Uttar Pradesh

Lucknow: In a disturbing case from the Gomti Nagar area of Uttar Pradesh’s capital, several women have accused a man of befriending them under a false identity, recording objectionable videos, blackmailing them, and coercing them into sex work at a spa center. Based on their complaints, police have registered a case and launched a full investigation. According to the complaint, the accused, Mohammad Kamru Jamal, who introduced himself as Rahul, befriended the victim and gained her trust. He allegedly recorded explicit videos and later used them to blackmail her. The victim stated that she first met Jamal and another accused, Kamr Hayat Idrisi, who promised her a job. She was offered a position at a café, but upon arrival, she discovered it was a spa center where women were forced to pro...

Aligarh: A group of young women performing as “mermaids” at a local exhibition in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, approached the police after their contractor allegedly failed to pay them for their work. Despite performing their acts for several days, the women claim they have not received full payment. Frustrated, they have been visiting the Banna Devi police station for three consecutive days without any resolution. The mermaids, who perform aquatic stunts at fairs and exhibitions, were hired by a contractor for a show in the Aligarh exhibition. According to them, the contractor has withheld their full payment despite an existing agreement. In protest, the performers recorded a video at the police station highlighting their plight, which has since gone viral on social media. Performers Spe...

Aligarh, UP: In a shocking cybercrime case, Aligarh police have arrested a cyber fraudster who allegedly learned how to clone thumbs from YouTube and siphoned off ₹35 lakh from victims’ bank accounts using the Aadhaar-enabled Payment System (AEPS). The accused was apprehended from Gurugram. Modus Operandi of the Cyber Thief According to police, the suspect, identified as Shivam Kumar, son of Dinesh Kumar Kushwaha from Fatehpur, purchased an online rubber stamp-making machine for around ₹14,000. Using polymer curing chemicals, he created rubber fingerprint clones of unsuspecting victims. To obtain fingerprints and Aadhaar numbers, he reportedly downloaded PDFs of sale deeds from the revenue department’s website. Once the cloned thumb was ready, he placed it on a biometric machine, ...

Greater Noida, UP: Residents of Paramount Emotions Society in Greater Noida West are on edge following a series of mysterious fire incidents in the housing complex. Over the past week, shoes, children’s bicycles, and even wall wallpapers outside flats in four different towers have caught fire under unexplained circumstances. Fires Spark Panic Among Residents Manish Singh, a resident of the society, described the unsettling incidents: “Two days ago, I noticed a strong burning smell outside my flat. When I stepped out, I saw my neighbor’s shoes on fire. We quickly doused the flames with the help of other residents. Initially, we thought it might have been a stray spark or flammable material, but the fires didn’t stop there.” A few days later, another tower witnessed a bicycle outsid...

Noida, UP, Feb 12, 2026: In a joint operation, Noida police have uncovered a fake call center that duped young job-seekers by promising employment on domestic and international cruise ships. Four individuals have been arrested and approximately ₹1 crore has been recovered from their accounts. The Cyber Cell and Sector-126 Police conducted a raid at an office located in Sector-132, apprehending the accused identified as Rahul, Prashant, Vishal, and Saif Waris (25). According to ADCP Manisha Singh, complaints were lodged on the NCRP portal by victims from Kerala, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, and other states. The complaints stated that the company, operating under the name CO Hire Marine Services, contacted applicants claiming to secure jobs on cruise ships abroad. The accused allegedly...

Sambhal, UP, Feb 12, 2026: A video from Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, has gone viral showing a chaotic confrontation involving a local Maulana and a group of community members. In the footage, the Maulana is seen surrounded by the crowd while a heated exchange takes place. The mob reportedly demanded that the Maulana swear on the Quran to never engage in wrongdoing. The religious leader obliged, taking an oath and promising to refrain from any wrongful acts. During the confrontation, a woman wearing a burqa verbally attacked the Maulana, shouting, “You old man, have you no shame? You are destroying someone else’s home. You should drown and die.” Witnesses asked her to calm down, but as the man began to leave, she slapped him repeatedly from behind. Police arrived shortly after and took him...

Ghaziabad, Feb 12, 2026: Sombeer alias ‘Mota’, a gangster linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi and Kala Jathedi gangs, wanted in 26 criminal cases including murder across Haryana, Delhi, and Rajasthan, has been deported from the United States and arrested at Indira Gandhi International Airport by the Haryana Special Task Force (STF). According to officials, Sombeer had fled India via Mumbai Airport to Bangkok on January 3, 2024. On May 31, 2024, the Rohtak Police declared him absconding. Investigations revealed that he had obtained a passport using a fake address in a flat in Lajpat Nagar, Delhi. Residents and RWA officials confirmed that no person named Sombeer had ever lived there. Earlier, 22 passports had been fraudulently issued using fake addresses in the Bhojpur area of Modinagar, prom...

Muzaffarnagar, Feb 12, 2026: Chaos erupted in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, as a newlywed bride arrived at her in-laws’ home, sparking a violent clash that left several guests injured. A video of the incident, showing dozens of people attacking each other with sticks, has gone viral on social media. Police have registered a case against 21 people and are searching for the accused. According to reports, Akram, a resident of Baseegkala village, had his wedding procession reach Khatauli on February 8. After the nikah ceremony, as the procession returned to Baseegkala in the evening, a group of local residents allegedly attacked the groom’s party. Salman, Ejaz, Ashu, Shadab, and around 50–60 others reportedly launched the sudden assault. During the attack, Irshad, Kaif, and Sanu of the groo...

Noida, February 12, 2026: The file for constructing a 650-meter elevated road at the Chijarsi Cut on the Faridabad-Noida-Ghaziabad (FNG) Expressway has been reopened, with a new survey planned. This elevated stretch will run from Chijarsi to the vicinity of the Bahlolpur underpass and is part of the NCR’s first expressway connecting the three major cities. The project will undergo both short-term and long-term surveys, to be conducted by one of five shortlisted agencies, including CRRI, UMTC, DIMS, and IIT Delhi-Roorkee. The new Detailed Project Report (DPR) will be prepared by NHAI Transport Consultancy (NTC), replacing the original estimate of around ₹700 crore for the elevated road. Road Passing Over Chijarsi VillageThe elevated road is designed to pass over Chijarsi village to mi...

Deoria, Feb 12, 2026: Former Uttar Pradesh IPS officer Amitabh Thakur was quietly released from Deoria Jail on Wednesday evening, leaving authorities and the public unaware until after the fact. Thakur, who had been in jail since December 10, was freed following the issuance of a release order, and he left the facility with his family without attracting any attention. Background of the CaseThakur was arrested in connection with alleged irregularities in a plot allocation at the Deoria Industrial Estate. In 1999, while serving as the Superintendent of Police in Deoria, he had arranged the allocation of a plant in his wife Nutan Thakur’s name. During the documentation process, the names were incorrectly recorded—Amitabh as “Ajitabh” and Nutan as “Nutan Devi.” In September 2025, a fraud ca...