residence, calling it a "political vendetta".

A similar raid was conducted at the couple's Chandigarh residence as well, sources said.

Stating that a disproportionate assets case has been registered against her husband, Ganieve Kaur told reporters in Amritsar, "We will continue to fight. People will stand with Majithia." The raid was led by Swarandeep Singh, AIG, Flying Squad, Vigilance Bureau, Mohali, who was reinstated last month after a suspension.

Singh is also the complainant in the FIR registered against Majithia at 4:40 am on Wednesday.

The fresh FIR stems from an ongoing investigation being conducted by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Punjab Police into the 2021 drug case registered against Majithia.

In March, the SIT claimed that it found "suspicious financial transactions" in firms linked to Majithia and his family.

The SIT also expanded its investigation to scrutinise financial transactions abroad, it said in March.

The vigilance spokesperson said the probe by the SIT and the bureau revealed "massive laundering of drug money facilitated by Majithia amounting to more than Rs 540 crore".

It included huge unaccounted cash worth Rs 161 crore deposited in bank accounts of companies controlled by Majithia, channelisation of Rs 141 crore through suspected foreign entities, excess deposition of Rs 236 crore without disclosure or explanation in company financial statements, and acquisition of movable and immovable assets by Majithia without any legitimate source of income, the spokesperson said.

The SIT probe indicated that drug money was funnelled into Saraya Industries, which is run by Majithia and his family members, he added.

So far, Rs 540 crore of "drug money" has been tracked as having been generated illegally by using the influence of Majithia as a public servant (MLA), holding a Cabinet post in the erstwhile Punjab government, the spokesperson said.

The bureau seized more than 30 mobile phones, five laptops, three iPads, two desktops, several diaries, property-related documents, and documents related to Saraya Industries during the raid, sources said.

According to the FIR, Majithia accumulated vast wealth, properties and business interests in his name and in the names of his family members, which appear to be grossly disproportionate to his legitimate sources of income.

As the news of the raid spread on social media, Akali leaders and supporters headed towards Majithia's residence and raised slogans against the Bhagwant Mann government.

However, a heavy police force was deployed on the road leading to Majithia's house, with no one allowed to pass the barricades.

As a team of officers entered Majithia's house, Ganieve Kaur asked them, "What is happening? I want to know what is going on... How did you barge into my house without my knowledge?" Majithia also said that the vigilance officers "barged" into his house, "terrorising" his children.

The former minister could be heard arguing with a DSP-rank vigilance officer, expressing his dismay over the manner in which they entered his house.

"You have forced your way through. This is not the way. Do not come and threaten people at my house... You are barging into my house," Majithia told the vigilance team.

Majithia also questioned why the officers were not in uniform, to which one of them replied that vigilance officers remain in civil dress.

Majithia was even seen interrupting the DSP-rank officer when he asked about the identity of a man standing in a room, telling him that he won't get affected by the government's "highhandedness".

In response, the officer asked Majithia not to lecture him as he sought the Akali leader's cooperation.

The officer also objected to Majithia filming the raid.

In a video, Majithia lashed out at the Mann government, alleging that the AAP was resorting to such tactics to suppress the voice of the opposition leaders.

Claiming that the vigilance department lodged a fresh FIR on Tuesday night, Majithia said, "They forcefully entered my house. If an FIR has been lodged, we are submitted to the law. If they wanted to register an FIR in a DA (disproportionate assets) case, they could have given a notice. It is very clear that they (AAP) are rattled." Majithia also claimed a vigilance team led by an SSP conducted the raid.

"Bhagwant Mann ji, understand this... No matter how many FIRs you register, I will not be afraid nor your government can suppress my voice," Majithia said.

"I have always talked about the issues facing Punjab and will continue to do so," he added.

Before being taken into custody, Majithia met his two children and wife.

An SIT of Punjab Police is already probing a 2021 drugs case against Majithia, in which the Akali leader has been summoned and questioned many times.

Majithia was booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act on December 20, 2021, when a Congress government was in power in Punjab, led by Charanjit Singh Channi.

The Akali leader spent more than five months in Patiala jail before walking out of prison in August 2022 after the Punjab and Haryana High Court granted him bail.

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

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Bodies Of 259 Air India Crash Victims Have Been Identified: Officials

All the bodies from the Air India Boeing Dreamliner crash in Ahmedabad have been recovered and several of the are still undergoing DNA matching, sources have said. Officials of the health department said all the bodies have now been recovered and so far, 253 bodies have been identified through DNA and six by facial recognition. 

Since the flight to London crashed on June 12, there had been no official announcement about the total number of deaths. The authorities have said a figure could be arrived at only after the DNA matching took place.

256 bodies have been handed over to families so far. The DNA identification of the remaining bodies is still in progress.  

The Boeing Dreamliner bound for London had started losing height and crashed seconds after the take-off, landing on residential campus of BJ Medical College in Meghani Nagar, located .just outside the airport perimeter. Only one passenger out of the 242 on board -- a British-Indian man seated in 11A -- had survived. 

It is not yet known what caused the crash. The black box of the aircraft is being examined. 

