Alleged drug kingpin in MDMA-cocaine bust worth ₹1.5 crore arrested in Kerala

Police found a clue after going through CCTV footage. The image is used for representative purposes only. | She was the principal of Nagarjuna Public School in Kondamallepally.Roopa Reddy was found murdered with 27 stab wounds at her house in JB Colony, the mandal headquarters. She lived with her husband, Rajender Reddy, who was in Hyderabad on work when the incident occurred, according to the police.Following the murder, police questioned more than 50 people, including her husband, but could not initially arrive at a conclusion. The breakthrough came when investigators closely examined footage from a surveillance camera installed near her house.The footage showed a teenager near the house. Acting on the clue, police picked him up and questioned him. During interrogation, the teenager allegedly admitted to the murder.The suspect bore a grudge against Roopa Reddy after she allegedly terminated him from the school by issuing a transfer certificate, the police said. A second school student was also detained in connection with the murder. Published - August 19, 2026 02:57 pm IST

Heavy vehicles will not be permitted to enter the city between 8 a.m. and 11 p.m during the period of restrictions. Representational file image. | As per the latest action plan, special squads will be deployed for implementing the new regulations, which will be in force from August 20 to 31. Wayside parking will not be permitted except for emergency vehicles, and vehicles violating the restrictions will be instantly locked or removed using cranes, with the owners liable to pay the removal charges and fines. According to senior police officers entrusted with the enforcement actions, parking will be completely prohibited near bus stops, junctions and footpaths. Traders have been asked to ensure that vehicles parked in front of their establishments do not obstruct traffic. Vehicles found being driven on footpaths will be impounded on the spot.Heavy vehicles will not be permitted to enter the city between 8 a.m. and 11 p.m during the period of restrictions. Inter-State buses operating night services will be allowed to use only the designated parking spots. Bus operators will have to pick up and drop passengers only at the designated stops. Auto-rickshaws will not be permitted in front of the Mofussil bus stand or opposite side of the KSRTC stand. Licensed street vendors and push cart traders will be allowed only at designated locations by the local administrators. A separate squad will be deployed to initiate action against the unauthorised vendors.The police have also called upon pedestrians to make use of zebra crossings and avoid reckless road crossings when vehicles are moving continuously at traffic signals and other points. Arrangements are in place to track violations using digital cameras and drones. Public announcements will also be made through loudspeakers at major junctions.“There are also plans to discourage the entry of solo travellers in private vehicles to the city limit. We expect voluntary cooperation on the part of motorists to make it a success,” said a Sub Inspector with the Traffic Enforcement unit in Kozhikode city. He also said lane traffic violations and road race would be taken up seriously as part of the measures in place to mitigate road accidents during the festival season. Published - August 19, 2026 12:54 pm IST

File image of security personnel trying to evict protesters during the 'Bihar Bandh' called over the alleged NEET paper leak and police action against protesting students, in Patna, Bihar, July 25, 2026. | According to a circular issued by the State Home Department, the government has transferred Siwan Superintendent of Police (SP) Pooran Kumar Jha.Mr. Jha, under whose command an AK-47 rifle was allegedly used during a student protest in Siwan on July 25, has been placed on the waiting list for a new posting.Raj, the SP of Bhojpur, where the encounter of local activist Bharat Tiwari had triggered an outcry, has also been transferred.While Hriday Kant has been made the SP of Nalanda, Bharat Soni has been appointed as the SP of Siwan.Awadesh Dikshit became the SP of Bhojpur district, according to the circular. Published - August 18, 2026 05:51 pm IST

