How did the cybercriminals gain the trust of the Hyderabad doctor?

A Hyderabad doctor was defrauded of a significant sum of Rs. 8.6 crores in a sophisticated cybercrime scheme involving multiple fraudulent investment platforms. The perpetrators successfully manipulated the victim over a period of several weeks, leading to substantial financial loss.

• Sophisticated Cybercrime: A highly organized cybercrime syndicate targeted a Hyderabad-based doctor.
• Investment Scam: The perpetrators lured the victim into investing in fraudulent share trading schemes through various online platforms.
• Multiple Transactions: The doctor was convinced to transfer funds into multiple bank accounts over a period of several weeks, totaling Rs. 8.6 crores.
• Trust and Deception: The criminals employed a well-crafted strategy to gain the victim's trust, including the use of fake documents and impersonation of legitimate financial institutions.
• Widespread Network: The money was transferred to numerous bank accounts across India, indicating a large and well-connected criminal network.
• Law Enforcement Investigation: The Telangana Cyber Security Bureau is actively investigating the case and has identified multiple 'money mules' involved in laundering the stolen funds.

 

Doctors on strike, services unaffected

 The state wing of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) staged a protest at government hospitals across the State as part of the medical body’s nationwide strike against the Centre’s move to bring in a National Commission of Human Resources for Health (NCHRH) Act in place of the Medical Council of India (MCI).

Addressing the protestors at the Government Chest Hospital, Hyderabad, Dr N Appa Rao, chairman of the Special Action Committee of All India IMA Strike, said, “There is an ulterior motive to gain control of medical colleges in India by passing new laws to centralise the entire medical community.”

Elaborating on the reasons for opposing the Centre’s move, he said that the IMA was demanding restoration of autonomous status and conduct of elections in a democratic manner to the Medical Council of India, stopping of the proposed NCHRH Act, which would override the federal functioning of health care delivery and lead to centralisation and politicisation of health care management, if the Act is passed. He said the proposals would interfere with medical administration by reducing the role of medical professionals, which, he termed, could be a death blow to medical institutions.

The IMA was also strongly opposing the government’s proposed exit exam for doctors even after the respective university degrees. It suggested that this exam be implied to international medical graduates and to those who studied in unrecognised Indian institutions, he said.

The doctors also demanded the government begin All India National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) from the academic year 2014-15 in local languages only after instituting a uniform nation-wide intermediate curriculum. They also demanded payscales to state government doctors on par with Central staff, exemption of medical profession from Consumer Protection Act since the latter was crippling the medical fraternity and forcing the doctors to be defensive in discharging their duties resulting in denial of proper medical aid to needy patients.

Demonstrations were staged by doctors in front of their respective hospitals in the state from 9 a.m to 10 a.m. “We did a protest in front of the hospital in the morning for one hour without interruption of medical services for patients,” said Dr S Mahaboob, superintendent of Gandhi Hospital.

Osmania General Hospital and Medical College doctors took out a rally from the IMA building at Esamia Bazar to Osmania Medical College in Koti between 9 am and 10 am, said Dr D Ramesh, general secretary of the Telangana Government Doctors Association. “About 200 doctors of the twin cities participated in the rally. After the protest, the doctors continued with their work at respective hospitals from 10 a.m,” he said.

The protest is being supported by the Government Doctors’ Association, Andhra Pradesh Nursing Homes Association, Indian Dental Association and Medical Representatives’ Union, said Dr Ramesh.

Jagan Mohan Reddy applies for bail, as parties guesstimate impact of his arrest

In a jail in Chanchalguda in Hyderabad, Jagan Mohan Reddy, as of last evening, is prisoner no 6093. A court has ordered that he will stay here till June 11, one day before by-elections are held for 18 assembly and one Lok Sabha seat. Mr Reddy has applied for bail today, but both his party and his political opponents are busy calculating the impact that his arrest will have on their performance in the elections on June 12.

If he is refused bail, Mr Reddy will not be able to campaign for his party, the YSR Congress, named after his father, who died as chief minister of the state in 2009. The case against Mr Reddy, being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), says that YSR misused his office to pressure companies to invest in Mr Reddy's expansive businesses. Mr Reddy has been accused of cheating, conspiracy and breach of trust by a public servant.

