PATIALA: Former Punjab Police IG Amar Singh Chahal , 66, is battling for life after a self-inflicted gunshot to the chest at his Patiala home on Monday. Police say he shot himself with his gunman’s licenced revolver.This is the second such incident involving an IPS officer in the region after Haryana ADG Y Puran Kumar shot himself dead with his gunman’s pistol at his Chandigarh home in Oct.A12-page handwritten note found on the scene details how ex-IG Chahal was cheated of Rs 8.1 crore in a “highly sophisticated” online investment fraud that operated through WhatsApp and Telegram under the name ‘F-777 DBS Wealth Equity Research Group’. It falsely claimed regulatory approvals and links with well-known financial institutions, the note says.

Police are investigating the allegations. It’s a disturbing indicator of how deeply such scams have penetrated society and can trap even those who are seemingly aware of the baits and lures.Patiala SP Palwinder Singh Cheema said one of Chahal’s friends alerted police that he may have attempted suicide after getting a message from him.Cyber thugs posed as wealth mgmt advisors: Former IPS officer in noteA police team rushed to his house in ‘26-Acre’ locality around 1.45pm and found him unconscious, with a bullet wound to the chest. A revolver lay close by. He was breathing, say police sources. Chahal’s son and daughter-in-law were in another room during the incident, say police.“Chahal is undergoing treatment in hospital and his condition is critical,” said Patiala SSP Varun Sharma. Late evening, Cheema said Chahal had undergone surgery and was on recovery mode but the next 24 hours will be crucial. “Our immediate priority is his treatment. We are also preserving evidence and examining the allegations mentioned in the note,” said Cheema.Police said Chahal, a 1990batch IPS officer, had not filed any complaint regarding the alleged fraud. According to officials who have seen the note, Chahal wrote that he was cheated by cyber criminals who posed as wealth management advisors.Chahal describes in the note how fraudsters posing as ‘senior executives and advisors’ of the firm gradually gained the confidence of investors by offering daily market tips, simulated dashboards and purportedly highreturn investment products. He alleged that the scheme progressed through multiple stages — daily trading, initial public offerings, over-thecounter trades and so-called quantitative funds — each promising escalating returns.Chahal claimed that as confidence grew, investors were encouraged to deposit larger sums while “planted participants” vouched for the scheme’s authenticity whenever doubts were raised. But when he sought to withdraw funds, he was asked to pay hefty service charges, taxes and membership fees, and was even coaxed into paying an alleged bribe to expedite withdrawals, says the note. Despite making repeated payments, no money was released.The former IG said that he had written to the Prime Minister, Union home minister and Union finance minister, seeking intervention. He urged authorities to constitute an SIT or hand the case to a central agency, arguing that only a specialised probe could “dismantle what the nationwide cyber-fraud network”.He has listed multiple bank accounts through which transfers were allegedly made and claimed that while about Rs 1 crore was his own money, more than Rs 7 crore was borrowed from friends and relatives. In his note, he expressed deep remorse and fear about the financial and emotional impact on his family, while repeatedly stating that no one else should be held responsible for his actions.The note also appealed for protection and assistance for his family and requested that creditors refrain from pressuring them.Chahal had preserved screenshots of dashboards, transaction records and chat histories, which he referenced in the note. Investigators are tracing the alleged transactions and examining the digital evidence he cited.Residents of Patiala and former colleagues described Chahal as a capable officer, who empathised with farmers’ issues and concerns of the Sikh community.

Artificial intelligence has already taken over large parts of modern hiring. Algorithms scan CVs, software ranks candidates, and automated systems now replace junior recruiters and even some of the engineers who once built them. CV screening, shortlisting and candidate ranking are now routinely automated. What has largely remained untouched, until now, is the interview: a human candidate speaking to a human interviewer in real time. That assumption is starting to fray, not through corporate announcements, but through unsettling first-hand accounts from people who believed they were speaking to real humans.