A Delhi Police affidavit in the Supreme Court has acknowledged the use of facial recognition system during the NEET-UG paper leak protests in the national capital, but said the technology was deployed in “legitimate State interest”.The affidavit does not specifically address the issue of use of pellet guns by the Rapid Action Force on protestors.The police said force employed was proportionate, reasonable, graded and strictly in accordance with law to control the surging crowds. The police said it would deal with the allegations against police officers before the committee proposed by the Supreme Court to examine “all issues related to the use of force by the police”.The police maintained that the use of facial recognition system (FRS) constituted a “legitimate, bona fide and proportionate policing measure”.“FRS does not automatically capture, create, generate or maintain profiles of every individual present at the protest site, nor is it deployed for indiscriminate surveillance or collection of personal information of peaceful protestors unless he has a previous criminal record,” the police assured.The affidavit further explained that the police only maintained a record of the faces of accused involved in serious offences, and not in cases of petty offences like traffic challans.FRS found 2,873 persons with serious criminal antecedents, of which 92 were involved in over 10 cases. Forty-seven of the 92 were history-sheeters. Their crimes range from murder, rape, kidnapping, child sexual abuse to narcotic offences.“A false narrative is being built to the effect that based upon the FRS, biometrics of everyone and anyone is obtained, people are being called with their Aadhar cards and the data is being sold to private entities. Such narrative is built not only falsely but with ulterior motives,” the Delhi Police said.On use of plainclothes police personnelThe police said the deployment of plainclothes police personnel as “spotters” were globally recognised arrangement to keep a “vigil on anti-social elements or criminal activities that pose a threat to the gathering or movement”.The police said tear smoke shells were used only as a last resort. The lathi charge was “limited and controlled” .The police further added that lathis were an acceptable “helping gear” to protect themselves in a mob like situation. The affidavit denied the use of “nail lathis”. It said the solitary video claiming the use of a nail lathis was actually a stick, possibly used by a protestor in which the National Flag had been attached.“These officers had merged with the protestors to avoid being identified by the anti-social elements and criminals and to be in a position to provide immediate assistance to anyone being harassed at the protest site,” the affidavit maintained.Police deny manhandling of women protestorsThe affidavit denied police officers manhandling women protestors.Noting that the petitions were based on incomplete narration of events and disputed questions of fact, the police maintained that “operational decisions taken by officers on the ground in a rapidly evolving and violent law and order situation necessarily involve instantaneous assessment of security risks and cannot be subsequently misjudged in hindsight by selectively relying upon isolated video clips or media reports”.The police said the background to the protests and consequent police action on July 20 was of “considerable significance”. The protests at Jantar Mantar were “potentially sui generis” or one of its kind.The series of events began on June 6 when some individuals began an agitation. On June 20, Saurav Das, a member of the Cockroach Janta Party, sought permission from the Delhi Police on June 17 to organise a peaceful demonstration on June 20 with an expected gathering of 500-600 people. Permission was granted as a “one-time exception”. However, the protestors did not vacate the area after the scheduled time on June 20, rather a large number of students, political worker

The victim's son and CJP volunteer Abdul Hafiz demanded the government to build a world class school on his father Janab Malik’s name in the locality.Five more people were also arrested on Monday (August 17, 2026) in connection with the death of the father of a 25-year-old Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) activist after he was brutally assaulted, allegedly by local BJP workers, in West Bengal's Bankura on Thursday (August 13, 2026).With this, the total number of arrests rose to eight in this case. Meanwhile, a CJP delegation, including spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka, along with the easter zone coordinator of the party, Ankit Bharadwaj, south zone leader Vijay Mallangi, and another core member, Sudhur Sangwan, visited activist Abdul Hafiz's residence on Monday (August 17, 2026) morning. Police officials said that the incident took place in Bankura's Indus area after Mr. Hafiz went to inspect a local government school as part of CJP's ongoing 'School Thik Karo' campaign. Later, at night, a few people launched an attack on him when his father came to save him. As Mr. Hafiz managed to escape and lock himself inside the house, the goons assaulted his father Janab Mafik causing grievous injuries. He passed away in the hospital on Saturday (August 15, 2026).An FIR was lodged against five people at Indus Police Station on Saturday (August 15, 2026). The police arrested eight people after thorough investigation.The CJP officials blamed the assault on the BJP. They alleged that the local BJP MLA from Indus Nirmal Dhara’s goons had been threatening Mr. Hafiz since he returned from CJP’s 36-day-long protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar demanding the then Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation.However, the West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday (August 16, 2026) dismissed the allegations, saying that the accused are criminals and the government will take necessary actions against them. "They said I am a Pakistani terrorist. They snatched away my phone. If we could recover the phone, I can provide more evidence and more names. They also put us at gunpoint. They attacked me outside the home; my father came to save me. I went inside and locked the room, but my father was outside. They launched a brutal attack on him. They tried to hack me to death. I am living the life that my father donated to me now," said Mr. Hafiz after meeting the CJP leaders today. He demanded that the government establish a world-class school in his father's name in the village to mitigate the sufferings of the government school students in the area. "We are doing it for the country, for our village. They cannot stop us in this way. We will take a breath only after the education system is fixed," he said. Meanwhile, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke spoke to him over a video call on Monday (August 17, 2026) and said that they will make sure that Mr. Hafiz's father gets justice."We told him that we will demand compensation. But Abdul refused. He only wants a school in his father's name. Can you imagine this mindset? This is the youth of our country," said the CJP spokesperson, Mr. Ranka, after visiting Mr. Hafiz's family. After visiting Mr. Hafiz, CJP made four demands of the West Bengal government. They demanded that the government arrest all the 10 unidentified persons in the FIR in next 10 days and send them to jail.“It is assumed that these goons got some protection from the Indus police station. There should be an independent investigation by a judicial committee to probe the roles of the staff from the entire police station during the entire episode,” said Mr. Ranka.He also asked the government to arrange special police security protection for Mr. Hafiz’s family.He further added that at least 8,000 schools in Bengal, including around 200 in Bankura itself, have been closed. "We only asked the government to fix these schools and the education system. Abdul lives in a village. He took trains and rode on trucks to attend our rally in Delhi. Imagine how his

