source: x hyderabad l Monday l January 12, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION Paatal Lok 2 actor Prashant Tamang dies of cardiac arrest Prashant Tamang, winner of Indian Idol 3 and acclaimed for his role as an assassin in Paatal Lok 2, died of cardiac arrest on Sunday morning Prashant Tamang (4 January 1983 — 11 January 2026) Shot to Fame After Winning Indian Idol 3 Death puts spotlight on heart health Tamang, 43, passed away around 9 am at his Delhi residence, his close friend and singer Mahesh Sewa said. Tamang was born on January 4, 1983. Encouraged by friends, he auditioned for the reality singing show Indian Idol in 2007 and went on to win it. He then came out with his first album Dhanyavaad in 2010 and began performing at concerts worldwide ■ Tamang’s sudden death comes amid a rising number of young people succumbing to cardiac arrest and heart-related ailments ■ Bigg Boss 13 winner and actor Sidharth Shukla, Kannada actor Puneet Rajkumar, and filmmaker Raj Kaushal are among several young celebrities who have died from cardiac arrest 2010 when tamang’s first film Gorkha Paltan was released CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI Big push to strategic ties as Modi, Merz set for talks in Ahmedabad web unravelled 18 held in `547 cr cyber fraud bust German Chancellor’s visit to India first in Asia after taking office last year; to visit B’luru too en s @ Khammam A `547 crore cyber fraud, perpetrated by a gang that lured unemployed youth into opening bank accounts to launder money has been un, earthed by district police. As many as 18 persons allegedly involved in the racket have been arrested, Commissioner of Police Sunil Dutt said at a media conference at Penuballi police station on Sunday . The case surfaced following a complaint lodged on December 24, 2025, by Modugu Saikiran of Thumburu village in Sathupalli mandal. Police re g i s t e re d a c a s e a n d launched an investigation, which revealed that Udatneni Vikas Chowdary, Potru Manoj Kalyan, Potru Praveen, Meda Bhanu Prakash, Meda Satish and Morampudi Chennakeshava duped unemployed youth from villages around Sathupalli. Police said the accused promised them jobs and opened bank accounts in their names at reputed banks. The account credentials were later taken over and used to channel proceeds of cybercrime running into crores. continued on p5 J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi SIGNALLING New Delhi’s intent to deepen partnerships with key European powers amid shifting global geopolitics and growing economic uncertainty , Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold comprehensive talks with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Ahmedabad on Monday . Merz’s January 12-13 visit, his first to Asia since taking office eight months ago, comes in a backdrop of global challenges including Washington’s 50 percent tariff on Indian goods, the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, and a fractious global politico-economic order. The talks are expected to focus on expanding cooperation in trade, investment, critical technologies, defence, and skill development. Germany is India’s largest trading partner in the European Union, with bilateral trade reaching around $50 billion in 2024-25. Germany accounts for roughly one-fourth of India’s EU trade and is the ninth-largest foreign direct investor with cumulative investments exceeding $15 billion. Over 2,000 German companies operate in India. The two leaders will review the IndiaGermany Strategic Partnership, which completed 25 years last year, and discuss ways to enhance cooperation in education, skilling and mobility, science and innovation research. Chancellor Merz’s Ahmedabad programme includes visiting Sabarmati Ashram, participating in the International Kite Festival, attending a skill development event, and talks with PM Modi at Mahatma Mandir. He will travel to Bengaluru on Tuesday to visit Bosch and Centre for Nano Science and Engineering. Days after Merz’s trip, EU leaders will visit New Delhi, where they may wrap up India-EU free trade agreement, to be followed by French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit. naval officer posting Germany has agreed to deploy a Naval Liaison Officer at the IFCIOR, a key informationsharing hub for maritime security in the region | P7 PM Narendra Modi addresses a gathering at Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference | PTI PM: iNDIA on FAST track to be 3rd largest economy D i l i p S i n g h K s h at r i ya @ Rajkot Bullish on growth In a message to investors, Modi said amid global uncertainty India offers predictability, political stability and rising middleclass purchasing power PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday declared that India is rapidly advancing towards becoming the world’s third largest economy, citing controlled inflation, macro stability and global confidence as key drivers amid worldwide uncertainty . “Inflation is under control, macro stability is strong, and India today stands out with unprecedented certainty,” Modi said at the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference in Rajkot, contrasting India’s political stability with tur moil in neighbouring countries. Highlighting India’s economic trajectory, he said, “India is the world’s fastest growing economy . Global hopes are rising.” Modi listed milestones including India being the world’s largest milk producer, number one in generic medicines and vaccines, biggest mobile data consumer, top digital payment platform through UPI, second largest mobile manufacturer, and among top three in solar power and aviation markets. “This is why global institutions are bullish on India,” he said. “The IMF calls India the engine of global growth. S&P has upgraded India after 18 years. Fitch praises our macro stability and fiscal credibility .” Modi stressed that amid global uncertainty India offers predict, ability political stability and ris, ing middle-class purchasing power. Govt to ask manufacturers to pre-install Prasar Bharati’s OTT app on new TVs express read Sabarimala theft: Shah wants probe by neutral agency T’Puram: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said that the Sabarimala gold theft case must be investigated by a neutral agency, alleging that the CPM-led government in Kerala is trying to protect the real culprits | P5 stps fail to curb pollution of city lakes | P3 