Coronavirus has robbed the Democrat of his typical back-slapping approach as he faces growing scrutiny and a third-party challenge
The Tampa, Florida, rally for Joe Biden on Thursday evening began as it normally might have, before a once-in-a-century pandemic transformed all aspects of American life, including the presidential campaign. A local high school student recited the pledge of allegiance, a campaign organizer pleaded with supporters to volunteer and a local DJ spun R&B music between speakers.
But in a sign of how profoundly the coronavirus crisis has reshaped American politics, that was where the similarities ended.
Continue reading...Complaints soar over useless face masks, handmade sanitisers and school meal scams
More than 500,000 unusable face masks, and a garage selling fake Covid-19 testing kits, are among the hundreds of frauds investigated by trading standards officers since the start of the lockdown.
According to the Local Government Association, fraudsters have gone into overdrive during the past six weeks to exploit the public’s fears and the fact that they are stuck at home.
Continue reading...This video is an oldie but goldie. Joseph Gordon-Levitt turns the tables on the paparazzi that were bombarding him with cameras and questions. It's a curious thing to see how the paparazzi react when being fed a ration of their own medicine. It's almost as if they don't like it, like really don't like it.
We love nothing more than when a shady, greedy, all around bad landlord gets dealt the justice that was coming their way. It's a welcomed moment to see the tenant come out victorious over the landlord's stupid antics.
The interstellar comet Borisov, which flew past Earth in December, is full of carbon monoxide ice that implies its home star is smaller and colder than our sun
Coronavirus has robbed the Democrat of his typical back-slapping approach as he faces growing scrutiny and a third-party challengeThe Tampa, Florida, rally for Joe Biden on Thursday evening began as it normally might have, before a once-in-a-century pandemic transformed all aspects of American life, including the presidential campaign. A local high school student recited the pledge of allegiance, a campaign organizer pleaded with supporters to volunteer and a local DJ spun R&B music between speakers.But in a sign of how profoundly the coronavirus crisis has reshaped American politics, that was where the similarities ended.With much of the US still in lockdown, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee has been forced to take his campaign to unseat Donald Trump online. It has not always been easy.His campaign’s first attempt to recreate a traditional rally – part of a virtual swing through the battleground state of Florida – was later described by his opponents as an “unmitigated technological failure”. The video stream was glitchy and pixelated. The audio was choppy, rendering some remarks nearly incomprehensible. And there were lengthy delays between speakers and at one point, the feed went dark for several minutes.“Am I on?” asked Biden, beaming into the telecast from his home in Wilmington, Delaware, where he has been isolated since the middle of March. An off-camera voice replied that he was. Biden removed a pair of aviator sunglasses as he walked toward the camera.“Good evening, Tampa. Thanks so much for tuning in,” he continued, a hint of irritation in his voice. “I wish we could have done this together – and it had gone a little more smoothly.”For nearly two months, Biden has been the test subject in a novel political experiment: running for president in the age of Covid-19.Social distancing restrictions imposed to stop the spread of the virus have already starved the campaign of a victory tour to mark his ascent to the Democratic nomination. It may well deny Democrats the chance to formally nominate him in person at the party’s national convention this summer. Endorsements from former rivals and party leaders occur online to varying degrees of fanfare. . The remote set-up, anathema to Biden’s back-slapping, glad-handing approach to politics, has left the candidate walled off from voters and competing for visibility.Yet, technical difficulties aside, his campaign of confinement seems to be working.In recent weeks, Biden has widened his lead over Trump as the president’s support slips amid growing disapproval of his response to the pandemic. Surveys from Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Florida, North Carolina and Arizona – key battlegrounds that Trump won in 2016 – show Biden ahead. At a recent virtual fundraiser last week, Jennifer O’Malley Dillon, his new campaign manager, expressed optimism about Biden’s prospects in Florida and Arizona.