bhubaneswar l monday l march 20, 2023 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l jeypore EDITION UBS offers to buy crisis-hit Credit Suisse for $1 billion The Swiss government is planning to change the country’s laws to bypass a shareholder vote on the transaction, the Financial Times reported Ripple effects to be felt globally Offer price a fraction of market value Swiss authorities are scrambling to rescue the 167-year-old bank, which is among the world’s largest wealth managers, before financial markets reopen on Monday. As one of the 30 systemically important global banks, Credit Suisse’s failure would ripple throughout the entire financial system. Reports said UBS offered 0.25 Swiss francs ($0.27) per Credit Suisse share ■ The buy offer is just a fraction of Credit Suisse’s current market value, considering the bank’s closing price on Friday was 1.86 Swiss francs ■ Credit Suisse shares lost a quarter of their value in the last week ■ The development comes at a time when banking stocks globally have been battered with the S&P Banks index falling 22% $153 billion Emergency liquidity sought by u.s. banks from the Federal Reserve CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI The car Amritpal Singh used for his escape and abandoned it later | ANI Amritpal’s car found; four aides shifted to Assam jail Ha r p r e e t B aj w a @ Chandigarh With pro-Khalistani activist Amritpal Singh on the run, the Punjab Police registered two fresh cases again him and his aides, one for breaking barricades while he was fleeing on Saturday and the other under the Arms Act following the recovery of a rifle from an abandoned car, which was his getaway vehicle. Also, 34 more people associated with him were arrested across Punjab on Sunday tak, ing the total number of such arrests so far to 112. For reasons that were not immediately clear, four of his close aides were taken to Dibrugarh Central Jail in Assam by a special flight. Amritpal’s cavalcade was intercepted while he was on his way to Muktsar Sahib to launch a Khalsa Wahir (religious procession) on Sunday . The state government extended the suspension of mobile internet and SMS services till Monday noon to keep social media out of reach of mischief makers. Besides, security forces took out flag marches at several places led by senior officials in the state. Also, peace committee meetings were organised in all districts to ensure peace, tranquility and harmony . Sources said the authorities have detained Amritpal’s alleged financer Daljeet Singh Kalsi in Gurugram. Kalsi is not just an actor and film producer, he is also said to be the self-styled preacher’s advisor. During the search operations, an abandoned ISUZU vehicle was found in Salina village in Jalandhar Rural district. It was Amritpal’s getaway vehicle. A .315 bore rifle along with 57 live cartridges, a sword and a walkie-talkie set was recovered from car. Rahul seeks time after police knock at his door Cong raps request for info on his claim on sexual assault of women P r e e t h a N a i r and U J W A L J A L A L I @ New Delhi Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday sent a four-page letter to the Delhi Police hours after a police team visited his residence to question him on his claims during his Bharat Jodo Yatra in J&K on January 30 that “women are still being sexually assaulted”. In his letter, Rahul sought 8-10 days to furnish a detailed reply. On March 16, the Delhi Police had served a notice on him seeking information on the alleged victims. In his 10-point reply, Rahul wondered about the Delhi Police’s urgency to visit him thrice in a week, though the Yatra concluded on January 30. He asked whether the notice was in anyway connected with the questions he has been raising inside and outside Parliament on the Adani issue. Speaking to the reporters outside Rahul’s house, Special CP (Law and Order) Sagar Preet Hooda said, “If there is any victim, who could also be a resident of Delhi, we want to provide help as early as possible. Even if the victim is from out- Senior police personnel (L) emerging from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s residence in New Delhi on Sunday; and Rahul driving away later | Parveen Negi side Delhi, we could immediately initiate legal action.” Soon after the police team landed at his doorstep, several Congress leaders launched scathing attacks on the BJP-led Centre terming the action as the “worst kind of political vendetta, harassment, and intimidation”. Calling it a diversionary tactic, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said that the party will continue questioning the government on the Adani issue. Senior lawyer and Congress MP Abhishek Singhvi said after serving the notice on March 16 along with a two-page questionnaire, the Delhi Police had gone back without raising any objection when Rahul sought 8-10 days to put together the details. Yet, they came back on Sunday wih a similar questionnaire, he said, adding, “it’s unprecedented and to create fear and intimidation after having waited for 45 days.” Party leader Jairam Ramesh said, “This is a deliberate attempt to divert attention. We will stick to the demand of a JPC on the Adani issue.” In his pushback, BJP president J P Nadda accused Rahul of overstepping all bounds of democracy and said he should