International reach Pa r v e z S u lta n @ New Delhi Buoyed by the growing popularity of WAVES, Prasar Bharati’s over-the-top (OTT) application, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is set to write to television manufacturers, urging them to pre-install the app on smart TVs. Currently most smart , TVs come pre-loaded with major OTT apps such as Netflix, YouTube, and Amazon Prime Video. It comes weeks after the Ministry of Communications mandated the pre-installation of the Sanchar Saathi app on all smartphones, but later withdrew the order following pushback from phone makers. WAVES was launched in November 2024. It combines live TV, ondemand videos, radio, games, ebooks, and e-commerce in a single Waves has a robust international presence with users in 181 countries, according to the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. While India remains the leading market with over 4.2 million users, significant traction has been recorded in the USA, UK, UAE, Australia and France platform. It has already made strong inroads, recording over 3.8 million downloads and 2.3 million registered users in less than a year. WAVES currently offers at least 65 channels, including 40 live services featuring news and entertainment networks, movies, TV shows, and games in ten languages, including Hindi, English, Marathi, Tamil, and Assamese. The content includes classics from the Doordarshan and Akashvani archives, along with new programming available on the application. Prasar Bharati also recently invited licensed linear satellite TV channels to join its OTT under a revenue-sharing commercial framework. With the objective of bringing quality content to WAVES, the public broadcaster introduced a PayPer-View Content Sourcing Policy in October. Love beyond life Man who built his own tomb laid to rest beside wife N a v een K u m a r Ta l l a m @ Jagtial Until a month ago, Nakka Indraiah, a resident of Lakshmipuram village, would visit his own future grave every day, water the plants around it and sit in quiet reflection. On Saturday, the 80year-old passed away due to agerelated ailments. On Sunday, his family laid him to rest in the same tomb he had built and lovingly maintained, beside his wife. Indraiah, a farmer, had constructed the granite tomb well in advance on his farmland at an estimated cost of `12 lakh. In December 2025, he told TNIE, “Life is like a water bubble and not permanent.” The granite tomb built by Indraiah (inset) at Lakshmipuram While planning one’s own burial is uncommon in Indian society, where such responsibilities usually fall on family members, it is a widely accepted practice in several countries, including China, Ja- pan, the Philippines, the UK, the US and Australia, where people pre-plan funerals and purchase burial plots as a practical measure. Family members said his wife had died a few years ago and he was firm that his final resting place should be next to hers. Through this rare act, Indraiah sought to convey a larger message. He believed death was inevitable and that he should not become a burden on his family after his demise. About a month ago, he openly shared these thoughts, which have since become a talking point in the village. Until recently he regularly tend, ed to the plants around the tomb and said visiting the site gave him peace and a practical understanding of life. His words and actions have been discussed widely on social media platforms, leading to discussions on life, death, dignity and responsibility Indraiah is sur. vived by two sons and two daughters. A resident of the same village, Tirupati Reddy, recalled that Indraiah was known for his social service and was always willing to help others. He contributed actively to village development, including the construction of arches and a church, both built with his own money . Bala Bharosa for kids, Pranaam for elderly soon B K a r t h eek @ Hyderabad Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy is likely to launch two new flagship programmes — Bala Bharosa for child welfare and Pranaam, a network of multi-service day-care centres for senior citizens — along with the distribution of assistive devices to persons with disabilities, reaffirming the state gover nment’s commitment to inclusive development under the Telangana Rising 2047 Vision. As part of the initiative, the Department for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Senior Citizens and Transgender Persons will distribute assistive devices worth over `43 crore to nearly 7,000 eligible persons with disabilities (PwDs). The Telangana Divyangula Cooperative Corporation has sanctioned devices such as retrofitted motorised vehicles, battery-operated tricycles and wheelchairs, laptops, hearing aids and mobile phones. The state gover nment has earmarked `50 crore for assistive devices, enabling the induction of innovative aids and the expansion of coverage. According to sources in the department, this will be the largest distribution in terms of value and number of beneficiaries in a single financial year since the corporation’s inception in 1981. Devices will be distributed to 200 beneficiaries during the inaugural event, followed by district-level programmes across the state. Recently Panchayat , Raj and Rural Development Minister Danasari Anasuya (Seethakka) said that the Bala Bharosa scheme, the first of its kind in the state, focuses on early detection of developmental delays, neurodevelopmental disorders and physical impairments among children aged 0–5 years.  continued on p5 Affordable snacks, tea @ `10 at RGIA E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Hyderabad A Udan Yatri Cafe has been inaugurated at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) in Hyderabad, with the objective of providing affordable snacks and beverages to passengers. The cafe, located near the check-in hall, adjacent to Row B, is part of a larger initiative by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to make air travel more economical and passenger-friendly. Aimed at improving overall travel experience, the facility offers basic food and beverages at low prices, with tea starting at `10 and coffee at `20, along with a variety of snacks. While air passengers often complain about exorbitant prices being charged by other outlets, the cafe is expected to benefit budget travellers and first-time flyers by ensuring quality refreshments at reasonable rates within the airport premises.