T he top 3 hig hest- paid players BHUBANESWAR l wednesday l december 17, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l JEYPORE EDITION Uncapped? No worries, IPL can make you rich Several players who have not played for India had their biggest pay day at the IPL mini auction. A look Life-changing day Overseas stars revel Kartik Sharma (19), `14.2 cr. Prashant Veer (20), `14.2 cr. Mangesh Yadav (23), `5.2 cr. And Auqib Nabi (29), `8.4 cr. From 19 to 29 year old, these uncapped players’ lives will change forever. If Veer’s father is a contractual teacher in UP earning `10,000 a month and supporting a family, Nabi began his journey in Baramulla where there is hardly any cricket infrastructure. For Sharma, it is a reward for pursuing a sport his father too pursued as a profession. Their houses burst into emotional celebrations. If the youngsters were spotted by scouts during state T20 leagues, for Nabi, it was a reward after years of toil without much return | P11 Australian all-rounder Cameron Green became the highest-paid overseas star, signed by Kolkata Knight Riders for `25.5 crore. Matheesa Pathirana (`18 crore) and Mustafizur Rahman (`9.2 crore) were also signed by KKR who made the most of the big purse. Sunrisers Hyderabad saved up their purse and went after Liam Livingstone (`13 crore) while Lucknow Super Giants went big for Josh Inglis (`8.6 crore). The trend continued with overseas seamers and explosive all-rounders in great demand D25.5 cr Cameron Green D14.2 cr Kartik Sharma D14.2 cr Prashant Veer T20 generation in demand CSK head coach Stephen Fleming called them the “T20 babies”, up and coming stars in domestic cricket between 19-23 who were scouted and fought for at the auction table. This is a generation that grew up on IPL and were spotted in state T20 leagues It helped that this was a mini-auction and the purse is as big as it gets, but teams were keen to invest in younger talent with the T20 game evolving faster than ever. It will be interesting to see how these players and teams look by the time next mega auction comes along `215.45 cr Total money spent at the auction 35 As many as 35 of the 77 players signed at the auction are uncapped Indians (1 uncapped Australian) 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 Bondi Beach assailant G-Ram-G bill introduced in LS amid din had roots in Hyderabad Cong’s nationwide protests today PREETH A N A IR @ New Delhi Sajid migrated to Australia in ’98; no India connect to radicalisation C h i t h a l u r i R e v an t h and B a l a C h au h an @ Hyderabad/ Bengaluru Sajid Akram, 50, one of the perpetrators of the Bondi Beach mass murder in Sydney , had migrated from Hyderabad to Australia in November 1998, Telangana Director General of Police B Shivadhar Reddy said on Tuesday . Sajid and his son Naveed, 24, massacred Jews on Sunday while the latter were observing the first day of Hanukkah, killing 15 people. Sajid was shot dead on the spot by the police while Naveed was injured. After the attack, the Australian police raided Sajid’s house and found his Doodhbowli in Hyderabad address on his passport, sources told this daily . A commerce graduate from a autonomous minority college in Hyderabad, Sajid migrated to Australia on student visa in search of better livelihood. His student visa was transferred in 2001 to a partner visa and later Resident Return Visas. “His first job was as a salesman in a mall in Sydney. He later married Venera Grosso of European origin. The couple (From left) Naveed and Sajid Akram ISIS footprint According to unconfirmed reports, Naveed was associated with Isaac El Matari from Sydney, who had declared himself the IS commander for Australia and was jailed in 2021 for terrorist offences had two children — 24-year-old son Naveed (the second Bondi shooter) and a daughter. Since 1998, Sajid visited Hyderabad on six occasions primarily for property issues. His last visit was in 2022, to settle his property share with his elder brother, who lives with their widowed mother and his family in Tolichowki in Hyderabad. The relationship between the sib- lings was not courteous,” sources on condition of anonymity told this newspaper. Sajid did not even show up when his father died in 2009. His dad worked for the UAE army and returned to Hyderabad after retirement. That is when he built the house in Tolichowki. “The family is in shock because Sajid never displayed any extremist ideology. Surprisingly he did not have many , friends in Hyderabad, who could throw light on his radicalisation,” the sources added. The DGP said the factors that led to their radicalisation appear to have no connection with India. In Australia, Sajid obtained a firearm license for ‘recreational hunting’. Weeks ahead of the Bondi massacre, Sajid and Naveed flew to the Philippines and received “military training”. They arrived on November 1 and left on November 28. Sajid had travelled using his Indian passport. Naveed is an Australian citizen. He was earlier assessed by authorities in 2019 for his alleged links with IS but was cleared for not posing any ongoing threat. 