be sent packing “lock, stock and barrel”. “Those who do not believe in democracy have no place in it,” Nadda said. Odisha to have own narco test facility soon A s i s h M e h ta @ Bhubaneswar THE Crime Branch had to take Gopal Krushna Das, accused in minister Naba Kisore Das murder, all the way to Gujarat for his narco analysis but investigators of the state may not have to struggle anymore as the State Forensic Science Laboratory (SFSL) may start undertaking the test on its own soon. Reliable sources said the SFSL has submitted a proposal to the government to enhance its capacity which includes narco test and brain mapping. One of the major components of the proposal is upgradation of SFSL’s lie detection division. The state’s premier forensic laboratory has nine divisions including the lie detection unit. It recently procured equipment to carry out layered voice analysis (LVA) test. Sources said narco is a complex test and cannot be carried out without approval of the person. A wrong dose can send the subject into coma or even result in death. “The procedure for narco analysis not very expensive but it requires conscious efforts by trained doctors and forensic psychologists,” said a senior of- ficer of State Police headquarters in Cuttack. Once the proposal is accepted by the government, SFSL will appoint doctors and forensic psychologists and send them to Gujarat Forensic Sciences Laboratory or National Forensic Sciences University in Gandhinagar for training. The SFSL has also sent a proposal to government to start lie detection and LVA tests at Regional Forensic Science Laboratories in Berhampur, Sambalpur and Balasore. In the last few years, investigating agencies have sought to employ these tests as they are seen as softer alternatives to third degree to extract truth from the suspects or accused, official sources said. However, as lie detection and LVA tests are currently available only at SFSL in Bhubaneswar, investigating officers of other places in the state often express reluctance to bring the subjects to the capital due to the distance factor. SFSL undertakes 200 lie detection tests on an average every year and experts are of the opinion that the number will significantly rise once the facility is introduced in the three RFSLs of the state. Man abducts and rapes woman after marriage was called off for fakery, held E x p r e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @ Cuttack Fly Catchers OUAT students collecting insects and pests from a farmland for research in Bhubaneswar, on Sunday | DEBADATTA MALLICK A 33-year-old man, who faked as a scientist with Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), allegedly raped the woman he was supposed to marry after the latter’s parents called off their wedding. Markat Nagar police on Sunday arrested Abinash Mishra on charges of kidnapping and raping the 23-year-old woman from Jajpur. As per the complaint, the victim’s family had come to know Mishra had posted false information about his employment status on the matrimonial site. When they called off the wedding, he allegedly abducted the woman and raped her. He also recorded the act in his mobile phone and blackmailed the vic- Abinash Mishra had faked as an ICMR scientist on matrimonial site. The woman’s family came to know and called off the wedding. He then allegedly abducted and raped her Police tim. The accused was arrested after the victim lodged a complaint several months after the alleged sexual assault. Mishra who hails from Jajpur town resides at Bima Bihar locality in CDA-Sector-9 area of the city while the victim is a native of Athagarh town. According to police sources, the accused faking as an ICMR scientist had got close to the woman after they connected on the matrimonial site last year. Meanwhile, victim’s family verified Mishra’s false matrimonial profile and broke off the marriage accusing him of being an impersonator. Dejected, he kidnapped the woman and confined her to his resid e n c e i n C u t t a ck d u r i n g October. Later, the accused took her to a hotel and raped her. He also recorded the crime in his mobile phone and tried to blackmail her into marrying. He also threatened to make video viral if she refused, stated police quoting the FIR which was filed by the victim six months back. “After collecting evidence, a case was registered on February 2 in Markat Nagar police station and the accused was arrested on Sunday,” said additional DCP Anil Kumar Mishra. BJD sweeps apex coop body polls Express News Service @ Bhubaneswar The ruling BJD continued its victory march in the state by sweeping the polls for the president of apex cooperative societies. The BJD nominees won all the 15 posts of president in the societies. Though BJP and Congress fielded their candidates for all the societies, the two parties drew a blank. Sources said some of the Congress voters crossed over to the ruling party at the last moment. The BJD had also dominated the panchayat and urban local body elections held last year. While the regional outfit had won all the 30 posts of zilla parishad president, it had also grabbed 76 out of the 108 urban local bodies . W h i l e Kishore Chandra Pradhani has been elected as president of Odisha State Cooperative Milk Producers’ Federation Limited (OMFED), Bholeswar Swain is the new head of the