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Man Hid Cannabis Stash In Rice-Filled Pressure Cooker. Then It Whistled

Bineesh had been involved in two previous cases.

Water purifiers fuel a Rs 9,000 crore economy

You do the research, read lists of reviews, compare the filtration stages, and shell out a significant sum for the most promising, tech-savvy water purifier in the market. Then, just two months into installation, the machine starts throwing a series of confusing, flashing signals. The premium buying experience instantly evaporates, replaced by the sheer frustration of tracking down customer care and waiting at home for a technician to show up.In India’s competitive consumer durables sector, this exact friction point has transformed the landscape of water purifiers. The ultimate battle is no longer just about who can build and sell the best machine; it is increasingly about who can maintain trust after the hole has been drilled in the customer's kitchen wall.While the water purifier market is traditionally viewed through the lens of one-time appliance sales, companies like Eureka Forbes, the legacy player behind AquaGuard, are increasingly betting on a far larger opportunity hidden beneath the surface: the recurring service economy built around filters, annual maintenance contracts (AMCs) and nationwide technician networks.According to internal projections by Anurag Kumar, Chief Growth Officer at Eureka Forbes, the water purifier service market alone is on track to cross Rs 9,000 crore by FY30, nearly matching the projected Rs 10,000 crore size of the product market itself.131582773Also read: Beyond the room: Why India Inc's luxury hospitality bet is becoming an experience businessBreaking down the mathFor decades, the consumer durable playbook was simple: manufacture, distribute, sell, repeat. But water purification is far different from selling a television or a refrigerator; it is an active, evolving health product bound to the fluctuating quality of local municipal and groundwater supplies."The market for product categories for water purifiers is about Rs 3,800 crore today," Kumar says in an exclusive interview with ET Online. "I think you would add another, roughly about Rs 3,500 crore of service category as well to it."Citing independent industry reports, Kumar highlighted that by FY30, this parallel economy is set to explode. The product market will expand to over Rs 10,000 crore, while the service and aftermarket ecosystem will chase it tightly at more than Rs 9,000 crore, growing at a combined double-digit compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11% to 12%.This shifting weight from hardware to service fundamentally changes corporate strategies. For an industry dealing with an urban penetration rate of just 14% (and a mere 7% nationally), the recurring revenue from existing households forms a highly resilient cash-flow cushion that protects margins even during macro-economic slowdowns.131582808Service scale becomes the biggest moatThe Rs 9,000 crore service opportunity explains why tech-first aggregators and rental startups are rushing into the service category. However, scaling an on-demand service infrastructure across India’s complex geography is entirely different from coding an app.For legacy companies like Eureka Forbes, this operational network has become a major competitive advantage."After sales service can make or break a brand," says Kumar. "I think a lot of the trust that AquaGuard has today is really thanks to the fact that people have trust in our service... It's a very, very important integral part of our business and a very, very crucial moat that we continue to nurture."To defend this moat against new-age tech startups, Eureka Forbes operates at a scale that resembles a logistics company more than an appliance manufacturer. The company has deployed more than 8,000 technicians mapping out an operational footprint across 19,500 PIN codes.Also read: Apple expected to unveil new AI features at last developers conference with CEO Tim CookThe push to reduce maintenance costs"Once you sell a product, then you have it for life and there's some revenue which comes with it," Kumar says, referring to filter replacements, AMCs and servicing requirements.Interestingly, the biggest threat to this recurring service revenue is not new-age competitors, it has been consumer fatigue over high maintenance costs. Historically, the dread of paying steep annual fees to replace purifier filters has acted as a primary barrier keeping the remaining 86% of urban Indian households from adopting organised water purifiers.To beat this, Eureka Forbes pulled off a counter-intuitive strategic gear: they disrupted their own short-term revenue model to secure long-term market share.Last year, the company introduced a range of purifiers featuring "long-life" filters extending the replacement cycle from the traditional 12 months to a full two years."We did that because we fundamentally heard from consumers that there was also a barrier to the category around maintenance cost being high," Kumar reveals. "What two-year filters actually did was they actually lowered the maintenance cost because now you don't have to change filters every year. You have to change once every two years."Digitising a 1980s direct-sales DNAEureka Forbes, a company historically known for its door-to-door service, and making Aquaguard synonymous with water purifiers in India, faced a new piece of necessary upgrade with building digitisation. The multi-billion dollar service landscape required a complete digital overhaul of consumer interactions. The brand that built its empire in the 1980s on the soles of direct-sales agents knocking on suburban doors has had to pivot entirely to an on-demand, algorithmic infrastructure.An army of thousands of field technicians is only as efficient as the software directing them. For modern consumers who manage their entire lives via smartphone screens, a bland "technician will visit tomorrow" promise no longer cuts it."We've digitised that service," notes Kumar.The long-term playAs water contamination concerns spike across rapidly expanding urban clusters, the structural demand for pure drinking water will continue to climb, and so for water purifiers.However, as the hardware itself faces gradual commoditisation and intense price competition from newer market entrants, the center of gravity has largely shifted. Where the growth moves nextCapturing a dominant share of the service market is only half the blueprint. As Kumar maps out the strategic trajectory for Eureka Forbes over the next three to five years, the company's growth engine eyes two distinct tracks: aggressive geographic widening and targeted product diversification. Geographically, Kumar notes, the company is bypassing deep rural pockets for the time being to focus heavily on India’s rapidly urbanising Tier-2 and Tier-3 towns. Instead, the company is doubling down on smaller towns where they can immediately deploy their signature localised service infrastructure without stretching their logistics network too thin.Simultaneously, the brand is attempting to de-risk its reliance on the kitchen wall by expanding into adjacent consumer durables. Kumar outlined a product pipeline anchored in high-growth, premium categories, including robotic vacuum cleaners, air purifiers, and household water softeners. The underlying playbook here is pure cross-selling. By utilising the same 8,000-strong technician network to service these newer household appliances, Eureka Forbes is betting that its aftermarket footprint can drastically lower its customer acquisition costs; positioning the legacy firm to evolve from a single-product manufacturer into a broader home-health ecosystem player.

