The J&K Police's Crime Branch said on Wednesday that it has filed the charge sheet in the court pertaining to the Rs 26 lakh international impersonation fraud case.

A statement by the Crime Branch Kashmir said, “The Economic Offences Wing (EOW), Crime Branch Kashmir, on Wednesday filed a charge sheet before the Hon’ble Court of Judge Small Causes, Srinagar, in connection with FIR No. 17/2020, registered under Sections 419, 420, 468, 471 RPC and Section 66-D of the Information Technology Act."

Three members of a family were killed on the spot while two others were injured in a road accident near Devinagar Camp in Karnataka's Ballari district in the early hours of Wednesday.

The accident occurred around 5 a.m. on the Ballari–Siruguppa State Highway when a car reportedly lost control and hit a roadside barrier before overturning.

Prasad Rao of Nitturu village and two women travelling in the vehicle died at the scene.

The night temperature remained above the freezing point in Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar city on Wednesday, as it dropped notches below the zero degrees Celsius in Gulmarg and Pahalgam hill stations.

The Meteorological (MeT) Department said the minimum temperature was 3 degrees Celsius in Srinagar, while it was minus 4.2 and minus 2.2 degrees in Gulmarg and Pahalgam, respectively.

Jammu city had 8.2 degrees Celsius, Katra town 9.4, Batote 4.2, Banihal 6.4 and Bhaderwah 0.6 degrees as the minimum temperature.

The National Capital Region witnessed a marginal respite from choking pollution on Wednesday, as air quality improved to the 'very poor' category and the Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 349, according to data released by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

The dense smog that had engulfed the region appeared to have cleared slightly, although several monitoring stations in the national capital continued to record AQI levels hovering close to the severe zone.

As per data recorded at 6:58 a.m., Noida emerged as the second most polluted city in the country, registering an AQI of 355.

The ED filed a charge sheet in a Special Court (PMLA) in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, against a syndicate engaged in illegal ‘dabba’ trading and online betting activities involving Rs 404.46 crore and operating across Indore, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Chennai and Dubai, an official said on Tuesday.

‘Dabba’ trading is an illegal and unregulated form of trading where transactions in securities or commodities occur outside of officially recognised stock exchanges.

In view of the extreme cold wave prevailing in Patna, the district administration has suspended academic activities up to Class 8 till Friday.

According to Patna District Magistrate Tyagarajan S.M., persistently low temperatures pose a serious risk to the health and safety of children.

Exercising powers under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, the District Magistrate has ordered the suspension of academic activities up to Class 8 in all government and private schools, including pre-schools and Anganwadi centres, in Patna district.

Security forces said on Tuesday that arms and ammunition were recovered during a cordon and search operation (CASO) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara district.

Officials said that the security forces recovered arms and ammunition in the Rajpora forest area of the Handwara sub-division.

 In a significant victory against Left-Wing Extremism, security forces have unearthed a major illegal dump concealed by Maoists in the dense forests of Karregutta Hills, under Usur police station in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, police officials said.

The intensive operation, involving joint teams from the District Force, elite COBRA-204 battalion, and CRPF-196, resulted in the recovery of critical weapons repair equipment, materials for manufacturing Barrel Grenade Launchers (BGLs), and explosives buried underground, they said.

Dense fog enveloped Delhi-NCR on Tuesday, severely reducing visibility and aggravating already poor air quality conditions. A thick layer of fog and smog blanketed the city during the early morning hours, disrupting daily life and posing serious challenges to commuters.

Low visibility continued to affect flight operations at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, with several flights being delayed or cancelled for the past few days due to persistent smog and dense fog across the national capital city. Road traffic was also hit badly, especially in areas such as the Rajokri flyover in south Delhi, where visibility dropped to extremely low levels. Vehicles were seen moving slowly with headlights and parking lights switched on.

Dense fog enveloped several districts across Rajasthan, reducing visibility to ten metres in many areas on Monday.

On the outskirts of Jaipur, the visibility was just 10 metres. Similar conditions were reported from border districts such as Jaisalmer and Sri Ganganagar.

The prevailing fog, coupled with the impact of an active Western Disturbance over North India, led to unusual temperature patterns across the state.

A horrific road accident on the Bharatmala Expressway in Rajasthan’s Jodhpur district led to a massive fire, claiming the life of a trailer driver who was burnt alive.

Another person sustained serious injuries, while traffic on the highway remained disrupted for several hours.

