Month: April 2023

It was one star-studded affair in Mumbai where many big names were in attendance as Jio Studios unveiled their upcoming projects on Wednesday.

Abhishek Bachchan and Hrithik Roshan attended the event. Adding extra dose of excitement to their fans’ joy, the ‘Dhoom 2’ pair posed for the shutterbugs at the red carpet. Later, they were joined by Hrithik’s cousins Eshaan and Pashmina. Abhishek was dressed in all blue suits. He accentuated the geeky charm with his red specs. Hrithik Roshan sported a grey blazer topping it with a black tee.
Apart from being colleagues, Hrithik and Abhishek are childhood buddies. They acted together in ‘Main Prem ki Diwani Hoon’ apart from ‘Dhoom 2’.

Jio Studios has collaborated with talents like Raj Kumar Hirani, Sooraj Barjatya, Dinesh Vijan, Ali Abbas Zafar, Aditya Dhar, Prakash Jha, Amar Kaushik, Laxman Utekar to treat the audience with cinematic glitz. The production houses promise projects with both new and experienced filmmakers as well as actors.

The intriguing film lineup consists of movies like Dunki (Shah Rukh Khan), Bloody Daddy (Shahid Kapoor), Bhediya 2 (Varun Dhawan), Bhul Chuk Maaf (Kartik Aryan & Shraddha Kapoor), Untitled (Shahid Kapoor & Kriti Sanon) Stree 2 (Rajkummar Rao & Shraddha Kapoor), Section 84 (Amitabh Bachchan), Hisaab Barabar (R Madhavan), Zara Hatke Zara Bachke (Vicky Kaushal & Sara Ali Khan), BlackOut (Vikrant Massey & Mouni Roy), Mumbaikar (Vijay Sethupathi), The Storyteller (Paresh Rawal & Adil Hussain), Dhoom Dhaam (Pratik Gandhi & Yami Gautam), Empire (Taapsee Pannu & Arvind Swamy), to name just a few.

Meanwhile, in the work front, Hrithik Roshan has ‘Fighter’ in his kitty. He will also helm the sequel of ‘War’, though, he has not made any official comment till date.

Abhishek Bachchan will be seen in the new season of Amazon Prime Original ‘Breathe’. (ANI)

Gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed’s son Asad was killed in an encounter with Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force in Jhansi, police said on Thursday.

Asad was killed along with Ghulam, both of whom were wanted in the Umesh Pal murder case of Prayagraj.

Each of them carried a reward of Rupees five lakhs each.

The police said that foreign-made weapons were recovered.

“Asad, son of mafia-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and Ghulam S/o Maksudan, both wanted in Umesh Pal murder case of Prayagraj and carrying a reward of Rupees five lakhs each; killed in encounter with the UPSTF team led by DySP Navendu and DySP Vimal at Jhansi. Sophisticated foreign made weapons recovered,” UP STF said.

Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf were this morning brought to the CJM Court in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.

Further details are awaited. (ANI)

Indian singer Mika Singh, on Wednesday, expressed gratitude towards PM Narendra Modi for enabling the usage of Indian currency like dollars.

Taking to Twitter, Mika shared a video which he captioned, “Good morning. I felt so proud to be able to use Indian rupees whilst shopping at #Dohaairport in the @LouisVuitton store. You can even use rupees in any restaurant.. Isn’t that wonderful? A massive salute to @narendramodi saab for enabling us to use our money like dollars.”

In the video, Mika could be seen inside a luxury brand store.

“Hello, I am in Doha right now. And it is a very proud moment that using the Indian currency, we can shop. You can buy the things you want by using Indian currency. Thanks to Modi Ji. Salute to you. Because of you, this Indian currency will be accepted in the whole world, like it is accepted in Qatar,” he said in the video.

Soon after Mika dropped the video, fans flooded the comment section with red heart emoticons and praised PM Modi for his work.

“Indian currency getting stronger,” a user wrote.

Another user wrote, “Thank you Modi ji.”

He shared another video in which he could be seen using the Indian currency at a restaurant in Doha which he captioned, “I was able to use Indian money. You can even use rupees in any restaurant, or shopping outlet. Isn’t it so wonderful? A massive thanks to @narendramodi saab for enabling us to use our money like dollars..Salute.”

Mika is known for his super hit songs like ‘Sawan Mein Lag Gayi Aag’, ‘Jumme Ki Raat’, ‘Aankh Maarey’, ‘Dhinka Chika’ and many more. (ANI)

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has seized Rs 75 lakhs of Indian and foreign currency as well as some documents pertaining to nearly 200 bank accounts and 50 shell entities from the premises of jailed gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad and his associates.

The seizure followed a massive raid conducted by the ED sleuths at 15 locations in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj on Wednesday.
The documents pertaining to nearly 200 bank accounts and 50 shell entities, which were seized during these raids, the ED said were used for laundering of ill-gotten money generated out of extortion, land grabbing and other criminal activities.

