The Karnataka Police on Tuesday arrested the father of a Maulvi on charges of raping a six-year-old girl within the premises of a mosque in Chikkaballapura city, located close to Bengaluru.

The Chikkaballapura Women's police filed an FIR against the accused following a complaint by the victim's mother and subsequently arrested him. The accused has since been remanded to judicial custody.

According to the police, the accused, who is the father of a Maulvi, was given a room to stay on the mosque premises by the jamat out of respect. Misusing this trust, the accused allegedly lured the victim under the pretext of buying her a chocolate and then raped her.

A preliminary investigation has revealed that the accused's son works as a Maulvi at another mosque. The accused, originally from Uttar Pradesh, settled in Chikkaballapura 20 years ago and also sells clothes on the footpath.

In a major breakthrough against organised cybercrime, the Cyber Crime Wing of the Tamil Nadu Police has arrested seven individuals from across the country under a nationwide operation titled ‘Operation Hydra’.

In a statement, cyberpolice said that the suspects were found to be involved in a range of frauds, including matrimonial scams, phishing, digital loan frauds, and fake scholarship schemes.

Police teams were dispatched to various states -- Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Assam, and New Delhi -- to apprehend the accused.

According to officials, the arrests are part of an intensified drive to dismantle interstate cybercrime syndicates.

Sixteen Maoists, including two hardcore insurgents, have surrendered in Sukma, Chhattisgarh, marking a significant setback for the Maoist movement in the region.

Among them, a woman and a man carried individual bounties of Rs 8 lakh, while others had varying rewards, bringing the total to Rs 25 lakh. The surrender took place on Monday before senior police and CRPF officers in Sukma district.

Superintendent of Police Kiran G Chavan said that the Maoists were influenced by the Chhattisgarh government's 'Niyad Nellnar' initiative, which aims to promote development in remote villages.

The ongoing crackdown on Maoist activities has led to a rise in surrenders, as insurgents face increasing pressure from security forces.

In a crackdown on criminals, Delhi Police’s west district unit arrested 130 people involved in various street crimes in May, including 15 robbers, 42 snatchers, 17 burglars and 56 thieves.

The police registered more than 81 cases of the Arms Act, Excise Act, Gambling Act, and NDPS Act in the month.

Giving details about the action, the police in a press release said that 25 Proclaimed Offenders (PO) were traced, and a huge recovery of cash, mobile phones, two-wheelers and jewellery was made. It also said that a concerted drive was carried out for action against public drinking and mischief-makers in the area.

In action against street criminals, 11 cases were solved with the arrest of 15 robbers. After 42 snatchers were caught, 32 cases were solved, and recovery of cash, 10 mobile phones, six gold chains and two-wheelers was done.

The Karnataka government has published a gazette notification increasing the fine for public use of cigarettes and tobacco products from Rs 200 to Rs 1,000. The government has also raised the minimum legal age for purchasing cigarettes and tobacco products from 18 to 21 years, according to a statement issued by the Health Ministry on Saturday.

Additionally, the government has banned the opening or operation of hookah bars across the state. The order has been issued in the name of the Governor by the Secretary, Department of Parliamentary Affairs and Legislation, G. Sridhar.

This decision follows the assent of President Droupadi Murmu on May 23 to the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) (Karnataka Amendment) Bill, 2024.

Three Maoists guerillas from the Kabani Dalam squad were named in the charge sheet filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in a Special Kerala court in connection with the armed attack on the Kerala Forest Department Corporation (KFDC) office at Wayanad in 2023, said an official on Saturday.

The charge sheet was filed before the Special Court, Ernakulam, against the three members of the proscribed CPI (Maoist) terrorist organisation on Friday.

Those named in the chargesheet are C.P. Moideen alias Girish alias Salil alias Sajan, Manoj P.M. alias Ashique, and P.K. Soman alias Shahid alias Akbar.

A woman drug supplier was arrested from Delhi's Mangolpuri area and 427 grams of ganja was recovered from her possession, police said on Saturday.

The accused was identified as 'M'. The arrest comes amid the Delhi Police's ongoing crackdown on narcotics under its 'Zero Tolerance' policy and the broader objectives of the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan (NMBA).

Acting on a tip-off received by Constable Bajrang of Police Station Mangolpuri that a female was allegedly in possession of ganja, a raid was conducted at the specified location.

Constable Bajrang and a female staff member observed a suspicious female carrying a white polythene bag.

"On noticing the presence of police personnel, the suspect attempted to hide. However, the alert police team, with the assistance of a female staff namely W/HC Pooja, swiftly apprehended her," said Sachin Sharma, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Outer District, New Delhi.

Delhi Police on Saturday said that it has solved a robbery case involving Rs 10 lakh that took place in Sector-3, Rohini, this month.

Six accused have been arrested, and Rs 8.68 lakh has been recovered from their possession, the police said.

The incident occurred on May 21, when a PCR call was received reporting that one Kuldeep Kumar had been robbed of Rs 10 lakh near Maharaja Agrasen Marg, opposite the Power House in Sector-3, Rohini.

The victim, an employee of a chartered accountancy firm, was returning to his office after collecting the cash from a trading company in Avantika Market, Rohini.

Tripura Police on Friday arrested a 25-year-old woman with a pistol and drugs worth Rs 20 lakh, officials said.

North Tripura District's Superintendent of Police Avinash Rai said that acting on information, a police team led by Additional Superintendent of Police Jeremiah Darlong conducted a raid at the residence of one Helal Miah in the Bhagyapur area under Dharmanagar police station and arrested Mamoni Begum.

A pistol, a few live cartridges and 7,800 highly addictive methamphetamine tablets, also known as Yaba tablets, valued at approximately Rs 20 lakh, were recovered from her possession.

The district police chief confirmed that a case has been registered under the Arms Act and the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, and that a detailed investigation is currently underway.

Officials suspect the involvement of a larger drug trafficking network and said efforts are on to uncover the full extent of the operation.

Two women were stabbed to death while another was critically injured in Bihar’s Rohtas district on Friday.

The deceased, Santara Devi and her daughter, Ruma Kumari, were found lying in the agricultural field, and another daughter, Amrita Kumari, sustained serious injuries.

The incident occurred at Laveda Purva Tola village under Nokha police station limits.

According to police, the victims were found murdered in an agricultural field near the road, and the dead bodies were sent to Sadar Hospital in Sasaram for post-mortem. The treatment of Amrita is currently undergoing in the same hospital.