Mr Reddy's mother, Vijayamma, has said she will lead the party's campaign, starting Wednesday. But the party cadres are worried - Mr Reddy has proved himself to be a tour-de-force as a campaigner, able to harness the massive popularity his father enjoyed in areas like Guntur. The YSR Congress has no real face other than Mr Reddy. (Poll: How will Jagan Mohan Reddy's arrest affect his career?) His mother will appeal to voters to support him - the party has positioned his arrest as the ruling Congress' way of preventing his victory in the election. Mr Reddy exited the Congress in 2010, 14 months after his father's death and after repeated appeals to be given a larger role in the party were ignored by its leaders.



So his confinement may help both his former party, the Congress, and the Telugu Desam Party or TDP, headed by Chandrababu Naidu. The latter acknowledged today that he expects to gain from Mr Reddy's arrest. "The people will teach Jagan a lesson," he said. The corruption case against Mr Reddy was passed on a petition filed by a Congressman and supported by TDP members. "The Jagan/YSR scam was bigger than the 2G or Commonwealth Games scams," Mr Naidu said, referencing two swindles that allegedly operated as public-private partnerships between politicians and entrepreneurs, and have created political storms in recent months.

For Mr Reddy's party, the elections next month present the opportunity to prove that he is a true third force in Andhra Pradesh politics. While the Congress has the most to lose, Mr Naidu must protect the TDP's turf as the main opposition party in the state. In 2004 and then 2009, it was YSR who brought the Congress to power, earning him much goodwill and public recognition from his party. The fact that YSR and his son are now accused of corruption adds upto contretemps for the party. Moreover, several ministers in the current government are being investigated, upon the Supreme Court's orders, for allegedly colluding with YSR. The Congress has not dismissed them. One minister, who was arrested last week in connection with the case, resigned on the same day.

As chief minister, Kiran Kumar Reddy has been the second Congress candidate to head the state government since YSR died. He was preceded by K Rosaiah, who proved incapable of managing the Congress' stubborn internal dissent, as well as Mr Reddy's ability to needle that rebellion to his advantage. Kiran Kumar Reddy has not managed to serve as the glue that the Congress needs to keep its act together ahead of the general elections in 2014. The by-elections will be as much a test of his leadership as of the party's popularity.

Beer flows like water in Hyderabad

Hyderabadis may be facing water woes but a good number of them, particularly youngsters with pocketful of money, are guzzling beer like there’s no tomorrow. Beer sales, say wine dealers, are shooting up at the same pace as the mercury, creating new records. The dealers hold individual records, so to speak but statistics furnished by the Andhra Pradesh Beverages Corporation Ltd (APBCL) give a good overall picture.
According to the APBCL, beer sales in the twin cities increased by 7 per cent in the months of March and April compared to the same period last year. In figures, the city witnessed sales of 7,16,413 crates (each crate contains 12 bottles of beer) in March and April last year. This time, during the same period, 7,66,841 crates were sold. In other words, 92,02,092 beer bottles, almost close to one crore.
The data for this month is not yet available but it can safely be presumed that the sales have touched new heights as the temperature is inching closer to 44 degree celsius. Wine shop owners and dealers are for sure happy but are not surprised by the spurt in sales.

“There is an increase in beer sales in the city and it’s quite expected during summer,” said D Venkateswara Rao, president, AP Wine Dealers’ Association. However, he attributes the increased sales to the recent raids by the anti-corruption bureau (ACB) on wine shops selling liquor at over and above the MRP. “The ACB raids have made the customers happy as the wine shops are now selling liquor at MRP. This has led to increased beer consumption this summer,” he claimed.
Echoing the same views, Ramesh, a sales boy at a wine shop near Basheerbagh, said, “the increase in the sale of beer during summers is quite expected. Often, youngsters buy crates of beer in the morning itself as soon as we open the store! Moreover, quite a few people have switched over to beer just because of the heat.”
However, youngsters and mostly students complain that wine shops are not selling liquor at MRP. They cannot resist the temptation though. “Different shops in different parts of the city charge differently be it beer or something like scotch whiskey. So we become regular customers at places where they sell it at MRP,” explains Rajesh, a student from a city college who admits that he has beer regularly to beat the heat.
Like him, several college students spend their pocket money on beer without any qualms. “My classes get over by afternoon and we friends make sure to go and have a beer before lunch. It is a great stress buster as well,” claimed Firoze, a student, while buying beer bottles at a wine shop in Himayatnagar. He wondered as to how anyone could not have beer on a hot afternoon. “That too, when wine shops, bars and restaurants are giving certain discounts too like buy one get one free?"

