New Delhi [India], February 26 (ANI): The National Investigating Agency (NIA) on Friday said that it filed a supplementary charge sheet against an Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agent in connection with an espionage case in Uttar Pradesh.
In a press release, NIA said that the accused Rajakbhai Kumbhar, is accused of meeting and conspiring with ISI agent Hamid alias Asim and is also tasked with transferring funds to co-accused Rashid for the information he had provided to the ISI operatives in Pakistan.
Kumbhar was arrested on September 30, 2020, when the NIA took charge of the case.
The case was registered in Gomti Nagar, Lucknow on January 19, 2020, in which Rashid was arrested on the same day for his role in supplying sensitive information, photos and videos of vital installations of strategic importance to ISI operatives based in Pakistan. The NIA has re-registered the case on April 6 last year and taken up the investigation, according to the press note.
A charge sheet was filed against Rashid in Gomti Nagar, Lucknow on July 16, 2020, for his role in supplying important information to his ISI operatives based in Pakistan, according to the press note.
Further investigation by NIA revealed that Kumbhar had visited Pakistan twice on legal documents.
“During his second visit, he met and conspired with ISI agent Hamid alias Asim. Rajakbhai transferred funds to Rashid for the information he had provided to the ISI operatives in Pakistan,” read the press release.
Further investigation is underway. (ANI)

New Delhi [India], February 26 (ANI): COVID-19 vaccination sessions are not scheduled on Saturday and Sunday (February 27 and 28) in wake of the IT System Transition from Co-Win 1.0 to Co-Win 2.0, informed the Union Health Ministry on Friday.
As per a press statement from the Ministry, the COVID-19 vaccination was launched on January 16 by the Prime Minister. The country-wide vaccination exercise is being exponentially expanded to include those above 60 years of age and those above 45 years with co-morbidities, from March 1.
On the coming Saturday and Sunday, the Co-Win digital platform will be transitioning from Co-Win 1.0 to Co-Win 2.0. In view of this, COVID-19 vaccination sessions will not be scheduled during these two days. The States and Union Territories have been already informed about this transition, it said. (ANI)

Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], February 26 (ANI): Eye cosmetic samples can be used to identify suspects to make it easier to prove criminal activities against women, said Dr Vishal Sharma, Chairperson of the Institute of Forensic Science and Criminology, Panjab University.
Speaking to ANI, he said that a sample of the victim’s eyeliner or mascara can be used to trace the culprit. The criminal could be identified with just a mark of the victim’s cosmetics on his body or clothes.
A research study conducted by Dr Sharma reported a 95 per cent success rate and was published in ‘Micro Chemical Journal-Elsevier’.

“After a year’s research using spectroscopy, it has been found that cosmetic marks like eyeliner and mascara can help prove crime against a woman. In the trials, 95 per cent of results have been found right. This research study has also been published in UK’s distinguished Micro Chemical Journal. It is learnt that it would be very helpful for investigation agencies to prove crime against women,” Dr Vishal Sharma told ANI on Thursday.
He also claimed that it is an easy technique to identify criminals as it takes just five to ten minutes to get the results.
“The study was done using samples of 102 brands of cosmetics specifically eyeliner and mascara. I got the inspiration to do this study after I got to know that investigative agencies have found very minute traces of these cosmetics in many cases,” he added. (ANI)

