Hyderabad: The cybercrime police arrested one person here on charges of operating a mule account and assisting cybercriminals. The accused Mohammad Awad, an AC technician and food delivery agent from Dabeerpura was arrested based on a complaint filed by a woman from Mancherial who was duped of Rs 3.16 lakh. The money was traced to Awad’s account. According to police, Awad had opened three accounts in his name and provided details to a man named Ilyias for a commission of Rs 300 for every 1 lakh transferred into his account. Cybercriminals dupe innocent people into facilitating transactions for their crimes by renting out their bank accounts or asking them to create new bank accounts in exchange for a commission. Fraudsters use these accounts to launder money and make it difficult to track, police said. In August this year, a SBI branch manager Shamsheer Gunj was arrested for facilitating cybercrime of Rs 175 crore. He lured poor people into opening current accounts in return for a commission. These accounts were then used to withdraw and divert funds related to cybercrime. The issue came to light when cyber security bureau’s data analysis team detected approximately 600 complaints on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP) against six accounts at the SBI branch of Shamsheer Gunj. Investigation revealed that large sums of money had been transacted from these accounts over a short period of two months; from March to April 2024. The police have urged individuals to monitor their account activity closely and promptly report any suspicion of having inadvertently opened a mule account. Reports can be made via the cybercrime helpline at 1930 or through their official website, cybercrime.gov.in .Report: Iowa CB Jermari Harris opts out of rest of season
‘Democracy Works’ awarded to those who champion change
Justin Schultz announced that he would retire immediately, effective Friday morning, for personal reasons. Schultz is a 34-year-old defenseman who played in 745 career games with 324 points (71 G, 253 A). Most recently, Schultz played for the Seattle Kraken , joining the team in 2022. He played in 143 games for the Kraken, scoring 60 points during his time with the team. Following the 2023-24 season, Schultz was an unrestricted free agent. He stated he sought a “unique opportunity in the later stages of his career” before signing with HC Lugano . He played in eight games with six assists for the team. My choice is strictly a personal one. I discussed this with my family and concluded that I should end my career here and return to Canada. I’m thankful to HC Lugano for their professionalism and respecting my choice, and I wish the club and the team to succeed again. Schultz was drafted in the second round, 43rd overall, by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2008 NHL Draft . Following his draft, Schultz continued playing with the University of Wisconsin. After becoming a free agent following his college career, Schultz signed with the Edmonton Oilers during the 2012-13 season. He went on to play in 248 games over four seasons for the Oilers with 101 points. Schultz was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins in February of 2016 and was with them for five seasons. During this time, he scored 113 points over 234 games. In 2016, Schultz played in 15 Stanley Cup Playoff games, including all six of the Finals, to help Pittsburgh win the Stanley Cup. During the 2016-17 season, he scored 13 points over 21 playoff games, helping the Penguins win a second championship. Schultz also played for the Washington Capitals for two seasons, with 50 points over 120 games before signing with the Seattle Kraken. Congratulations and best of luck, Schultz! This article first appeared on Inside The Rink and was syndicated with permission.Testimony begins in Bow pink wristband lawsuit
Will satellite broadband services truly be a game-changer?Article content The recent announcement of a temporary GST/HST holiday on select food purchases, running from Dec. 14 to Feb. 15, has drawn significant attention. Recommended Videos While the move has been framed as a helpful measure for Canadians during the holidays and the challenging winter months, it is critical to unpack its implications. Beyond the political spin, the economic reality of this measure deserves closer scrutiny. The government’s narrative suggests substantial relief for Canadians. However, the actual savings may be far more modest. For groceries, the average Canadian household stands to save just $4.51 in taxes over the two months, while dining out could offer $19.51 in tax savings. While every dollar counts, the idea that this measure will lead to significant financial relief is overstated unless one is a frequent purchaser of high-ticket alcohol or luxury dining options. For most, this “GST vacation” is more a token gesture than transformative economic aid. Restaurants are likely to gain the most from this policy. Canadians already spend a record $187 per month dining out, and the tax break might encourage more to opt for dining services rather than home cooking. Meanwhile, the cost of staples like ground beef at the grocery store is unlikely to change. Paradoxically, someone ordering a $29 burger meal through Uber Eats might see greater savings than someone cooking a homemade holiday meal. This prioritization raises questions about the measure’s alignment with its intended purpose. The holidays are traditionally a time for home cooking, celebrating with unique, meaningful meals surrounded by loved ones. This policy, by making dining out more attractive, risks undermining the cultural and economic value of cooking at home. At its core, taxing food at grocery stores remains a controversial practice. Food is a necessity, and imposing taxes on it is widely regarded as regressive and, some argue, even immoral. While the temporary removal of GST on some grocery items is welcome, its short-term nature creates confusion and potentially inflationary pressures. Retail food pricing operates on razor-thin margins, where pricing strategies hinge on pennies. A two-month tax exemption introduces uncertainty, as grocers might adjust prices upward to offset the perceived tax void, exacerbating food inflation. A permanent exemption, by contrast, would have avoided such unintended consequences, providing clarity and stability for both consumers and retailers. On top of this, direct cash transfers, like the government’s decision to give $250 to millions of Canadians, can inadvertently fuel inflation. Injecting more money into the economy without addressing underlying structural issues in food supply chains creates excess demand, which inevitably leads to higher prices. While this might provide short-term relief, it risks making food affordability an even greater challenge for everyone in the long term. RECOMMENDED VIDEO Quebec is currently the only province requiring signage to indicate which grocery items are taxed, offering a level of transparency that is absent elsewhere in Canada. Without such clarity, Canadians may struggle to understand which items are exempt and when. The temporary nature of the policy compounds this confusion, leaving many in the dark about how much they are actually saving – or even what qualifies for the exemption. Trudeau’s GST holiday casts him in the role of Canada’s Santa Claus, delivering a modest gift to Canadians. While this measure is likely to be appreciated by many, its short-term and poorly targeted nature raises serious concerns. Inadvertently, it may encourage dining out over home cooking and introduce inflationary risks to food pricing. The gesture, though well-intentioned, is shortsighted. What Canadians truly need is long-term, structural change to food taxation policies–not fleeting measures that complicate an already strained food economy. A permanent GST exemption on all grocery items would have been a far more effective solution, avoiding the confusion and potential harm caused by this temporary measure. In the end, Canadians deserve more than a holiday-season band-aid. Addressing food affordability and food inflation requires thoughtful, comprehensive policies – not a short-lived tax holiday and direct cash payments that risk becoming a Trojan horse for higher prices. – Dr. Sylvain Charlebois is the Director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University and co-host of The Food Professor Podcast