Retiree Cheated By Dubai-based ‘Prince’

Hyderabad:A 61-year-old retired postal assistant from Gachibowli was cheated of Rs 12.75 lakh by a cyber fraudster who posed as a Dubai-based prince and promised high returns from an investment scheme. According to police, the fraud came to light when the victim’s daughter, a bank employee, checked her mother’s phone and found WhatsApp chats with an unknown person using UK-based numbers, including +44 7594 802213 and +44 7748 406848.

The accused, identifying himself as “Hamadz,” claimed he was stranded at an airport in India and sought money for food and “custom clearance.” Believing him, the woman transferred Rs 12,75,527 over two months, of which only Rs 17,782 was returned. A case has been registered under cheating and cyber fraud provisions, and investigators are tracing the accused.

57th Annual Nutrition Meet Held in Hyd

Hyderabad:The Nutrition Society of India (NSI), the country’s largest body of nutrition scientists and researchers with over 6,000 members, is set to host its two-day 57th annual conference from Friday at the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), Hyderabad. Three pre-conference workshops were conducted on Thursday as part of the event.

This year’s theme, ‘Suposhit Bharat for a Viksit Bharat (Well-nourished India for a Developed India)’, underscores the critical role of nutrition in achieving the nation’s vision of Viksit Bharat @2047. The two-day conference will bring together over 1,300 delegates and 200 volunteers from across India and abroad, including scientists, policymakers, clinicians, and students.

The event will feature keynote addresses, plenary sessions, orations, panel discussions, and over 460 oral and poster presentations. The key highlights include deliberations on 50 Years of ICDS and a debate on Global vs Indigenous Growth Standards, aimed at shaping future nutrition strategies for India.

TGHRC summons SI, municipal official

Hyderabad:The Telangana Human Rights Commission, chaired by Dr Justice Shameem Akther, has taken cognisance of two complaints alleging serious human rights violations by police and municipal officials and issued directions seeking enquiry reports from those concerned.

In the first case, complainant E. Satyanarayana alleged that Degala Ramesh, an SI at Manthani town under Ramagundam commissionerate, assaulted Seelam Raj Kumar at the Manthani police station on December 7, 2024. The victim attempted suicide the next day and died on September 19, 2025, while undergoing treatment. The SI allegedly intimidated the family, deployed a large police force and forced cremation of the body on the same night to prevent unrest.

Terming the allegations serious and warranting enquiry, the Commission summoned Ramesh to appear on December 4 and directed the complainant to be present for the hearing.

In the second case, the commission acted on a complaint received by post that V. Laxmi Rajam died by suicide on October 25, allegedly due to continuous harassment, threats and illegal demands from town planning officials of the Karimnagar Municipal Corporation.

The commission sought a response from Syed Khadar, Karimnagar’s town planning building officer, and listed the matter for December 11.

ACB arrests municipal officer, aide

Hyderabad:The Telangana Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Thursday arrested Bandela Varaprasad, town planning officer of Adibatla municipality in Ranga Reddy district, in a bribery case.

ACB officials said Varaprasad took a bribe of `75,000 through Vadala Vamshi Krishna, an outsourced assistant, from a complainant for processing and issuing permission for ground-plus building construction.

The bribe amount was recovered from Krishna’s possession. Both accused were produced before the special court for ACB cases in Nampally. The complainant’s details have been withheld for security reasons.

Massive CMR diversion unearthed in raids

Hyderabad:Vigilance and enforcement officials detected large-scale diversion of custom milled rice (CMR) during raids on rice mills in different parts of Telangana. Acting on the instructions of director general Shikha Goel, teams from Karimnagar, Hyderabad, Mahbubnagar and Sangareddy units carried out coordinated inspections.

DG Goel said a huge quantity of CMR paddy was diverted by millers in the Kaddem area of Nirmal district. Officials conducted a surprise raid on Katta Balaji Rice Mill in Nachan Yellapur village, Kaddem mandal, where they found diversion of 2,684 metric tonnes of CMR stocks from the Rabi 2024–25 season, valued at `6.22 crore.

