Kewal Ahuja SGF Fraud – The Accurate Example of Latest Franchising Frauds in India

Pandemic was a time when we saw all kinds of new business plans rising up in the market like mushrooms in rain. During the pandemic period, majority of the people were asked to leave jobs or work from home. The people who were being told to leave their job or lost their jobs during this pandemic, were in need of finding an option to get their livelihood generated by some or the other means of business.

This was the time when franchise business also gained momentum in India. The Indian economy is growing at the fastest rate, and its middle class is growing at the fastest rate. The food industry in India is expanding, and analysts project that it will expand at a growth rate of 10%. The franchising business is growing at a healthy 30–35% per year and is expected to reach $ 100 Billion in 2024. Food franchises in India are also the new talk of town.

Every business field have some hidden traps here and there in them. Fraud in food franchising is also one such trap that have drastically increased in India. Kewal Ahuja’s Spice, Grill, Flame is one such restaurant chain that have deceived many innocent people in the name of franchising.

Kewal Ahuja SGF Fraud

Food franchises enjoy a large amount of popularity, which translates into financial success for the owners of these businesses. On the other hand, picking the incorrect one will cost you both time and money. The story behind the curtain, SGF owner Kewal Ahuja has played so smartly and wittily here. He presented this business to the people in such a way that it had looked so tempting & lucrative business with high return value in minimum frame of time. High returns & more than a sustainable revenue generation were offered by SGF -Kewal Ahuja in his 2 modules of business FOFO & FOCO.

The high amount of money that was charged as fee from the people was not reported to regulators such as Income Tax Department and GST Council under regulatory filings. SGF is non-compliant in MCA filings as well. A deep analysis has been done of SGF and its sister concern company highlights the fact that both SGF and spice are registered at same address and Kewal Ahuja is the management personnel for both the companies. It is also evident from the reports that SGF India had filed zero returns in the previous financial years.

More details reveal about the Kewal Ahuja SGF fraud reveals that the issue ranges from tax irregularities to illegal fund siphoning and misappropriation. Kewal Ahuja, other than being the personnel of this company is the BJYM Delhi Pradesh treasurer. He also uses his political influence in covering issues related to the fund siphoning.

Woman accused in dismemberment slaying attacks her attorney in US

Following her courtroom outburst, the judge moved her competency hearing from Tuesday to March 6. The judge also proposed a May 15 trial date.

Taylor Schabusiness sits on the floor of a Brown County courtroom after attacking her attorney, Quinn Jolly, during a court hearing in Green Bay, Wis., on Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023.

GREEN BAY, Wisconsin: A woman accused in a grisly killing and dismemberment case in Wisconsin attacked her attorney Tuesday during a court hearing, moments after a judge agreed to delay her trial.

Taylor Schabusiness, 25, was seated in a Brown County circuit court when her attorney, Quinn Jolly, asked the judge for an additional two weeks for a defense expert to review his client’s competency to stand trial.

Moments after Judge Thomas Walsh reluctantly agreed to postpone her March 6 trial, Schabusiness attacked Jolly and was wrestled to the courtroom floor by a deputy, WLUK-TV reported. The courtroom was then cleared before the hearing resumed.

Schabusiness is charged with first-degree intentional homicide, mutilating a corpse and third-degree sexual assault in the killing of Shad Thyrion, 25, in February 2022. Authorities say she strangled Thyrion at a home in Green Bay, sexually abused him and dismembered his body, leaving parts of him throughout the house and in a vehicle.

Schabusiness has pleaded not guilty and not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect. She is being held on a $2 million cash bond.

Following her courtroom outburst, the judge moved her competency hearing from Tuesday to March 6. The judge also proposed a May 15 trial date.

At the end of the hearing, Jolly told the court he would file a motion to withdraw from the case as Schabusiness’ attorney but the judge did not immediately rule on that matter.

If nothing to hide, why is govt running away from JPC probe into Adani issue: Jairam Ramesh

Reacting to Shah's reported remarks, Ramesh said, "If they do not have anything to hide, why are they running away from a Joint Parliamentary Committee (probe)."

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh.

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Tuesday alleged that the Centre was "running away" from a JPC probe into the Adani-Hindenburg issue and said such an investigation be allowed if the government has nothing to hide in the matter.