Evangelist KA Paul arrested for brother’s murder

International evangelist KA Paul was Monday arrested by the police in Andhra Pradesh's Prakasam district in connection with his brother’s murder.

The police took him into custody from a hotel in Ongole town early Monday. He was presented before a local court, which remanded him in judicial custody for 14 days. Two of his associates were also arrested.

His brother David Raj was found dead under suspicious circumstances in February 2010 in Mahabubnagar district. The dispute between two brothers over property led to the murder, police said.

Koteshwara Rao, Paul's aide, who allegedly played a key role in the murder of Raj, was reportedly trying to blackmail Paul. The evangelist decided to eliminate Rao and offered a huge bribe of Rs1 crore to police to kill him in an encounter.

He had even paid Rs3 lakh and this was secretly filmed by a police officer and based on this evidence, Paul was arrested, police said.



Paul, however, alleged that he was arrested under a conspiracy by Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and YSR Congress Party leader YS Jaganmohan Reddy.

Paul, who recently floated Praja Shanti Party, is a well-known evangelist, and was once close to some top politicians and key officials in India and abroad.

The evangelist had made a sensational allegation in 2009 that then chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy had demanded Rs 20 crore from him for the Congress Party's poll campaign.

Reiterating his allegation last month, Paul alleged that when he refused to oblige, Rajasekhara Reddy started harassing him by booking cases against him and seizing his bank accounts.

Paul called the shots when N Chandrababu Naidu of the Telugu Desam Party was the chief minister. He was also close to then Lok Sabha speaker GMC Balayogi and several other politicians.

8 Congress LS AP MPs suspended over Telangana

The ruling Congress on Tuesday had eight of its own members from Telangana region hangs down from the Lok Sabha for four days for repeat disrupt the work of the house over the requirement for a separate state, the first time in parliamentary history that the ruling party members have been suspended in a group.

The action came on the first day of the second part of the Budget Session. The last week of the first phase, which ended March 30 vanished over the same issue. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal moved the motion seeking their suspension, which was adopted by a voice vote. Previously warned Francisco Sardinha, who was in the chair, agitating MPs of action if they do not return to their seats. Ponnam Prabhakar, Goud Yaskhi Madhu, M. Jagannadham, Komatreddy Rajagopal Reddy, G. Viveknanda, Balram Naik, gutta Sukhender and S. Reddy Rajaiah was suspended MPs.

Hyderabad: Curfew on in old city

HYDERABAD: Curfew continued in the riot-hit areas of the old city of Hyderabad for the third consecutive day on Tuesday, with the situation remaining tense but under control.

People in curfew bound areas under Madannapet and Saeedabad police station limits are reeling under the shortage of essential commodities. Daily wage earners are the worst hit.

Though police on Monday night announced that there would be relaxation in curfew between 12 noon and 2pm on Tuesday, the same was withdrawn.

The indefinite curfew was imposed on Sunday after communal clashes broke out following the desecration of a place of worship at Madannapet.

Police remained on high alert following the desecration of three more places of worship at Narayanguda and Kachiguda, both outside curfew-bound areas. A tense situation prevails across the old city due to sporadic incidents of violence.

An uneasy calm prevails in the densely populated neighbourhoods around the historic Charminar and Mecca Masjid as a sense of fear grips people. Business in the centuries-old markets in the old city has been badly hit.

Many people are apprehensive to go out for work and their daily chores outside the old city. Most of the buses of state-owned Road Transport Corporation are off the roads and only a few auto-rickshaws are plying.

Police Commissioner AK Khan has announced that prohibitory orders, banning the assembly of four or more people, would continue till April 14 in the city. Pillion riding on motorbike has also been banned during night hours.

Residents in the interior areas of old city are complaining that they are facing a tough time due to barbed wires erected by police on many roads. 

Osmania University students want beef in hostel mess

HYDERABAD: The politics of food is now breaking out on the 'T' struck Osmania University campus. Asserting their food culture, a large bunch of Dalit students have asked the administration to serve beef in their hostel mess. In a petition submitted to university's vice chancellor, S Satyanarayana, the students have stated that their food habits were ridiculed and insulted on the campus as members of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) disrupted an attempt to cook beef in New Research Scholars' Hostel on March 11.