25 killed in U.P. road accidents in a day major pile-up Cranes clear the charred remains of a bus after a fog-hit pile-up involving several buses and cars triggered fires on the Yamuna Expressway in Mathura on Tuesday morning. At least 13 were killed. In all, across UP, 25 people were killed and 59 injured in a series of fog-linked accidents. Inset: People help an injured person | pti Gang-rape survivor’s ordeal lasted for three hours; Red Flag tag for case A s i s h M e h ta @ Bhubaneswar Even as the Crime Branch tagged it as a Red Flag case on Tuesday, shocking details of the gang-rape survivor’s ordeal have emerged. The traumatic incident lasted for three hours near Dhauli Hills, one of the most popular tourist sites of the capital on December 10 evening. With outrage pouring in over the heinous crime, the Crime Branch said the incident would be designated as a Red Flag case a n d i t s i nve s t i g at i o n monitored. So far, two accused Kalia Patra and Bibhu Mishra have been arrested but the main accused, identified as Happy Bhoi, along with another accomplice continues to be at large. As per the complaint, the girl along with her cousin was inter- cepted by a group of four men near Lingipur canal road at around 6.30 pm on the fateful evening. The anti-socials forcibly took away their scooter’s key and demanded `50,000 to `1 lakh from them. When the victims expressed their inability, the criminals overpowered the duo and started brutally assaulting the youth. Two of them carried the girl into the nearby forested area where the 17-year-old was subjected to repeated sexual assaults. She was dragged and beaten when she offered resistance. They even captured her video while her cousin faced serious physical brutality . The victim told the investigators that the culprits tortured them till 9.30 pm and threatened to make the videos viral if they reve a l e d t h e i n c i d e n t t o anyone. On the day, Odisha State Commission for Women (OSWC) member Urmila Mohapatra visited the crime scene while the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (OSCPCR) stepped into the matter and registered a suo motu case in this regard. “Two members visited Dhauli police station on the day and collected details of the crime and the investigation conducted so far. We have asked the DCP and DCPO to submit their respective reports,” said OSCPCR chairperson Babita Patra. Women’s commission chairperson Sovana Mohanty said the city police has been asked to intensify patrolling and increase their visibility . THE Lok Sabha on Tuesday witnessed fierce protests from Opposition members after the government introduced a new bill to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. Several Opposition MPs demanded that the new bill—Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025—be sent to a Parliamentary panel. Amid the buzz that the government is determined to clear the bill in the current session, INDIA bloc leaders have decided to meet at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s chamber at 10.15 am on Wednesday for a strategy session. The Congress has also issued a Whip mandating its MPs to The Congress will hold protests across the country on Wednesday against VB-G RAM, alleging the Centre is trying to dismantle a rights-based welfare scheme and attack Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy. Senior leader K C Venugopal, in a letter to all state Congress chiefs, urged them to organise protests at all district headquarters be present in the Lok Sabha for the next three days as VB-G RAM G and other key legislations are likely to come up for consideration and passage. On Tuesday, after introducing VB-G RAM G Bill, Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the government not only believes in Gandhi but also follows his principles. Leading the attack, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said the bill would eliminate the legal guarantee of employment for rural workers and increase the financial burden on states. She alleged it will give the Centre power to pre-determine the funds and the areas of allocation, thereby ending the demand-based system. State nets investment intent of `7K cr at pharma summit Express News Service @ Bhubaneswar Odisha’s push for developing into a pharmaceutical and medical devices manufacturing hub got a big boost with the state securing investment intents to the tune of `7,043 crore at the first Pharma Summit held here on Tuesday . The state government signed a record 69 MoUs including 32 in pharmaceutical sector with proposed investments of `2,681 crore, 12 in medical technology and devices with `582 crore and one for a pharma park entailing investment of `3,000 crore. These proposed projects are expected to generate nearly 45,000 jobs. Inaugurating the summit organised by the government in association with FICCI, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi launched the Odisha Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Policy-2025, which aims at building a globally competitive, innovation-led and employment-oriented life sciences ecosystem in the state. The policy offers a comprehensive framework covering infrastructure development, investment facilitation, research and development, skill development and targeted incentives for pharmaceuticals and medical devices manufacturing. Majhi also unveiled two new industrial parks - a pharmaceutical park at Khurda-Nayagarh and medical devices manufacturing park at Khurda. These Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Industries Minister Sampad Chandra Swain releasing the Odisha Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Policy 2025 at Odisha Pharma