“Documents of over 100 properties in the name of Atiq Ahmad’s close associates and firms have also been found. These properties are suspected to be Atiq’s benami properties,” said the federal agency.

“Cash transactions worth more than 50 crores have also been unearthed in the searches.

Documents of properties (forcibly) purchased from farmers apparently through criminal intimidation have also been found.”

The agency on Wednesday searched the premises of Atiq and his relative Khalid Zafar, his advocate-cum-accomplice Saulat Hanif Khan, his associates Asad, Vadood Ahmad, Kali, Mohsin, chartered accountant Sabeeh Ahmad, chartered accountant Asif Jafri, Seetaram Shukla (accountant), real estate developers Sanjeev Aggarwal and Deepak Bhargav.

The ED raids were part of its ongoing money laundering investigation against Atiq and those linked to him.

The raids were conducted at a time when Ahmad is being brought to Prayagraj from the Sabarmati Jail in Gujarat for his production in a local court in connection with the Umesh Pal murder case.

The case in which Ahmad is facing trial is linked to the murder of Pal and his two police security guards who were shot dead outside his home in Prayagraj’s Dhoomanganj area on February 24 this year.

Uttar Pradesh Police had registered a First Information Report (FIR) on February 25 against Ahmad, his brother Ashraf, his wife Shaista Parveen, two sons, aides Guddu Muslim and Ghulam, and nine others following a complaint lodged by Pal’s wife.

In 2021, the ED had attached immovable and movable assets, consisting of land and money in several bank accounts worth Rs 8.14 crore, belonging to mafia-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad and his wife in connection with the money laundering case.

Land property situated at mauza Katka, Paragana Jhunsi, Tehsil Phulpur, in name of Shaista Parveen, wife of Ahmad was attached. This was acquired by Ahmad for only Rs 4.5 crore which is far below the government’s value of Rs 6.86 crore. In addition, the ED had also attached a bank account balance of Rs 1.28 crore lying in 10 bank accounts of Ahmad and one account of Shaista Parveen.

The ED initiated an investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after taking cognizance of several FIRs lodged against Ahmad in different police stations, related to murder, extortion, cheating, forgery, land grabbing and crimes of similar nature.

After its investigation under PMLA, the ED said that Ahmad through criminal activities used to earn black money in cash and the same was deposited in several bank accounts of the gangster, his kin and close associates.

It has been noticed by the ED that these funds are being credited to their accounts from various firms and companies of his aides, the ED had said earlier, adding “These funds have been further utilized for buying land in the name of his wife at the consideration price far below the government’s value”.

The ED has said that it had gathered data from the IT department and other agencies related to the companies being run by Ahmad’s aides. (ANI)

The Indian Army shot down a Pakistani drone and recovered 131 rounds of AK-47 along the Line of Control in the Sunderbani sector of Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district, officials said on Thursday.

“A drone intruding into Indian territory by crossing the Line of Control from Pakistan (side) was shot down on the intervening night of April 12-13, in the Beri Pattan area of the Sundarbani sector of Rajouri,” PRO Defence Jammu said.

“131 rounds of AK-47, 5 magazines, and Rs 2 lakh in cash have been recovered. Search operation underway,” they said.

Earlier on April 1, the Border Security Forces opened fire at a drone allegedly belonging to Pakistan, forcing it to return to the neighbouring country.

“A drone was forced to return to Pakistan after BSF troops deployed at the India-Pakistan international in Sambha District fired towards a blinking light of a flying object observed,” BSF said in a statement.

The drone was spotted around 12:15 am on Saturday on the international border in Ramgarh, Samba District, officials said. (ANI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday virtually distributed appointment letters to 71,000 new recruits in the Rashtriya Rozgar Mela and said that Startups have created more than 40 lakh direct and indirect jobs in the country.

The Prime Minister said that the Rashtriya Rozgar Mela shows the government’s commitment towards uplifting youth spirit and giving them employment opportunities.
“Startups have created more than 40 lakh direct and indirect jobs; this shows India’s resilient startup culture. Today India is the fastest-growing economy in the world. The policy and strategy being followed by today’s New India have opened up new possibilities and opportunities in the country,” PM Modi said on the occasion.

Stating that over 70,000 youth have got government jobs in various departments of the central government on the day of Baisakhi today, the Prime Minister said that the process of giving govt jobs in NDA and BJP-ruled states is going on at a fast pace.

“Appointment letters have been handed over to more than 22 thousand teachers in Madhya Pradesh yesterday,” he said.

Mentioning the growing Defence sector in the country, PM Modi said that India has exported Defence equipment worth Rs 15,000 crore.

“An approach was dominant in the country for decades that the Defence equipment can only be imported. We did not believe in our own country’s manufacturers. Our government changed this approach. Our armed forces have prepared a list of 300 such equipment and weapons which will be made in India only. Today, India is exporting Defence equipment worth Rs 15,000 crore,” he said.