“My interviewer wasn’t even human”

In one account posted on Reddit, in the r/interviews subreddit, a job applicant described receiving a routine email invitation for an online interview. The link worked as expected. The video loaded. On screen was a woman who smiled, nodded, and began asking questions.At first, nothing seemed unusual.As the interview continued, the candidate noticed her head movements repeating in a way that felt unnatural. Small facial twitches appeared every few seconds. The applicant assumed it was a poor internet connection and carried on.When the conversation moved into substantive questions, the delivery stood out.“There was no hesitation. No ‘uh’. No pauses,” the user wrote.The interviewer responded instantly to every answer, with polished, perfectly structured language. Curious, the candidate asked a question back: “Why do you think this role matters?”The response came immediately. It was fluent, confident, and, in the user’s words, “textbook-perfect”.The candidate asked the same question again. The answer was identical. Same wording. Same cadence.They asked a third time.The response did not change.Shortly afterwards, the screen froze briefly. When the video resumed, the interviewer continued speaking as if nothing had happened.The candidate ended the post by questioning whether companies should be allowed to conduct interviews using AI avatars without disclosure, writing: “I’m not against AI in hiring, but if an interviewer is basically a talking bot, shouldn’t candidates at least be told?” The post sparked hundreds of comments, many expressing concern about transparency in recruitment and how easily AI could now pass as human in a professional setting.

“Five minutes in, I realised my candidate wasn’t human”

It is not only employers experimenting with automation. Some candidates, too, have turned to clever technological workarounds to get a foot in the door.In a separate but closely related account posted to r/recruiting, the experience unfolded from the other side of the interview. The poster said they were interviewing candidates for an AI engineering role and joined a video call expecting a routine screening. Almost immediately, they noticed something off about the candidate’s movements. “This person’s head moves a lot when they talk,” the recruiter wrote. “Weirdly repetitive. It is not natural. It is almost looping.” The recruiter continued the interview, assuming camera lag. Then the candidate began speaking uninterrupted for nearly two minutes. “No pauses. No filler words. Just continuous, textbook-perfect talking.” To test the situation, the recruiter asked a basic question: “What is AI?” The response came back scripted. When the question was repeated, the answer was identical. The third attempt produced the same result. Shortly after, the call disconnected. According to the recruiter, HR later confirmed what had happened. The real candidate had joined briefly at the beginning of the call to introduce themselves. After that, an AI agent had taken over the interview. “It even looked almost identical to the person’s LinkedIn photo,” the recruiter wrote. They concluded bluntly: “So yeah. Not just fake resumes anymore. Fake candidates are now literally joining interviews. Recruiting hell has officially entered the uncanny valley.” Even if this is not yet a formal or widespread practice, it fits squarely with the direction hiring has been moving in. Tasks once handled by people are increasingly outsourced to systems designed to simulate them, often well enough to pass without challenge. Interviews have long been one of the few remaining points of genuine human contact in recruitment. These accounts suggest that boundary is starting to blur.What makes the moment unsettling is not just that AI can now mimic faces, voices and conversational rhythm, but that it is learning to do so rapidly. Voice modulation tools already erase tell-tale pauses. Visual generators can produce lifelike faces that hold up under casual scrutiny. Behavioural models are improving at replicating imperfection itself. For now, repetition gives them away. Soon, even that may not.

India National Cricket Team modern-day batting great, Virat Kohli, would not be playing the Vijay Hazare Trophy matches at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, according to a latest report in The Times of India.

M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru is the home of Virat Kohli’s Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise – the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) – and it has been denied permission to host the Vijay Hazare Trophy matches.

M Chinnaswamy Stadium will not host Vijay Hazare Trophy matches

An unfortunate incident happened near the M Chinnaswamy Stadium earlier in the year after the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) won their first Indian Premier League (IPL) championship.

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During the title triumph celebrations, fans gathered in large numbers outside the stadium and there was no proper crowd management, which led to a deadly stampede that took the lives of many fans.

Since that incident happened, the Karnataka government has kept all the international and domestic cricket matches away from the venue due to security reasons.

However, recently it was reported that the iconic stadium will host the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 matches of Team Delhi.

Virat Kohli’s Chinnaswamy comeback has been officially cancelled

However, according to a latest report, Chinnaswamy will have to wait longer before hosting the matches as Delhi’s match against Andhra has been shifted to a new venue.

Kohli won’t be seen in action at Chinnaswamy because the Bengaluru city police have refused to give permission to stage the Vijay Hazare Trophy matches.

On Monday night, Virat Kohli landed in Bengaluru for the Vijay Hazare Trophy matches, and he is now likely to play the games at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE), which was kept as a backup venue.

Notably, an inspection was conducted at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru by a committee comprising the Bengaluru city police commissioner and officials from the public works department, fire and emergency services, and the health department, and they submitted their report to Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) commissioner Maheshwar Rao, who heads the panel.