Challenging the 'casteist food culture', the students will also hold a beef festival in front of Osmania University (OU) Arts College in April. During the festival, cooked beef will be served and is being conducted as part of the birth anniversary celebrations of national leaders like B R Ambedakar (April 14), Jyotiba Phule (April 11) and Babu Jagjivan Ram (April 5), who were anti-caste ideologues. The university administration, though aware of the petition has not given permission to conduct such a festival.

The Dalit students form the second largest caste group with 2,000 members on OU campus. The campus which has a total student strength of 8,000 has about 4,000 OBC and 1,000 tribal students. "We decided to conduct such a public meeting as there have been several instances in the past where we were humiliated because of our food habits. Dalit PG students were rebuked and even roughed up by others when they cooked any non-vegetarian food in hostels during certain festival days," said Sudarshan, a research scholar enrolled in Arts College. Observers said that this is the second time that the Dalit students of OU have come together to assert their identity. In 2011, students had organised a unique Dasara celebration on campus, where Ravana, the mythical character symbolising Dalit identity, was glorified.

When asked whether the OU administration will give permission for beef festival, OU vice chancellor said that the matter is sensitive and hence a decision cannot be taken in haste. "We have asked some faculty members to talk to the students. We are trying to get things under control," said S Satyanarayana, vice chancellor, OU. He said that the issue came to his notice when some sections of the student community on campus complained about the same. "On March 11, I requested some senior teachers to get in touch with them and asked them to stop the exercise as this would create tension on campus," said Satyanarayana. Experts said the beef festival will face serious opposition on campus.

Two hour power cut in Hyderabad from March 8

Andhra speaker disqualifies 16 Jagan loyalists

Hyderabad: Ending the long suspense, the Andhra Pradesh assembly speaker on Friday disqualified 16 rebel lawmakers belonging to the ruling Congress party who were loyal to YS Jaganmohan Reddy.

The speaker has also accepted the resignation of another Jagan loyalist Shoba Nagi Reddy of Praja Rajyam Party (PRP).

A statement about the disqualification was released from the office of speaker Nandendla Manohar on Friday night.

Congress had sought the disqualification of the legislators for violating the party whip and voting in favor of opposition Telugu Desam Party's no-confidence motion against the government in the assembly last December.

With the speaker's move, 17 seats in 294-member house have fallen vacant. The election commission will now initiate the process to fill the vacancies by holding by-elections within six months.

Hyderabad: The Andhra Pradesh High Court has asked for a status report on the probe into the liquor racket in the state to be submitted in three weeks from now. This has come after CNN-IBN reported that there was a nexus between the excise officials, the police and the accused in the racket.

Meanwhile, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leaders met Governor ESL Narasimhan on Monday demanding resignation of all the ministers who are alleged to have stakes in the scam.

The developments come almost a week after top Congress leaders in the state were probed by the police in connection with the issue.

Andhra Pradesh Excise Minister M Venkata Ramana, four MLAs and several excise officials have already been named in case for receiving bribes.

Sources have further said that state Congress chief Botsa Satyanarayana and Roads Minister Dharmana Prasad are also known to have a stake in the liquor business.

Notably, Satyanarayana had publicly admitted that he owns 31 liquor shops.

'Race' to stop flight of birds from city

HYDERABAD: After a two-year hiatus, the Birdwatchers' Society of Andhra Pradesh (BSAP) is back with the third edition of 'Bird Race' , which is being held in the city on Sunday. Aimed at spreading the message about the need for a healthy environment , the event will see over 100 city birdwatchers (amateur and professional ) participating in it and showcase the various species of birds found in and around Hyderabad. The race will be flagged off at Hyderabad Public School, Begumpet.

"We have identified certain areas such as Icrisat, Sanjeevaiah Park, Lotus Pond, Nehru Zoological Park, Hyderabad Central University and Narsapur forest where participants can spot birds. The team (27 people have registered so far) that logs the highest number of sightings will win the race," said M Shafaat Ulla, secretary , BSAP. He pointed out how this event was crucial for the city to take stock of its fast disappearing bird population.

"There was a time when we could spot 15-20 species of birds at any given time in the Banjara Hills area. Now, one sees none," Ulla said, expressing concern over the rapid concretization of Hyderabad which was taking a toll on its environment.

