TIRUCHY l tuesday l june 16, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION Fake NEET re-test question paper Racket Busted by Gujarat police The Gujarat Police have busted a fraud syndicate that promised students and parents access to NEET retest question papers in return for money Two from Rajasthan in custody used gaming sites to launder money: cops The Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Police said the accused had created multiple Telegram channels and circulated ads and posts claiming they could provide the RE-NEET question paper. Sumer Singh Meena, a resident of Jaipur, and Akash Meena, resident of Kota, were arrested. However, no question papers or examination materials were recovered ■ ■ The suspects were also running parallel fake investment schemes. The police suspect that the proceeds of the crimes were routed through accounts linked to gaming websites to hide their origin Transactions of about `1.5 crore were found to have been carried out through their various bank accounts linked to the accused | P8 June 21 when the neet re-test would be held 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 B’desh sore as PM adviser stopped at New Delhi airport J aya n t h j a c o b @ New Delhi A diplomatic row erupted between India and Bangladesh on Monday after Dhaka summoned Indian Deputy High Commissioner Pawan Badhe and conveyed its “deep disappointment” over the stopping in Delhi of Zahed Ur Rahman, adviser on policy and strategy affairs to Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. It is learnt that Zahed was stopped by immigration authorities at the Indira Gandhi International Airport for ‘verification’ in the context of some of his previous anti-India statements. Though the authorities subsequently granted him a ‘one-time exemption’ to enter, he had by then decided to returned to Dhaka on a night flight via Colombo. The incident triggered a strong reaction in Dhaka, with Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman describing it as “unexpected” and “unfortunate”. “It is an unexpected incident, unfortunate,” Khalilur Rahman said and added that the Bangladesh government was taking appropriate steps regarding the matter. The Bangladesh Foreign Ministry also summoned Indian Deputy High Commissioner Pawan Badhe and handed over a formal protest note. Foreign Ministry spokesman Shahidul Karim said that Badhe arrived at the ministry in the afternoon and was formally informed of Bangladesh’s concerns over the episode. Zahed had travelled to New Delhi to lead a Bangladeshi delegation to the 28th Meeting of the Committee of Senior Officials (CSO) of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), being hosted by India’s Ministry of External Affairs on June 15 and 16. According to diplomatic sources, Bangladesh had formally informed India in advance about Zahed’s participation. Diplomatic sources said that Zahed had to wait at the airport for nearly two hours while immigration authorities carried out verification procedures. He was eventually cleared for entry under a one-time exemption, but chose not to proceed with his visit. The adviser was travelling on a regular Bangladeshi passport and not on a diplomatic passport, it was learnt. The development comes at a sensitive time in India-Bangladesh relations, which have witnessed occasional strains but showed the intent to repair and strengthen the ties amid political changes in Dhaka and differences over a range of bilateral and regional issues. Zahed is known as a political commentator and critic of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her government. Zahed Ur Rahman It is an unexpected incident, unfortunate, too Khalilur Rahman, Bangladesh Foreign Minister IORA meet Zahed was travelling to India to attend the 28th Meeting of the Committee of Senior Officials (CSO) of the Indian Ocean Rim Association on June 15–16 in New Delhi It’s a deal Formal signing of US-Iran peace framework in Switzerland on Friday New Disha for LNG flow E x p r e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @ New Delhi In a major diplomatic breakthrough, US President Donald Trump and Iran announced an agreement intended to end more than three months of conflict in West Asia and reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a vital global energy artery that was paralysed during the war. The deal, expected to be signed in Switzerland on Friday, is an interim framework that could pave the way for a broader settlement. Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the development. “I welcome the understanding reached between the United States and Iran on ending the conflict in West Asia, which has caused serious economic disr uption across the world and led to loss of life in many countries,” Modi said in a post on X. He added that India hopes the agreement’s implementation will help restore peace and stability in the region and safeguard “the freedom of navigation and commerce,” noting that “deliberations on remaining issues” must continue constructively . In Washington, Trump declared the breakthrough on social media, A Liquefied Natural Gas carrier, chartered by Petronet LNG, safely transited the Hormuz — the first Indian LNG tanker to cross it since the West Asia war broke over three months ago. It is also one of the first commercial vessels to transit the strait since the announcement of a preliminary ceasefire deal between the US and Iran saying “Ships of the world, start your engines. Let the oil flow!” He also said the blockade on Iranian ports would be lifted once the agreement is signed. Iranian state media said Tehran’s Supreme National Security Council confirmed the understanding. “The memorandum will be published after signing in Switzerland,” Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said. However, the deal leaves several contentious issues unresolved. Iran’s nuclear programme remains the most sensitive point of contention. While both sides have agreed in principle that Tehran will not pursue nuclear weapons, details on enrichment limits, stockpile management, and inspection are yet @ New Delhi IN a major recast of the wholesale and factory gate inflation framework, the government on Monday unveiled a revised series of the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) with 2022-23 as the base year and simultaneously introduced new Producer Price Indices (PPIs). The new WPI series, released by the Office of the Economic Adviser under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, replaces the 2011-12 base year series. The government has also launched the Output PPI, a trial Input PPI for manufacturing, e x p r e s s n e w s s e r v i c e @ Chennai start of a new journey Keralam Chief Minister V D Satheesan during the launch of ‘Priyadarshini’, a free KSRTC bus travel scheme for women, in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday | PTI PRODUCER PRICE INDEX Govt introduces PPI data for both goods and services for the first time to better reflect price movement Govt’s move in line with practices adopted by advanced economies and IMF recommendations Base year for both WPI and PPI to be 2022-23, replacing 2011-12 series and Service PPIs covering seven sectors including banking, insurance, railways, telecom and air passenger services. The commerce ministry said WPI and PPI will be published in parallel for five years to allow users, particularly those The Navy is set to commission 3 new warships — stealth frigate INS Dunagiri, anti-sub warfare shallow water craft INS Agray and survey vessel INS Sanshodhak — at an event in Kolkata | P7 CM breakfast scheme expanded up to class 8 Inflation up, new PPI series to capture it kicks in EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE Navy to induct 3 new ships 15 lakh new beneficiaries Name on watchlist Zahed Ur Rahman’s his name appeared on a watchlist during a routine screening, state-run BSS news agency reported. His YouTube channel ‘Zahed’s Take’ is blocked in India to be finalised. Trump has indicated Iran may be allowed lowlevel enrichment, a departure from his earlier position demanding complete dismantlement of its nuclear infrastructure. Sanctions relief and frozen Iranian assets also remain under negotiation. Iranian officials have demanded access to billions of dollars in blocked funds and a phased lifting of US and UN sanctions. Washington, however, has only committed to discussing potential waivers and a possible reconstruction framework over the next 60 days. While Iran reportedly conditioned the agreement on a halt to Israel-Hezbollah fighting, Israel said its forces would continue operations in Lebanon. Trump criticised recent Israeli strikes in Beirut, saying they were “not appropriate” at a sensitive diplomatic moment.  P9 PPI to phase out WPI in five years PPI comprises Output, Input, and Service indices comprising 7 sectors Service PPI to cover banking, securities transaction, insurance, management of pension funds, railways, air (passenger) & telecom; remaining sectors in next phase relying on WPI-linked contracts and escalation clauses, to transition to the producer price framework. After this, WPI will be discontinued. As per the new data, WPI inflation surged to 9.7% year-onyear in May 2026 against 8.3% in April, led by a jump in energy prices. Combining the new base and old base WPI, the May print is the highest in 44 months. Fuel inflation rose to 30.3% in May from 24.9% in April, driven by crude oil, natural gas, and mineral fuels (ATF, naphtha, petrol, diesel, etc). The Output PPI (goods) saw a rise similar to that of WPI, at 9.4% in May against 8.1% in April, led by fuel inflation. Under the revised WPI basket, the number of tracked items has increased from 697 to 957. Renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power, along with nuclear electricity, have been included in the basket for the first time. Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Monday announced the expansion of the Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme to cover government and aided school students of Classes 6 to 8 as well, fulfilling a key poll promise made by his party The first . phase of the expanded scheme will be launched on September 17, the birth anniversary of Periyar E V Ramasamy . The announcement was made through a press release after the CM chaired a review meeting on the functioning of the social welfare and women empowerment department at the secretariat. Social Welfare Minister K Jagadeeswari said the expansion would bring nearly 15 lakh additional students under the scheme. With this, the total number of beneficiaries is expected to rise to around 35 lakh from the present 20 lakh students studying in Classes 1 to 5. She said the government currently spends over `600 crore annually on the scheme, and the expenditure is expected to increase to nearly `1,000 crore following the expansion. Jagadeeswari also asserted that there had been no leakages in the implementation of the scheme and that safeguards would continue to be in place to prevent any irregularities. The breakfast scheme was launched in Madurai in September 2022 by the previous DMK government. It was subsequently expanded in phases, covering all students of Classes 1 to 5 in government schools by August 2023, governmentaided schools in rural areas in July 2024, and extended to all government-aided schools in August 2025. Officials also reviewed the implementation of welfare initiatives proposed under the TVK government’s ‘Vetri Thamizhagam’ vision document. The meeting included presentations on the functioning of the social welfare department, the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), and the department of children welfare and special services, according to the release. global game Migratory patterns and colonial history — Story of 2026 World Cup S w a r o o p s w a m i n at h a n THE story of the 2026 World Cup is also a story of migration, the history of colonialism and how some of the countries used their network of scouts to tap into their diaspora across the world. On Tuesday night, France will play Senegal. Out of the 26 members in the African team, 10 of them were born in France with some of them making their competitive club debuts for sides across France before declaring for Senegal, the country of their parents or grandparents. Algeria, who will face holders Argentina a few hours later, have as many as 13 who were born in France. That party includes one of the most famous Today’s matches (Wednesday IST): Group I: France vs Senegal (12.30 am); Iraq vs Norway (3.30 am); Group J: Argentina vs Algeria (6.30 am); Austria vs Jordan (9.30 am). Live on Unite8 Sports and Zee5 Luca, Zinedine’s son, is with Algeria team at the World Cup | AFP surnames in world football, Luca Zidane, Zinedine’s son. The migratory patterns are also visible in other ways; out of the 1248 players, 289 will not play for the country of their birth. It’s here that first-timers like Curacao and Cabo Verde have improvised. Considering the links between Curacao and The Netherlands, they have tapped into that system. Out of the 26 members, only Tahith Chong was born there (the other 25 were all born in Netherlands). Cape Verde also tapped into their vast scouting networks in Portugal (three), Netherlands (six) and France (three). One of the funkier stories also comes thanks to their federation. One of their players, Roberto Lopes, was approached by the Cape Verdean f e d e r at i o n o n L i n ke d I n . Lopes, born in Ireland, didn’t speak enough Portuguese so he had ignored the original message. It was only nine months later, following another approach, that he responded after using translation software. Roberto, whose father hails from Cape Verde, has since been capped 44 times. 3-year-old girl dies after sexual assault in TN Protesters outside the mortuary at the Government Stanley Medical College Hospital in Chennai | P Jawahar e x p r e s s n e w s s e r v i c e @ Chennai A three-year-old girl allegedly raped by a 19-year-old migrant worker from Bihar on Sunday evening in Gummidipoondi, succumbed to multiple grave injuries at the Stanley Government Hospital in Chennai on Monday morning. The accused, identified as Bibin Manji of Musambur in Bihar, has been booked for murder and offences under the Pocso Act. He was employed at a steel unit at the SIPCOT estate near Pudupettai in Tiruvallur district. According to police, the girl was the daughter of migrant workers from Bihar and the accused is an acquaintance. According to the child’s mother, the girl was playing near her home around 5 pm on Sunday when the accused started interacting with her. Since the suspect is known to the family the , mother did not object to it. According to police sources, Bibin lured the child on the pretext of buying snacks, took her to an isolated spot about 200 metres from home, sexually assaulted her, and dumped her in the bushes.  P5 TN boy’s death sparks doubt of ritual murder E x p r e s s n e w s s e r v i c e @ Vellore A six-year-old boy was found dead with multiple injuries at his grandmother’s house in Melpatti village near Pernambut in Vellore on Sunday night, sparking allegations of murder due to human sacrifice on amavasya (new moon day) by his own paternal grandmother. The Mugilan R Melpatti police have registered a case of suspicious death. The deceased was identified as Mugilan R, son of Rajesh and Asha. Police said the couple had been living separately for several years owing to marital discord but reunited two months ago and are currently employed at a factory in Tiruppur. As the boy was attending school in Melpatti, he had been staying with his pater nal grandmother, Vijaya.  P5