In a bizarre and troubling incident, Kapil Raghu, an Indian man living in the US, is now fighting to restore his visa status after being wrongfully arrested and detained for nearly a month. Raghu’s nightmare began on May 3, 2025, when a routine traffic stop in Arkansas escalated into a wrongful arrest after officers mistook his Opium-labeled perfume bottle for narcotics.

Raghu, an Indian national married to an American woman, was working toward American citizenship when he was pulled over by law enforcement for having a reflective cover over his license plate. According to The Saline Courier, Raghu had been delivering pizzas at the time and was unaware that any offense had been committed.

“I was not doing anything wrong when he pulled me over. I was following all regulations,” Raghu told The Saline Courier in an interview. “The problem was he didn’t know for what cause he was arresting me. I asked what the arrest was for. I didn’t even know what I did wrong.”

Perfume Bottle Mistaken for Narcotics

The situation took a dark turn when an officer searched Raghu’s car and found a small bottle labeled “Opium.” The officer immediately accused Raghu of carrying narcotics in his possession.

“You got a vial of opium that was in your center console,” the officer allegedly told Raghu before instructing him to take a seat. Despite Raghu’s protests and clarification that the bottle contained cologne, the officer refused to believe him. Raghu was then taken into custody.

The Arkansas State Crime Lab later tested the contents of the bottle and confirmed it was perfume, not narcotics. However, this clarification came too late, and Raghu was still detained for three days in the Saline County Jail.

ICE Detention and Visa Troubles

While Raghu was in jail, immigration authorities discovered that his visa had expired. Despite being in the US with the intent to correct his expired visitor visa, Raghu was arrested by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and transferred to a federal immigration facility in Louisiana, where he was held for a further 30 days.

Raghu’s wife, Ashley Mays, expressed her frustration on a GoFundMe page, saying, “Despite cooperating fully, my husband was arrested, jailed, and then transferred to ICE custody on May 6th, 2025. This was especially devastating because we already had an immigration attorney before his visa ever expired—we were actively working to fix his status the right way.”

Deportation Fears and Impact on Family

Though Raghu was released in June 2025 after the charges were dropped, his ordeal is far from over. Mike Laux, Raghu’s attorney, warned that Raghu’s detention could pose a significant barrier in his pursuit of US citizenship. “Though released, Kapil now has a ‘deportation’ status, meaning he can be immediately deported for any minor offense, even jaywalking,” Laux said. “But, more crucially, this classification bars him from working and earning money for his family, which has been devastating for them.”

Raghu’s detention has not only affected his ability to stay in the country but has also strained his family’s financial stability, leaving them in limbo as they await a resolution of his visa situation.

A severe thunderstorm alert from the National Weather Service (NWS) has turned a quiet Tuesday evening into a night of weather anxiety for Mecosta County and Isabella County in Michigan, with a potent mix of pea-sized hail, gusty winds, and even the potential for funnel clouds.

The warning, issued at 9:29 p.m. EDT on June 24, 2025, is expected to remain active until 10:30 p.m. EDT. According to NWS radar data, a strong thunderstorm was tracked 7 miles southwest of Lake Isabella—moving east at 20 mph—just minutes before the alert went public.

Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is possible, the alert states.

Residents of Mount Pleasant, Shepherd, Lake Isabella, Remus, Millbrook, Winn, and Blanchard are within the impact zone, with winds that could peak at 40 mph and hail measuring 0.25 inches in diameter.

What’s especially concerning is the favorable environment for weak, brief funnel clouds. While not as dangerous as full-blown tornadoes, these phenomena can still pack a punch if not taken seriously. The NWS advises anyone spotting such a cloud to immediately seek shelter indoors and report sightings.

Why You Should Take Lightning Seriously

The United States experiences nearly 25 million lightning strikes annually, and according to the NWS, around 20 people lose their lives to these strikes every year. The risk peaks during active thunderstorms, even when the storm appears to be moving away.