“The natural state of this race is to be a referendum on Donald Trump and every time Donald Trump steps to the microphone he hurts himself,” said Mark Mellman, a veteran Democratic pollster. “That’s a pretty good position for Joe Biden to be in.”Biden initially struggled to adapt to his cloistered reality. In March, the campaign turned a recreation room in the basement of his home into a studio, though not fast enough for his critics, who launched a “Where’s Joe” campaign to mark the candidate’s relative disappearance from the national stage.But since then, Biden has been busy. Nearly every day he makes appearances on local TV news channels or national talkshows. He launched a podcast, where he has hosted conversations with prominent Democratic governors and potential vice-presidential candidates. He spends time each day speaking with a voter – a frontline worker, campaign volunteers – and he participated in what the campaign billed as a “virtual rope line”.“So what’s up?” he said to Ashley Ruiz of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, one of several voters on the rope line. “Tell me about your situation, Ash.”•••Biden’s rise in the polls comes as he contends with an allegation from Tara Reade, a former aide in his Senate office who accused him of sexual assault in 1993. In an interview this week with Megyn Kelly, the former Fox News and NBC television host, Reade said he should withdraw from the presidential race.Biden has forcefully denied the allegation. “It’s not true, I am saying unequivocally. It never, never happened,” he said last week, in an interview addressing her claim for the first time publicly.Publicly, Democrats, including prominent MeToo advocates, have rallied around Biden, though privately some in the party have expressed concern about the continuous drip of reporting on the matter.So far the allegation appears to have marginally dented his reputation, but not his lead. Most voters – 86% – are aware of the allegation, according to a Monmouth poll, which found the electorate divided over whether they viewed the claim as credible. At the same time, the poll showed Biden nine points ahead of Trump.Despite Trump’s falling electoral fortunes, many Democrats remain anxious about Biden’s position – and his strategy.David Axelrod and David Plouffe, two of Barack Obama’s top campaign strategists, implored Biden’s campaign to expand its digital footprint in a joint New York Times op-ed that compared the atmospherics of the candidate’s home videos to “an astronaut beaming back to earth from the International Space Station”.“Online speeches from his basement won’t cut it,” they wrote.Lis Smith, the former top adviser to Pete Buttigieg’s presidential campaign, followed with an op-ed on Thursday that offered a blueprint for turning Biden into the “hottest bad boy and disrupter in the media game”. She suggested his campaign use TV appearances and digital content to highlight Biden’s empathy, a trait even supporters say the president has lacked in response to the rising coronavirus death toll.Part of the campaign’s evolving digital strategy includes partnering with groups that already have an online presence, like JoeMamas2020, a national coalition of “moms, caregivers, moms to be, aunts & all the parental figures in between” with about 27,000 Facebook and 1,200 Twitter followers. The group has helped amplify Biden’s appearances and policy proposals while spreading the word about upcoming events.Julie Zebrak, the group’s co-founder, said the online army is growing with women energized to help elect a candidate who would end the Twitter presidency.“We are all extremely enthusiastic for Joe Biden to beat Donald Trump,” she said.Yet the same traits that endear Biden to a growing coalition of suburban women and Never Trump Republicans have largely failed to excite younger, progressive voters. It’s not that they prefer Trump – they don’t – but a lack of enthusiasm among those voters could spell trouble in November if they stay home or vote for a third-party candidate.The campaign has also ramped up its outreach to young people, who overwhelmingly supported Biden’s rival Bernie Sanders. On Friday, Biden presented his economic pitch in an appearance on NowThis, a social-media-heavy news outlet with a young, progressive audience.“This crisis hit harder and will last longer because Donald Trump spent the last three years undermining the core pillars of our economic strength,” Biden said in remarks that attacked Trump’s stimulus efforts a kind of “cronyism” and corporate welfare. Before he began speaking, Biden removed a face mask, a pointed rebuke of the president who had refused to wear one.Still, new research conducted on behalf of NextGen America found many young people weren’t convinced Biden’s policies meet the scale of the challenges bearing down on their generation.This makes the efforts of groups like Progressive Turnout Project, which endorsed him this week, all the more important. In the coming months, the group is investing more than $52m to turn out low-propensity Democratic voters – including young people and people of color – in 17 key battleground states.