Summit, in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday | express Odisha is ready to emerge as a leading hub for pharma and medical devices in India. Our new policy offers one of the country’s most competitive ecosystems for investment, innovation and jobs Mohan Charan Majhi, CM parks are equipped with industrial infrastructure, common utilities, testing and certification facilities and complianceready ecosystems to enable faster project implementation and ease of operations. Addressing the summit, the chief minister said, “Odisha is ready to emerge as a leading hub for pharmaceuticals and medical devices in India. Our new policy offers one of the country’s most competitive ecosystems for investment, innovation and jobs. I invite industry leaders to come, invest in Odisha and join us in this transformative journey .” He said the state’s strategic coastal location, port-led connectivity and transparent governance framework make it uniquely positioned to attract global pharmaceutical and medical devices manufacturing investments. The CM also held a meeting with leading pharma industry players such as Infunex, Aurobindo Pharma, Granules Lifesciences, Macleods Pharmaceuticals, Biolo gical E. Ltd , Pharmexcil and Cipla. He attended sectoral discussions, investment deliberations and oneto-one meetings, showcasing strategic growth opportunities in Odisha. Over 400 delegates representing the entire life sciences value chain including active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), bulk drugs, formulations, vaccines, diagnostics, medical devices, healthcare services, research institutions, skilling partners, industry associations and students participated in the summit. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor termed the bill a retrograde step, saying the 40% financial burden on states will lead to “delays in wage payments, a reduction in the number of workdays, and ultimately the destruction of the scheme itself ”. After staging a walkout from the House, the Opposition leaders held a protest at the Mahatma Gandhi statue in the Parliament complex. Separately, in a post on X, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi alleged Prime Minister Narendra Modi had always opposed the ideas of Mahatma Gandhi and had been trying to weaken the rural employment scheme. “Modiji has a deep hatred for two things — the ideas of Mahatma Gandhi and the rights of the poor,” he said. Court rejects Herald case chargesheet udayan k i s h o r e @ New Delhi IN a huge relief to Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, a Delhi court on Tuesday refused to take cognisance of a chargesheet filed against them by Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case in the National Herald case. Special Judge Vishal Gogne said the prosecution complaint ( E D ’s e q u iva l e n t t o a chargesheet) filed by ED under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) was not maintainable since the case was not filed on the basis of an FIR. The court, however, said that since Delhi Police has registered an FIR in the matter, Sonia Gandhi ED can make further submissions in the case, if it wants. Apart from Gandhis, Suman Dubey, Sam Pitroda, Young Indian, Dotex Merchandise and Sunil Bhandari were also accused in the case. “Cognisance of the offence (of money laundering) defined under Section 3 and punishable under Section 4 is declined. The complaint is dismissed,” the court said. The ED initiated its probe based on a private complaint filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy accusing Gandhis and others of cheating, criminal conspiracy breach of trust , and misappropriation. Bengal SIR: 58L voters out of poll rolls S U B HE N D U M A ITI @ Kolkata Luthras extradited Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra, co-owners of ill-fated Goa nightclub, deported from Thailand | P7 WITH deletions of more than 58 lakh alleged dead and bogus voters from the list, Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday released the draft electoral rolls for West Bengal after completing phase one of Special Intensive Revision (SIR). As per the draft electoral rolls, the names of 7,08,16,631 voters were included in the rolls in West Bengal’s phase 1 of SIR. The ECI has identified about 1.66 crores out of these voters who may be called for hearings to verify their documents again. In January, 2025, there were 7,66,37,529 voters on the list. With 58,20,898 voters, who are either dead or have permanently shifted, dropped, the official electors is now 7,08,16,631. The commission said the deletion list includes voters whose names appeared in the January 2025 electoral rolls but do not figure in the post-SIR draft rolls. With assembly elections likely early next year, the draft rolls — along with a detailed, boothwise list of deleted voters and reasons for deletion — have been uploaded on the West Ben- gal Chief Electoral Officer’s (CEO) website (ceowestbengal. wb.gov.in/Electors), the ECI voter portal (voters.eci.gov.in) and ECINET application. Voters can get their names checked in the draft rolls either online or offline, the commission said. A press statement issued by office of the state CEO Manoj Kumar Agarwal said all claims and objections in the draft rolls can be made between December 16 and January 15, 2026. Hearing and verifications will be made from December 16 to February 7. Final rolls will be out on February 14.