indian express

A man accused of sexually exploiting at least 180 minor girls and recording over 350 obscene videos has been arrested in Maharashtra's Amravati, in a prompt action by the police following a complaint by a BJP MP. Mohammad Ayaz, alias Tanveer, a resident of Paratwada city, allegedly lured the girls into a "love trap," took them to Mumbai and Pune, and filmed obscene videos of them. These videos were allegedly used to blackmail the girls and force them into prostitution. Some were widely shared online too. The minors were systematically targeted through WhatsApp and Snapchat groups, according to a memorandum submitted by Rajya Sabha MP Anil Bonde to Superintendent of Police (Rural) Vishal Anand. Bonde also warned of staging protests in front of the SP's office on Wednesday morning if a Special Investigation Team (SIT) is not constituted. Even some members of the Muslim community visited the police station to demand strict action against the accused, stressing the n...

As tensions escalate around the Strait of Hormuz, where the US is intensifying pressure on Iranian-linked maritime activity, a parallel development in Southeast Asia is drawing attention. A fresh defence arrangement between the United States and Indonesia has triggered speculation that the US' focus may be widening toward the Strait of Malacca, which is another critical artery of global trade. The agreement, finalised earlier this week, gives US military aircraft expanded operational access to Indonesia's airspace. Although it is officially framed as a step toward deeper defence cooperation, it could also enhance Washington's surveillance and operational reach over the Malacca Strait, which links the Indian Ocean with East Asia. Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore collectively manage this passage, which facilitates a significant portion of global trade transit. However, the timing of the deal has raised questions about whether the US is recalibrating its Indo-Pacific strat...

Two very large crude carriers loaded with Iranian oil have reached Indian ports, ship tracking data from LSEG shows, as local refiners utilise a temporary waiver granted by the United States last month to resume purchases from Tehran for the first time in seven years. The current waiver is due to expire on April 19. The Iran-flagged Felicity has reached Sikka Port in western India, while the Curacao-flagged Jaya is at the eastern port of Odisha, the data shows. A VLCC carries 2 million barrels of oil. India, the world's third-biggest oil importer and consumer, has not received a cargo from Iran since May 2019 after coming under U.S. pressure not to buy the country's crude. Indian Oil Corp, the country's top refiner, has bought Iranian oil loaded on the Jaya, a vessel under U.S. sanctions, Reuters reported last week. India has also allowed Reliance Industries Ltd, the operator of the world's biggest refining complex, to buy Iranian oil loaded on the Comoros-flagged...

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has initiated a formal investigation into Rajasthan Royals (RR) team manager Romi Bhinder, who was spotted using a mobile phone in the dugout during the side's IPL 2026 match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Guwahati. The incident, captured live by TV cameras at the ACA Stadium, showed Bhinder using a device while seated next to teenage left-handed opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi , who was looking at the screen. The footage has since gone viral and raised questions regarding a breach of the league's strict anti-corruption protocols. According to the IPL's Players and Match Officials Area (PMOA) regulations, a team manager may use a phone in the dressing room area but 'NOT' in the dugout. Saikia confirmed to IANS on Sunday that the BCCI Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) is currently verifying the details of the incident and has begun its probing exercise. "As per the PMOA regulations, certain individuals like t...

While Aditya Dhar's Dhurandhar: The Revenge continues to wreak havoc at the box office-a spy thriller centred around Indian intelligence operations against terrorism in Pakistan-the film has been tagged as propaganda by many. However, the internet continues to be divided. Amid the rampage, an old video from IIFA's red carpet has resurfaced where a reporter asked several celebrities, "Have you ever thought about hosting IIFA in Pakistan?" From Anil Kapoor to Anupam Kher, several answered, but the reason the video is going viral after Dhurandhar 2 success, is R. Madhavan's and Arjun Rampal's quotes. They played Ajay Sanyal, the Director of the Intelligence Bureau (IB), and Major Iqbal, a ruthless ISI operative, respectively. What Did They Say? R. Madhavan's answer to the question was, "Yes, I would be the first to go. I just want to say to my Pakistani brothers and sisters, your love always reaches me through Twitter and Facebook. It makes me very ...

Over the past two weeks, two Bollywood films have dominated the conversation across print, video, and social media.  The spy thriller Dhurandhar 2 (still raking in the crores), and Ranbir Kapoor's Ramayana , whose polarising teaser sparked both massive buzz and intense trolling. This brings us to a filmmaker who mastered these two very different genres: the gritty spy thriller and the timeless sacred epic.  He was the man who gave India its first genuine, big-budget spy blockbuster and its most beloved on-screen Ramayan . His name was Chandramouli Chopra. Never heard of him? Don't worry. He changed his name, and the world came to know him as Ramanand Sagar. Yes, the same Ramanand Sagar who created the 1980s TV phenomenon Ramayan . A show that an entire generation claimed as their own, and one that, even today, is regarded as the gold standard of mythological storytelling. But long before he brought the gods to the small screen, he was busy defining the grammar of the In...