The Evening Wrap: Two Russia-based agents under CBI scanner for sending Indians to Ukraine war

“Two Russia-based agents involved in the human-trafficking network that pushed Indians into the Ukraine war zone are under the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) scanner,” officials said on March 8. “The agents allegedly confiscated the passports of Indians arriving in Russia and forced them to fight with the armed forces,” officials said. The network was busted by the CBI on March 7. “Christina and Moinuddin Chippa, a resident of Rajasthan, are based in Russia and were facilitating the trafficking of Indian youth to Russia by offering them lucrative job opportunities there,” officials said. “The Central probe agency’s FIR has listed 17 other Visa consultancy companies, their owners and agents spread across India,” they said. The agency has booked them under Indian Penal Code Sections related to criminal conspiracy, cheating and human trafficking. The CBI has alleged that the accused persons through their agents trafficked Indian nationals to Russia on the pretext of getting jobs related to the Russian Army, security guards, helpers, better life, and education and a huge amount was charged from these people illegally. The agents also duped students by providing them admission to dubious private Universities in Russia instead of government or public Universities by offering discounted fees, and visa extensions and ultimately leaving them “at the mercy” of local agents. Once these aspirants reached Russia their passports were seized by the agents there and they were forced to join the armed forces after combat role training. “They were being trained in combat roles and provided with Russian Army uniforms and batches. Thereafter, these Indian nationals are being deployed at front bases in the Russia-Ukraine War Zone against their wishes and put their lives in grave danger,” the CBI FIR said. The Central Bureau of Investigation on March 7 had busted the trafficking network. They said the agency has found 35 instances in which youngsters were taken to Russia after being lured with false promises of high-paying jobs via social media channels and local contacts and agents. After filing the FIR, the CBI conducted countrywide searches at 13 locations across Delhi, Thiruvananthapuram, Mumbai, Ambala, Chandigarh, Madurai and Chennai. “The human-trafficking network of these agents is spread over several States across the country and they are operating in an organised manner,” the spokesperson had said. The Central probe agency has booked 24x7 RAS Overseas Foundation in Delhi and its director Suyash Mukut, OSD Bros Travels and Visa Services Private Limited in Mumbai and its director Rakesh Pandey, Adventure Visa Services Private Limited in Chandigarh and its director Manjeet Singh and Baba Vlogs Overseas Recruitment Solutions Private Limited in Dubai and its director Faisal Abdul Mutalib Khan alias Baba among others. “It has been ascertained that some of the victims also suffered grievous injuries in the war zone,” the official had said. “So far, cash worth more than ₹50 lakh, incriminating documents and electronic records such as laptops, mobiles, desktops and CCTV footage have been seized. Searches are going on. Certain suspects have also been detained for questioning at various locations,” he had added. Income Tax tribunal dismisses Congress appeal against ₹210-crore penalty for discrepancies in past returns The Income Tax Appellate Tribunal on March 8 dismissed the Congress party’s appeal against imposition of penalty for discrepancies in tax returns for previous years and said it was exploring all legal options and will move the High Court against it very soon. Sources said the tribunal had dismissed the appeal of the Congress for imposition of penalties of ₹210 crore by the Income Tax department in New Delhi on March 8. Congress treasurer Ajay Maken said the party is exploring all legal options and would move the high court “very soon”. “The BJP government has deliberately chosen the timing of this to coincide with national elections,” Maken told PTI. He said the I-T tribunal order freezing Congress’s funds is “an attack on democracy” as it has come just ahead of national elections. “How can one expect fair elections in such a situation when funds to the tune of ₹270 crore have been freezed or taken away by the Income Tax authorities from Congress party’s accounts,” he asked. Confirming the order, Congress’ legal cell head Vivek Tankha said the Tribunal has not even followed its own past precedents in this regard and the party will be approaching the High Court soon. “We are disappointed with the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal order. We will be moving the High Court very soon. They have not followed their own past precedents in granting relief on payment of 20% penalty and that too to a national party which is now on the verge of contesting national elections, which is going to be notified soon,” Tankha told PTI. He appeared before the tribunal on behalf of the party appealing against the I-T authorities order imposing penalty worth ₹210 crore for alleged discrepancies in I-T returns for