Hyderabad Rural unit officials also intercepted a mini-lorry carrying PDS rice from Shamshabad to Mahabubnagar and seized around 15 tonnes of rice worth `5 lakh on NH-44 near Pedda Shapur. The vehicle’s driver, Prem Kumar, was handed over to the Shamshabad police along with the seized rice.

Goel added that based on a tip-off about CMR diversion, V&E officials from RC Puram in Sangareddy district raided Kanyaka Parameswari Agro Industries in Dakur village, Andole mandal. “We detected a shortage of 3,752.80 quintals of CMR paddy, amounting to 9,382 bags from the Rabi 2024–25 season, worth `87.06 lakh. We have written to the civil supplies department, Sangareddy, for further action,” she said.

TGTET 2026 exam dates announced

Hyderabad:The Telangana Teacher Eligibility Test (TGTET) for January 2026 will be held as a computer-based test between January 3 and 31, according to the school education department. The notification will be released on November 14.

The notice, issued by Dr E. Naveen Nicolas, director of school education and chairperson of TGTET, said the detailed notification and information bulletin will be available on the department website from November 15. Candidates can download the documents from schooledu.telangana.gov.in and follow the instructions given there.

The application window will open on November 15 and remain active till November 29. The department has advised candidates to submit their applications only through the official website. All details regarding eligibility and examination procedures will be provided on the same platform.

AIIMS Bibinagar hosts trial workshop

Hyderabad:AIIMS Bibinagar and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) have begun a three-day Clinical Trial Protocol Development Workshop under the INTENT Regional Mentoring and Oversight Programme. The event, themed from concept to protocol – designing effective clinical trials, is being held from November 13 to 15 at the new academic block.

The initiative, funded by the department of health research, ministry of health and family welfare, aims to strengthen research capacity among medical faculty, clinicians and young investigators through hands-on training in trial design and protocol development.

The workshop covers the complete process of planning and conducting a clinical trial, from framing the research question to designing the study, meeting ethical and regulatory requirements, budgeting, data management and dissemination. Sessions balance conceptual understanding with practical exercises, including ethical case discussions, quality assurance, literature review and development of focused research questions.

Participants will also be trained in the types and phases of clinical trials, the regulatory frameworks governing research in India (NDCT 2019 and ICMR Ethical Guidelines 2017), randomisation, blinding, good clinical practice, case report form design and statistical considerations. The programme concludes with group-based drafting of trial protocols.

Over 30 participants from MRUs at NIMS, Siddipet and Mahabubnagar, along with AIIMS Bibinagar researchers, are attending the workshop.

Moula Ali to get new police station

Hyderabad:Rachakonda Police are preparing to open a new police station for Moula Ali under the Malkajgiri zone to improve policing and administrative efficiency in the rapidly expanding residential and commercial belt.

The proposed station will initially operate from the existing ward office building, and groundwork for its formation has begun. Around 30 to 40 personnel, each from Kushaiguda and Malkajgiri stations, are expected to be deputed to the new unit. Once functional, the staff will begin receiving salaries under the new establishment, formally marking it as an independent jurisdiction.

An official said that although the crime rate has declined, the population has grown. GHMC has not provided updated population figures, leaving the department reliant on the 2019 report.

Malkajgiri jurisdiction covers around 1.57 lakh people across 123 colonies in 20.71 sq km, while Kushaiguda has 1.43 lakh residents in 140 colonies spread over 28.61 sq km. The new Moula Ali station will cover areas from Moula Ali Kaman, including the Housing Board Colony, up to NFC, serving roughly one lakh residents.

Officials said the new unit will ease law-enforcement pressures, streamline responses and improve handling of sensitive incidents. “This move is essential to strengthen local policing and community outreach. The new station will help reduce the workload on existing units and ensure quicker responses to complaints,” an officer from the Malkajgiri zone said.

7-year-old dies in iron gate collapse

Hyderabad:A seven-year-old boy died after an iron gate fell on him at a building under construction in Bowrampet in Dundigal, on Thursday. Police said the boy’s grandparents work as security guards at a construction site in the same area. On Thursday morning, the boy and his younger brother went to visit them. While playing inside the premises, the boy held the gate, which was not properly fixed to the wall. The gate fell on him, leading to fatal injuries.