The committee found out that the M Chinnaswamy Stadium was unfit to host the matches, and the city police commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh, in an official statement, said:

“The committee inspected the stadium and concluded that there are no proper facilities to conduct matches. A decision on allowing matches will be made only after the required work is completed. For now, KSCA’s request to conduct matches at the Chinnaswamy Stadium has been rejected.”

Virat Kohli’s presence charges up the Delhi squad

Virat Kohli will be playing the Vijay Hazare Trophy after a very long time, and his presence will act as a morale booster for the Delhi team. However, fans won’t be able to see Virat Kohli in action as the matches will be played behind closed doors, at the CoE.

Meanwhile, Delhi coach Sarandeep Singh said that Kohli is absolutely charged up to play the Vijay Hazare Trophy, and he is looking to win matches for the team.

“Virat Kohli is charged up, he is ready to rock. He is playing tomorrow.” said Sarandeep Singh, as quotes by RevSportz.

“All the senior players, all the players who are playing at the highest level are coming back to play for their respective states,” said Sarandeep. “It’s very good for the youngsters also, who can learn a lot of things and it would be a serious boost to their confidence. It’s a great gesture from those players who said that with no international matches happening, they would be playing the Vijay Hazare Trophy. It’s a very nice thing happening for domestic cricket.”

“When a player like Virat enters the dressing room, things are totally changed. Youngsters look up to him. He is their idol. Everyone wants to be like him — how he is training, how he is doing his workouts, everything… There are a lot of things to learn from the senior players. He is here to win matches.”

Also Read: Virat Kohli’s Chinnaswamy return for VHT turns sour as Karnataka govt imposes ban

BENGALURU: Basavanagudi police have arrested a 46-year-old woman for allegedly stealing gold ornaments, cash and other valuables from wedding functions by posing as a relative of the bride or groom. The accused, Revathi, has been remanded in police custody for 12 days.Revathi, a former guest lecturer and a resident of Udayanagar in K R Puram was found to be involved in multiple thefts at convention halls.Following her arrest, police recovered 262 grams of gold ornaments worth about Rs 32 lakh. Revathi had quit her teaching job a few years ago before allegedly turning to theft.

The case came to light after a complaint from a Manjunatha Nagar resident, who, along with her mother, attended a relative’s wedding at a marriage hall in Basavanagudi on Nov 23. They had kept a bag containing a 32-gram gold chain and an artificial collar chain in one of the rooms. Later, they discovered that the chain, valued around Rs 3 lakh, and the piece of artificial jewellery, were missing.Revathi was arrested from her residence on Dec 1. During interrogation, she confessed to the theft and admitted to committing similar offences at two other marriage halls in Basavanagudi and in other districts. During interrogation, she revealed stashing away some of her ill-gotten gains at home while the rest were pledged to a bank in Kadubeesanahalli for a loan.According to police, Revathi targeted wedding functions, closely observing women attendees wearing gold ornaments while they were engaged in rituals. She would then slip into the rooms to steal valuables before quietly slipping out of the venue.She told the investigators that financial pressure, including her husband’s cardiac ailment, along with expenses of her son’s education and other household needs drove her to the thefts.

