FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms Vol. XLII No. 19 | INDORE | FRIDAY | JUNE 27, 2025 | Pages 16 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. 38281/83 FREE www.freepressjournal.in Sports GOLDEN SWEEP IN KUCHING P.14 ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: INDORE UJJAIN MONEY PRESS PUNE BHOPAL NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper Edit A giant leap for India in space P.6 India’s EV growth is significantly lower than top 10 countries Cinema I would want to play Krishna. Or Ravan P.13 Axiom-4: Shubhanshu first Indian to enter ISS PTI NEW DELHI India's Shubhanshu Shukla and three other astronauts entered the International Space Station to warm hugs from the crew members of the orbital laboratory on Thursday. The space station crew welcomed Axiom-4 mission commander Peggy Whitson as she floated into the station soon after the hatch-opening procedures were completed at 5:44 pm IST. Shukla, the mission pilot, followed Whitson, with Polish engineer Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski, a mission specialist and a European Space Agency project astronaut, close behind. "We are happy to be here. It was a long quarantine," Whitson, who is on her fifth space- flight, said as the four astronauts waved to the mission control at Houston. HORRIFIC | FIR reveals human trafficking, hypnosis plot by event manager, accomplices Minor sold for Rs 20K, raped at pool party Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL The horrifying case of a 15year-old girl raped during a pool party at a farmhouse in Khajuri has escalated into a full-fledged human trafficking probe. Police investigations have revealed that the minor was sold for Rs 20,000 by event manager Riya Yadav, who, along with her accomplices, allegedly orchestrated the abuse for financial gain. A case has been registered at TT Nagar police station, where the girl’s mother had initially filed a complaint of abduction after the victim went missing on June 18. Following her rescue on June 21, the minor gave a detailed statement to the MANDLESHWAR Maheshwar, Mandleshwar tobacco-free Maheshwar and Mandleshwar have been declared tobacco-free zones at a meeting held here on Thursday. This decision was taken at a meeting chaired by SDM Anil Jain under National Tobacco Control Programme. All temples, Narmada ghats, Annakshetras, educational institutions, court premises and public places will be free from smoking and tobacco sales. Hypnosis used to control minor The alleged sorcerer, Hanif Shah of Jehangirabad — who also works as a property dealer — told Riya he could hypnotise people. Riya reportedly asked him to hypnotise the minor girl and her mother so they would obey her instructions and not approach police.She even gave Hanif a list of names, including her two boyfriends and their family members, as she wanted to control their actions for her own benefit. Child Welfare Committee (CWC), prompting the police to expand the scope of the FIR to include rape, molestation, human trafficking and relevant sections of the POCSO Act. Police said Riya Yadav came in contact with garment trader Mukesh Balchandani (37) at a party and offered to “arrange girls” for him in exchange for money. She alleg- 4Continued on | P8 ARRESTS SO FAR The six arrested so far areevent managerRiya Yadav (23), garment traderMukesh Balchandani (37), Mukesh’s friendKapil, Riya’s boyfriend Naved (22), Naved’s cousinAnas (21) and sorcererHanif Shah (36). They face charges under sections related to abduction, rape, human trafficking, molestation and POCSO Act. Police are actively searching for Riya’s friend Mahi, whose role is under investigation. completed at 4:15 pm IST. After the soft capture of the spacecraft, the hard-mating was completed when the two orbiting bodies were connected with 12 sets of hooks with each other and communication and power links were established. The hatch-opening procedures took an hour and 45 minutes before the astronauts floated on board the space station. Shukla, a test pilot with the Indian Air Force, is the second Indian to go to space and the first since Rakesh Sharma's eight-day sojourn in 1984. Navy staffer held for leaking Op Sindoor info to Pak handler India keeps out of SCO communique JAIPUR An Indian Navy staffer posted in naval headquarters in Delhi was arrested in Jaipur for allegedly leaking defence-related sensitive information to a Pakistani handler in exchange for money, a police official said on Thursday. Vishal Yadav, an upper division clerk (UDC) in the Directorate of Dockyard at the Navy building, allegedly also shared details on Operation Sindoor - strikes carried out by the Indian Armed Forces in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. Inspector General of Police (CID-Security) Vishnu Kant Gupta said Yadav, originally from Rewari in Haryana, leaked the classified information to a female Pakistani handler posing as an Indian woman. Agencies NEW DELHI: Trade talks between India and the US seem to have a reached an impasse over disagreements on import duties for auto components, steel and farm goods, Indian officials with direct knowledge told Reuters. This raises questions over whether it is possible to reach a deal ahead of President Donald Trump's July 9 deadline to impose reciprocal tariffs. Trump had claimed that New Delhi had proposed a "no tariffs" agreement for American goods, and officials from both sides suggested India could be among