previous years. The Congress had earlier termed the Income Tax authorities’ decision as “tax terrorism” coming ahead of general elections only to cripple the funds of the principal Opposition party. The Congress had earlier alleged that the Income Tax department has “withdrawn” a sum of ₹65 crore from its accounts in different banks “undemocratically” and claimed that it has freezed another ₹205 crore of its funds. Maken claimed that “democracy will be over in the country if the action of probe agencies goes unchecked” and said the Congress has full faith in the judiciary. Interest rates on small savings schemes unchanged for April-June The Centre on March 8 decided to keep the returns offered on various small savings schemes unchanged for the April to June quarter, quashing hopes of a pre-election hike in rates like the one announced ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The rates on small savings are reset every quarter as per a formula. While the Government hiked rates on most schemes over the last six quarters, the return on the popular Public Provident Fund (PPF) scheme, that was hiked to 7.9% ahead of the 2019 elections, has been frozen at 7.1% since April 2020. As per the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the PPF return should have been pegged at 7.51% for the October to December 2023 quarter, as per the formula-based rates regime for small savings schemes adopted in 2016. The Finance Ministry has reasoned that the returns on the scheme, which was launched in the 1960s, need not be hiked as they are fully tax-free, unlike other schemes, and thus their tax-adjusted return is much higher. However, the returns on the Sukanya Samriddhi Account Scheme (SSAS), which is also tax-free, were hiked to 8% in the April to June 2023 quarter and further hiked to 8.2% for the current quarter. The SSAS was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015 to encourage savings for the girl child. Apart from the SSAS hike in this quarter, the Government had raised the return on three-year time deposits from 7% to 7.1%, while retaining the rates prevailing in the October to December 2023 quarter on other Small Savings Instruments. As per the RBI, the 6.7% returns on 5-year Recurring Deposit (RD) accounts were below the formula-based rate of 6.91% in the October to December quarter. But the rate has been retained at 6.7% for this as well as the next quarter. The government had hiked small savings rates over two quarters in late 2018 and early 2019 before the previous general election. The PPF and five-year National Savings Certificates fetched 8%, while the SSAS delivered 8.5% returns. In June 2019, after the government returned to office, all schemes’ rates were slashed by 0.1%. Later, the government had slashed most schemes’ rates in the range of 0.5 and 1.4 percentage points in April 2020, bringing the PPF rate to 7.1% and the SSAS rate to 7.6%. Another round of rate cuts — in the range of 0.4% to 1.1% across schemes — was announced for the April to June 2021 quarter. But the announcement made in the midst of a campaign for five State elections, was scrapped overnight, citing an ‘oversight’. The returns on small savings instruments were frozen for 27 months till October 2022. Manipur violence | Army officer abducted from home in Manipur Amid the ongoing ethnic conflict in Manipur, a serving Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) of the Indian Army was abducted from his home in Thoubal district on the morning of March 8. A coordinated search operation is under way to rescue the officer, The Hindu has learnt. A source said that JCO Konsam Kheda Singh was abducted from his residence in a vehicle around 9 a.m., adding that the cause of the abduction is not yet known. They said that coordinated searches are under way and all vehicles plying along National Highway 102 are being checked. Ever since the conflict began in Manipur on May 3, 2023, between the dominant Valley-based Meitei people and the hills-based Scheduled Tribe Kuki-Zo people, at least 219 people have been killed and tens of thousands internally displaced. This is the fourth instance of soldiers either on leave or on duty or their relatives being individually targeted since the conflict began. “The security forces working to bring peace and normalcy are being targeted for performing their duties,” the source said. Days ago, an Additional Superintendent of Police of the Manipur Police had been attacked in his Imphal home on February 27 by members of the radical armed Meitei group Arambai Tenggol (AT). The incident had led to Manipur Police staging an arms-down protest seeking a free hand to deal with outfits like AT. In November last year, five members of an Indian Army soldier’s family were kidnapped while they were travelling from Churachandpur to Leimakhong by an unidentified armed group, which killed four of the members. And in September 2023, a former Assam Regiment soldier Serto Thangthang Kom, posted in Leimakhong with the Defence Service Corps (DSC), was kidnapped and killed by an unidentified armed group. In Brief Congress announces first list of 39 candidates; Rahul Gandhi to contest from Wayanad Congress, on March 8, announced their first list of 39 candidates for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections 2024. In the list of 39 candidates, Congress said former party leader Rahul Gandhi will again be contesting from Wayanad from Kerala. Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel will contest from Rajnandgaon, party general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal from Alappuzha and Shashi Tharroor from Thiruvananthapuram. On March 2, BJP announced their first list of 195 candidates and it is stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be contesting Varanasi again. ED attaches ₹50 crore assets linked to NCP MLA Rohit Pawar The Enforcement Directorate on Friday said it has attached assets worth more than ₹50 crore of a sugar mill owned by a company of Rohit Pawar, the grandnephew of NCP (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar. The action pertains to the money laundering investigation conducted by the federal agency in the alleged Maharashtra State Co-operative Bank (MSCB) scam. A total of 161.30 acres of land, plant, machinery and building of the Kannad Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana Limited (Kannad SSK) located in Kannad village of Aurangabad district has been provisionally attached under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the ED said in a statement. France inscribes the right to abortion in its constitution France inscribed the guaranteed right to abortion in its constitution on March 8, a powerful message of support for women’s rights on International Women’s Day. Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti used a 19th-century printing press to seal the amendment in France’s constitution at a special public ceremony. Applause filled the cobblestoned Place Vendome as France became the first country to explicitly guarantee abortion rights in its national charter. The measure was overwhelmingly approved by French lawmakers earlier this week, and Friday’s ceremony means it can now enter into force. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [logo] The Evening Wrap 08 March 2024 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. [[Arrow]Open in browser]( [[Mail icon]More newsletters]( Two Russia-based agents under CBI scanner for sending Indians to Ukraine war “Two Russia-based agents involved in the human-trafficking network that pushed Indians into the Ukraine war zone are under the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) scanner,” officials said on March 8. “The agents allegedly confiscated the passports of Indians arriving in Russia and forced them to fight with the armed forces,” officials said. The [network was busted by the CBI]( on March 7. “Christina and Moinuddin Chippa, a resident of Rajasthan, are based in Russia and were facilitating the trafficking of Indian youth to Russia by offering them lucrative job opportunities there,” officials said. “The Central probe agency’s FIR has listed 17 other Visa consultancy companies, their owners and agents spread across India,” they said. The agency has booked them under Indian Penal Code Sections related to criminal conspiracy, cheating and human trafficking. The CBI has alleged that the accused persons through their agents trafficked Indian nationals to Russia on the pretext of getting jobs related to the Russian Army, security guards, helpers, better life, and education and a huge amount was charged from these people illegally. The agents also duped students by providing them admission to dubious private Universities in Russia instead of government or public Universities by offering discounted fees, and visa extensions and ultimately leaving them “at the mercy” of local agents. Once these aspirants reached Russia their passports were seized by the agents there and they were forced to join the armed forces after combat role training. “They were being trained in combat roles and provided with Russian Army uniforms and batches. Thereafter, these Indian nationals are being deployed at front bases in the Russia-Ukraine War Zone against their wishes and put their lives in grave danger,” the CBI FIR said. The Central Bureau of Investigation on March 7 had busted the trafficking network. They said the agency has found 35 instances in which youngsters were taken to Russia after being lured with false promises of high-paying jobs via social media channels and local contacts and agents. After filing the FIR, the CBI conducted countrywide searches at 13 locations across Delhi, Thiruvananthapuram, Mumbai, Ambala, Chandigarh, Madurai and Chennai. “The human-trafficking network of these agents is spread over several States across the country and they are operating in an organised manner,” the spokesperson had said. The Central probe agency has booked 24x7 RAS Overseas Foundation in Delhi and its director Suyash Mukut, OSD Bros Travels and Visa Services Private Limited in Mumbai and its director Rakesh Pandey, Adventure Visa Services Private Limited in Chandigarh and its director Manjeet Singh and Baba Vlogs Overseas Recruitment Solutions Private Limited in Dubai and its director Faisal Abdul Mutalib Khan alias Baba among others. “It has