Amaal Malik claims powerful people in Bollywood removed him from 60 films, threatening family

What was expected to be one of the year’s biggest luxury watch launches spiralled into chaos across several cities as the much-awaited Audemars Piguet x Swatch ‘Royal Pop’ drop triggered massive crowds, cancelled store openings, and angry scenes outside malls. From Bengaluru and Mumbai to Delhi, Dubai, and even parts of the UK, videos from the release day have now flooded social media, with many calling it one of the craziest retail launches in recent memory.Long before the watches officially hit stores, the limited-edition collaboration had already generated enormous hype online. So when sales finally began on Saturday, thousands of buyers turned up hoping to get their hands on the collection before stocks ran out. What followed, however, was complete disorder.In Bengaluru, Phoenix Marketcity saw huge crowds gathering outside the mall early in the morning. Viral videos showed people waiting at the entrance before opening hours, and later erupted into chaos once the gates opened. As shoppers rushed in, several were seen pushing through barricades and running towards the store. Despite a heavy security presence, guards struggled to contain the crowd, while some clips even showed security personnel physically holding people back as tensions rose. The madness wasn’t limited to Bengaluru. Similar scenes unfolded in Mumbai, where watch enthusiasts and resellers reportedly queued overnight outside Palladium Mall. Videos from the venue showed tightly packed crowds as security tried to manage the situation. In one widely shared clip, a frustrated attendee shouted, “We are not animals. The store is not opening today.” Delhi witnessed the same frenzy at DLF Avenue Mall in Saket, where videos circulating online showed people shoving and pulling each other as police officers attempted to control the crowd. One Instagram user sharing the clip simply wrote, “Delhi drop is cancelled.” Story continues below this ad The situation turned equally intense overseas. In Dubai, people reportedly started lining up outside Dubai Mall as early as 6.45 am. According to reports, the crowd became so unmanageable that the launch event was eventually called off altogether. Swatch’s regional Instagram account later confirmed that the sale would not continue due to public safety concerns. No revised launch date has been announced so far. Several people who attended the launch later described the experience as exhausting and aggressive rather than exciting. One visitor, who had waited for hours, said the atmosphere quickly became “too rowdy.” “It stopped being fun. There was pushing, shouting, abusing… people were getting shoved around constantly. We were standing near the front and still got pushed out. Eventually, we just left. The watch didn’t even feel worth it anymore,” the attendee said in a viral video. Another attendee in Dubai, who claimed to have spent nearly seven hours waiting across two locations, described the scenes as “absolute chaos.”Story continues below this ad Online, many users criticised organisers for failing to anticipate the turnout despite the massive buzz surrounding the collaboration. Some argued that the launch should have been handled through an online lottery or raffle system instead of physical queues. Others pointed out that a large number of people in line were likely resellers hoping to flip the limited-edition watches at a profit. JUST IN: Swatch cancelled!!! ‘Dubia mall and Al ain mall’ of the Emirates,and the event has been cancelled!! Due to public safety. Think again. It is currently 3:00 AM at Dubai Mall and the overnight queues for the AP × Swatch drop are already legendary. No one is sleeping in… pic.twitter.com/3UmgkC0qn6 — RASHID MEDIA (@RASHIDMEDIA_) May 16, 2026 The situation is much the same in other Chinese cities. Everyone wants to buy the AP x Swatch Royal Pop to resell. A spot in line sells for anywhere from $50 to $500. It all depends on the location and how long you’re willing to wait. The problem is

Days after the arrest of 25-year-old Raj Singh in connection with the killing of Suvendu Adhikari’s executive assistant, Chandranath Rath, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has tracked down another youth from Uttar Pradesh’s Ballia for his alleged connection with the shocking crime.The suspect, identified as Raj Kumar Singh, was arrested in Muzaffarnagar while he was allegedly trying to flee to another state, possibly Uttarakhand. Sources said UP cops assisted in the operation.Last week, West Bengal Police, which was then conducting the investigation, arrested Raj Singh in the murder case. Both Raj and Raj Kumar belong to Ballia, but their homes are 35 km apart. Raj is a resident of the Kotwali area, and Raj Kumar belongs to Ratopur village in Rasra. Raj Kumar’s family claimed they were unaware of their son’s alleged involvement in the crime or of any link between him and Raj Singh. “I have heard about the arrest of Raj Singh in the murder case, but I never imagined that my son would be booked in the same case,” said Raj Kumar’s father, Tribhuvan Narain Singh, who works as an electrician. “I have no information on whether Raj Singh had any connection with my son. Neither I nor any member of our family ever heard Raj