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CBI books Punjab CM’s son-in-law, 11 others of Simbhaoli Sugars in OBC Bank fraud

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CBI books Punjab CM's son-in-law, 11 others of Simbhaoli Sugars in OBC Bank fraud

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh’s son-in-law and 11 others have been booked by the CBI in a case registered against Simbhaoli Sugars Limited – a private sugar-manufacturing firm based in Uttar Pradesh’s Simbhaoli – in connection with reported bank loan fraud of Rs 97.85 crore and default of Rs 110 crore in loans from the Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC).

Gurpal Singh, one of the deputy directors, is married to Punjab CM Captain Amrinder Singh’s daughter Jai Inder Kaur. Gurpal Singh is on the board of directors of eight companies in total.

The CBI has registered a case of fraud against the top officers of Simbhaoli Sugars Limited, including the CMD, CFO, CEO and directors, and unknown bank officials. The CBI has charged them with criminal conspiracy and cheating.

The CBI FIR mentions two loans, said media reports. Of the two, one is a Rs 97.85 crore loan declared fraud in 2015. The other is a corporate loan of Rs 110 crore that was used to repay the previous loan. It has been learnt that the corporate loan was declared non-performing asset (NPA) on November 29, 2016 in the aftermath of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s demonetisation move, said a Financial Express (FE) report.

The bank had lodged a complaint with the CBI on November 17, 2017. The case was registered by the CBI on February 22 this year, according to reports.

The CBI’s FIR, reported The Times of India (TOI), has alleged that Oriental Bank of Commerce sanctioned a loan amounting to Rs 148.59 crore to Simbhaoli Sugars in December 2011 after the company approached it with a proposal for financing sugarcane farmers under the tie-up arrangement with the company (with a maximum limit of Rs 3 lakh per farmer).

The company supplied to the bank the names of individual farmers along with their details of land holding and cane supplied by them in the previous season. It was also supposed to submit the KYC and other requisite documents along with the loan application of individual farmers.

The bank’s Hapur branch disbursed loans to 5,762 farmers between January and March 2012 totalling Rs 148.59 crore. The loans were disbursed through individual loan accounts opened for farmers and consolidated amount of each disbursement was credited in the Escrow (current) account of Simbhaoli Sugars on the basis of undertaking given by the company that inputs like seed, fertilizers and other necessary equipments etc have been supplied by it to all the individual farmers.

It turned out that Simbhaoli issued improper KYC certificates in the names of farmers, the TOI report said. The company transferred diverted the funds from the Escrow account to other accounts maintained by it with SBI, Punjab National Bank and UCO Bank through RTGS. This way, OBC claimed, Simbhaoli Sugars has misappropriated the money lent by it and “there is clear cut division of funds”.

The loan account of Rs 148.59 crore was declared non-performing asset (NPA) in March 2015 and a fraud in May 2015 for an outstanding amount of Rs 97.85 crore.

Interestingly, in addition to existing NPA, OBC, under multiple banking arrangements sanctioned another corporate loan of Rs 110 crore to Simbhaoli in January 2015 to pay its outstanding loan of Rs 97.85 crore. “They (bank) adjusted the total liability of Rs 112.94 crore of company in June 2016 by sanctioning this new corporate loan,” says CBI.

The corporate loan, too, turned NPA on November 29, 2016, in the aftermath of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s famous demonetisation move resulting in its first outstanding loan of Rs 97.85 crore (as alleged fraud) and the fresh corporate loan of Rs 109.08 crore (as fresh outstanding).

The CBI on Sunday carried out searches at eight premises including residences of the directors, factory, corporate office and registered office of the company in Delhi, Hapur and Noida, said media reports quoting CBI spokesperson Abhishek Dayal.

The case comes amidst the multi-crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud scam involving diamontaire Nirav Modi is making the headlines. Notably, Simbhaoli Sugars Ltd is considered as one of the largest sugar mills in the country.

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Indian Army Agniveer CEE Result 2026 declared, ARO-wise merit list released

The Indian Army has announced the Agniveer CEE Result 2026. Candidates can now download the ARO-wise merit list and check their eligibility for the next stages of recruitment.

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Indian Army Agniveer Result

The Indian Army has announced the Agniveer Common Entrance Examination (CEE) Result 2026, allowing candidates to check their qualifying status through the official recruitment portal. The Army Recruitment Office (ARO)-wise merit lists have been uploaded on joinindianarmy.nic.in, where candidates can download the PDF corresponding to their recruitment region.

The merit lists contain the names and roll numbers of candidates who have successfully cleared the written examination and become eligible for the next phase of the Agniveer recruitment process.

How to check Indian Army Agniveer CEE Result 2026

Candidates can access their results by following these steps:

  • Visit the official Indian Army recruitment website.
  • Click on the Agniveer CEE Result 2026 link available on the homepage.
  • Select the relevant Army Recruitment Office (ARO) or recruitment region.
  • Download the merit list PDF.
  • Search for your roll number or name to confirm your qualification status.

What happens after the Agniveer CEE result?

Candidates shortlisted in the Common Entrance Examination will now have to undergo the remaining stages of the recruitment process. These include:

  • Physical Fitness Test (PFT)
  • Physical Measurement Test (PMT)
  • Document Verification (DV)
  • Medical Examination

Only candidates who successfully clear every stage will be considered for final selection under the Agniveer recruitment programme.

