4 held for fraud in Maruti Udyog

New Delhi (PTI): Four persons, including a woman, were arrested for allegedly conspiring with a former manager of Maruti Udyog Limited and cheating the company of nearly Rs 2 crore, police said on Saturday.

Ajay Kumar Kohli, 35, Ajay Kumar Verma, 22, Uttam Kumar Chandra, 25, and Monica Sharma had opened several bank accounts in the names of fictitious companies to which Raj Kumar Singh Chauhan, a deputy manager (finance) in Maruti Udyog, fraudulently authorised payments.

Chauhan, a chartered accountant, and his brother Naveen, an MCA from Jawaharlal Nehru University, had been arrested by the economic offences wing of Delhi police in October 2004.

Chauhan had joined Maruti Udyog in 1996 and became its deputy manager in 2004 which gave him the authority to pass vouchers for payment. The accused allegedly prepared several fake vouchers in favour of the fictitious companies.

Alert on drugging of soldiers

New Delhi (PTI): The army has taken several steps to alert its personnel after an alarming rise in cases of drugging of soldiers on trains and buses by organised gangs.

The maximum number of drug cases have been reported from Delhi, Jammu and adjoining stations, an official release said.

An analysis of the incidents showed organised gangs were involved in drugging military personnel in some parts of the country, “causing serious concern to the army authorities”, the release added.

Sources said the army is educating members of the force about the modus operandi of the gangs.

Rafiq Zakaria

Mumbai (PTI): Islamic scholar, author and Congress leader Rafiq Zakaria died at his residence here on Saturday, family sources said. He was 79.

Zakaria complained of acute back pain shortly before he died around 7 am. One of his sons is expected to reach the city from the US by Sunday.

Bangla travellers

Ahmedabad (PTI): Six Bangladeshis, travelling without proper documents, were arrested on Friday from a village near the Indo-Pak border in Gujarat’s Kutch district, police said. Nothing suspicious has been recovered from them and it is yet to be ascertained if the six, all residents of Dhaka, were planning to cross over to Pakistan, the police added.

Army forgery

New Delhi (PTI): A Delhi court has framed charges against a lieutenant colonel posted in the ordnance wing and two others for forging purchase sanction orders causing a loss of Rs 22 lakh to the army.

Singer Manna Dey was honoured by the Indian community in Canada for his outstanding contribution to music. He was felicitated on Friday as part of the Canada Day celebrations.