The Congress' attack on the government came after Union Home Minister Amit Shah's reported remarks that there is nothing for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to hide or be afraid of in the matter.

Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters here, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said he has written to RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das and SEBI chief Madhabi Puri Buch for an impartial probe into the Adani issue.

Reacting to Shah's reported remarks, Ramesh said, "If they do not have anything to hide, why are they running away from a Joint Parliamentary Committee (probe)."

"They do not even allow us to raise the demand of the JPC in Parliament. When our leaders, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge ji, raised the demand for JPC, their remarks were expunged," Ramesh said.

If there is nothing to hide, the government should allow a JPC, he stressed.

His remarks came a day after the Centre agreed to the Supreme Court's proposal to set up a panel of experts to look into strengthening the regulatory mechanisms for the stock market in the wake of the recent Adani group shares crash triggered by Hindenburg Research's fraud allegations.

Saying it has no objection to constituting the panel, the Centre, at the same time, stressed that market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and other statutory bodies are "fully equipped", not only regime wise, but otherwise also to deal with the situation.

Ramesh said it is important to look at the petition that had been filed in the court which he claimed was basically against Hindenburg research. Investigation should be against Adani and its ties with the government, Ramesh said.

Ramesh said he would, however, also make it clear that the Congress is in favour of private investments and they need to be encouraged.

"We have always said we are in favour of entrepreneurship and that is the way forward for economic development. We are against blind privatisation and selling of PSUs," he said.

The Congress is in favour of liberalisation, but this should be on the basis of rules and institutions which should function independently so that the rules can be applied in an impartial and transparent manner.

Our fight is against crony capitalism, he asserted.

"We will not be cowed down, we will keep raising our voice," he said. He also claimed that all Opposition parties are on the same page in demanding a JPC probe into the Adani issue.

Kerala fights drug menace among school children

 Police said Kerala is now facing a situation that the Punjab had unsuccessfully fought for the past several years.

Image used for representational purpose only.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Few months ago, a shocking video surfaced on social media in which a young woman was seen screaming loudly under the influence of drugs after being caught by police from a lodge in a central Kerala town during a raid.

The investigation into the incident later revealed that the woman, once a bright student, was lured into the trap of drugs by the deadly mafia and was being used as a carrier to run their lucrative business.

It was one of such several incidents that shook the collective consciousness of Kerala society, prompting the government to crack down on those engaged in the dirty business in the southern state.

A new survey conducted by Kerala police among youths below 21 years of age, who were victims of substance abuse, has revealed another shocking fact that 40 percent of them were children below the age of 18.

What is more frightening is that majority of them were girl children and after falling prey to the drug cartels, they were being used as carriers.

"In earlier days, substance abuse cases were reported more in colleges, now more cases are reported in schools and girl children are becoming victims of substance abuse," says ADGP (Law and Order), M R Ajith Kumar.

Kumar, who is also the state nodal officer for the anti-drug campaign of the state police called 'Yoddhav', said women carriers are being used to lure girl children into the trap.

They first befriend the school going girls and then slowly introduce them to the dangerous world of substance abuse, Kumar told PTI.

The senior police officer said the small roadside eateries called 'thattukadas' and petty shops in the schools' vicinity are active sellers of the contraband to students.

"Women drug carriers are being used to draw girl students into the network.

Many times boys are also being used to lure their girl friends into the drug trap", he said.

To eradicate the drug menace from the premises of the schools, the police had conducted 18,301 raids in small eateries and petty shops near schools in the state and registered 401 cases.

They have also arrested 462 accused, while seizing 20.97 kg of ganja, 186.38 grams of MDMA and 1122.1 grams of hashish.

When some schools tighten up their surveillance and prevent the entry of drugs, the carriers target tuition centres to draw children, the police officer said.

Counsellors attached to Child Protection Units say they have come across drug packets on the desks, benches and inside school bags during their visit to some schools for counselling victims of drug abuse.

"The prevalence of substance abuse is very high among school children. When we counsel them, they admit to have used these substances but never reveal the source from which they got the drug," Anju Dias, a counselor attached to the Thiruvananthapuram District Child Protection Unit, told PTI.

