Nagpur, Oct 29: Authorities in Nagpur, Maharashtra, have pinpointed a 35-year-old man from Gondia as the individual responsible for a series of hoax bomb threats that incited panic, caused flight delays, and heightened security measures at airports and other facilities. The suspect, identified as Jagdish Uikey, is an author who previously wrote a book on terrorism and was arrested in 2021 for unrelated charges.

According to a senior police official, Uikey is currently evading capture following the trace of emails linked to him. The investigation, spearheaded by Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Shweta Khedkar, revealed substantial evidence connecting Uikey to the threats.

Uikey reportedly sent emails to various government agencies, including the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the Railway Minister, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his deputy, airline offices, and the Director General of Police (DGP), as well as the Railway Protection Force (RPF).

On Monday, security was heightened outside the residence of Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis after Uikey issued an email threatening to stage a protest unless he was granted a meeting to share his alleged insights on a “secret terror code” he claims to have deciphered. He also sought a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss potential terror threats.

Uikey’s email to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, sent on October 21 and also forwarded to the DGP and RPF, prompted increased security measures at railway stations.

In the 13 days leading up to October 26, over 300 flights operated by Indian carriers received bomb threats, with most threats communicated through social media. On October 22 alone, approximately 50 flights, including 13 from IndiGo and Air India, reported bomb threats, according to earlier government reports.

A special team has been established to apprehend Uikey, and officials are confident he will be caught soon.

New Delhi, Oct 29 – Delhi’s air quality remained in the ‘poor’ category on Tuesday morning, registering an AQI of 272, a slight improvement from the previous day’s AQI of 304, as per Central Pollution Control Board data.

Out of 40 monitoring stations, data from 37 was reported, with 10 stations – including Anand Vihar, Alipur, Aya Nagar, Bawana, Jahangirpuri, Mundka, Narela, Wazirpur, Vivek Vihar, and Sonia Vihar – recording air quality in the “very poor” category, while the rest were classified as “poor.”

A layer of smog continues to cover the city during the early morning and evening hours, limiting visibility. The weather department noted a calm wind speed at 8:30 am, and a minimum temperature of 20.3 degrees Celsius, four degrees above the seasonal average. Relative humidity stood at 85 percent.

The forecast indicates clear skies for the day, with the maximum temperature expected to reach around 33 degrees Celsius. The AQI scale categorizes air quality as follows: 0-50 ‘good,’ 51-100 ‘satisfactory,’ 101-200 ‘moderate,’ 201-300 ‘poor,’ 301-400 ‘very poor,’ and 401-500 ‘severe.’

NEW DELHI, Oct 29: Union Home Minister Amit Shah remarked on Tuesday that Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s legacy had faced repeated attempts to diminish its significance, noting that the Bharat Ratna was only conferred upon him decades after his passing.

At the ‘Run for Unity’ event ahead of Patel’s birth anniversary, Shah emphasized Patel’s critical role in uniting India, citing his leadership in merging over 550 princely states, including Lakshadweep, Junagarh, and Hyderabad, into the Union of India. Shah noted that despite these monumental achievements, “efforts were made to erase Sardar Patel’s legacy, and he was deprived of the Bharat Ratna for a long time.” Patel ultimately received the honor posthumously in 1991, 41 years after his death.

Shah highlighted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment to honoring Patel, which began during Modi’s tenure as Chief Minister of Gujarat and included the creation of the world’s tallest statue, the Statue of Unity, in Kevadia. Shah praised Patel as a unifying figure and noted that India is now “dedicated to fulfilling the prime minister’s vision of a developed nation by 2047.”

The ‘Run for Unity’ is traditionally held on Patel’s birth anniversary, October 31, which has been observed as ‘Rashtriya Ekta Diwas’ (National Unity Day) since 2014 to honor Patel’s legacy. This year’s event was scheduled earlier due to the Diwali festivities.

Amit Shah also announced that the government will commemorate Patel’s 150th birth anniversary with a nationwide, two-year program from 2024 to 2026 to celebrate his pivotal role in shaping modern India.

NEW DELHI, Oct 28: Several opposition members staged a walkout during the meeting of the Joint Committee on the WAQF Amendment Bill on Monday, protesting the presentation made by the Delhi Waqf Board.

The opposition alleged that the Delhi Waqf Board administrator altered the presentation without the knowledge of the Delhi Government. Members from AAP, DMK, and Congress, including Sanjay Singh, Mohammed Abdulla, Naseer Hussain, and Mohamed Jawed, were among those who left the meeting in protest.

They accused MCD Commissioner and Delhi Waqf Board Administrator Ashwini Kumar of completely changing the initial report of the Waqf Board without obtaining the Chief Minister’s approval.

CHANDIGARH, Oct 28: Punjab Police announced on Monday the arrest of a man found in possession of six kilograms of heroin, part of a larger investigation following a record drug seizure of 105 kilograms in the state.

The initial bust occurred on Sunday when authorities uncovered a cross-border smuggling racket, leading to the arrest of two associates of a Turkey-based drug smuggler and the seizure of 105 kilograms of heroin and six firearms. Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav stated that, as part of follow-up investigations, police apprehended Lovepreet Singh from Kapurthala and discovered the additional six kilograms of heroin in his vehicle.

Yadav noted, “In the follow-up investigations of the 105 kg heroin haul, acting swiftly on the forward-backward linkages, Counter Intelligence, #Amritsar apprehends Lovepreet Singh resident of Kapurthala and recovers 6 kg of heroin from his car.” Singh was reportedly set to deliver the heroin, which he had collected from Hanumangarh in Rajasthan, to another drug dealer, Navjot Singh, who was arrested on the same day.

Previously, police had detained Navjot Singh from Guru Tegh Bahadur Colony in Baba Bakala, and Lovepreet Kumar from Kala Sanghian in Kapurthala as part of the ongoing investigation into the 105 kg heroin case. In addition to the heroin, police confiscated a substantial quantity of other scheduled drugs, including 31.93 kg of caffeine anhydrous and 17 kg of dextromethorphan (DMR) from the suspects.

Both Navjot and Kumar were identified as associates of a Turkey-based drug smuggler known as Navpreet Singh, alias Nav Bhullar. According to police reports, these scheduled drugs were being used as cutting agents to multiply the heroin’s quantity by four times.

Investigations revealed that drugs were transported via water routes from Pakistan. Bhullar was allegedly operating a Pakistan-backed smuggling ring with associates residing in a rented accommodation on Colony Lady Road in Baba Bakala.

In a related incident, the Border Security Force (BSF) recovered 568 grams of heroin near the International Border in the Tarn Taran district. Additionally, the BSF discovered a drone in a field near Ballaharwal village in Amritsar. On October 10, the BSF had also intercepted over 13 kg of heroin near the India-Pakistan International Border in Tarn Taran.