The accident occurred around 10 p.m. on Sunday on the Bharatmala Highway between Ratan Nagar and Chandaliya villages under the Osian police station area.

Snow in the higher reaches and rain in the plains of Kashmir Valley during the last 24 hours broke the three-month-long dry spell on Monday as the 40-day-long period of harsh winter cold, locally known as the ‘Chillai Kalan’, started on a positive note.

Gulmarg ski resort received nearly nine inches of snowfall during the last 24 hours, giving the resort its pristine white blanket. Skiers, Christmas and New Year's Eve revellers and those associated with the tourism industry had been looking eagerly forward to the snowfall.

 The national capital continued to reel under heavy smog on Monday morning, with air quality levels remaining in the “very poor” category and several areas slipping into “severe” pollution levels.

The deteriorating conditions once again raised health concerns for residents and disrupted normal daily activities across the city.

One cattle smuggler was injured, and two others were arrested in an encounter with the police in Uttar Pradesh's Deoria district in the early hours of Monday.

An encounter took place between police and cattle smugglers in the Salempur police station area. During a vehicle check near Dhanauti Rai village, police stopped a vehicle that was being used to smuggle cattle.

Train movement was affected in Assam on Saturday due to the derailment of Sairang (Mizoram)-New Delhi Rajdhani Express after killing seven elephants and injuring a calf in Hojai district, officials said.

At least seven elephants were killed and one calf injured after a herd collided with the Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express in Assam's Hojai in the early morning hours of Saturday, leading to the disruption of railway services.

Bihar continues to reel under the impact of a severe cold wave, with a sharp drop in both day and night temperatures disrupting normal life across the state.

Dense fog, icy winds, and rising air pollution have compounded the situation, forcing people to stay indoors and also impacting their daily activities.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the cold spell is expected to persist until December 22, with possibility of a further decline in temperatures.

J&K Police's Crime Branch said on Saturday that it has filed a charge sheet against four accused of cheating & criminal conspiracy in a Rs 50 lakh land fraud case.

"The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Crime Branch Kashmir has filed a charge sheet in FIR No. 02/2025 under Sections 420 and 471 read with Section 120-B of the RPC before the Hon’ble Court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Srinagar, against four accused persons for their alleged involvement in a large-scale land fraud case," the Crime Branch said in a statement.

 At least seven elephants were killed and one calf injured after a herd collided with the Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express in Assam's Hojai on Saturday morning, leading to the disruption of rail services.

According to officials, the accident took place around 2:17 a.m. when the New Delhi-bound Rajdhani Express struck a herd of elephants that was crossing the railway tracks. Forest department authorities later confirmed that seven elephants were killed in the collision, while one calf was rescued in an injured condition and provided medical attention.

As Kashmiris awaited rain and snow on Saturday, as forecast by the Meteorological Department, the 40-day-long period of intense winter cold called the 'Chillai Kalan' is also set to begin.

The weather office has forecast rain in the plains and moderate to heavy snowfall in the higher reaches of J&K from Saturday night.

Delhi-NCR woke up to a thick blanket of fog on Saturday, with the India Meteorological Department issuing an orange alert for dense fog conditions expected to persist through the day.

"Partly cloudy sky. Dense to very dense fog during morning hours. Mist/shallow fog during night/early hours," the IMD said in its forecast for the national capital.

Expressing concern over the poor air quality in the Delhi-NCR, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Friday issued directions related to traffic movement and removal of construction waste to ensure visible improvement within a week.

The Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change chaired a meeting attended by the chairman of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) and senior officers, and announced that from January 2026, reviews of action plans, being finalised now, will be held every month at the Ministerial level.

Joint security forces on Friday started searches at many villages of J&K’s Rajouri district after reports of suspicious movement in these areas, officials said.

Officials said that the joint forces, including the J&K Police and its Special Operations Group (SOG), the army, and the CRPF has started searches at many villages of Rajouri after the reports were received.

A severe cold wave has tightened its grip across Bihar, with dense fog shrouding mornings and temperatures plunging sharply across the state. Even during daylight hours, damp conditions are intensifying the chill, making the cold persist throughout the day.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a cold wave and cold day alert for 27 districts, warning that the next 48 hours will be crucial as cold conditions are expected to intensify further.

Delhi continued to reel under severe pollution on Friday, with air quality deteriorating further and dense fog compounding commuting woes, particularly for air travellers.

The national capital’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 387 at 6 a.m., remaining firmly in the ‘very poor’ category and offering no respite from the prolonged pollution spell gripping the city.