been ascertained that some of the victims also suffered grievous injuries in the war zone,” the official had said. “So far, cash worth more than ₹50 lakh, incriminating documents and electronic records such as laptops, mobiles, desktops and CCTV footage have been seized. Searches are going on. Certain suspects have also been detained for questioning at various locations,” he had added. Income Tax tribunal dismisses Congress appeal against ₹210-crore penalty for discrepancies in past returns The Income Tax Appellate Tribunal on March 8 [dismissed the Congress party’s appeal against imposition of penalty for discrepancies in tax returns]( for previous years and said it was exploring all legal options and will move the High Court against it very soon. Sources said the tribunal had dismissed the appeal of the Congress for imposition of penalties of ₹210 crore by the Income Tax department in New Delhi on March 8. Congress treasurer Ajay Maken said the party is exploring all legal options and would move the high court “very soon”. “The BJP government has deliberately chosen the timing of this to coincide with national elections,” Maken told PTI. He said the I-T tribunal order freezing Congress’s funds is “an attack on democracy” as it has come just ahead of national elections. “How can one expect fair elections in such a situation when funds to the tune of ₹270 crore have been freezed or taken away by the Income Tax authorities from Congress party’s accounts,” he asked. Confirming the order, Congress’ legal cell head Vivek Tankha said the Tribunal has not even followed its own past precedents in this regard and the party will be approaching the High Court soon. “We are disappointed with the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal order. We will be moving the High Court very soon. They have not followed their own past precedents in granting relief on payment of 20% penalty and that too to a national party which is now on the verge of contesting national elections, which is going to be notified soon,” Tankha told PTI. He appeared before the tribunal on behalf of the party appealing against the I-T authorities order imposing penalty worth ₹210 crore for alleged discrepancies in I-T returns for previous years. The Congress had earlier termed the Income Tax authorities’ decision as “tax terrorism” coming ahead of general elections only to cripple the funds of the principal Opposition party. The Congress had earlier alleged that the Income Tax department has “withdrawn” a sum of ₹65 crore from its accounts in different banks “undemocratically” and claimed that it has freezed another ₹205 crore of its funds. Maken claimed that “democracy will be over in the country if the action of probe agencies goes unchecked” and said the Congress has full faith in the judiciary. Interest rates on small savings schemes unchanged for April-June The Centre on March 8 [decided to keep the returns offered on various small savings schemes unchanged]( for the April to June quarter, quashing hopes of a pre-election hike in rates like the one announced ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The rates on small savings are reset every quarter as per a formula. While the Government hiked rates on most schemes over the last six quarters, the return on the popular Public Provident Fund (PPF) scheme, that was hiked to 7.9% ahead of the 2019 elections, has been frozen at 7.1% since April 2020. As per the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the PPF return should have been pegged at 7.51% for the October to December 2023 quarter, as per the formula-based rates regime for small savings schemes adopted in 2016. The Finance Ministry has reasoned that the returns on the scheme, which was launched in the 1960s, need not be hiked as they are fully tax-free, unlike other schemes, and thus their tax-adjusted return is much higher. However, the returns on the Sukanya Samriddhi Account Scheme (SSAS), which is also tax-free, were hiked to 8% in the April to June 2023 quarter and further hiked to 8.2% for the current quarter. The SSAS was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015 to encourage savings for the girl child. Apart from the SSAS hike in this quarter, the Government had raised the return on three-year time deposits from 7% to 7.1%, while retaining the rates prevailing in the October to December 2023 quarter on other Small Savings Instruments. As per the RBI, the 6.7% returns on 5-year Recurring Deposit (RD) accounts were below the formula-based rate of 6.91% in the October to December quarter. But the rate has been retained at 6.7% for this as well as the next quarter. The government had hiked small savings rates over two quarters in late 2018 and early 2019 before the previous general election. The PPF and five-year National Savings Certificates fetched 8%, while the SSAS delivered 8.5% returns. In June 2019, after the government returned to office, all schemes’ rates were slashed by 0.1%. Later, the government had slashed most schemes’ rates in the range of 0.5 and 1.4 percentage points in April 2020, bringing the PPF rate to 7.1% and the SSAS rate to 7.6%. Another round of rate cuts — in the range of 