Kumar mention him.” Raj Kumar is the second of Tribhuvan Narain Singh’s three children. The young man had been looking for work opportunities outside Ballia. Tribhuvan Narain Singh said he had hoped his son would learn electrical work and join him in the trade, but he appeared restless and determined to pursue a different line of work.Story continues below this ad “Despite all my efforts, I could never persuade him to learn electrical work,” the father said. “He always dreamed of doing something bigger. After completing Intermediate, he spent most of his time roaming around the district, so I decided to send him out for work.” According to the family, Raj Kumar enrolled in a graduation course but dropped out. His father sent him to Mumbai to look for a job, but he returned soon after. “He returned from Mumbai and said the weather there did not suit him. In Mumbai, he had worked for some time on a platform and later took up a job as a security guard,” Tribhuvan Narain Singh said. UP police say Raj Kumar’s activities extended beyond what his family knew. A senior police officer said he had worked as a driver in Faridabad for a brief period — a detail his family claims they were unaware of.Story continues below this ad Recalling the moments before the family learned of the arrest, Tribhuvan Narain Singh said the first indication came through a random phone call. “Yesterday, we received a call from a man who identified himself as a CBI officer speaking from Muzaffarnagar. He informed us that Raj Kumar Singh had been detained in connection with the murder of Chandranath Rath.” The father said the call came a day after a team of plainclothes officers arrived at their home in two vehicles. The officers questioned family members about Raj Kumar’s whereabouts before leaving. The family insists it has no links to Bengal and says the allegations have left them shocked and confused. “We have no relatives or connections in West Bengal,” Tribhuvan Narain Singh said. “I cannot say with certainty whether my son ever visited Kolkata or not. I don’t know whether he had any links with influential people. Once a young man leaves home, how can a father know whom he meets or where he goes?”Story continues below this ad The father described his relationship with his son as distant in recent years, suggesting that Raj Kumar rarely shared details of his life outside the village. “He mostly kept to himself and maintained a distance from me. There was very little chance that he would tell me anything about his activities.” Tribhuvan Narain Singh, who was working as a technician in Ayodhya and returned home recently, said there are a few cases of assault against his son. Ballia police said there are three cases of assault against Raj

Sona Pappu had been absconding for over three months. (Representative image: Express photo/ Abhinav Saha)On the run for over three months, Biswajit Poddar alias Sona Pappu was finally arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday. A real estate developer from Ballygunge in Kolkata, Sona Pappu has been on the ED radar in an alleged extortion and land-grabbing case.“I am a businessman, not a criminal,” Sona Pappu said as he entered the ED office in Kolkata’s Salt Lake CGO Complex on Monday morning, where he was arrested after being grilled by the agency for over nine hours. Sona Pappu had been absconding for over three months, after the ED raided his residence and multiple locations linked to him, and reportedly seized over Rs 2 crore in cash, property documents and a handgun. He is accused of extortion, land grabbing, and parking illegal funds of influential people. On April 20, the ED had arrested businessman Jay S Kamdar over allegations of illegal transactions worth crores in an alleged land-grabbing case. According to ED sources, Kamdar, the managing director of Sun Enterprise, is accused of illegally transacting around Rs 1,100 crore through shell companies. Similarly, on May 14, the ED arrested Santanu Sinha Biswas, Deputy Commissioner of Kolkata Police, also allegedly linked to the same case.Story continues below this ad Sources in the ED said that the three accused are allegedly linked in an extortion and land-grabbing case, and the agency is trying to establish a money trail to unearth the alleged nexus. While Kamdar and Sona Pappu are accused of money laundering, DCP Biswas patronised both and ensured that no action was taken against them. While in hiding, Sona Pappu was seen using social media platforms to make statements about his innocence. Sona Pappu’s criminal history In February, bombs were thrown, bullets were fired, and stones were hurled as two rival groups clashed on Kankulia Road in the Golpark area, resulting in at least two injuries and the subsequent arrest of ten people. According to residents, over 100 youths, allegedly led by Sona Pappu, stormed and attacked resident Bappi Haldar and his supporters, who fought back in retaliation. Locals claim that Pappu orchestrated the violence in an effort to establish control over the area. Pappu has had numerous run-ins with the law since he entered the construction business around 2010-11. He attempted to take control of the Ballygunge Rail Yard in 2015, which brought him into conflict with another strongman, Munna Pandey.Story continues below this ad In 