That the poor health of the city environment , due to pollution and deforestation , has driven away most of Hyderabad's birds is a claim that no one would dispute. Talking about the ongoing return migration season, they say how Hyderabad, over the last few years, has seen a sharp drop in the number of migratory birds that earlier visited from central Asia and Eastern Ghats. Right from ducks and warblers to storks, falcons and even harriers, the visits by these species , experts say, has dropped drastically , thanks to indiscriminate deforestation and encroachment of water bodies. "In such a scenario, it is very important that events like the bird race are held for people, especially the younger generation, to realise how essential it is to care for our environment ," said Rajeev Mathew, a wildlife expert.

"Another reason why it is so important to track the 'bird wealth' of Hyderabad is because the city sits in the middle of the central flyway (for migratory birds) and has a huge chunk of birds coming every season. We need to find out how many of them came this year and whether there has been a further drop in those numbers so that we can take corrective measures."

The last edition of the 'Bird Race' , which, too, was supported by the Great Hyderabad Adventure Club, was held in 2009.

Junior doctors' stir leaves 24 dead

The 50-day junior doctors' strike has claimed a heavy price , with as many as 24 deaths that occurred between Friday night and Saturday morning across the state ,being attributed to the paralysed emergency services at staterun hospitals . Seventeen deaths were reported from three tertiary care hospitals in Hyderabad __ six each from Gandhi and Osmania General Hospital (OGH) and of five new-born babies at Niloufer Hospital .

Five deaths were reportedin Kurnool .Visakhapatnam and Bhadrachalam accounted for one each . However , state health authorities , as expected , termed the deaths as routine' and said they were no way related to doctors' boycott of emergency duties.

There were heart-rending scenes of patients suffering in front of emergency wards at government hospitals as doctors stayed away from emergency duties even as patients , most of them poor , were being turned away to private facilities . Chaotic scenes were witnessed at the casualty wards andintensivecareunitsofvarious departments at the hospitals in Visakhapatnam , Vijayawada , Guntur , Kakinada , Tirupati , Anantapur , Kurnool and Warangal . Vital casualty wards , intensive care units of various departments , in-patient and outpatient wards at all the teaching hospitals were badly hit due to the strike . Victims of accidents and burns were the worst hit with no doctor available in the emergency wing .

Pavan Singh , a Dhoolpet resident was at OGH trying to find a doctor for his relative . "We were referred from the Chest Hospital . My brother-inlaw developed severe swelling on his left leg and had other complications . He was unable to walk . We brought him in an ambulance to the hospital but were told that doctors had left for theday ."

Also at OGH was a 12-member group that had met with an accident near Mahbubnagar while returning from Tirupati . Thevictimswithbleedinginjurieswere rushedtoOGHon Saturday afternoon . Of the 12, an old couple, Narsamma and Narsi Reddy , were lying on stretchersoutsidethecasualty .

AP: Statue row to escalate Mala drift from Cong?

PM to lay foundation of Hyderabad metro project

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will visit Hyderabad on February 4 to lay the foundation-stone of the Rs 12,000 crore Hyderabad Metro Rail Project, state Congress Committee president Botsa Satyanarayana said on Saturday night.

The Prime Minister would also hand over appointment letters to some of the unemployed youths who have been placed in private jobs as part of the 'Yuva Kiranalu' programme launched by the state government, Botsa told reporters after a meeting of the co-ordination committee chaired by AICC general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad here.

The PCC chief said Azad wanted the party to propagate the 'subsidised sanitary napkins' scheme for girls. "Both the state and Central governments introduced a slew of welfare schemes in the last few years which need to be propagated vigorously. The cadre will be asked to verify whether the benefits of these schemes are reaching the eligible beneficiaries upto the village level," Botsa said.


The committee also discussed the issue of pending elections to local bodies and co-operatives in the state and the steps to be taken to overcome legal hurdles to complete the election process at the earliest.

"We discussed about the impending by-elections to various assembly seats and gear up the party rank and file. We also discussed the implementation of the promises made in the election manifesto in 2009 and the pros and cons of implementing the subsidised rice scheme and nine-hour free power supply to farm sector," Satyanarayana added.

Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy, Deputy CM Damodara Rajanarasimha, MLA Chiranjeevi were among those who attended the meeting

  source:Znews