In girls aged 13 and above, sexual abuse is often connected to substance abuse.

"Boyfriends introduce them to drugs and sexually exploit them. The girls tend to fall back again to get the drug again," Dias added.

Psychologist Aswanthya S K of District Child Protection Unit, who extensively works among both sex abuse and substance abuse victims, says family and teachers play a very important role in prevention.

"Most of the time, the teachers and parents are too much into academics and fail to notice whether the child is having any deviance. Only when the child gets into trouble, the teachers and parents realize that the kind of teaching or parenting they have been giving is not appropriate for the particular child," Avanthya said.

She says the parents should maintain a close relationship with their children, observe them closely and should check their belongings, including bags thoroughly regularly.

"Most of these substances are psycho-active drugs. It can affect and alter the brain chemistry of the child. That really makes the child abnormal and on a later stage, hallucinations start to set in. Children will then have abnormal and strained relationships," she added.

Police said Kerala is now facing a situation that the Punjab had unsuccessfully fought for the past several years.

But the state government has resolved to fight the menace more vigorously, launching a massive anti-drug campaign by coordinating various departments including police and excise departments.

As a result there is a fivefold increase in the number of Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) cases registered in the state and in the number of people arrested.

The police have identified 1377 black spots, which are the nerve centre of drug trafficking activities under the jurisdiction of 472 police stations in the state.

In 2022, the Kerala police registered 25,240 NDPS cases and arrested 29,514 accused compared to the 5334 cases registered in 2021 and 6704 accused arrested in 2021, reveals a document.

"There is a huge jump in seizure of synthetic drugs like MDMA in 2022. Compared to the 2.739 kg MDMA seizure in 2021, police managed to seize 14.032 kg MDMA during 2022. In 2022, 1.223 kg of brown sugar and 35.942 kg of hashish or hashish oil were also seized", it says.

Modi govt may sweeten new pension plan

Guaranteed pension of 50% last-drawn salary 

Currently, under the NPS, also called new pension scheme, 60% of the accumulated corpus from contributions during a person’s working years is allowed to be withdrawn at the time of retirement

With demand growing for the old pension system (OPS) with assured benefits, the Centre and some state governments are exploring ways to salvage pension reforms, by treading a middle path between the fiscally-expensive OPS and the reform-oriented National Pension System (NPS).

One option being considered is to offer guaranteed pension to government staff at around 50% of the last pay drawn under the NPS by tweaking the existing scheme without burdening the exchequer too much. While OPS is based on the concept of defined benefits, the principle that underlie NPS is defined contribution.

Currently, under the NPS, also called new pension scheme, 60% of the accumulated corpus from contributions during a person’s working years is allowed to be withdrawn at the time of retirement. Such withdrawal is also tax-free. The balance 40% is invested in annuities, which according to an estimate, could provide a pension equivalent of about 35% of the last pay drawn. However, it is not a guaranteed pension as returns are linked to markets.

Officials reckon that the NPS could be revised in such a way that at the time of retirement, an employee gets back her contribution of roughly 41.7% (built from a contribution of 10% of pay) as a lump sum amount.

“An analysis showed that if the balance 58.3% corpus built from the central/state government contribution (14%) is annuatised, the pension in NPS could be around 50% of last drawn salary,” an official aware of the deliberations in the government said. If actual returns work out to be less than the guaranteed amount, the gap could be bridged by the government concerned by contributing a little more to NPS, the official added.

The only problem with this model is unlike in OPS, which revises pension upward periodically to adjust for inflation and increments due to future Pay Commission awards, it would be a tricky job under NPS as the corpus for pension would remain constant, post-retirement.

Officials, however, said there are ways to address this issue too. Instead of investing the pension corpus in low-yield annuities, the funds could generate a higher return (currently annuities generate around 5-6% while NPS returns are close to 10%) by keeping the corpus in the NPS system under a scheme to be able to meet the aspiration of periodic revision in pensions.

While a possible hike in salary in the Eighth Pay Commission is factored in to generate 50% of the last pay drawn, NPS could still face issues if people retire in large numbers just after another Pay Commission award is implemented. That would mean without contributing much, they would be entitled to a very high pension based on revised pay.

