Siddharth Prabhakar

Chennai

Reporter at The Times of India

Railway and City reporter at New Indian Express Chennai. I dislike cooking food as well as stories

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Articles

ED raids seven locations in TN in PMLA case against ex-environment official linked to DVAC corruption probe

1 week ago | newindianexpress.com | Siddharth Prabhakar

By Siddharth Prabhakar CHENNAI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday launched searches in at least six locations in Chennai and one in Katpadi in Vellore district, linked to a money laundering case against S Pandian, former superintendent of Tamil Nadu's Department of Environment, who is an who is an accused in a corruption case filed by the State Directorate of Vigilance and Anti- Corruption (DVAC) in FIR. .
Foreigners now smuggle in exotic wildlife into India

1 week ago | newindianexpress.com | Siddharth Prabhakar

CHENNAI: In a rare development pointing to a shift in smuggling tactics, Customs officials at Bengaluru International Airport arrested two Thai women for allegedly attempting to bring in exotic wildlife, including a baby monkey and protected birds, from Thailand into India around three weeks ago.
Flying Under the Radar

1 week ago | newindianexpress.com | Siddharth Prabhakar

By Siddharth Prabhakar A February 2022 notification of the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry explicitly banned the import of drones. And the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the apex regulator, does not allow the registration of foreign drones. Though not specified upfront, this is due to concerns of misuse of the recorded data, as drone servers are abroad, and the fear that the presence of foreign components in these electronics may act as malware.
Hacker hired Telangana man to courier threats to Star Health Insurance MD

1 week ago | newindianexpress.com | Siddharth Prabhakar

CHENNAI: The case of breach of data of 3.1 crore customers of the Chennai-headquartered Star Health Insurance has taken a fresh turn with its MD Anand Roy, his wife Akhila Shetty Roy and CFO Nilesh Kambli allegedly getting threat messages delivered via courier from Hyderabad.
Jeweller, son held in bid to sell ivory

2 weeks ago | newindianexpress.com | Siddharth Prabhakar

CHENNAI: A 67-year-old jeweller from Chennai and his son were among seven people arrested by the Chennai Customs for trying to sell two pieces of ivory weighing 25kg, worth several crores, on Wednesday evening. The accused were identified as T Prabhakaran, his son P Diwakar (42), a Chennai-based realtor, and five accomplices, sources said. After the arrest, they were handed over to the forest department.
Central Information Commission

3 weeks ago | newindianexpress.com | Siddharth Prabhakar

CHENNAI: Caste certificates, details of marks obtained and the basis for selection of candidates pertaining to recruitment of drivers by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in May 2023 must be provided under the Right To Information (RTI) Act, the Central Information Commission (CIC) ruled on Tuesday.
Central Information Commission

4 weeks ago | newindianexpress.com | Siddharth Prabhakar

In June 2023, Murugesh had filed an RTI seeking information from the NGT regarding candidates selected and particulars relating to it. The Public Information Officer (PIO) of the NGT had denied information for questions pertaining to caste certificates of selected candidates, mark details and those selected on the basis of preferences and work experience. Aggrieved over this, Murugesh had filed a first appeal and later approached the commission with a second appeal.
Tiruchy-bound passenger detained at Kuala Lumpur airport with 14 exotic species in bag

4 weeks ago | newindianexpress.com | Siddharth Prabhakar

Interrogation by the Malaysian authorities reportedly found that the passenger failed to show valid documents from the Department of Wildlife permitting him to export the wildlife out of Malaysia. All the animals were seized. The value of the seizure in the case is estimated at RM13,000.00, which is around Rs 2.65 lakh, in the illegal exotic species market. The Malaysian agency said that exporting protected wildlife species out of Malaysia without valid documents is an 'offence' under their laws.
Tamil Nadu sessions court

4 weeks ago | newindianexpress.com | Siddharth Prabhakar

CHENNAI: Though the 'last seen' theory is effective to nail perpetrators in a murder case, it can be used only when the time gap between the point when the deceased and accused were last seen together, and the deceased found dead, is small enough. Using this dictum laid out by higher courts, a Kancheepuram district sessions court, on April 7, acquitted three men accused of murdering their friend, near Manimangalam, around 50 km from Chennai, in March 2013.
Smuggling of Chinese drones soaring in Tamil Nadu

4 weeks ago | newindianexpress.com | Siddharth Prabhakar

CHENNAI: Gold, wildlife, and narcotics have been the usual contrabands seized by Chennai Customs, but, of late, smuggling of Chinese drones into Tamil Nadu from Southeast Asian nations and Gulf countries through airports and seaports is on the rise. This is due to the soaring demand for the equipment in the grey market, sources said.