MUMBAI: Bombay high court on Tuesday heard a petition filed by Vijay Mallya, founder of the defunct Kingfisher Airlines, challenging the validity of the Fugitive Economic Offenders (FEO) Act, 2018. Adjourning the matter to Feb 11, it directed Mallya to make a statement or file an affidavit by then about when he intends to return to India.The order was based on an understanding in law that a plea challenging the validity of the FEO Act, 2018, should not be heard in the absence of the petitioner having submitted to the jurisdiction of the court, Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Ankhad said.Bombay high court, after hearing senior counsel Amit Desai for Mallya and solicitor general Tushar Mehta for ED, directed him to say when he would return to India. The ED sought the dismissal of Mallya’s challenge, saying an offender cannot be permitted to question the FEO by refusing to submit to judicial process in India.The HC also asked Mallya to decide which of his petitions he wishes to pursue: an appeal he filed in 2019 against a trial court order or the petition in the HC, also filed in 2019, to challenge the validity of certain provisions of the FEO Act. Both cannot exist, it said.Mehta, along with additional solicitor generals S V Raju and Anil Singh, opposed Desai’s plea to hear Mallya’s petition. Desai said even under the special FEO Act, Mallya has a statutory right to be represented in India when he is abroad, as he has challenged the constitutional validity of certain provisions of the Act. “Mallya is allowed by the law to litigate in India, even when he is abroad,’’ Desai contended. The CJ said, “The vires (constitutional validity) of the Act he cannot challenge, this is our opinion (unless present).’’ Desai argued, “All rights, including constitutional rights, are available even if not in court.’’Section 14 of the Act is meant to ensure that FEOs do not abuse the process by simply filing petitions through lawyers, the ED said. Desai cited an order of the Supreme Court, and Mehta shot back saying it was not meant to be precedent-setting.Mehta, who joined the hearing virtually from Delhi, remarked that Mallya was partying in the UK. “There are many fugitives, and they are celebrating their birthdays. While nobody can legally object to celebrations, they are mocking our nation. This is unacceptable,” he said.Mehta also said there was an extradition proceeding at an advanced stage, and Mallya cannot use the pendency of his petition in Mumbai to thwart proceedings there.The ED, through advocate Prashant Mishra, submitted its reply to Mallya’s petition and said the facts were “glaring’’ and a huge economic harm to the nation was caused by Mallya with an outstanding of nearly Rs 15,000 crore. Desai said the liability is alleged to be Rs 6,200 crore “but now shown as Rs 15,000 crore. We have a lot to argue in the matter’’.Mallya’s petition claimed there was a violation of his fundamental right to property as the seizure of his assets was unfounded.The ED said he had several opportunities to appear before the trial court and pointed to a provision of the FEO Act to argue it provides for confiscation of property when offences involve over Rs 100 crore and have a bearing on the national economy.

SHIMLA: A senior resident doctor of the Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital (IGMC), Shimla, was suspended after he assaulted a patient lying on a bed on Monday, triggering a protest by attendants and relatives after a video of the incident went viral.Police registered an FIR against the doctor.

The video, shot by an attendant, purportedly shows 31-year-old Dr Raghav Narula, a senior resident with the pulmonary medicine department of the IGMC, repeatedly and aggressively punching 36-year-old Arjun Panwar, even as another doctor tries to hold him by the legs. The patient can also be seen defending himself and trying to hit the doctor with his legs while lying on the bed. The assault left Panwar with a bloodied nose. As the video went viral, relatives and friends of Panwar, who hails from Mashaud village of Kupvi subdivision of Shimla district, reached the IGMC and staged a protest demanding the arrest of the accused doctor. A three-member inquiry committee was formed by the IGMC administration to probe the incident, following directions from chief minister Sukhvinder Sukhu. “After we submitted the committee findings, the state govt ordered to suspend the accused doctor till further notice. A high-powered committee will soon be formed to further investigate the matter,” said IGMC medical superintendent Dr Rahul Rao.Panwar had come to the hospital on Monday morning for a bronchoscopy test after complaining of shortness of breath. “After the test, I lay down on an empty bed in the pulmonary ward as the doctors advised me to rest for a while. As I was resting, Dr Raghav came and started questioning me about what I was doing there and where my medical test reports were. He spoke to me very rudely, and when I told him, ‘Is this the way you talk to your family members?’ the doctor got enraged and started beating me,” said Panwar.According to Himachal health minister Dhani Ram Shandil, exemplary action would be taken against the doctor based on the findings of the committee. “Dr Raghav is a contractual employee and has been with the IGMC since Aug,” said Shandil. “Directions will also be issued so that such incidents are not repeated in the future,” said Shandil. When asked about the second doctor, Shandil said, “An inquiry is being conducted to find out the involvement of the medical staff present in that ward at the time of the incident.”

Team India ODI and Test captain Shubman Gill is set to play for Punjab in the remainder of the 2025-26 domestic season. After missing out on the T20 World Cup 2026 squad, Gill has been included in the squad for the Vijay Hazare Trophy and is also expected to feature for his state side in the Ranji Trophy 2025-26.

With no immediate T20I commitments, Gill will focus on longer formats at the state level. Several players, such as Abhishek Sharma, Arshdeep Singh, Prabhsimran Singh, Anmolpreet Singh, Naman Dhir, Ramandeep Singh, and Harpreet Brar, are included in Punjab’s squad for the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

However, Punjab are yet to confirm who will lead the team in the tournament. The delay in announcing the captain has caught the attention of fans, especially with Gill being one of the senior figures in the squad.