Delhi HC seeks CBSE reply on OSM plea

The Delhi High Court on Monday sought the stand of the Centre and the CBSE on a petition by Congress party's student wing seeking an independent inquiry into the alleged large-scale irregularities in the on-screen marking (OSM) system for Class 12 exams.Issuing notice on a PIL petition by the National Students' Union of India (NSUI), a vacation bench of Justices Neena Bansal Krishna and Madhu Jain asked the central government and CBSE to file their responses and listed the matter for hearing on June 12.Also read: IIT panel approves new CBSE portal for re-evaluation after security reviewThe petitioner submitted that the CBSE closed the portal for verifying and revaluing answer sheets last night and requested a direction to keep it open for affected students for one month.Counsel for CBSE, advocate M A Niyaz, submitted that the authorities extended the deadline for closing the portal from time to time, and the education board was duly addressing the grievances of aggrieved students. He also objected to the maintainability of NSUI to file the PIL, emphasising that it was a student wing of a political party. "We don't want education to be politicised like this," the counsel submitted.The NSUI counsel said that it filed the PIL on behalf of minors and that association with a political party was not a disqualification.What is OSM and what went wrongCBSE introduced on-screen marking for the evaluation of Class 12 answer books beginning with the 2026 examination cycle, describing it as part of its continuous effort to enhance efficiency and transparency. Under the system, physical exam papers are scanned, digitally masked to hide students' identities, and evaluated by teachers on a computer screen.However, the rollout has run into significant controversy. Thousands of students across the country reported issues including blurred scans, missing pages, mismatched answer sheets, incomplete uploads and unexpectedly low marks following the declaration of Class 12 results.CBSE declared the Class 12 results on May 13, with the overall pass percentage dropping to 85.20%, down from 88.39% last year. Reports also indicated a decline in the number of students scoring 90% and above.What NSUI is seekingThe PIL, filed through NSUI president Vinod Jhakhar and advocate Rishav Ranjan, seeks a direction to reopen the verification portal for one month, permit manual rechecking and physical verification of answer sheets in disputed cases, and order an independent inquiry into the alleged irregularities. It also seeks direct oversight by the Union Government and calls for proper safeguards and guidelines to be framed for future digital evaluation systems.Also read: Who is Dharmendra Pradhan? All about Education minister facing heat in CJP protest amid NEET, CBSE controversyNSUI has argued that the lack of a robust corrective mechanism heightens the prejudice to students because the academic calendar continues to move forward while the disputes remain unresolved.The Delhi Government School Teachers' Association (GSTA) had urged CBSE to hold implementation of the OSM system for the 2026 evaluation cycle, citing concerns that the majority of teachers had not been provided with structured and certified training for the digital system. The association had suggested the system be run only as a pilot on a limited scale during the 2026 session.With inputs from PTI