Image used for representational purposes. File | Mr. Thakur, a U.P. cadre officer, who was recently honoured with the President’s Medal (PSM), said cybercrime would be the biggest challenge for the country over the coming decade. He added that the Jantar Mantar protest has shown that law enforcement needs a people-friendly approach to improve trust between police and citizens.“The increasing incidents of digital arrests and other cyber crimes demonstrate that cyber crime has emerged as the biggest threat to the country. We have developed multiple frameworks — including multi-channel reporting systems, awareness campaigns, swift blocking of accounts, and outreach to at-risk populations — but these need to be further strengthened. With scammers weaponising digital arrest alongside AI voice and video spoofing, the risks will only rise. It is essential that individuals conduct independent verification by contacting police and bank helplines, rather than responding to strange numbers. Cyber-crime is a comprehensive hybrid scam network operating at a transnational level through organised syndicates,” the 1994-batch IPS officer who is Director General (Home Guards and Civil Defence) in U.P. told The Hindu in Lucknow.Earlier, this week Mr. Thakur was awarded the President’s Medal for Distinguished Service (PSM), for his distinguished career spanning three decades. He held key responsibilities in the country’s largest police organisations and headed specialised units.He added that the police need to foster trust with the generation born after 2000 which presents a new challenge to the existing framework of law enforcement.“It is crucial to promote awareness about the importance of law enforcement in schools, colleges, Residential Welfare Associations (RWAs), markets, and coaching centres,” Mr. Thakur said. “Utilising local-language posters, radio, and social media videos will help reach a wider audience and further improve trust between police and citizens.” Published - August 16, 2026 10:55 pm IST

Image used for representation | Besides, maoist violence has been completely eliminated from the State as the number of maoist infested districts has declined from 22 to zero. “There has been a decline of 10.1% in murder cases, 31.32% decline in dacoity cases, and 18.97% decline in rioting cases compared to previous year,” Home Department’s Secretary Pranav Kumar said while asserting that prompt and swift action led to decline in criminal incidents.The police’s anti-naxal operations led to surrender of the remaining 2-3 maoist from Bhimbandh area of Munger district this year, the Secretary said. “The number of LWE-affected districts, which stood at 22 in 2013, has now been reduced to zero. Due to the decline in Naxal violence in the State, the Central Government has identified four districts- Aurangabad, Gaya Ji, Jamui, and Lakhisarai- as Legacy and Thrust districts,” he added. Mr. Kumar was accompanied by Bihar Director General of Police (DGP) Vinay Kumar, Additional Director General (ADG- Headquarters) Sunil Kumar, ADG (Law & Order & Weaker Section) K Suhita Anupam and department’s Special Secretary Kshatraneel Singh.Talking to reporters, Bihar DGP Vinay Kumar said that police have made over 2 lakh arrests by June this year while the number of arrestee was 3.85 lakh last year (2025). The number of arrestee could increase by 15-20% by the end of the current year, he added.Stating that the cases be disposed of within a time-frame, he said that around 4000-5000 additional cases are being currently disposed of. At present, there is a pendency of around 3.75 lakh cases, he said adding that quick disposal of cases will bring relief to both victims and accused persons.“Except sporadic incidents of crime, there has been a comparative improvement in law and order and crime control. Our efforts should be to ensure faster response and solve the cases at the earliest,” State’s police chief said.The use of forensics has increased significantly in recent years, he said while citing the example through figures that FSL service was used to be used in 1000 cases 20 years ago but the number of FSL service has increased to 20,000 which is 20 times.The number of murder cases used to hover around 6000 in 1995-96 but it has declined to 2000-2400 cases which less than half and expressed hope that the number of murder cases would further decline in 2026, DGP said. 50,000 appointments Asserting that it has been State’s police endeavour to increase its numerical strength over the past one and half years, Mr. Vinay said and added that over 22,000 police constables have joined the service in different districts after getting training a month ago. As a result, the strength of State police has increased to 1.21 lakh, Mr. Vinay said and added that 19,800 constables have joined the service and their training will begin from August 17.More than 50,000 appointments have been made into police force in the past one and half years which is 40% of the force, state’s top cop said adding that new buildings of 600 police stations have been constructed. The government has sanctioned Rs 172 crore for the construction and other facilities for the building of Dial 112 (ERSS) at Rajiv Nagar in the state capital.Cyber Crime Stating that the frequency of cyber crime incidents have increased in the state and has become a challenge for the police, Mr. Vinay said while adding that a cyber police station headed by a Dy SP rank official in every district is operational in the state. Ninety per cent of Dy SP is either B.Tech, B.E. in IT, Computer and Electronics, he said adding that a separate cyber unit is functional from 2023.Tackling cyber-crime and digital fraud are challenge for the police, DGP said that the State has lodged highest number of 7000 FIRs for cyber related cases