“The best thing we can do is go and knock on doors and have face-to-face conversations with voters,” said Alex Morgan, the group’s executive director. “We are still looking to do that. But it’ll be knocking on that door and then taking a few big steps back and having a more distant conversation.”•••Biden’s campaign also faces another looming threat. The Michigan congressman Justin Amash, who left the Republican party last year after voting to impeach Trump, recently announced that he would seek the Libertarian party nomination.His entrance has alarmed Democrats, who fear he could siphon off Never Trump voters who might otherwise back Biden, particularly in Amash’s home state of Michigan, where third-party candidates pulled away a combined 5% of the vote share in 2016. Hillary Clinton lost the state by just 10,704 votes, less than 0.25%.Many Democrats believe Biden’s fate may well rest on his ability to persuade their own side to vote.“Trump has shown no desire or ability to moderate for those swing voters in this election,” said Addisu Demissie, who served as Cory Booker’s presidential campaign manager. “So those voters are now likely going to end up either Biden voters or non-voters or third-party voters, and that’s the competition.”This week, Trump traveled to the battleground state of Arizona, where he toured a medical mask facility without wearing one himself. The visit was a symbolic show of his administration’s push to reopen the US economy but there were unmistakable elements of his signature campaign rallies, including the music that played when Trump finished his remarks (the Rolling Stones’ You Can’t Always Get What You Want).Trump’s cross-country venture stood in striking contrast to Biden’s virtual swing through Florida – which included a rally, a roundtable in Jacksonville and an appearance on the local news in Tampa. The technical glitches only further highlighted the limitations of his confinement.But the coronavirus has also upended Trump’s strategy, erasing the booming economy he has made a centerpiece of his re-election campaign. In recent weeks, his campaign has all but abandoned championing the president’s leadership, instead focusing its efforts on diminishing Biden.Trump’s campaign manager, Brad Parscale, previewed the onslaught on Twitter this week, comparing the Trump re-election juggernaut to the Death Star from the Star Wars movies. “In a few days we start pressing FIRE for the first time,” he wrote.As Trump prepares to make even greater use of the advantages of incumbency, Biden faces his biggest test yet. Can he really lead a Rebel Alliance from his basement?
A judge dismisses Christian Hacking's bid to overturn a ban on posters put up around Waltham Forest.
Leave campaigners were accused by the Electoral Commission of breaking the law over spending limits.
More than 160,000 suspicious emails have been reported to a new scam-busting service in two weeks.
How Indian call-centre scammers justified tricking Western victims out of hard-earned money.
Joe Allington was persuaded to dance on TikTok for the first time in January. Now he's got 1.5 million followers.
A marketing manager explains why she turned a campervan into her office during coronavirus.
India cricketer Dinesh Karthik has said that he was caught off-guard when he was asked to bat at No. 5 in the 2019 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand. During the chase, after India lost early wickets, Karthik revealed he was asked to go out ahead of MS Dhoni and that came as a surprise for him. “It came as a bit of a surprise [walking in to bat at five] because they had made it very clear that I would be batting at No. 7,” Karthik told Cricbuzz. “We had to send a rearguard action just to stem the flow of wickets. I was told to pad up and it all happened in a daze, in a hurry.”
“I was just sitting in my shorts and I had to go up, get ready. Literally, I was late to get in, I wasn’t expecting a wicket to fall. KL Rahul got out and I had to put on my pads. “Throughout the tournament it was pretty clear that I was going to bat below Dhoni at No. 7. I had done that really well in the past. In Australia we’d finished games, in New Zealand we’d finished games. I had not batted at number five for a couple of years or more.
“Here I got the opportunity, I went and did the job that was asked of me for the team, which was to arrest wickets. “I went in in the third over and I don’t know when I got out, and it doesn’t matter, but I just stopped the wickets falling till [Trent] Boult’s spell was over. He was the main wrecker-in-chief and unluckily when it was time for me to move on, I got out to a brilliant catch by James Neesham,” he added.
After an unusual top-order collapse, India made a match of the semi-final courtesy of Ravindra Jadeja and Dhoni. Just when it seemed India had pulled off a miracle, Jadeja was dismissed by Boult for 77 and Dhoni was run out for 50. India fell short by 18 runs.
Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.
Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news
This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
World Champion PV Sindhu was on Wednesday unveiled as one of the ambassadors for Badminton World Federation (BWF)'s 'i am badminton' awareness campaign. The campaign provides a platform for players to express their love and respect for badminton by advocating and committing to clean and honest play. Sindhu, an Olympic silver medallist, said playing clean and honest is very important in any sport. "This message starts with one voice. If we as ambassadors can highlight this, then I think this will spread to more players," said the 24-year-old Indian.
"You are playing the sport for yourself. You need to be happy about it. You have to play it very clean and that is very important to me." It has been five years since BWF's Integrity Unit was formed and this time the campaign has been at the forefront of the governing body's efforts to communicate its approach towards integrity. Besides Sindhu, other ambassadors include Canada's Michelle Li, Chinese duo of Zheng Si Wei and Huang Ya Qiong, England's Jack Shephard, Germany's Valeska Knoblauch, Hong Kong's Chan Ho Yuen and Germany's Marc Zwiebler, who is Athletes' Commission Chair. "It's hoped such a concerted effort will not only raise awareness across the entire badminton landscape but encourage players to be active participants in shaping the integrity of the sport," the BWF said in a release.
Former elite players who have fronted the campaign since 2016 include BWF President Poul-Erik Høyer, BWF Para Badminton Athletes' Commission Chair Richard Perot, and superstars such as Saina Nehwal, Viktor Axelsen, Hendra Setiawan, Christinna Pedersen, Chen Long, Misaki Matsutomo and Akaya Takahashi. "Every player has the right to compete in clean and fair sport. Match fixing, match manipulation and doping are contrary to the spirit of sport. As an ambassador, we all play an important role in safeguarding the future of badminton," Høyer said. "Our youth and Para badminton players are perceived to be at greater risk of match manipulation and doping due to their lack of exposure on the international circuit. "The idea of the 'i am badminton' campaign is for us as role models to share our experiences with these target groups so they have a heightened level of awareness on the importance of anti-match manipulation and anti-doping."
Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.
Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news
This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
The Navi Mumbai traffic police, who had been penalising drivers in order to steer them to the right side of the road to little success, have now started filing FIRs instead. The cops began the drive five days before Diwali and have already booked 530 under Section 279 (rash driving) of the Indian
Penal Code.
Speaking about what kind of motorists inspired this strict action, Koparkhairane traffic API Sachin Khondre said, "Three to four months ago, a man was riding his bike on the wrong side with his pregnant wife and their young daughter, when an out of control dumper coming from the right side of the road collided with them. This is just one example of the kind of issues we face every day with people who flout traffic rules."
Those driving in the opposite lane can not only cause massive traffic congestion, but at times can also lead to accidents. Representational Image
Reducing law breakers
"Half of the time is wasted in fighting with them. This time around, the traffic DCP ordered us to show no mercy towards these violators and directly register a police complaint against them instead of collecting their licence or a fine. This strict initiative has been started so that accidents can be avoided," he said.
Navi Mumbai traffic DCP Sunil Lokhande concurred, "We're taking stringent action by registering a FIR against those driving in the opposite lane as such riding not only causes massive traffic congestion, but at times can also lead to accidents.
"We started this before Diwali because it will help keep everyone safe, at least in the festive season. We've tried so many awareness campaigns, but people did not listen. This strict action [filing FIRs] has actually reduced the number of people who flout rules." How do they catch hold of the culprits? Vashi traffic senior PI Satish Gaikwad said, "We all know the area where these drivers take the wrong side, and apart from medical emergency, all the other reasons they give are fake.
Under bridges and bushes
"To catch such drivers, we sit with the team of a particular police station under a bridge or hide in the bushes, and once we see them coming from the wrong side, we stop them before they try to flee.
"We ask for their licence details and file the FIR on the spot, and also provide them with a copy. We spare only those in the middle of a medical emergency." Traffic officials are hoping to come across fewer violators after this drive as people would now be more scared to break the law.