Detailing the self-reliance in various sectors of the country including drones, the Prime Minister said that youth are engaging in new-age technologies.

“New India’s youth are increasingly involved in drone manufacturing and becoming drone pilots. For decades our children used to play with toys imported from abroad. We started promoting the indigenous toy industry, and this created new employment opportunities for our Yuva Shakti. The capital investment in infrastructure projects propels employment generation & creates diverse opportunities for Yuva Shakti,” he said.

He lauded the health sector in the country and said that it is becoming the best example of employment generation.

“The ports sector is developing. The health sector is also becoming the best example of employment generation. Every infrastructure project is generating employment opportunities. Farm mechanisation has increased in the Agriculture sector which has increased job opportunities in the rural area,” he said.

“Till 2014 there were 74 airports in India, now there are 148 airports. Due to the increase in airports, new employment opportunities have also opened up,” the Prime Minister added.

Meanwhile, the Rozgar Mela is a step towards the fulfilment of the commitment of the Prime Minister to accord the highest priority to employment generation.

The Rozgar Mela is expected to act as a catalyst in further employment generation and provide meaningful opportunities to the youth for their empowerment and participation in national development.

As a part of this programme, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and Ayush Sarbananda Sonowal will hand over the appointment letters to the newly selected youths at Railway Rang Bhavan Cultural Hall, Guwahati.

Union Minister of State in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Ministry of Labour and Employment Rameswar Teli will hand over the appointment letters at Imliyanger Memorial Centre, Dimapur.

207 candidates in Guwahati, 217 candidates in Dimapur and 225 candidates in Siliguri from various government departments will be handed over the appointment letters in this programme.

The new recruits, selected from across the country, will join various positions/posts under the Government of India including Train Manager, Station Master, Sr commercial cum Ticket Clerk, Inspector, Sub Inspectors, Constable, Stenographer, Junior Accountant, Postal Assistant, Income Tax Inspector, Tax Assistant, Sr Draughtsman, JE/Supervisor, Assistant Professor, Teacher, Librarian, Nurse, Probationary Officers, PA, MTS, among others.

The newly inducted appointees will also get an opportunity to train themselves through Karmayogi Prarambh, which is an online orientation course for all new appointees in various Government departments. (ANI)

The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)-Delhi has issued an advisory for its staff to follow Covid-19 appropriate behaviour after a few of them were tested positive for the infection.

“Must use reusable cloth face cover/surgical mask in the workplace. Ensure proper cleaning and frequent sanitation of the workplace, particularly of the frequently touched surfaces,” the AIIMS management said in an advisory on Wednesday.
“Cover your nose and mouth with elbow/handkerchief/tissue while sneezing and coughing. Maintain personal hygiene and physical distancing,” read the advisory.

“Gathering especially in canteens must be avoided, a gathering of five or more persons at any place in the office should be avoided. If feeling unwell then should leave the workplace immediately after informing their reporting officers. Such employees should also home quarantine themselves.” it added.

All employees who are at higher risk like pregnant employees, older employees or with underlying medical conditions should take extra precautions. (ANI)

A police van carrying convicted gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother former MLA Ashraf on Thursday arrived at Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) court in Prayagraj in connection with the Umesh Pal murder case.

Heavy security was seen deployed outside the court.
Prayagraj police unit is likely to plead for a 14-day custody remand of Atiq and his brother Ashraf to question them, officials said.

On April 12, police brought these two criminals from Sabarmati Jail and Bareilly Jail to Prayagraj’s Naini Jail.

Earlier, Ashraf was shifted to Bareilly jail while Atiq was being brought to Gujarat’s Sabarmati jail.

Ashraf along with Atiq Ahmed were held guilty in the Umesh Pal kidnapping case by Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj MP-MLA Court on March 28. The court had also sentenced Atiq to rigorous life imprisonment in the abduction case of the now-deceased Umesh Pal.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on April 12 seized Rs 75 lakhs of Indian and foreign currency as well as some documents pertaining to nearly 200 bank accounts and 50 shell entities from the premises of jailed gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and his associates.

The seizure followed a massive raid conducted by the ED sleuths at 15 locations in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj yesterday.

The case in which Ahmed is facing trial is linked to the murder of Pal and his two police security guards who were shot dead outside his home in Prayagraj’s Dhoomanganj area on February 24 this year.

Uttar Pradesh Police had registered a First Information Report (FIR) on February 25 against Ahmed, his brother Ashraf, his wife Shaista Parveen, two sons, aides Guddu Muslim and Ghulam, and nine others following a complaint lodged by Pal’s wife.

Atiq Ahmed and his family came under the scanner in the Umesh Pal murder case.

Umesh Pal, a key witness to the murder of Bahujan Samaj Party leader Raju Pal and one of his two armed security escorts was shot dead in Prayagraj’s Sulem Saray area on February 24. Several rounds were fired and bombs were hurled at Umesh and his gunners. (ANI)