Candidates advised to verify details carefully

After downloading the merit list, candidates should carefully check all the information mentioned in the document. If they notice any discrepancy related to their result or personal details, they should immediately contact their respective Army Recruitment Office (ARO) for assistance.

Candidates are also advised to keep checking the official Indian Army recruitment portal for updates regarding the schedule, venue and instructions for the upcoming physical tests, document verification and medical examination.

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India News

Delhi air quality slips to poor as AQI reaches 261, highest in over 85 days

Delhi’s air quality entered the ‘poor’ category after AQI touched 261, its highest level since April 17. Authorities attributed the spike to transnational dust from Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan.

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Delhi air quality

Delhi’s air quality fell into the ‘poor’ category on Sunday after the city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) climbed to 261, marking its highest level in more than 85 days, according to official data.

The reading was the highest since April 17, when the AQI stood at 263. Just a day earlier, Delhi had recorded an AQI of 140, while air quality had largely remained in the ‘moderate’ and ‘satisfactory’ categories for most of the month.

Transnational dust behind spike in pollution

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) said the sudden deterioration in Delhi-NCR’s air quality was mainly caused by long-range winds carrying mineral dust generated by storm activity in Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan.

According to the commission, these dust-laden winds reached northwestern India, including Delhi, resulting in a significant rise in PM10 concentrations. Strong surface winds across the Indo-Gangetic Plain also contributed to the increase in pollution levels.

The CAQM said Delhi’s air quality is expected to remain in the ‘poor’ category for the next few days before improving once the transnational dust spell weakens.

No GRAP Stage-I restrictions for now

Despite the worsening air quality, the CAQM decided not to implement GRAP Stage-I restrictions, stating that the current pollution episode has been triggered by transnational dust rather than local emission sources.

However, the commission directed the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) to intensify dust control measures across the city.

As per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), an AQI between 201 and 300 falls under the ‘poor’ category.

Delhi experiences humid weather

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the maximum temperature at Safdarjung reached 36.8 degrees Celsius, which was 1.3 degrees above normal, while the minimum temperature settled at 28.3 degrees Celsius, one degree above the seasonal average.

Although the actual maximum temperature remained below 37 degrees Celsius, high humidity pushed the feels-like temperature to 45.7 degrees Celsius by 5:30 pm.

Among other weather stations, maximum temperatures were recorded at 37 degrees Celsius at Lodhi Road, 36.6 degrees Celsius at Palam, 36.2 degrees Celsius at Ayanagar and 36 degrees Celsius at Ridge.

Minimum temperatures stood at 27.1 degrees Celsius in Palam, 27.2 degrees Celsius in Lodhi Road, 27.4 degrees Celsius in Ayanagar and 25.6 degrees Celsius at Ridge.

Weather outlook

The IMD has forecast strong surface winds during the daytime on Monday, with the maximum and minimum temperatures likely to remain around 37 degrees Celsius and 27 degrees Celsius, respectively.

Relative humidity varied between 64 per cent at 8:30 am and 52 per cent at 5:30 pm.

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India News

Red Fort bomb threat declared hoax after extensive security checks in Delhi

Delhi Police declared a bomb threat targeting the Red Fort a hoax after conducting a detailed security search following an alert received from Mumbai Police.

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Red fort

Delhi’s iconic Red Fort witnessed heightened security on Saturday after authorities received a bomb threat targeting the historic monument. Following a detailed inspection and sanitisation drive, Delhi Police confirmed that the threat was a hoax and no explosives were found.

Threat call routed through Mumbai Police

According to officials, the threat was initially received by the Mumbai Police Control Room. The caller allegedly claimed that the Red Fort would be blown up.

Mumbai Police immediately shared the information with the Delhi Police Control Room, which alerted the North District Police. Security personnel were deployed at the monument, and a comprehensive search operation was launched to ensure public safety.

After completing the inspection, officials ruled out any security risk and declared the threat to be false.

Security concerns remain high after previous terror incident

The latest threat comes around eight months after a deadly vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (IED) blast near the Red Fort Metro Station claimed 15 lives and left several others injured.

Investigators had alleged that the blast was carried out by Umar-un-Nabi, a Kashmiri doctor associated with Al-Falah University in Faridabad, who was driving a Hyundai i20. The explosion occurred on the same day security agencies recovered around 2,900 kg of explosives, including ammonium nitrate, from neighbouring Faridabad in Haryana.

According to investigators, the accused allegedly triggered the explosion after two suspected associates were arrested and the explosives were seized during the operation.

Authorities had identified several other accused linked to the case. Investigators alleged that the group was part of a white-collar terror module associated with Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, an al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist organisation.

Earlier arrests linked to alleged attack plots

In May, Delhi Police’s Special Cell arrested nine men who were allegedly linked to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim.

Police alleged that the accused were planning attacks on critical infrastructure and security personnel in Delhi, Mumbai and other parts of the country. According to investigators, potential targets included airports, railway stations, power plants and other vital installations.

Although Saturday’s bomb threat was found to be fake, the incident once again prompted swift security measures at one of the country’s most significant heritage sites.

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