Officials say this could be addressed by the government by contributing a little more, say 16% rather than 14% or periodically contributing a little more to the pension corpus based on actuarial analysis. Secondly, as people retire from the NPS system from 2036 and some these die in natural course, their pension capital amount would return to the government. This would augment the government’s resources to fund pension without relying too much on the budget in future.

Officials said a lot of work in revamping NPS has to be done in consultation with employees to work out an implementable scheme to address issues such as pension at the reduced rate to the spouse after the death of pensioners like in OPS (spouse gets half of the sum paid to pensioner).

Since FY20, the central government staff has been eligible for a deduction of 24% of salary (employees’ contribution of 10% and employers’ share of 14%) for NPS contributions and as many as 15 state governments have subsequently enhanced employers’ share to NPS to 14%.

In the government-backed Atal Pension Yojana that guarantees a minimum monthly pension of `1,000-5,000 to the lower-income group subscribers based on their contributions, the actuarial estimates found a corpus gap of `5,000-6,000 crore, which the Centre is bridging from Budget with a provision of `800 crore in FY23 to start with.

Fixed overheads in the form of establishment expenditure (largely towards salaries, wages and bonuses and pensions) account for more than 50% combined revenue expenditure of states. This pressure would continue on resources-starved states for another two decades till OPS-pensioners reduce.

The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has rejected the demand of Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand for custody of the accumulated corpus under the NPS after they announced to return to OPS in 2022, saying the law did not permit such withdrawals. These states have stopped fresh contributions to NPS.

However, even the states such as Punjab which have announced return to OPS will not find it easy due to their messy finances. West Bengal, even though it did not join NPS to make staff happy, it also did not implement 7th Pay Commission award to keep salary and pension bills in check. Its staff still get paid as per Sixth Pay Commission award without much annual increase in dearness allowance whereas most other states have implemented 7th pay panel award and their staff get a higher salary and could get a higher pension under NPS as well than West Bengal, analysts said.

While ruling out reversing the pension reforms and going back to the fiscally-disastrous unfunded OPS, which entails 50% of the last pay drawn as pension from the budget to the pre-2004 staff, the political executive is conscious of the increasing resonance of demand for OPS amid a spate of state/general elections in 2023-2024.

Australia Removes China-Made Cameras From Politicians' Offices

 At least 913 Chinese-made security cameras have been installed across more than 250 Australian government buildings. 

The CCTV cameras were not connected to the internet.

Sydney: Australian officials said Tuesday dozens of Chinese-made security cameras would be ripped out of politicians' offices, days after the country's defence minister announced his department would remove the devices from its buildings due to security concerns.

At least 913 Chinese-made security cameras have been installed across more than 250 Australian government buildings, including the Department of Defence's facilities, according to figures released last week.

Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles told national broadcaster ABC last week that all these cameras within his department's buildings would be removed, saying it was to "make sure that our facilities are completely secure".

Officials from the Department of Finance on Tuesday confirmed a further 65 closed-circuit television systems had been installed within offices used by Australian politicians.

While the department had been gradually replacing the cameras as part of a broader security upgrade, at least 40 systems still needed to be stripped out, the department said, adding that they would be replaced by April.

The CCTV cameras were not connected to the internet, and were being removed as a precaution, the department said.

Similar moves have been made in the United States and Britain, which have taken measures to stop government departments installing Chinese-made cameras at sensitive sites.

Both countries have expressed fears that Chinese companies could be forced to share intelligence collected by the cameras with Beijing's security services.

The cameras were made by companies Hikvision and Dahua, which have been blacklisted in the United States for allegedly helping the Chinese government carry out a "campaign of repression".

According to the US Department of Commerce, Hikvision and Dahua have been implicated in the "high-technology surveillance" of the Uyghur minority in the Xinjiang region.

The US banned imports of surveillance equipment made by the two companies in November last year, saying it posed "an unacceptable risk to national security".

Hikvision has said it was "categorically false" to paint the company as "a threat to national security".

After Marles' statements last week about removing Chinese-made cameras, Beijing accused Australia of "misusing national might to discriminate against and suppress Chinese enterprises".

"We hope Australia will provide a fair, just and nondiscriminatory environment for the normal operations of Chinese enterprises," China's foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said.