2017, Palash Jana was murdered as a result of territorial disputes on Swinhoe Lane in Kolkata, leading to Sona Pappu’s arrest in Jalpaiguri. Though he was released on bail, the law enforcement agency claims that he still faces at least 15 criminal charges, including attempted murder, rape, and multiple violations of the Arms Act. Ravik Bhattacharya is a highly experienced and award-winning journalist currently serving as the Chief of Bureau of The Indian Express, Kolkata. With over 20 years of experience in the media industry, Ravik possesses deep expertise across a wide range of critical subjects and geographical areas. Experience & Authority Current Role: Chief of Bureau, The Indian Express, Kolkata. Expertise: Extensive reporting across West Bengal, Odisha, Assam, and the Andaman Nicobar Islands. Ravik specializes in politics, crime, major incidents and issues, and investigative stories, demonstrating a robust command of complex and sensitive subjects. Experience: His long and distinguished career includes key reporting roles at several prestigious publications, including The Asian Age, The Statesman, The Telegraph, and The Hindustan Times. Ravik's current role marks his second stint with The Indian Express, having previously served as a Principal Correspondent in the Kolkata bureau from 2005 to 2010. Major Award: Ravik's authority and quality of work

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha says people have walked into his office asking him to arrest their own children. That desperation, he told The Indian Express, is one of the reasons that pushed him to launch an aggressive, month-long campaign against drug addiction and “narco-terror” in the Union Territory. The results have been instantaneous: Over 1,400 people have been arrested under the NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) Act in J&K so far this year — more than 800 of them in the past month alone.“We are making every effort possible to counter this threat. I’ve had people come to my office asking to arrest their kids because they could not handle this on their own. Generally, too, when people come to meet me, they raise this issue, and I realised that it needed greater intervention.” Sinha said that the administration is making “every effort” to contain the issue at the supply chain level, seizing narcotics that are in the system and handing out strict punishment to those involved. “A key aspect of this is awareness and rehabilitation, which I feel is our biggest challenge at the moment. We are working on all of this simultaneously,” Sinha said. After consultation with several stakeholders, strategies have been developed to effectively monitor rehabilitation centres, he said. “We have asked for at least one bed to be reserved in every health facility in the UT, irrespective of size, for victims of addiction, so that even if a patient can’t immediately find a rehabilitation centre, they can at least go to the nearest hospital and no one is turned away,” he said. According to Sinha, the ongoing 100-day campaign has also helped reduce some of the stigma associated with reporting a victim. “Calls to the MANAS helpline for J&K have increased six-fold over the past month, and people are coming forward to report anyone peddling or consuming drugs in their ambit. The societal impact has been immensely positive,” he said. Sinha said there is a “direct link between the inflow of drugs and terrorism”. “The money ultimately travels back to these (terrorist) organisations. I’ve travelled to areas from which drugs are being sent into J&K, and we have enhanced security at these entry points with men and equipment,” he said.Story continues below this ad The administration has tracked forward areas on the Line of Control, such as Tangdhar, Keran, Gurez and Kathua, as entry points for the distribution of drugs in J&K. Sinha added it was “expedient and necessary” to lay down a Standard Operating Procedure for law enforcement agencies and administrative authorities to ensure “systematic and expeditious cancellation, impoundment, suspension and deactivation of passport, driving license, arms licence and Aadhaar card of persons accused of drug-related offences…” Another aspect of deterrence by the security apparatus has been the demolition of properties linked to the distribution of narcotics. As per official data, 41 such properties have been demolished this year, drawing criticism from both the ruling National Conference and the opposition PDP, who say that families are being punished for the crimes of individuals. “If these homes or properties have been constructed by way of smuggling, how is that okay? If someone is working to ruin society, what sympathy is expected for them? I have spoken to people about this and asked them if anyone innocent has been targeted, and (they say) that has not happened. People are in favour of action against those distributing narcotics,” the LG said. Naveed Iqbal is a Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, and reports from Jammu and Kashmir. With a career spanning over 15 years in frontline journalism, Naveed provides authoritative reporting on the region’s transition, governance, and the socio-political implications of national policies. Expertise Regional Specialization: Based in the Srinagar and New Delhi bureaus, Naveed h