The situation marked a clear decline from Thursday morning’s AQI of 356, underscoring a steady worsening of air quality across Delhi. Visuals from several parts of the city, including the ITO area, showed a thick layer of toxic smog blanketing roads and buildings, significantly reducing visibility.

After an extended dry spell of over two months, Jammu and Kashmir is likely to get rain and snow during the next 48 hours as the Meteorological (MeT) Department on Friday forecasted moderate snowfall in the higher reaches and rain in the plains starting late evening on December 20.

Mukhtar Ahmad, Director of the local MeT Department, told that snow in the higher reaches and rain in the plains of the union territory are expected during the night intervening December 20 and December 21, and the same is likely to continue till late afternoon on December 21.

 As many as 169 immovable properties valued at Rs 3,436.56 crore and located in Ludhiana, Punjab, were attached by the ED in connection with a Rs 48,000 crore fraud committed under the garb of a real estate investment scheme floated by Pearls Agrotech Corporation Ltd (PACL), an official said on Thursday.

The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Delhi Zonal Office, provisionally attached the properties in connection with its ongoing probe in the case of PACL and others under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, said the official.

Tripura Police on Thursday arrested three persons, including two women, from Assam in connection with the assault of a delivery boy, who later died by suicide.

Police said the victim was publicly humiliated and beaten by the arrested individuals, along with two others, leading to the tragic incident on December 14.

“With the assistance of Assam Police, we arrested the three accused from Sribhumi (formerly Karimganj) district of southern Assam on Thursday. They will be produced before a court in Dharmanagar shortly,” a police official told the media.

Security forces killed three Maoists, including one woman cadre, during an encounter in the forested hills under Golapalli police station limits in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh on Thursday morning, police officials said.

The operation, led by the District Reserve Guard (DRG), was launched after specific intelligence indicated the presence of Maoist cadres in the area.

Thick smog continued to blanket Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) on Thursday morning, with the capital witnessing a fresh deterioration in air quality as the Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 356, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

Out of the 39 air quality monitoring stations in Delhi, four reported AQI readings in the 'severe' category, while several others hovered close to the same range, underlining the persistence of hazardous air conditions across the city.

The Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) in the national capital issued a passenger advisory on Thursday morning amid dense fog conditions, cautioning travellers that Low Visibility Procedures (LVP) had been implemented even as flight operations continued without major disruption.

In a travel advisory issued at 4.30 a.m., Delhi Airport authorities said foggy weather had significantly reduced visibility levels, leading to the activation of LVP to ensure the safety of aircraft operations. At the same time, officials clarified that flight services at the airport were functioning normally when the advisory was released.

A CASO was launched on Wednesday by joint forces in the Mansar area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Samba district after locals reported suspicious movement in the area.

Officials said the locals in a village near Mansar in the district reported seeing some suspicious persons moving in the area.

“A police team immediately rushed to the area and started a CASO, which was later joined by personnel from the Army and the CRPF," officials said.

 Ahmedabad witnessed yet another round of bomb threat emails, triggering panic and heightened security measures across the city as at least eight prominent schools received threats claiming explosives had been planted on their campuses.

The emails, received around 10 a.m., led to an immediate emergency response by police and school authorities, marking a continuation of the disturbing trend of hoax threats targeting educational institutions in recent weeks.

Three people were burned alive when a pickup truck collided with another truck and caught fire on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway in Rajasthan's Alwar, police said on Wednesday.

According to the officials, a pickup truck was travelling from Delhi towards Jaipur on the expressway when the accident occurred at channel number 131.5, under the Raini police station of Alwar.

The pickup truck collided with a truck ahead of it, and the impact caused sparks, which quickly ignited the vehicle, turning it into a ball of fire.

Upon receiving the information, the police arrived at the scene, along with the fire department officials, and attempted to extinguish the fire.

Delhi experienced a slight improvement in air quality on Wednesday, aided by relatively strong surface winds, though pollution levels continued to remain in the ‘very poor’ category.

Shallow fog was also observed across several parts of the city during the morning hours. According to official data, the national capital’s average Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 328 at 8 a.m., an improvement from 354 recorded at 4 p.m. on Tuesday.

A soldier was killed in an explosion in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district, officials said on Tuesday.

Officials said that the soldier died on Monday in an explosion in Putaha Khan Gali of the Trehgam area of the district of the Line of Control (LoC).

The soldier has been identified as Havaldar Zubair Ahmad of J&K Light Infantry (JAKLI).