BENGALURU: A seemingly genuine connection on a dating app turned into a costly deception, with a 29-year-old software engineer losing Rs 18.7 lakh and was left emotionally devastated. Advik (name changed), a resident of New Thippasandra, in his complaint with East Cyber Crime police, stated that it all began on Nov 4, 2025, when he connected with a woman on dating app Flutrr. She introduced herself as Anjali Kushlani from Mumbai. After a few days, they moved to WhatsApp, speaking daily and building what appeared to be a serious relationship. After two weeks, he assumed that she was rich from her conversations and the photos she sent him. Advik told her he was from a poor family and lived in a slum area. Gaining his trust with reassurances about his modest background, the woman promised to support his growth in future. “I only want a good man,” she told him. The conversation soon shifted to online trading. Despite Advik’s initial reluctance, as he had already taken a loan to construct his house, she persuaded him to invest a small amount, assuring him of guidance. Following her instructions, he joined a Telegram channel linked to a trading platform and made his first deposit of Rs 40,000 on Nov 28. Early transactions showed small profits, even allowing a withdrawal of $100 (Rs 8,000), which further strengthened his trust. Anjali then shared another trading link with him on WhatsApp. Encouraged to invest more, Advik began borrowing money from friends, eventually depositing Rs 5.6 lakh by Dec 25. He insisted that Anjali meet him; she promised to do so on his birthday. Advik lost his younger brother on Jan 14 this year. The fraud took a darker turn when he was unable to withdraw funds, with the platform citing trading conditions and telling him that he did not have Rs 10,000 profit or loss. Anjali suggested that he carry out a couple of more trades, after which he could withdraw the money. He was emotionally vulnerable, and she maintained contact without asking him to invest more, expressing concern and deepening his trust. In Feb, she intensified pressure, weaving promises of marriage and citing her “wealthy family expectations” to push him into investing larger sums, stating that they would need at least Rs 4 crore for marriage. Under constant persuasion, he took a loan and added Rs 10 lakh, followed by additional deposits, while she appeared to “match” his contributions by adding Rs 5 lakh to maintain credibility. He again invested Rs 3.1 lakh; in total, he invested Rs 18.7 lakh. By mid-March, the trading account reflected activity and profits. But on March 21, communication abruptly stopped. Calls went unanswered, and messages were undelivered. When Anjali resurfaced briefly, she claimed her house had been raided by the Enforcement Directorate and demanded an additional $1,000. By then, Advik realised he had been duped. A case has been registered under Information Technology Act and BNS Section 318 (cheating).

The Pakistan Super League (PSL) began on Thursday with limited activity around the tournament, as Lahore Qalandars defeated Hyderabad Kingsmen by 69 runs at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. The match was played without spectators after the Pakistan government introduced fuel-saving measures amid concerns over supplies due to the ongoing conflict in West Asia. The PSL opening ceremony, scheduled for Thursday night, was also cancelled for the same reason.The situation has extended beyond empty stands, with uncertainty now surrounding player and commentator participation, putting the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), led by Mohsin Naqvi, under pressure.Naqvi had earlier said the board is considering action against players who have exited the PSL for the IPL. “Yes, two to three players have also left. We are planning to take legal action on them,” he told reporters.Among those who switched leagues, Zimbabwe fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani joined Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as a replacement for Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman. Muzarabani had earlier been signed by PSL’s Islamabad United as a replacement for West Indies pacer Shamar Joseph but opted to move to the IPL.Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka is also set to join Rajasthan Royals as a replacement for the injured Sam Curran, after being part of Lahore Qalandars. Chennai Super Kings have signed Australian pacer Spencer Johnson as a replacement for Nathan Ellis. Johnson had previously signed with Quetta Gladiators for the PSL 2026 season.The movement is not limited to players. Former England cricketer Nick Knight, who was recently named in the PSL commentary panel, has now also been included in the IPL broadcast panel for Star Sports. IPL broadcaster Star Sports named Nick Knight as its commentator for English commentary in the IPL. However, there’s no confirmation on when he will join the IPL.