To stay safe:

• Have a lightning safety plan if you’re outdoors.
• If you hear thunder, that’s your cue to find shelter.
• Stay indoors for at least 30 minutes after the last clap of thunder.
• Avoid electrical appliances, plumbing fixtures, and even cord phones during a storm.
• If indoors isn’t an option, stay away from open fields, hilltops, tall trees, water bodies, and metal objects.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the safest place during a lightning storm is a fully enclosed building or a metal-topped vehicle.

Driving in Downpours? Here’s What You Must Know

Driving through heavy rain poses another major risk. Flood-prone roads, poor visibility, and slippery surfaces can turn your commute into a nightmare.

Expert Tips from the NWS:

• Avoid drainage ditches and culverts, where water flow intensifies rapidly.
• Maintain a safe following distance—double the usual space.
• Slow down and let your vehicle naturally reduce speed.
• Stick to middle lanes to reduce hydroplaning risk.
• Turn on your headlights, even in daylight, to improve visibility.
• Watch for large vehicles, whose tire spray can blind you momentarily.
• During the first 30 minutes of rainfall, roads are most slippery due to oil and grime.
• If visibility is lost, pull over safely and wait it out.

When stopping is necessary, position your vehicle far from moving traffic, ideally beyond guardrails, and activate your emergency lights.

What’s Coming Next?

Weather watchers are keeping a close eye on this storm system. With recent alerts warning of isolated tornadoes and damaging winds across Northern Michigan, including the Traverse City region, it’s clear this pattern is far from over.

Conditions are evolving fast. Even pea-sized hail and 40 mph gusts can disrupt life if you’re not prepared, a local emergency planner told Daily Global Diary.

As always, stay updated via the National Weather Service, keep your emergency kits ready, and avoid risky travel if storms intensify.

A leading global tech company has officially confirmed the closure of two major branches in Argentina, citing an urgent need to cut costs and restructure as financial pressures escalate worldwide. The closures — affecting offices in Buenos Aires and Córdoba — have sent shockwaves through Argentina’s tech workforce and fuelled fears that more shutdowns could soon follow across Latin America.

Company executives released a statement late Wednesday acknowledging the decision, describing it as “painful but necessary” amid a broader push to consolidate operations and return to sustainable profitability. “Like many in the sector, we must adapt to new market realities and challenging macroeconomic conditions, especially in high-risk economies,” the statement read.

Local industry insiders say the company’s struggle mirrors a broader crisis facing big tech firms post-pandemic. Slowing global demand, tightening venture capital, and rising costs have forced many companies to lay off thousands worldwide, abandon expansion plans, and re-evaluate investments in emerging markets like Argentina.

In Argentina, the closures are particularly hard-hitting. The country’s surging inflation, currency devaluation, and strict import controls have long complicated supply chains and operations for multinational tech giants. Now, hundreds of employees are facing sudden job uncertainty, with some offered relocation or remote reassignment, but many bracing for redundancies.

Union representatives and labor groups have already condemned the move, demanding fair severance packages and urgent government intervention to protect Argentina’s fragile tech ecosystem.

One laid-off employee from the Córdoba branch told Daily Global Diary, “We knew the global layoffs were coming, but we didn’t expect our whole office to disappear overnight. It’s devastating — jobs like this are hard to replace in this economy.”

Insiders warn these may not be the last closures in the region. Branches in Chile, Brazil, and Colombia are reportedly under review as the tech giant weighs further cuts to weather the economic downturn.

Market analysts note that while cost-cutting might soothe investors in the short term, exiting strategic markets could weaken the company’s long-term regional foothold — leaving rivals an opening to swoop in.

As Argentina’s tech talent reels from this abrupt blow, the country’s startup community is urging the government to offer support and incentives to keep highly skilled workers from leaving the country altogether.

For now, all eyes are on whether this high-profile pullback marks the start of a bigger retreat by tech multinationals in Latin America — and what it means for the future of innovation in the region.