Sterlite Tech shares slide 5% after rallying 56% in one month. Here's why

Shares of Sterlite Technologies dropped 5% to hit the lower circuit on Monday, after a massive 56% surge in one month and a whopping 474% rally so far in 2026, as a pause in the global AI optimism dampened sentiment.Shares of the company remained locked in the lower circuit at Rs 588.30 apiece on NSE in the morning trading hours of Monday.AI rally slams the brakesSouth Korea’s Kospi plunged 9% on Monday morning, leading to a 20-minute trading halt, as the massive selloff in tech stocks raged on. The index is now down about 14% from the record high it touched last week. The sharp downturn came after heavyweights and semiconductor stocks tumbled, including Samsung shares which crashed over 6%.The sharp plunge in Kospi reflects the sharp pause in the AI rally, as too much of the benchmark index’s earlier momentum had become tied to the performance of a small group of AI-linked stocks. Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix together account for nearly half of the KOSPI's weighting and have contributed roughly two-thirds of the benchmark's gains this year.Also read: Kospi crashes 9%, trading halted for 20 minutes, as chip rout deepens; Samsung, SK Hynix worst hitSterlite Technologies shares had emerged as one of the biggest multibaggers of 2026, riding on explosive demand for AI-linked data centre infrastructure. Sterlite, the optical-fiber maker owned by the Vedanta Group, was seen as the “poster child” for the AI boom. This came amid expectations that the world’s AI expansion needs massive amounts of high-speed connectivity infrastructure, and optical fibre is becoming the backbone of that ecosystem.The company late in May announced that its subsidiary has secured a multi-year supply agreement valued at $1.11 billion from a global hyperscaler for AI-ready data centre infrastructure projects in the US. Hong Kong-based CLSA had said that this significantly strengthens Sterlite’s positioning in AI data centres while improving medium-term growth visibility. It expected the order to reinforce Sterlite’s competitiveness in global markets, while maintaining an “Outperform” rating on the stock.However, the sharp crash in tech stocks led to rising worries that the AI rally was fizzling out, which may have led to the downtrend in Sterlite Tech shares today. Also read: Hidden AI WinnersSterlite Tech share priceSterlite Tech shares have gained 5% in one week and 56% in one month. The stock delivered a whopping 676% return over one year, 282% over three years and 119% in five years.The company currently has a market capitalisation of nearly Rs 28,719 crore.(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)

India’s Fertility Rate Falls Below Replacement For First Time: What Is Driving The Decline?

India’s TFR stood at 1.9 in 2024, below the replacement level of 2.1, but the national average hides a sharp regional divide: Bihar remains at 2.9 while Delhi has fallen to 1.2.

TMC leader Jahangir 'Pushpa' Khan arrested near Nepal border after weeks in hiding

TMC leader Jahangir 'Pushpa' Khan arrested near Nepal border after weeks in hiding

IDFC First Bank shares fall after CBI conducts searches, lender shares update on Rs 646 crore fraud case