0.4% to 1.1% across schemes — was announced for the April to June 2021 quarter. But the announcement made in the midst of a campaign for five State elections, was scrapped overnight, citing an ‘oversight’. The returns on small savings instruments were frozen for 27 months till October 2022. Manipur violence | Army officer abducted from home in Manipur Amid the ongoing ethnic conflict in Manipur, a [serving Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) of the Indian Army was abducted from his home in Thoubal district]( on the morning of March 8. A coordinated search operation is under way to rescue the officer, The Hindu has learnt. A source said that JCO Konsam Kheda Singh was abducted from his residence in a vehicle around 9 a.m., adding that the cause of the abduction is not yet known. They said that coordinated searches are under way and all vehicles plying along National Highway 102 are being checked. Ever since the conflict began in Manipur on May 3, 2023, between the dominant Valley-based Meitei people and the hills-based Scheduled Tribe Kuki-Zo people, at least 219 people have been killed and tens of thousands internally displaced. This is the fourth instance of soldiers either on leave or on duty or their relatives being individually targeted since the conflict began. “The security forces working to bring peace and normalcy are being targeted for performing their duties,” the source said. Days ago, an Additional Superintendent of Police of the Manipur Police had been attacked in his Imphal home on February 27 by members of the radical armed Meitei group Arambai Tenggol (AT). The incident had led to Manipur Police staging an arms-down protest seeking a free hand to deal with outfits like AT. In November last year, five members of an Indian Army soldier’s family were kidnapped while they were travelling from Churachandpur to Leimakhong by an unidentified armed group, which killed four of the members. And in September 2023, a former Assam Regiment soldier Serto Thangthang Kom, posted in Leimakhong with the Defence Service Corps (DSC), was kidnapped and killed by an unidentified armed group. In Brief Congress announces first list of 39 candidates; Rahul Gandhi to contest from Wayanad Congress, on March 8, [announced their first list of 39 candidates]( for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections 2024. In the list of 39 candidates, Congress said former party leader Rahul Gandhi will again be contesting from Wayanad from Kerala. Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel will contest from Rajnandgaon, party general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal from Alappuzha and Shashi Tharroor from Thiruvananthapuram. On March 2, BJP announced their first list of 195 candidates and it is stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be contesting Varanasi again. ED attaches ₹50 crore assets linked to NCP MLA Rohit Pawar The Enforcement Directorate on Friday said it has [attached assets worth more than ₹50 crore of a sugar mill owned by a company of Rohit Pawar]( the grandnephew of NCP (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar. The action pertains to the money laundering investigation conducted by the federal agency in the alleged Maharashtra State Co-operative Bank (MSCB) scam. A total of 161.30 acres of land, plant, machinery and building of the Kannad Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana Limited (Kannad SSK) located in Kannad village of Aurangabad district has been provisionally attached under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the ED said in a statement. France inscribes the right to abortion in its constitution France [inscribed the guaranteed right to abortion in its constitution]( on March 8, a powerful message of support for women’s rights on International Women’s Day. Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti used a 19th-century printing press to seal the amendment in France’s constitution at a special public ceremony. Applause filled the cobblestoned Place Vendome as France became the first country to explicitly guarantee abortion rights in its national charter. The measure was overwhelmingly approved by French lawmakers earlier this week, and Friday’s ceremony means it can now enter into force. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [Sign up for free]( Today’s Top Picks [[Amid fears of AI misuse in upcoming poll, OpenAI executives met Election Commission officials in February] Amid fears of AI misuse in upcoming poll, OpenAI executives met Election Commission officials in February]( [[Supreme Court sends mixed signals as ED-States tussle become frequent] Supreme Court sends mixed signals as ED-States tussle become frequent]( [[International Women’s Day | Breaking barriers, confronting challenges] International Women’s Day | Breaking barriers, confronting challenges]( [[Doubly thrilled to receive this honour on Women’s Day: Sudha Murty on Rajya Sabha nomination] Doubly thrilled to receive this honour on Women’s Day: Sudha Murty on Rajya Sabha nomination]( Copyright© 2024, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. 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