the first countries to make a deal. India is pushing for a rollback of the proposed 26% reciprocal tariff set to take effect on July 9, along with Impasse over disagreements on import duties for auto components, steel and farm goods concessions on existing US tariffs on steel and auto parts. But US negotiators have not yet agreed to the demands, Indian government officials told Reuters. "The US side first wants India to commit to deeper import tariff cuts on farm goods like soybeans and corn, cars and alcoholic beverages along with easing of non-tariff barriers," leading to disagreement between the two sides, one of the sources said. 4Continued on | P8 kesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India was prepared to engage with Bangladesh on "all matters" in an environment that is con- ducive for mutually beneficial dialogue. His remarks came in response to a question on possible renewal of Ganga water treaty next year. Jaiswal was critical of Bangladeshi authorities for the reported destruction of the temple. 4Continued on | P8 An unexpected scene unfolded on Thursday at the National Soybean Research Institute (NSRI) when union minister of state (MoS) Savitri Thakur was made to wait outside a room where union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and minister Kailash Vijayvargiya were engaged in a closed-door discussion. Thakur, who had arrived at the institute to meet Chouhan during his day-long visit to Indore, had to wait outside the room for nearly five minutes before being allowed in. The incident, though brief, raised several eyebrows—especially given the stature of Eight people, including a newly wed woman and her lover, were arrested in connection with the murder of a land surveyor in Gadwal district of Telangana, police said on Thursday. The police claim to have cracked the case, reminiscent of the recent Raja Raghuvanshi murder, within a week of receiving a complaint alleging Defence Minister Rajnath Singh took a strong stand at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ meeting on Thursday by refusing to sign the joint communique which failed to mention the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and did not address India’s concerns about cross-border terrorism, particularly from Pakistan. The SCO works on the principle of consensus. Singh’s refusal to endorse the statement meant the conclave ended without a joint declaration, a Diplomacy a flop: Oppn he Opposition said that India's diplomacy after Pahalgam terror attack had “flopped” and had yielded “no tangible results” after the diplomatic fiasco in the SCO summit that failed to mention the attack that killed 26 people following which Operation Sindoor was launched. It accused the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government of failing diplomatically to rally international support against terrorism and to hold Pakistan accountable. T significant diplomatic moment. In Delhi, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal confirmed that India’s push to include strong language on terrorism was the main reason why the joint communique could not be adopted. 4Continued on | P8 nent figures in Madhya Pradesh politics, was already drawing political interpretations due to its exclusivity. Chouhan was in Indore to take part in a programme focused on soybean farming, oilseed research, and dialogues with agriculturists, as part of the Centre’s Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan. While the event was primarily aimed at farmers, agricultural scientists, oil industry professionals, and academicians, several BJP leaders from the region also made their way to the venue to connect with the senior Union Minister. MoS Savitri Thakur, too, reached the institute with the intention of greeting Chouhan. CS directs officers to set up DPC, give promotion to staff by July 31 Somendra Sharma MUMBAI 90° turn to be fixed or new ROB will be built: CM Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has made a statement about the 90-degree turn on the railway over bridge in the Aishbagh area in the city. His statement came on the heels of criticism the ROB drew from different parts of the country. Yadav said the ROB did not begin in his tenure. The construction of the bridge started in 2022, he said, adding that he did not even inaugurate it. 4Continued on | P8 The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has carried out searches at 42 locations across India in connection with mule bank accounts being used in cyber frauds involved in digital arrest scams, impersonation, fraudulent Black box data analysis on NEW DELHI: The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has downloaded the data from the black box of flight AI-171 and has begun analysing it, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said on Thursday. However, AAIB is yet to institutionalise the probe panel. Raja ‘link’ in Telangana land surveyor’s murder Agencies Agencies QINGDAO (CHINA) 8.5L mule accounts in 700 banks Our Staff Reporter INDORE NEW DELHI HYDERABAD Joint statement makes no mention of Pahalgam attack. Instead, it mentions Balochistan US trade talks hitch Thakur made to wait outside as Shivraj, Kailash confer in room ahead of deadline? Dhaka temple damaged, India ‘dismayed’ India on Thursday denounced the reported destruction of a Durga temple in Dhaka, saying it is the responsibility of Bangladesh's interim government to protect Hindus as well as religious