I’ve sought BJP ticket to contest Belagavi LS seat; this is my final attempt: Pramod Muthalik

In a stark reminder of the growing menace of cyber fraud, a man was duped of ₹46 lakh after falling prey to a fake stock market trading scam orchestrated via WhatsApp. The incident highlights the need for heightened awareness about online financial schemes and the importance of verifying investment opportunities.

How the Scam Unfolded
The victim reported receiving a WhatsApp message from a person posing as "Shraddha Belani," a supposed representative of ARES Management Corporation. The fraudster lured the victim with promises of a 500% profit through stock market trading. Trusting the offer, the victim followed an online registration link and was added to a WhatsApp group named ‘H 777 ARES Stock Exchange Group.’

The scam began small, with the victim transferring ₹2 lakh on October 24 to purchase stocks. He received a ₹50,000 profit the very next day, creating a false sense of trust. Encouraged by this, the victim made phased investments totaling ₹46 lakh.

The Trap Tightens
The fraud came to light on November 29 when the victim attempted to withdraw ₹20 lakh to meet financial needs. Unable to access his funds, he contacted the scamsters, who demanded an additional ₹8.78 lakh to "unlock" his account. At this point, the victim realized he had been duped and promptly filed a complaint via the Cyber Crime Portal.

Police Action and Awareness Message
A case has been registered at the Mangaluru Cyber Economic & Narcotics Crime (CEN) station, and an investigation is underway. Authorities are urging the public to exercise caution while engaging in online financial transactions and to verify the authenticity of investment opportunities before parting with their money.

Avoid Falling Victim

1. Verify Sources: Never trust unsolicited messages, emails, or calls about investments.
2. Beware of Unrealistic Promises: Offers of guaranteed high returns are often fraudulent.
3. Consult Experts: Always seek advice from trusted financial advisors or institutions.
4. Report Suspicious Activity: Use the Cyber Crime Portal to report scams promptly.

The incident serves as a stark warning against the perils of online fraud. Staying vigilant and skeptical can save you from falling into similar traps.

The Israeli regime has announced the occupation of some 6,000 acres of Palestinian territories in the West Bank as part of the illegal entity’s land grab policy, marking the largest annexation by the Tel Aviv regime in decades.

Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich was cited by the regime’s Channel 14 on Friday as declaring the confiscation of 24,000 dunums (5930.5 acres) of the occupied West Bank and classifying them as what he claimed to be “state lands.”

Stressing that the decision covers nearly half of the land confiscated as “state lands” since the Oslo Accords in 1993, the broadcaster said the announcement is a dramatic step that is expected to affect regional planning and change the face of the region.

“At the right time, today we completed a complex process to announce 24,000 dunums of new state lands in the West Bank,” Smotrich said.

“This process creates a settlement sequence, builds land reserves for Israel to develop settlements, infrastructure and roads, and guarantees that we will continue to strengthen the settlements, and we are here to stay,” he added.

In a post on X, the Israeli finance minister also wrote, “More than 23,000 dunams of land for the benefit of the settlement in Yosh. We determine facts on the ground and thwart the establishment of a Palestinian state!”

According to Channel 14, the illegal settlement of Ma’ale Adumim, east of occupied al-Quds, would be expanded by approximately 2,600 dunums (642 acres) to the south to create a settlement chain linked to the illegal settlement of Kedar.

Other illegal settlements such as Migdal Oz and Susya in the southern West Bank and Yafit in the Jordan Valley will also be expanded.

The Israeli channel also quoted Smotrich as claiming that the decision was a “historic achievement that contributes to strengthening settlement activity and expanding land designated for infrastructure and settlement projects.”

Last month, the far-right minister claimed that next year would see the application of “Israeli sovereignty” over the occupied West Bank.

More than 700,000 Israelis live in over 230 settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the West Bank and East al-Quds, with international law viewing both as “occupied territories” and considering all Jewish settlement-building activity there as illegal.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued a landmark advisory opinion in July and declared Israel’s decades-long occupation of Palestinian land “illegal” and demanded the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and al-Quds.

The latest Israeli land garb comes as the regime has ramped up its aggression against Palestinians across the West Bank since October 7 last year, when it launched a genocidal war against the Gaza Strip. The occupation has since claimed more than 44,500 lives in the besieged enclave.

Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, Leader of the Islamic Revolution, has called the Syrian conflict a "joint American and Zionist plot," while attributing a secondary role to a neighboring country in the crisis.

Speaking to a gathering in Tehran on Wednesday, Ayatollah Khamenei emphasized, "There should be no doubt that what happened in Syria was plotted in the command rooms of the United States and Israel. We have evidence for this."

The Leader also pointed to the involvement of a neighboring nation, widely understood to be Turkey, stating, "One of the neighboring countries of Syria also played a role, but the primary planners are the US and the Zionist regime."

Ayatollah Khamenei dismissed fears of a weakened resistance front following the takeover of parts of Syria by militants and Takfiri terrorists. He assured that resistance will emerge stronger despite the adversities. "This is what the resistance is, this is what the resistance front is. The more you push, the stronger it becomes; the more you commit crimes, the more motivated it becomes. The more you fight with them, the more widespread it will be, and I tell you, by the Divine Power, the domain of resistance will cover the entire region more than before."

The Leader rejected analysis suggesting that a weakened resistance front would lead to Iran’s decline. "That ignorant analyst, unaware of the meaning of resistance, imagines that when the resistance becomes weak, Islamic Iran will also become weak, and I say that by God's will and power and with the permission of God Almighty, Iran is strong and powerful and will only grow more powerful," Ayatollah Khamenei declared.

Highlighting the divisions among militant groups operating in Syria, the Leader noted, "Each group has its own agenda and all seek to stake out their own turf."