Cyber criminals reportedly embezzled more than Rs 12 lakh from a woman in Thane city of Maharashtra, police said on Friday.

According to an official, the 36-year-old victim told the police in her complaint that one of the accused—a man claiming to be a Malaysian national working in the United Kingdom— befriended her on social media in November last year and told the victim that he had sent her a gift from the UK asking her to collect the same.

After a few days, the victim received a call from a woman posing as a customs official in Delhi who informed the complainant that she would have to pay some money to get the gift parcel released from the customs and that her friend had also sent her some foreign currency, the official revealed.

Giving further details, the official said the fake customs official asked her to pay some money to receive the foreign currency and the gift and eventually ended up paying Rs 12.47 lakh in several bank transactions from time to time but never received the gift.

He said that based on the woman’s complaint filed at the Kapurbawdi police station, a case has been registered under section 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code and provisions of the Information Technology (IT) Act against two persons involved in the crime, adding that further investigation is underway and efforts are on to nab the accused.

In a similar incident, a Noida woman was duped of Rs 61,900 by a fraudster while trying to book a doctor’s appointment online,

According to the Delhi police, the victim, identified as Tabassum Qureshi, a resident of Daryaganj in Central Delhi, who works as a television producer registered a complaint saying that she was trying to book an appointment at Dr Sumit Jain’s private clinic online through a number that she got on the internet.

At first, the call didn’t connect but later she received a call from an unknown number who posed as a staff of the clinic. The woman in her complaint said the suspect said that he will book the appointment for her. He asked the woman to pay Rs 5 as a donation to the orphanage kids through a payment link. She tried to make the payment but at first, it was unsuccessful so she used her sister-in-law’s mobile to do the same.

The transaction from her sister-in-law’s mobile also failed but about 10 minutes later she received a message that Rs 51,900 has been deducted from her account. A few minutes later, she received another message stating that Rs 10,000 more has also been deducted from her mother Sardar Qureshi’s account.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Friday presented his first state Budget for the financial year 2023-24 in the state assembly.

The chief minister said Himachal Pradesh will be developed as a model state for electric vehicles. Electric vehicles will be encouraged in a phased manner with the collaboration of private and public sectors, he added.

In order to boost tourism, Sukhu said that Kangra district will be developed as the tourist capital and all 12 districts will be connected with heliport facilities in the next one year.

The 58-year-old said Himachal will be developed as a Green state by 2026 and two panchayats will be developed as Green Panchayat.

Himachal Pradesh Budget 2023-24

• A cow cess of Rs 10 per bottle is to be imposed on the sale of liquor bottles. This will move to fetch Rs 100 crore revenue per annum.
• Rs 25,000 would be provided to 20,000 girl students to buy electric scooties.
• CM announces Rs 1,916 crore for the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj department.
• 80 percent subsidy will be given on setting up fish ponds.
• Trout farming will be promoted to supplement farmers’ income.
• MNREGA daily wages raised from Rs 212 to 240
• CM announced Rs 500 crore Him Ganga scheme for providing appropriate milk rates to the farmers.
• Farmers and their groups will be provided loans on two percent interest for starting start-ups.
• 10,000 meritorious students will be given tablets.
• A library will be set up in every senior secondary school.
• CM announces Rs 50 lakh subsidy to Himachali youth to purchase e-bus and e- truck.
• CM says the Congress government would restore the old pension scheme, benefitting 1.36 lakh employees.

Both Houses of the Parliament were adjourned for the second consecutive day today as commotion continued over the ruling BJP stepping up the pressure for an apology from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his comments in the United Kingdom.

Addressing a presser yesterday, Gandhi had said that he wants to respond to the charges levelled against him by the BJP but isn’t being allowed to speak in the Parliament.

Reports quoting sources said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won’t let the Congress scion speak in the House unless he formally apologises for his remarks.

Chaos continued during the second the leg of the ongoing budget session today in parliament as BJP members pushed for Gandhi’s apology while the opposition parties pressed for their demand of a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the Adani-Hindenberg row.

Both sides resorted to loud sloganeering leading to the audio being muted as ruckus ensued and ultimately the parliament was adjourned for the day.

Later, in a tweet in Hindi, reiterating Rahul Gandhi’s claims of microphones of opposition leaders being muted whenever they try talking about an important issue in the parliament, the Congress said: “Earlier only the mic used to be turned off, today even the proceedings of the House were muted. The house is mute for PM Modi’s friend.”

BJP has made it clear that they won’t let Rahul Gandhi speak in the parliament until he apologizes for his remarks on Indian democracy made during his recent London speech. The Wayanad MP arrived the Lok Sabha for the second time today since the row erupted over his comments, but the house was adjourned till next week before any business could be done.

In a tweet, BJP National Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla termed Gandhi’s remarks as “egregious and gravely offensive” and demanded that Gandhi should first apologize to the nation before he’s allowed to speak in the Parliament.

Earlier today, BJP chief JP Nadda said that Rahul Gandhi has become a permanent part of the “anti-nationalist toolkit.”