Delhi Woman's Body Found In Freezer At Dhaba, Owner Caught, Was Dating Her

 The police said the woman was killed two-three days ago and her body was kept inside the dhaba's freezer 

Police said the woman's body was found inside a freezer (Representational)

New Delhi: The body of a 25-year-old woman was found inside a freezer at a dhaba in southwest Delhi's Najafgarh today, the police said.

The police said the woman was killed two-three days ago and her body was kept inside the dhaba's freezer. The dhaba owner, Sahil Gahlot, has been arrested.

The woman was a resident of Delhi's Uttam Nagar, the police said.

"The dhaba owner, Sahil Gahlot, has been apprehended on suspicion," a police officer said.

Police officer Vikram Singh said Gahlot and the woman were in a relationship.

"Gahlot was to marry another woman. When his girlfriend came to know about it, she confronted him and insisted that he marry her instead," the police officer told ANI.

Enraged by this, Gahlot killed her and hid the body inside the freezer of his dhaba.

"She was killed two-three days ago," the police officer said.

The body has been sent for an autopsy.

Bishop Franco Meets Pope For First Time After Acquittal In Nun's Rape Case

 Despite being acquitted by the local court in the sensational case, Mr Mulakkal has not got any new responsibilities in the Church. 

The Vatican had earlier accepted the court's decision, acquitting him of rape charges.

Thiruvananthapuram: Former Jalandhar bishop Franco Mulakkal, who was acquitted by a local court in Kerala last year over rape charges by a nun, met Pope Francis in Vatican last week, a church source said here on Tuesday.

Mr Mulakkal met the Pope on February 8, and it was his first meeting with the pontiff after being acquitted by the Additional District and Sessions Court I, Kottayam in the rape case, the source close to Mr Mulakkal told PTI.

"The Pope was happy to see him, was glad to hear that we won the case and consoled him for his suffering by encouraging him to join his (Pope's) suffering with that of the Lord," he said.

The pontiff requested him to pray for him too, the source said.

In September 2018, the bishop was temporarily relieved of his responsibilities of the diocese by Pope Francis after Mr Mulakkal was questioned by the Kerala police over rape charges levelled by the nun.

Despite being acquitted by the local court in the sensational case, Mr Mulakkal has not got any new responsibilities in the Church.

Asked whether the bishop had requested the Pope to provide him with pastoral or administrative responsibilities, the source said he did not speak about it during his meeting.

"He will obey whatever the Holy Father decides", the source said, adding since the bishop is directly under the command of the Pope, the authority of fixing his responsibilities rests with the Vatican itself.

The Vatican had earlier accepted the court's decision, acquitting him of rape charges.

The nun, who claims to have been raped by the Bishop, has moved the Kerala High Court against his acquittal in the case by the trial court.

Mr Mulakkal was accused of raping the nun multiple times during his visit to a convent in Kottayam between 2014 and 2016 when he was the bishop of the Jalandhar diocese.

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The nun is a member of the Missionaries of Jesus, a diocesan congregation under the Jalandhar Diocese.

15 fisher labourers banned from fishing, 70 boats docked to condemn ban in TN

Of the scheduled 125 fishing vessels set for sail on Monday, half of them stayed on shore condemning the ban on their colleagues. 

For representational purpose

THOOTHUKUDI: The fisheries department and fishing vessel owners banned over 15 labourers citing an FIR pending against six of them for allegedly attacking the owners and others for their participation in the strike. The fishing labourers had gone on a week-long strike over the deduction of 10% of wage towards repayment of Vattam, a capital borrowed by the owners.

They had agreed to go fishing from Monday at a consultative meeting chaired by collector Dr K Senthil Raj, who had formed a committee to submit a detailed report about the demands of the labourers and the vessel's owners to find a solution for their issues. Of the scheduled 125 fishing vessels set for a sail on Monday, half of them stayed on shore condemning the ban on their colleagues.

Condemning the ban, Dharmapichai, president of the Thoothukudi district mechanised boat fisher labourer association, said the fisher labourers had agreed to venture into the sea only after an in-depth discussion. "It shows that the officials and vessel owners are colluding. The collector must interfere to lift the bans," he added.