Odisha State Poultry Products Cooperative Marketing Federation. Limited (OPPOLFED). Similarly, T Prasad Rao Dora is the new president of Odisha State Cooperative Bank Limited (OSCB) while Ashish Kumar Mohanty will head the Odisha SC and ST Development Finance Cooperative Corporation. Bhagirathi Nanda has been elected as the president of the Odisha Cooperative Tassar and Silk Federation Limited (SERIFED). Thakur: J&K gets first FDI project post A-370 read down Speeding car hits CEO Can amend rules to curb abusive on morning jog, kills her content on OTT FAYA Z WA N I @ Srinagar Union I&B Minister Anurag Singh Thakur on Sunday said the government views the matter seriously and, if required, the ministry will consider amending the rules to contain abusive language and nudity | P7 OVE three years after Article 370 was read down, Jammu and Kashmir has got its first foreign direct investment project from Dubai-based Emaar Group, which developed the world’s tallest building Burj Khalifa. On Sunday, J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha performed the groundbreaking ceremony for the Mall of Srinagar, a mega mall to be spread over 10 lakh square feet at Sempora, Srinagar. Launched by Emaar and Magna Waves Buildtech, the mall is set to become operational by 2026. It will be the biggest mall in J&K having over 500 shops. The mega mall, which is expected to provide jobs to over 13,000 youth, will include six multiplexes, a five-star hotel, and a multi-use commercial and residential complex. Emaar will also build IT towers in Srinagar and Jammu. J&K Lt Governor Manoj Sinha lays the foundation stone of the project | ANI “These three projects will be developed at a cost of `500 crore,” said Sinha. He added that the J&K government is working to provide a better business ecosystem to investors. Amit Jain, CEO of Emaar Properties, said the mall is one of the group’s milestone projects, which will have a positive impact on J&K’s overall economy . “This will create regular employment. Besides, goods will come and logistics will increase. Jobs at airports will increase. The transportation will increase. The food industries will come and invest here,” added Jain. out of the box A student, an embalmer and boxer all rolled into Danisha A nm o l G U r un g @ New Delhi If she is not boxing or studying, she is embalming bodies of the deceased. Of course, like boxing, embalming bodies too is her passion and finds it calming. Danisha Mathialagan comes across as a regular 25-year-old. She looked highspirited while revealing her fascinating journey on and off the boxing ring. Part of the Singapore national boxing team in the ongoing IBA Women’s World Championships, she is a part-time embalmer. Unlike elite boxers, she and her teammates are self-funded. “I’m a freelance embalmer. It’s my passion. It’s very calming and peaceful. You get to wind down a bit, especially after hard training. It’s nice to give back to society every once in a while. I do it during the weekends on my off days,” Danisha said, after a successful outing inside the ring at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex in New Delhi on Sunday. “I have embalmed close to 300 bodies. I have also been part of autopsies before. It’s very much part of life.” Up against Tajikistan’s Ruhafzo Haqnazarova in the 50kg, Danisha showed her boxing acumen to post a 4-0 win. To casual viewers, the result might seem nothing out of the ordinary but it’s a massive lift for the Singaporean who’s competing at the world event for the first time. “It wasn’t easy for us to come here because most of us are self-funded. Our women’s team is relatively new. We’re just trying to see where we stand at the world level,” Danisha said with a smile. Interestingly, her next challenge is not inside the ring, but off it. “I have an exam tomorrow (Monday) at 11 am (Singapore time), which is 8.30 am here. I’m pursuing Diagnostic Radiography (X-rays and CT scans), University UG course,” P11 she said.  E x p r e ss N e ws S e r v i c e @ Mumbai THE CEO of a tech company, who was jogging near Worli sea-face promenade in south Mumbai on Sunday morning, was killed on the spot after she was hit by a speeding car. The deceased, Rajlaxmi Krishnan, 42, was an avid runner, a fitness freak and part of a Shivaji Park’s joggers group. She was a resident of Dadar. According to police, the incident took place around 6.30 am. The woman was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she was declared dead. “We have identified the accused, Sumer Merchant, 23, who is a junior employee with a company that provides talent for Bollywood films,” said DCP (Zone III) Akbar Pathan. “He was returning after dropping a friend. He hit his car (a Tata Nexon) on a divider, following which it swerved at high speed and hit Krishnan. She was thrown away in the impact,” Pathan The car that hit the woman CEO | ani added. The drive of the car also sustained injuries. An officer said that based on eyewitness accounts, the car was driven at a high speed. Soon after the incident, local residents overpowered Merchant and handed him over to Worli police station, where an FIR was registered. Blood samples of the accused have been sent for testing. “We want to check if he was under the influence of alcohol when the incident took place,” the police official said.