24 from Kerala, 7 from TN, 1 from Karnataka among 49 killed in Kuwait building fire

Udupi: In a significant operation, the Malpe police have arrested seven Bangladeshi nationals who were illegally residing in India using forged Aadhaar cards. Udupi Superintendent of Police, Dr. Arun K, stated that the arrests followed after an immigration incident involving one of the group's members.

Muhammed Manik, one of the arrested individuals, was caught attempting to travel to Dubai via Mangaluru International Airport with a fake passport. Alert immigration officers at the airport detained him and handed him over to the Bajpe police, who registered a case. Following this, the Udupi police, acting on the information provided by the Bajpe police and immigration authorities, conducted an investigation that led to the arrest of the seven individuals in Hoode village, Paduthonse, Udupi.

The arrested individuals have been identified as Hakeem Ali (24), Sujon S K alias Farooq (19), Ismail S K (30), Kareem S K (20), Salam S K (22), Rajikul S K (20), and Mohammed Sojib (20), all hailing from Bangladesh.

The group entered India without any valid documentation and managed to acquire fake Aadhaar cards, which they used to stay in the country illegally. According to police sources, a person named Kajol from Agartala assisted them in obtaining the fraudulent Aadhaar cards, while a Bangladeshi named Usman facilitated their illegal entry into India under the guise of employment. Both Kajol and Usman are currently at large.

The Malpe police have registered cases under several sections, including Sections 19(2), 318(4), 336(2), 336(3), 340(2), and 190 of the BNS, related to fraud and illegal entry. Interrogations are ongoing as the police seek further details in connection with the case.

Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on Monday warned passengers not to fly on Air India flights from November 1 to 19. He asserted that an attack could take place on an Air India flight during the specified dates, which coincide with the "40th anniversary of the Sikh genocide".

The founder of Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), who holds dual citizenship in Canada and the US, had issued a similar threat around the same time last year.

Pannun's fresh threat comes amid several airlines in India receiving multiple threat calls about potential bombings, all of which turned out to be hoaxes. It also occurred at a time when India and Canada are engaged in a murky diplomatic row following Canada's allegations of India targeting Khalistani elements in the country, including the murder of another terrorist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

In November 2023, Pannun released a video claiming that Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport would be renamed and would remain closed on November 19, warning people against flying on Air India that day. The National Investigation Agency charged him with criminal conspiracy, promoting enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion, and various offences under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

In December last year, Pannun threatened to attack the Parliament on or before December 13, following reports of an alleged foiled plot to kill him. December 13 marks the anniversary of the terrorist attack on the Parliament in 2001.

He also threatened to kill Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Director General of State Police Gaurav Yadav on Republic Day this year. He also urged gangsters to unite and launch an attack on Mann on January 26.

Pannun has been designated a terrorist by the Ministry of Home Affairs since July 2020 on charges of sedition and secessionism, as he leads SFJ, a group advocating for a separate sovereign Sikh state. A year prior to this, India banned SFJ as an "unlawful association" for engaging in "anti-national and subversive" activities.

In another development, on October 17, the United States charged a former officer of India's spy agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) for allegedly directing a foiled plot to murder Pannun, a charge New Delhi has rejected as baseless allegations.

A Bengaluru-bound Akasa Air flight and Delhi-bound IndiGo flight received bomb threats on Wednesday, taking the number of such threats to 12 in three days.

An Akasa Air spokesperson said the flight QP 1335 had 177 persons, including 3 infants, and seven crew members on board. The flight returned to Delhi.

Meanwhile, IndiGo's 6E 651 Mumbai-Delhi flight was redirected to Ahmedabad. The aircraft was isolated, and all passengers were safely disembarked, an IndiGo Spokesperson said.

Apart from an Air India Delhi-Chicago flight, the Dammam-Lucknow IndiGo flight, Ayodhya-Bengaluru Air India Express, a SpiceJet flight from Darbhanga to Mumbai (SG116), an Akasa Air flight from Bagdogra to Bengaluru (QP 1373) an Alliance Air Amritsar-Dehradun-Delhi flight (9I 650) and an Air India Express flight (IX 684) from Madurai to Singapore received bomb threats on Tuesday.

On Monday, two IndiGo and one Air India flight received hoax threats. These included an Air India flight AI119 from Mumbai to New York's JFK Airport, and IndiGo flight 6E1275 bound for Muscat, and flight 6E56 heading to Jeddah.

A Parliamentary Standing Committee met at 11 am over the issue. This was preceded by a meeting called by Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu with Civil Aviation Ministry and DGCA officials.

According to sources some culprits have been identified and the dark web is also being monitored.