The shares of IDFC First Bank fell nearly 1% on Monday morning after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted searches in six locations, while the private lender announced that it has received the forensic review report from KPMG regarding the fraud case worth Rs 646 crore at one of its branches in Chandigarh.CBI conducted searches at six locations in Chandigarh, Panchkula and Delhi-NCR in connection with the alleged fraud case involving the siphoning of government funds from departments of the Haryana government and the Chandigarh administration.The searches were held on Friday at premises linked to senior Haryana cadre public servants and Noida-based Vipam Consultancy Pvt Ltd and its director as part of an ongoing probe into the alleged misappropriation of funds parked with IDFC First Bank and AU Finance Bank, an official statement said.Also Read | CBI conducts searches in Rs 661 crore IDFC First Bank-AU Finance Bank fraud case"During investigation evidences have surfaced suggesting that the public servants had colluded with bank officials and had facilitated in opening of accounts, transfer of funds and subsequent diversion thereof," the statement said.KPMG's forensic reviewIn an exchange filing released in the post-market hours of Friday, IDFC First Bank said that KPMG's review reaffirmed that the incident arose from collusion involving certain employees or former staff at the branch, some state government employees along with certain third parties. It reiterated that the net principal amount of Rs 646 crore was reported as part of the alleged fraud case.Also Read | IDFC First Bank fraud was isolated case involving collusion, says KPMG“The Bank paid the aforesaid amount and applicable interest to the concerned departments and has recognised the same in the books of accounts in Q4 FY26. The Bank is a victim of this financial fraud and is working with investigative authorities,” IDFC First Bank said.Fraud at IDFC First Bank's Chandigarh branchIDFC First Bank had announced that it has discovered an incident of alleged fraud by some employees at one of its Chandigarh branches in February, involving accounts related to the Haryana government. The lender had received a request from one of the departments of the Haryana government to close its account and transfer funds to another bank. While reviewing the request, it found some discrepancies in the amount mentioned against the balance in the account. This led to a massive 16% crash in the private lender’s share price, to record its worst single-day plunge since March 2020.IDFC First Bank share priceIDFC First Bank shares fell nearly 1% to trade at Rs 71.64 apiece on Monday. The stock is down 16% in 2026 so far. The shares of the company have however gained over 1% in the past one week. The company currently has a market capitalisation of nearly Rs 62,000 crore.Also Read | Why is market crashing today? 7 factors behind selloff(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)

Kerala man hides ganja in cooker, smell exposes him

A hidden Himalayan toy train route comes alive. It can match Kalka-Shimla magic

A hidden Himalayan toy train route comes alive. It can match Kalka-Shimla magic

Hidden victims: Air pollution may harm babies before birth

TMC worker accused of extortion hides under pile of sarees in Howrah godown to avoid arrest

A Trinamool worker accused of extortion was apprehended by police hiding under a pile of sarees at a state government godown in Howrah. The man, a close associate of an absconding MLA, was discovered after a video of him concealed amongst the clothes went viral. Police were alerted by BJP workers and subsequently located him.

Video: Trinamool Leader Hid Under Sarees To Evade Arrest. Then This Happened

The attempt to evade arrest did not succeed.

Police Find TMC Leader Hiding Under Clothes Amid PM Awas Yojana 'Cut Money' Probe | Video

TMC leader Brahmananda Chakraborty arrested in Howrah after viral video shows him hiding under clothes, accused of cut money in PM Awas Yojana funds, probe ongoing.

TMC leader hides under pile of sarees to dodge arrest, police find him

TMC leader hides under pile of sarees to dodge arrest, police find him

Rs 100-Crore AI Centre To Lead India’s Hunt For Hidden Mineral Wealth | Exclusive

To boost the country's mineral security, the Geological Survey of India (GSI) will set up a Rs 100-crore Data Processing, Interpretation and Integration Centre (DPIIC) in Bengaluru

DRS howler! Afghanistan miss Rishabh Pant wicket despite clear edge on UltraEdge

Afghanistan missed a crucial DRS opportunity to dismiss Rishabh Pant, who went on to score 81 runs. Replays later confirmed a clear edge on Pant's bat, a decision that proved costly for the visitors. Pant's entertaining knock was eventually ended by captain Hashmatullah Shahidi.

West Bengal Govt Orders Probe Into CAA-Linked Violence In Murshidabad Under Mamata Rule

The anti-CAA protests of December 2019 had a significant impact on railway operations in West Bengal, with several stations and trains targeted by vandalism and arson.

Caught At Border: BSF Foils Infiltration Bid Along India-Bangladesh Border In Murshidabad, 5 Arrested

Police arrest Bangladeshi family in Murshidabad for alleged illegal entry, BSF foils separate attempt by 10 to 11 Bangladeshi nationals to cross border in Cooch Behar

Punjab Man Kills Lover's 15-Year-Old Daughter For Opposing Affair, Sets Body On Fire

In Punjab, 23-year-old Gurwinder Singh allegedly strangled a 15-year-old girl, hid her body in a suitcase, burned it in a forest, and was arrested.

Kerala man hides ganja in pressure cooker during raid, smell alerts cops

Kerala man hides ganja in pressure cooker during raid, smell alerts cops