A portrait of Bharat Bhushan Tiwari, who was killed in a police encounter, in Bhojpur. File | Tiwari was killed in an alleged police encounter on June 17, 2026, at Bilauti village in Bhojpur district of Bihar.“It is satisfactory and good what the Bihar government has announced to offer, but we’ll not accept the offer until those who killed Bharat Tiwari are punished, hanged. We’ll first discuss the offer made by the government in our family but, would only be happy when those who killed Bharat Tiwari are hanged to death”, said Tiwari’s mother Asha Devi. She also demanded that her son should be given the status of a “martyr”. His father Kashinath Tiwari, a retired police constable, too demanded a “martyr’s” status but, “above all this we want justice and strict punishment to those involved in the fake encounter of my son,” he said.His elder brother Chandan Tiwari said, “we should get justice first. The officials who are roaming free after killing my brother should be taken into custody immediately. They should be given harshest punishment, even sentenced to death”.When asked about the government’s offer announced by the Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary in his social media post on Thursday (August 13, 2026), Mr. Chandan Tiwari said, “right now I can’t say anything on this. Our family will sit together and discuss it before reaching to any conclusion. Whatever my parents will decide, we’ll follow that but justice must be done in the fake killing”.His cousin brother Anshu Kumar Choubey too reiterated the same demanding “justice must prevail in the case first”.The Bihar government had first suspended, arrested and sent to jail the policeman Akshay Kumar, who had allegedly first fired shots upon Tiwari. On June 23, 2026, a case of murder under section 103(1) of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, was also lodged against five policemen. The officials have already been transferred and suspended in the case, said a police official on Thursday (August 14, 2026), though, preferring anonymity, at the police headquarter in Patna.Earlier, the Bihar government, after the State Cabinet meeting was over on June 24, 2026, had also ordered for a judicial probe into the case by appointing a retired Patna High Court Judge Justice Vinod Kumar Sinha to probe the case and submit its report to the government. Sources close to the government, meanwhile, told The Hindu that Mr. Sinha has already submitted the “interim report of the case” to the government.The Bihar CM, on Thursday (August 13, 2026), said in a social media post that “on the basis of the interim report of the judicial inquiry, the Bihar government will provide financial assistance to the family and a government job to a member of Bharat Bhushan Tiwari’s family”.Bharat Bhushan Tiwari, 28, of the Bilauti village was said to be engaged in social work in the area. He was allegedly killed in a police encounter on June 17, 2026, in the village, a day after he was caught on camera threatening policemen with an illegal firearm in his hand. Published - August 15, 2026 03:47 am IST

The police suspect that some of the social media accounts followed by the accused are linked to and operated by persons residing in Pakistan. | The accused has been identified as Mohammed Sameer, a native of Sadarpur village in the Sitapur district of Uttar Pradesh, who has been working with a private company in Kalaburagi for the past year, the police said.The police suspect that some of the social media accounts followed by Mr. Sameer are linked to and operated by persons residing in Pakistan.Two persons were detained for questioning after the police noticed suspicious activity on social media. While the inquiry found no evidence of involvement by one of them, a case was registered against Mr. Sameer at the University Police Station under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and he was arrested.The police seized Mr. Sameer’s mobile phone and have sent it for detailed digital and forensic analysis, City Police Commissioner Sharanappa S.D. said.“The investigation into his social media activities is under way. Further details will be known after the digital and forensic analysis and interrogation are completed,” he said. Published - August 14, 2026 06:21 pm IST