institutions. External Affairs Ministry spo- edly took two advance payments and received a final payment of Rs 20,000 on the day of June 20 pool party. Investigators confirmed that Riya deliberately lured and sold the minor girl to Mukesh as part of a premeditated plan. The minor girl informed CWC that on June 19, Riya invited her to her home in Karond and introduced her to a man identified as Hanif Shah, a self-proclaimed sorcerer. This is the first time an Indian astronaut has travelled to the International Space Station. "At 6:31 am EDT (4:01 IST) on Thursday, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft docked to the International Space Station for the fourth private astronaut mission to the orbiting laboratory, Axiom Mission 4," the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced in a statement. A live videolink from the NASA showed the spacecraft approaching the space station. The docking sequence was Accused analysed case to avoid errors The duo allegedly discussed the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case and analysed the mistakes made by the accused in that incident. Believing that they could avoid similar errors, they planned to execute the murder without getting caught, police said. that Tejeshwar (32) went missing. Tejeshwar left home on June 17 morning but did not return. His brother lodged a complaint with police on June 18. Preliminary investigations, based on CCTV footage, re- vealed that Tejeshwar had left in a car with known persons. His body was later found near Panyam town in Kurnool district of neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. Giving details of the case, po- lice said the main accused Tirumala Rao, a married man working as a Manager in a housing finance company in Kurnool, had developed a relationship with a woman sweeper employed in his office. He helped her obtain housing loans and meet her financial needs, which led to an illicit relationship. He also developed a similar relationship with her daughter Aishwarya (23) and allegedly promised to marry her. However, Aishwarya got en- gaged to Tejeshwar in December, 2024. "After this, it became difficult for Tirumala Rao and Aishwarya to continue their relationship. As a result, they both planned to kill Tejeshwar by offering a contract (supari) to people they knew," the release said. Tirumala Rao contacted Kummari Nagesh, a commisison agent who makes a living facilitating home loans. 4Continued on | P8 the leaders involved. The meeting between Chouhan and Vijayvargiya, both promi- advertisements, investment frauds and UPIbased financial frauds to transfer the cyber fraud amounts from the accounts of the victims. The agency officials said that around 8.5 lakh mule accounts were opened in more than 700 Branches of various Banks across India. "During the searches, several incriminating documents and digital evidences, mobile phones, Bank Account Opening Documents, Transactions Details, KYC documents have been seized and identification of individuals including middlemen involved in opening of mule bank account was done. HC directs SHO to plant 1,000 fruit-bearing trees Failing to report minor's sexual abuse FP News Service JABALPUR Jabalpur bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court has announced a unique punishment for a station in-charge for failing to serve a notice against repeated sexual abuse of a minor in the city.  The court has ordered the police inspector to plant 1,000 fruit-bearing trees within 2 months and submit a report of the same with pictures.  According to information, the court held the Station House Officer (SHO) of Kotwali police station in Satna, Ravindra Dwivedi, guilty for not serving the notice as directed in the minor abuse case. As a punishment, High Court has ordered the planta- tion of 1,000 fruit trees such as mango, jamun, mahua, and guava in the Chitrakoot region. The plantation must be finished between July 1 and August 31, 2025. The SHO was also directed to bear all the expenses from his personal income. He must also submit GPS locations and photos of all the planted trees to the court, and he is responsible for taking care of the trees for one year. The compliance must include an affidavit from the Satna Superintendent of Police (SP). Advocate Aarti Vishwakarma, lawyer of the survivor, welcomed the court's action and said it sends a strong message about accountability. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for September 16, 2025. 4Continued on | P8 Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Chief Secretary Anurag Jain has directed all the departments to set up DPC and give promotion to the employees by July 31 according to the promotion policy. Jain issued the directive at a meeting with the officers over the implementation of the new promotion policy. The DPC will be held twice this year. Another DPC will be held in December. The government’s intention is to complete employees’ welfare work as quickly as possible, Jain said. As there has been no promotion for nine years, it should be done without any further delay, he said. He directed the officers to set up departmental advisory committees and complete the work concerned with the annual confidential reports of employees, departmental inquiries and pension cases on time. At the meeting, the officers said higher positions had been given in the departments. There will be no problem during the promotion of the employees.˘ 4Continued on | P8