Asked about media reports suggesting the black box is damaged and could be sent abroad for data extraction, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu called it "speculation". "The black box is very much in India, and it is currently being investigated by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau or AAIB," he said. 

Air India has responded to the crash with a slew of safety and prevention measures that includes cutting down on the use of its wide-body planes for international flights by 15 per cent. The cuts will be implemented between now and 20 June and will continue thereafter until at least mid-July.
 

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Iran Says Used Same Number Of Bombs As US: A Hint At De-escalation?

Iran has attacked United States Air Force bases in Qatar with 'the same number of bombs the US used in attacking' its nuclear facilities, the West Asian country said late Monday, in a statement seen Tehran as telling Washington, D.C. it is willing to stand down after this attack.

No casualties have been reported from the missile strike, an American official told news agency AFP, acknowledging "short-range and medium-range ballistic" weapons had been fired by Iran.

Tehran's statement came shortly after its top security body confirmed it had launched a "devastating and powerful missile attack" on the Al-Udeid air base, which it said was removed from urban centres and "does not pose any threat to our friendly and brotherly country".

The Supreme National Security Council's statement has been seen as a message - that the attack is only retaliation for the US dropping 'bunker buster' bombs on the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant - a heavily protected Iranian nuclear facility buried beneath a mountain.

"In response to the US' aggressive and insolent action against Iran's nuclear sites and facilities, a few hours ago the powerful armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran struck the US air base in Al-Udeid, Qatar," the Council said, "... the number of missiles used was the same as the number of bombs that the US had used in attacking Iran's nuclear facilities".

The US deployed its B-2 'Spirit' bombers to drop between five and six GBU-57 'bunker busters' on three Iranian nuclear facilities. The B-2 is the only warplanes capable of carrying the GBU-57.

The US has not, so far, responded to the attack or Iran's statement. However, President Donald Trump has been rushed to the 'Situation Room' and is monitoring the Iranian retaliation.

However, Iran's neighbours have condemned the attack.

Saudi Arabia has slammed the "unjustified" attack on Qatar and offered Doha its full support, while Kuwait has said it is temporarily closing its airspace as a "precautionary measure".

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2 India-Qatar Flights Cancelled After Iran Attacks US Air Base In Doha

Two flights from India to Qatar have been cancelled after Iran launched a missile attack on the US air base in Doha. IndiGo and Air India operated these flights. The IndiGo flight was supposed to fly from Delhi, while the other flight was scheduled from Cochin. Several other airlines have also either diverted their flights or returned them to their origin airports over the tense situation in the Middle East.

Air India Express diverted its Doha-bound flight from Kochi to Muscat and returned its flight, which was scheduled from Kannur. "We have no other flights bound for Qatar," it said in a statement.

"We are monitoring the situation closely and will take all necessary precautions for the safety and security of our guests and crew, with inputs from the relevant authorities," it added.

Iran's military said on Monday it had carried out a "devastating and powerful" missile attack on the Al Udeid US airbase in Qatar, after explosions were heard across the Qatari capital following Tehran's threat to retaliate for US airstrikes.

Kuwait said it was closing its airspace "until further notice" on Monday after a similar move from Bahrain as Iran attacked a US base in Qatar in retaliation for American strikes in Iran.

Meanwhile, Qatar has strongly condemned the attack, announcing it reserves the right to respond directly in a manner equivalent to the "nature and scale of this brazen aggression", in line with international law.

The White House and the Defense Department are closely monitoring potential threats to the Al Udeid airbase, a senior White House official said.

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Iran Attacks US Air Base: What We Know So Far

1. Tehran said that with the strikes, it has sent out a clear message to the White House that "Iran will not leave its territorial integrity, sovereignty and national security unanswered under any circumstances." 
2. Iran's Supreme National Security Council said the number of missiles used in this operation was equal to the number of bombs the United States used in its assault on Iran's nuclear facilities.
3. The US has confirmed the airbase in Qatar was targeted by the missile attack, with a military official telling Reuters that no Iranian attack was detected at any other US military base.
4. The targeted base was also located far from urban areas and residential zones in Qatar, ensuring minimal risk to civilians, it insisted.
5. Qatar has said that there were no casualties from the attack on the US military base, adding it reserves the right to respond following the Iranian attack. It said its air defences had intercepted missiles directed at the airbase.
6. The Qatari Foreign Ministry has condemned the attack as a clear breach of Qatar's sovereignty, airspace, and international law.
7. Iran, however, claimed that the operation posed "no threat whatsoever to our friendly and brotherly country Qatar or its people".
8. Iran had issued threats to retaliate against the United States after US bombers dropped 30,000-pound bunker-busters on Iranian underground nuclear sites at the weekend, joining Israel's air war against Tehran, and President Donald Trump mooted the possibility of the Iranian government being toppled.
9. Shortly before Iran launched missiles at the base, Qatar announced it had closed its airspace temporarily to ensure the safety of residents and visitors. Iran said it coordinated its strikes, prompting the airspace closure, as per reports.
10. Al Udeid airbase is the largest US military installation in the Middle East, situated across the Gulf from Iran.

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