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Shubman Gill Set to Play Two Vijay Hazare Trophy Matches

According to a Times of India report, Shubman Gill will play two List A matches for Punjab in January. He is expected to play against Sikkim and Goa in Jaipur.

After completing his domestic commitments, Gill will return to international cricket. He is scheduled to join the Indian ODI squad for the three-match series against New Zealand, which begins in Vadodara and ends in Indore later in January.

“Shubman will be playing the two games in January – on 3rd and 6th – before joining the team for the ODI series versus New Zealand. He also wants to play the remaining rounds of Ranji Trophy for Punjab,” A PCA official told TimesofIndia.com.

Shubman Gill Set to Return to Red-Ball Domestic Cricket After New Zealand ODIs

Shubman Gill is expected to return to red-ball domestic cricket after India’s ODI series against New Zealand. Punjab will play two Ranji Trophy matches later in January, and Gill has already informed the state association that he is available and keen to play.

Punjab will face Saurashtra in Rajkot, followed by a home game against Karnataka in Mullanpur. The team is currently in sixth position with 11 points from five games, with only one win so far, but the remaining matches still offer a chance to qualify for the quarterfinals.

If Punjab manage to make the knockout stage, Gill could continue playing Ranji Trophy cricket into February. His involvement would be important as the team looks to revive its campaign and push for a spot in the later stages of the tournament.

Shubman Gill Left Out of India’s 15-Member Squad for T20 World Cup 2026

Shubman Gill has been left out of India’s 15-member squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup, following a run of inconsistent performances in the shortest format.

Gill made his T20I debut in 2023 against Sri Lanka and returned to the setup during the Asia Cup 2025. However, he struggled to make a strong case after his comeback. In the Asia Cup, he scored 127 runs from 7 matches at an average of 21.16 and a strike rate of 151.19.

Gill managed 132 runs in the five-match T20I series against Australia at an average of 44 and a strike rate of 136.08. In the most recent T20I series against South Africa, he scored only 32 runs from 3 matches at an average of 10.66 and a strike rate of 103.22.

Also read: “I have a bulletproof car”: Rashid Khan reveals harsh reality of life in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan

BENGALURU: In a shocking incident that had its roots in prolonged marital discord, a 40-year-old software professional allegedly shot his estranged wife dead on a busy road in West Bengaluru during the evening rush hour on Tuesday, before walking into a police station with the pistol and surrendering.The victim was identified as Bhuvaneshwari, 39, an assistant manager at Union Bank of India’s Basaveshwaranagar branch. The accused, Balamurugan, 40, worked at a private IT firm. Both are natives of Salem district in Tamil Nadu. Police said the shooting occurred around 6.30 pm on 1st Main Road in the Rajajinagar Industrial Area. Preliminary investigations revealed that Balamurugan fired four rounds at close range. Two bullets struck Bhuvaneshwari on the head, while the remaining two hit her left hand, causing fatal injuries. The gunshots triggered panic among hundreds of commuters and pedestrians in the area, who ran for cover. Passers-by found Bhuvaneshwari lying in a pool of blood and alerted the police. She was rushed to a private hospital but was declared brought dead. Bhuvaneshwari had been living with the couple’s two children – a 12-year-old son and an eight-year-old daughter – in a rented house in Rajajinagar. Balamurugan was residing separately and working in Whitefield. The couple, married in 2011, had been living apart for about 1.5 years following frequent quarrels. Police said the accused suspected his wife of having an affair, though this claim has not been substantiated.According to investigators, Bhuvaneshwari had sought legal separation, which Balamurugan was unwilling to accept. Six months ago, she was transferred from the Whitefield branch of the bank and moved to a new rented residence with her children without informing her husband. About four months ago, after tracing her new address, Balamurugan allegedly quit his IT job and shifted to Cholurpalya in Kempapura Agrahara to stay closer to her.Police said matters escalated further about a week ago when Balamurugan received a divorce notice from Bhuvaneshwari. Enraged, he allegedly decided to kill her. On Tuesday evening, while Bhuvaneshwari was returning home from work, he spotted her near Basaveshwaranagar police station and shot her on the road. After the incident, Balamurugan walked into a police station and surrendered along with the pistol. DCP (West) S Girish said the weapon had been seized and police were verifying whether it was licensed. While the accused claimed to have fired five rounds, police recovered only four empty cartridges from the scene.Bhuvaneshwari’s parents in Tamil Nadu have been informed.