Unnao (Uttar Pradesh) [India], February 26 (ANI): The water given to the three Unnao girls was laced with a herbicide named Sulfosulfuron, leading to the death of two of them, Uttar Pradesh Police said on Thursday.
“The Forensic Science laboratory (FSL) report revealed that a herbicide named Sulfosulfuron was mixed in the water given to the three girls, after consuming which two of them died and the third was admitted to the hospital in critical condition,” said Anand Kulkarni, Superintendent of Police (SP), Unnao.
The SP added that police have applied for remand of the two accused arrested in the case.
On February 19, UP police arrested two persons, including a minor, in connection with the case where three girls were found unconscious in an agricultural field in Unnao’s Asoha, out of which two have died and the third girl is battling for her life in a Kanpur hospital.
Uttar Pradesh Police had said that one of the arrested identified as Vinay alias Lambu in his confession said that he had fallen in love with one of the girls and offered her water laced with pesticides after she rejected his advances.
“We got a tip-off on Friday morning by an informant from the village that two persons were seen running away from the agricultural field around the time of the incident. On the basis of that information, we have arrested both of them. Vinay confessed he offered ‘namkeen’ to the girl when she came to the field. When she asked for water, he handed her a bottle of water that was laced with pesticides,” police had said.
“The other two girls also drank from the same water bottle that had pesticides mixed in it. Vinay said he tried to stop the other two from drinking the water but could not do so. When the girls fainted and started frothing from their mouths, he panicked and fled the spot along with his companion,” police had added.
The three girls, all related to each other, were found lying by villagers in a field in Asoha on February 17 when they did not return after they left home to collect fodder for the cattle. (ANI)

Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) [India], February 26 (ANI): Allaying concerns of people over the upward spiralling of fuel price, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday said the price will decrease as winter season ends.
“Increase in petroleum price in international market has affected consumers too. Prices will come down a little as winter goes away. It is an international matter, price is high due to increase in demand, it happens in winter. It will come down as the season ends,” Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan
Petroleum, Natural Gas and Steel Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, in an exclusive interview with ANI, explained why the North-eastern Region (NER) which includes Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim are important for oil and gas sector of the country.
“The first oil deposits in the country were discovered near the town of Digboi and Duliajan areas of Assam and around 18 per cent of the country’s oil resources are located in the northeast east region (NER). Assam, Arunachal, Nagaland, Mizoram, Tripura are the areas that are full of oil and gas fields. When the Modi government came in power in 2014 we decided to create an infrastructure of the crude pipeline, gas pipeline, increase our exploration, refining and gas production capacity,” he said earlier.
Prices of LPG, petrol and diesel have been repeatedly hiked in the country. Opposition parties held protests in different parts of the country over the rise of prices of diesel and petrol. (ANI)

New Delhi [India], February 26 (ANI): The Delhi High Court on Friday adjourned the hearing on a petition seeking to frame the necessary guidelines and to constitute a committee for handling fake-news on various social handles and said that the matter will be heard by a new bench.
A Division Bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Jasmeet Singh said that a new bench will be designated for hearing the petitions.
The Court was hearing two petitions filed by Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and Manjit Singh GK.
Earlier the Delhi High Court issued notice to a leading media organisation, News Broadcasters Association, Press Council of India and Union of India on a petition seeking direction to restrain the fake-news by setting the accountability and responsibility of the concerned authorities, to frame the necessary guidelines and to constitute a committee for handling the fake-news on various social handles.
The petition was filed by Manjit Singh GK through advocate Parminder Singh Goindi challenging the vicious, unmitigated, concocted and reprehensible actions of certain media houses, claimed that certain media houses had unleashed an offensive and potentially fatal communal attack on the Sikh community by continuous circulation and constant transmission of unverified videos through different platforms including their respective news channels, YouTube, and other such digital and online platforms, pursuant to the events that unfolded New Delhi on the 72nd Republic Day on January 26.
“Such vicious campaign directed against a particular community especially at a time when public sentiments are flared up could result in disastrous consequences for the community including endangering the lives, property and liberty of people belonging to the Sikh community,” the petition said.
The petition also sought direction in the nature of mandamus for organising press-conference or uploading/ circulating/ broadcasting the authentic news on the official website of the concerned authorities/ department to counter fake news.
It also sought to issue a direction to restrain the respondent media house from circulating, transmitting and showcasing videos or news content that is directed towards vilifying a particular community and inciting hatred. (ANI)