“The biggest thing here is, if you call this fake, it’s just gender inequality. If the roles were reversed, what do you think would happen?” Chirayu Rana, the 35-year-old Nepali American at the center of one of Wall Street’s biggest scandals, told The Juggernaut. Rana just had a brutal few weeks. On April 27, he had filed a lawsuit anonymously, claiming a female executive at JPMorgan had sexually abused him and called him anti-Brown slurs, only for his identity to be outed. Soon after his interview with us, the world would find out that Lorna Hajdini, the accused executive, had filed a countersuit, claiming that Rana’s allegations were defamatory. On paper, Chirayu Rana seems like any other child of immigrants. He graduated from Rutgers, played soccer, and worked at prestigious firms like Credit Suisse, Morgan Stanley, and JPMorgan. But his most recent claims, which JPMorgan and Hajdini have vehemently denied, upend that trajectory.  The scandal is a lurid tale that either proves a serious cover-up at one of the world’s largest banking institutions or one of the biggest fabricated accounts in Wall Street history. So: who was telling the truth? The Juggernaut spoke to Chirayu Rana himself, corporate employees, and Rana’s high school friend. We reviewed Rana’s and Hajdini’s court filings as well as leaked screenshots and emails provided to us. What we found was even stranger than fiction. Read the full story by @TulikaBose_ below 🔗 Additional reporting by @snigdhasur thejuggernaut.com/chirayu-ra…

On October 14, Saudi Arabia executed two Bangladeshi citizens. Now, Bangladesh is demanding answers. Saudi officials said Nazrul Islam Abdul Basir and Siti Akhtar committed “immoral acts” inside a mosque in Mecca. According to a statement from Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry, Saudi officials arrested the two, investigated the offense, and referred their case to court. The court sentenced them to death under ta’zir, a form of discretionary punishment. Officials said the punishment reflected the seriousness of the crime and the violation of the mosque’s sanctity. A judicial authority upheld the verdict and a royal order authorized the executions.  But Bangladesh says it wasn’t notified of the proceedings beforehand. Its consulate in Jeddah sent a formal note requesting more information. “We have submitted a note verbale to the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, requesting formal acknowledgement,” the consulate told the Daily Star. The Saudi statement didn’t disclose the date of arrest or conviction, the mosque involved, or the evidence used. On October 17, Bangladesh’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shama Obaed Islam, said Bangladesh was still awaiting details. She said its mission had received allegations that the two had engaged in “adultery” inside a mosque, but that has yet to be independently verified. On October 18, Daily Star reported that a foreign ministry official had told the outlet that Bilateral Affairs Secretary M. Nazrul Islam had met with the Saudi ambassador. Bangladeshi officials also shared a physical copy of the note verbale. The executions come amid growing scrutiny of Saudi Arabia’s use of capital punishment, particularly against foreign nationals. The country recently overturned the death sentence of Anojan Sivarasa, a Sri Lankan migrant worker who had reportedly made derogatory comments on Facebook, after Sri Lankan officials met with Saudi officials. Amnesty International recorded at least 356 executions in Saudi Arabia in 2025. This is a developing story.

Happy birthday to Smita Patil, who made fearlessness unforgettable 👑 In Mirch Masala (1987), she plays Sonbai, the only woman who stands up to an arrogant tax collector. As the village turns against her, she refuses to yield to a man who wants to possess her at any cost.  “In cinema, I’ve gotten to depict women and their realities,” she once said, “which showed not only their suffering, but their inner strength.” What’s your favorite Smita Patil role? 👇🏾

Police have arrested a suspect linked to a fire in a German apartment building that killed three roommates from Kerala, India. On October 13, around 4:15 a.m. local time, firefighters responded to a fire at a building in North Rhine-Westphalia. It spread rapidly through the stairwell, blocking the main escape route, so firefighters had to use ladders and cushions. They were able to save five residents. But they were too late for three people, who had reportedly been sleeping in their second-floor apartment. Firefighters discovered their bodies after the fire was extinguished at 7 a.m. The three roommates had moved into the apartment two weeks before the fire. Nova Sabu, 25, had moved to Germany in July and was working as a gym trainer. Anjali Joy, 27, was working at a warehouse. When she failed to call on October 13, her father asked a relative to investigate. The family learned the news the next day. Sivin Johny, 26, had arrived in Germany on September 14 and was preparing to start a job on October 19. He previously worked at a consultancy. On October 14, after ruling out electrical or technical defects, police arrested a 41-year-old Romanian national who lived in the same building, but haven’t disclosed what links him to the fire. A judge ordered him held in pretrial detention on suspicion of murder and arson. “As the homicide investigation progressed, suspicion against the 41-year-old Romanian resident of the building strengthened,” the Bochum police wrote. Though the motive of the fire isn’t clear, residents also told German outlet WDR that the building had a history of fights and fires over discarded furniture and trash cans. Kerala officials have begun arrangements to repatriate the victims’ bodies. “[We]…are in contact with local authorities and the bereaved families, and are extending all necessary assistance,” the Indian Embassy in Berlin said. This is a developing story.

Read the full story by @JeverKM here: thejuggernaut.com/india-vote…

On a January morning in Navi Mumbai, 23-year-old Dalia Nouf Shaikh waited an hour in line to vote. When she reached the front, her name wasn’t on the list. “There are four people in the family and just one person’s name removed,” she told The Juggernaut. Nine months later, on October 10, she joined nationwide protests demanding the resignation of India’s Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar. Four policewomen dragged her into a van, bruising her knees and arms. She was one of thousands detained. The Election Commission removed roughly 130 million names from electoral rolls since last year — close to one in seven voters. The Commission says it cleaned up dead, duplicate, and relocated voters and anyone wrongly removed can “enroll again.” Opposition parties say legitimate voters, particularly minorities, are being disenfranchised. But years before it adopted its constitution, one of independent India’s first acts was to register every adult as a voter. Today, that voter roll is now part of a national fight over who counts. How did we get here? The Juggernaut spoke to voters, journalists, and protest leaders to find out.