Hundreds brought to book
Their efforts have been instrumental in bringing 530 such cases to book so far. Gaikwad, who has been registering most of the cases said, "They can get bail by producing a witness or paying Rs 5,000 in cash. Following that, till the time the chargesheet is filed, they have to keep visiting the court."
Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates
Actress Raveena Tandon has come up with a social media campaign #JeetegaIndiaJeetengeHum to stop the spread of rumours amid the COVID-19 crisis, and also urge people not to attack the frontline workers.
Several healthcare workers in India have been attacked as they battle to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. So, Raveena has made a special video in which she is seen appealing people to understand the severe health crisis and also appreciate the crucial role of doctors amid the COVID-19 outbreak.
"I feel it's extremely important for all of us to do our bit by encouraging the real heroes, our doctors and nurses who are stepping out everyday and fighting this deadly coronavirus. They haven't met their families to keep us and our families safe and that's why through my campaign -- #JeetegaIndiaJeetengeHum -- I request everyone to give these medical forces their due respect and at the same time not spread false rumours. I'm hopeful we will all see the light sooner together," she said.
Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also, download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps.
Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news
Taimur Ali Khan keeps giving us reasons to find his utterly cute. The toddler is the apple of his parents' eyes, and now that the lockdown has put the three together indoors for a long time, the kiddo seems to be making the most of it!
Recently, Tim made a cameo appearance in papa Saif Ali Khan's interview once again. The little one came in asking about some photo, confusing Saif as well!
Saif Ali Khan was in conversation with Rajeev Masand when this incident occurred. Speaking about the lockdown and how he and Kareena have been keeping Taimur occupied, Saif said, "Kareena tries to have an arts and crafts class with him in the afternoon, there's some online education going on in the morning, we play some sport like cricket or football in the corridor, we read to him at night... so we've managed to form a kind of a routine."
The Tanhaji actor also spoke about how he doesn't feel inclined towards joining social media, but his mum, veteran actress Sharmila Tagore, wants to join Instagram! He shared, "I told her that she would have to share pictures (on Instagram). She said she needs to get to Pataudi and her roses and she could share that. So I said if she gets on Instagram, I might get on it as well."
Well, we sure would love to have both Sharmila Tagore and Saif Ali Khan on the 'gram!
On the work front, Saif was last seen in the historical drama Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior, in which he played the character of Uday Bhan Singh opposite Ajay Devgn's Tanhaji Malusare.
Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also, download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps.
Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news
Yesterday, on April 25, Vicky Kaushal took to social media to cheer a youngster who overcame the odds to battle the virus. He shared a video in which the girl (above) is seen being welcomed back home by residents and security personnel of a housing complex in Andheri. He wrote, "Like a ray of sunshine on a gloomy day, our little warrior comes back home. Welcome back champ (sic)." Kaushal stays in the same complex, which had been partially sealed by the BMC after the girl tested positive. Residents have been asked to take precautionary measures.
The video will surely make you applaud the girl and salute her spirts. Have a look at the video right here:
View this post on Instagram
The whole world has been suffering from the Coronavirus pandemic for more than a month now and we all are collectively waiting for it to get over as soon as it can. The lockdown has now been extended till May 3 and reports suggest that in Maharashtra, it is likely to be extended further. This is a tough time for all of us and we need to take safe and strict measures.
Thanks to actors like Kaushal that we are getting to know the spirits of all the survivors and how they have combated Coronavirus. There are a lot more stories like this that are waiting to be told. As far as the actor himself is concerned, he has been doing what pretty much everyone else is- Experimenting with haircuts, cooking food, cleaning the house, and uploading candid pictures and videos.
Once the lockdown is over, the actor will gear up for a lot of massive and mega-ambitious films like Takht, Ashwatthama, Sardar Udham Singh, and a film on the life of Sam Manekshaw.
Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also, download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps.
Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news
It has been seven years since Mohit Suri's Aashiqui 2, starring Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor came out. It made the actress an overnight star and sensation, and her character, Aarohi, still continues to be remembered for her piquancy and innocence, and of course, singing.
Every year, the actress does something special on this day to mark this musical blockbuster's anniversary and this year was no exception. She not only changed her Instagram name to her screen name from the film and upload a new photo from one its stills, but also uploaded a collage of some of the film's scenes to create one beautiful picture.