BENGALURU: A video of a PES University faculty member insulting a student from a minority community has gone viral. The university suspended the professor, who later issued a written apology “for not upholding classroom decorum”. According to a social media post, the professor called the student “terrorist” 13 times in a fit of rage. “While the class is on, you come and disturb everyone. Sharm nahi aati tumko (aren’t you ashamed)? Useless fellow, terrorist. Yes, I’ll call you a ‘terrorist’,” the professor is heard shouting in the viral video clip. There is still no clarity on what triggered the act, and no police complaint has been filed by either the student concerned or the university. Police, though, have registered a suo motu criminal case against the professor. Muralidhar Deshpande, an adjunct faculty member with the Bengaluru-based private university, was teaching supply chain analytics to the BBA second year class on March 24 when the incident happened. While some university sources said he was annoyed after a student repeatedly sought permission to leave the classroom, others said he lost his temper over a noisy class.The student reported the incident to the department chairperson the same day, who visited the classroom and asked the professor what had happened.When the professor continued to behave inappropriately, the chairperson told him to leave midway through a lecture, sources said. As the video went viral, the university suspended him. Jawahar Doreswamy, chancellor, PES University, said the varsity authorities were still verifying the authenticity of the video. “This is unacceptable. The faculty holds a PhD. We don’t want to suppress anything. We will take necessary action,” the chancellor said. “All our lectures are recorded. We have asked our technical team to check authenticity of the video. We are trying to get to the truth. Meanwhile, we have kept the lecturer under suspension. Disciplinary committee will check evidence before initiating further action against him,” Doreswamy said. “All our faculty members are trained on how to deal with situations in classrooms. At times, there can be disciplinary issues and people can overreact. We are looking at our protocol on what briefings were given to adjunct faculty members,” he added. “I would like to clarify that the word used was not directed at any [specific] student, but I understand and acknowledge that it was inappropriate,” the lecturer said in his apology. Police told TOI they approached college authorities and students, asking them to file a complaint for them to initiate legal action against the lecturer. “The university management, though, told us to wait for a while,” a senior police officer said. Girinagar police have registered a suo motu criminal case against the professor under various provisions of BNS, including Section 299, which deals with deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious sentiments. A senior officer from Girinagar police station said a notice will soon be issued to the professor as part of investigation.

Govt Proposes To Do Away With Jail Term

NEW DELHI: In a reprieve for first-time offenders, govt has proposed to do away with a jail term of up to three months for driving a vehicle violating the prescribed road safety and air and noise pollution norms.As part of the 784 provisions, across 79 central laws, which are to be amended through the Jan Vishwas Bill, with several related to decriminalisation, govt has proposed that driving a vehicle, violating road safety or air-pollution control norms — which currently attracts up to three months’ jail or a fine of Rs 10,000 and six months disqualification to hold driving licence (DL) — will be punishable with a penalty of Rs 10,000 and disqualification for holding DL for three months for the first offence. Subsequent offences will, however, attract up to six months in jail and a penalty of up to Rs 10,000.In the case of noise pollution-related violations, the bill proposes a warning for the first offence, while repeat offence will attract a penalty of up to Rs 10,000.Similarly, failure to comply with an order or contravening provisions of the Electricity Act or rules, which can currently land a person in jail for three months along with a fine of Rs 1 lakh, is proposed to be converted into a fine of Rs 10,000 to Rs 10 Lakh.Compounding, which is an option for one-time settlement, is sought to be mandated for first instances of power theft or interference with meters or works of licensee and intentionally injuring works.Further, in a relief to homebuyers, the bill has proposed to remove the existing provision of maximum one-year jail for an allottee who fails to comply with orders from the Real Estate Appellate Tribunal. The penalty for allottees is proposed to be enhanced up to 10% of the cost of the property.In yet another move to decriminalise unauthorised hawking in trains, govt has proposed to amend a section of the Railways Act to convert up to one year jail and Rs 1,000-2,000 fine to a only penalty of up to Rs 2,000.