According to police, the child’s family had migrated to the city from Kukunoor in Medak district nearly ten years ago for work and has been residing in Bowrampet. The victim was studying in Class 1 at a nearby private school.

Abandoned car sparks panic in Kachiguda

Hyderabad:Panic spread among locals and commuters after an abandoned car was spotted under the Nimboliadda railway foot overbridge in Kachiguda on Thursday evening. “After receiving information from locals, we rushed to the spot with the Bomb Detection Squad and inspected the car,” east zone DCP M Balaswamy said.

As part of the security protocol, bomb and dog squads conducted checks. After a thorough inspection, no suspicious objects were found. Police traced the vehicle to its owner, K. Balaji, and learnt that his friend Mohammed Sameer had borrowed the car and left it at the spot. During the inquiry, residents living nearby told police that Sameer was drunk when he parked the vehicle, the DCP said.

“Our teams are checking CCTV footage and action will be taken against the driver as per the law,” Balaswamy added. He urged citizens to remain alert in the wake of the Delhi terror attack and immediately dial 100 or inform the nearest police station if they notice any suspicious objects or an abandoned vehicle.

Viral rat video prompts GHMC inspection

Hyderabad:A video showing a rat crawling near boxes of Paradise Biryani at an outlet beside Prasad’s Imax has gone viral, prompting the GHMC food safety department to conduct an inspection.

GHMC officials said the incident came to light when customers at a nearby cafe noticed a rat moving close to food boxes. The footage spread quickly on social media following which the food safety officials carried out an immediate inspection of the restaurant.

The issue escalated on Thursday after health minister Damodar Rajnarsimha was alerted and instructed the food safety department to conduct fresh raids across eateries in the city.

A spokesperson of Paradise said the GHMC visit was part of routine inspections carried out across Hyderabad. “During the inspection, no irregularities were found or reported. Officials collected limited food samples as part of standard protocol,” the spokesperson said.

Man loses Rs.4 L in APK scam

Hyderabad: A 40-year-old city resident clicked on what he thought was a traffic challan, and ended up downloaded a malicious APK app. This action resulted in scamsters parking Rs.4 lakh in his account for some time.

The victim from Lower Tank Bund told the city cyber crime police that he received two SMS alerts stating `3.91 lakh had been credited to his account as loans. Shocked, as he had not applied for a loan, he checked his account and found a total balance of Rs.4 lakh. Before he could contact the bank, the entire amount was taken back via IMPS transactions without his knowledge.

Police said the victim had earlier, on September 10, received an APK file named “RTO Challan.apk.” After clicking the link, fraudsters gained full access to his phone, enabling them to siphon the funds. The case is under investigation, the cybercrime wing said in a press release.

ED attaches assets worth Rs.111 cr

Hyderabad: The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has attached properties worth Rs.111.57 crore belonging to Hackbridge Hewittic and Easun Ltd in connection with a `136 crore bank fraud.

The ED registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act based on a CBI case against Victory Electricals Ltd (VEL), Victory Transformers and Switchgears Ltd (VTSL), their directors Mahindra Kumar Vaddineni, Manoj Kumar Vaddineni, Venkatappa Naidu Vaddineni and others, following a complaint from SBI’s Stressed Asset Management Branch, Hyderabad.

CBI completed its investigation and filed a chargesheet in 2023 before the XXI Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Hyderabad. According to chargesheet, the accused conspired to submit fabricated financial documents, inflated balance sheets and false receivables to secure credit facilities; misled the bank into issuing LC facilities and credit limits; and siphoned funds through shell companies, causing a loss of `136.5 crore to the SBI.

ED officials said Mahindra Kumar Vaddineni, who controlled both VEL and VTSL, diverted `88.93 crore through a web of shell companies operated in Delhi by co-accused Naveen Khatri. The routing of funds through multiple layers was intended to conceal the origin of the money and project the illicit proceeds as legitimate business income despite no actual business activity.