This is truly an innovative and imaginative way to celebrate your film, don't miss this post:
Shraddha Kapoor is well known for always delivering hits along with a new character and fresh content with every project. Shraddha being a lover of always wanting to try something new has been unstoppable ever since Aashiqui 2.
After Aashiqui 2, taking no breaks, Shraddha was seen in Ek Villain, where the character of being full of life was super fresh. Not forgetting ABCD 2 where Shraddha's dance totally stole hearts. Shraddha showed her versatility factor and the audiences were stunned on how the actress can mould herself in every way possible.
Moulding herself into another new character, Shraddha was seen doing some kicks and punches in Baaghi. The actress has given a carousel of hits and is a roll as the actress chooses quality projects over quantity and this totally sets her apart. Shraddha knows how to treat her fans with the best of characters, where fresh content always hunts Shraddha.
On the work front, Shraddha will be seen in a Luv Ranjan directorial alongside Ranbir Kapoor. The actress is basking in the success of Baaghi 3. Truly we can't wait to see what this fresh pair has brewed for us!
Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also, download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps.
Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news
Sagar Thakkar, the mastermind of the Mira Road call centre scam, always knew how to make money, but never learnt how to hold on to it. "The real masterminds are free. I got caught because I showed off my wealth," said the 26-year-old who appeared on the police's radar after he bought a Rs 2.5-crore Audi owned by Virat Kohli.
"Buying a second-hand Audi R8 was not a big deal for me. I didn't even know it was Virat's car," said Shaggy."I had planned to return the car within a few days, but by then I had been arrested."
Started young
"I was only 15 when I started working, due to a financial crisis at home. I used to sell Chinese hard disks and flash drives at cheap rates. I had a dealer in China from whom I would buy my stock. Initially, no one would buy from me because I was so young, so I started selling the gadgets really cheap. Within a couple of years, I was sending shipments as far as Canada."
It was this business acumen that impressed the original ringleaders of the IRS racket, who eventually hired Shaggy to work at one of their bogus call centres when he was about 18. He would eventually go on to operate such call centres in Mumbai and Ahmedabad, raking in several crores from the scam. But that was not always the plan. "I was a bright child. I wanted to complete my education and become a pilot. I wanted to earn some quick money, so I could save up for the course. But as money poured in, I began to enjoy the comforts it brought," he recalled.
His parents did not approve either. "I would study in the afternoon and then work at the call centre at night. My parents didn't like me working at night. My father would say, 'What is the need for you to work; we can survive with less money.' Initially, he didn't even know about the fraud; all he knew was that I was working at a call centre. But I did so well that I became the head of the team immediately, and started earning lots of money. It was at that point that my attitude changed," said Shaggy.
Jail time
"Obviously, I regret it now. My love for money took me down the wrong path. I have lost the prime of my life in being chased by the law," said the conman, adding, "Jail was a nightmare. The food, sleeping area and overall atmosphere was horrible. I thought I would get bail soon, but got frustrated when that did not happen."
Cut off from crime, he turned to education once again. "I wanted to learn coding, but the jail didn't have the resources for it. I read books on economics and finance, and also learnt Marathi. I can speak the language quite well now," he said.
If only...
He remains bitter about getting caught, but didn't seem to show any remorse for the crimes he had committed. "I am not the mastermind of the scam. The real masterminds are free and happy. I don't want to disclose their names, but they have been operating since 2001. I got trapped because I showed off," he said, adding, "If I had not been arrested, I would have spread this business, or started a new one that would have spread beyond India by now."
Now, he is left with a fraction of the crores he once had. "I spent so much money, I didn't even save anything," said Shaggy. Shaggy has now set his sight on the future. "I will work hard again to repair mine and my family's reputation. A driven person like me will never sit and spill tears, but will always work hard to make the future better than my past."
Rs 25000
Amount found in Shaggy's accounts after arrest
Rs 2.5cr
Value of the Audi sports car he bought
Also Read: The big Mira Road call centre scam: What we know so far
