Iran, Israel launch new attacks; chief of Palestine corps in IRGC's overseas arm killed

Mangaluru, July 7: Two working professionals from Mangaluru have lost more than ₹10 lakh in separate incidents of online job fraud, raising alarm over the growing trend of cybercrime exploiting employment seekers.

Case 1: Part-Time Job Scam on WhatsApp & Telegram

A woman professional lost ₹6.5 lakh after falling for a so-called part-time work-from-home job. According to her complaint, she received a WhatsApp message on June 25 from someone claiming to be an HR assistant from the NSE Exchange. The job promised earnings between ₹5,000 and ₹20,000.

She was asked to join via a link and instructed to download the Telegram app, where further communication and tasks were assigned. After completing 30 initial tasks, she received small payments of ₹180 and ₹200 to gain her trust.

However, soon she was assigned "trade tasks" and told to deposit ₹800 to a bank account. Over the next three days (June 26–28), she was made to transfer larger amounts to multiple accounts via UPI and net banking. When no payments were refunded, she realized it was a scam and lodged a complaint with Mangaluru Rural Police.

Case 2: Fake International Hospital Job Offer

In another incident, a medical professional lost ₹4.2 lakh to fraudsters posing as recruiters for NMC Hospital in Dubai. The complainant received a call on June 6 from a woman named Sangeetha, followed by a detailed job offer via email.

A man named Vinay Singh then contacted the complainant and asked for multiple payments — ₹5,499 for registration, ₹25,960 for profile verification, and over ₹82,000 for a DHA licence. Over the next few days, further payments totaling several lakhs were demanded for NOC and other formalities.

Suspicion arose when the fraudsters asked for an additional ₹2.6 lakh. After consulting friends, the complainant discovered the job offer was fake and reported the fraud to Kankanady Town Police Station.

Authorities Urge Caution

Police have urged the public, especially job seekers, to be extremely cautious while responding to unsolicited job offers online, particularly those demanding advance payments or using unofficial platforms like WhatsApp or Telegram for communication.

Hyderabad, July 30: At least six workers were feared killed and 20 others injured in a massive reactor blast at an industrial unit at Pashamailaram near Hyderabad on Monday.

The incident occurred at a chemical factory in the industrial area in Sangareddy district around 9 a.m.

The explosion triggered a huge fire, which engulfed the premises of Sigachi Chemicals. Firefighters rushed to the spot to douse the fire. Eleven fire engines were pressed into service to control the fire.

Police, fire services and other personnel launched rescue and relief operations. Ambulances were also seen at the spot to shift the injured to hospitals.

The injured were admitted to government and private hospitals. The condition of some of the injured is stated to be critical.

Six of the workers were feared killed on the spot while an injured worker reportedly succumbed at a hospital. Officials have not yet confirmed deaths.

According to eye-witnesses, such was the impact of the explosion that workers were tossed in the air and fell several meters away. The manufacturing unit in the factory collapsed under the impact of the blast, while fire spread to the adjoining building within the factory premises.

Several workers were working near the reactor when it exploded. Migrant workers from Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and other states were employed in the industrial unit.

The explosion and fire sent panic among the employees in the chemical unit and the adjoining factories. They ran out of the premises.

The rescue workers were also using earthmovers to remove the debris of the demolished structure, as there are apprehensions that some workers may be trapped under it.

Sangareddy District Collector P. Pravinya and Superintendent of Police Paritosh Pankaj also rushed to the spot and were supervising rescue and relief operations.

Personnel from various industrial units and staff of different departments also joined the rescue operation.

Israel has suffered an estimated $12 billion in direct losses from its 12-day war of aggression against Iran, with total losses potentially rising to $20 billion, according to Israeli media and economic reports.

The losses encompass military expenditures, missile strike damages, payouts to affected individuals and businesses, and infrastructure repairs.

Experts warn the final tally may reach $20 billion once indirect economic impacts and civilian compensation claims are fully calculated.

According to Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, the regime’s treasury has already sustained 22 billion shekels ($6.46 billion) in damages.

The Israeli military is now seeking an extra 40 billion shekels ($11.7 billion) to restock arms supplies, purchase additional interceptors and offensive weapons, and maintain reserve units, following pre-war requests of 10 billion and later 30 billion shekels.

Israel’s budget deficit is expected to rise to approximately 6 percent amid challenges to finance war expenses, building on deficits already accumulated during the Gaza war.

The move coincides with forecasts of at least a 0.2 percent economic slowdown, which would further reduce tax revenues.

Massive military spending

Israeli business daily Calcalist reported that the regime’s cabinet had spent roughly $5 billion, around $725 million per day, on offensive operations against Iran and defensive measures to intercept Tehran’s missile and drone barrages

Compensation alone is expected to cost at least five billion shekels ($1.5 billion).

TheMarker confirmed on Monday that physical damage from Iranian missile attacks has already surpassed 5 billion shekels ($1.5 billion).

Economic analysts had cautioned that prolonging the war could have pushed Israel's embattled economy to the brink of collapse.

According to property tax estimates, approximately 15,000 Israeli settlers were forced to evacuate their units due to damages caused by Iranian retaliatory operations, with many relocating to hotels across the occupied territories.

The cost of their hotel accommodation is currently estimated at around 100 million shekels ($29 million. The regime will have to pay rent for an unknown period of time to hundreds or thousands of families, some of them long-term, until the collapsed buildings are rebuilt - a process that could take years.”

So far, more than 41,000 claims have been submitted to the regime’s compensation fund, with many more expected, according to data published by the right-wing newspaper Israel Hayom.

Of these, approximately 33,000 claims were for damage to buildings, while over 8,000 related to damage to vehicles, property, and equipment. The majority of claims - around 26,000 - were submitted by residents of Tel Aviv.

Before October 7, 2023, around 6,000 settlers were receiving permanent compensation from the regime. That number rose sharply to 25,000 following the Hamas-led operation inside southern settlements.

According to TheMarker, this figure is expected to increase further in the aftermath of the war on Iran.

Calls for US support

According to a report, citing a finance ministry insider, Israel is considering asking Washington for additional financial backing, whether as aid or guaranteed loans, to mitigate war costs and fund pressing military priorities.

On June 13, Israel launched an unprovoked aggression against Iran, targeting nuclear facilities and assassinating senior military commanders and scientists along with ordinary civilians.

In response, Iran launched hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones that struck multiple sensitive and strategic Israeli locations, as confirmed by Israeli media outlets.

The Israeli health ministry confirmed 29 fatalities and 3,238 injuries from the Iranian retaliatory attacks, though observers say the figure is likely to be much higher due to Israel's history of censoring casualty statistics.

The Marker characterized the missile strikes as creating “apocalyptic'” devastation, with preliminary damage assessments reaching at least 5 billion shekels ($1.4 billion).

Israel was forced to unilaterally accept a US-proposed ceasefire after incurring heavy losses and failing to destroy Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.

After the ceasefire went into effect on Tuesday, Israel’s extremist finance minister Bezalel Smotrich was quoted as saying “There is no doubt that this morning leaves a bitter taste.”