Shanti Das
Senior investigations reporter, The Times.
Orwell prize for exposing Britain’s social evils 2023
shanti.das@thetimes.co.uk
- Reposted by Shanti DasCalls for Meta and other social media companies to clamp down on visa scams after a Times undercover investigation
- Reposted by Shanti DasA burgeoning industry offers skilled worker visa sponsorships for positions that do not exist. A Times undercover investigation exposes those behind the schemes ⬇️
- Reposted by Shanti DasLast year I found a TikTok account invading people's homes to spread hate against immigrants. With a little bit of OSINT & a lot of legwork @londoncentric.media and I went looking for its owner. www.londoncentric.media/p/tiktok-lon...
- Reposted by Shanti Das✏️ BEST FEATURE Congratulations to the writers of our shortlisted pieces: Sonia Sarkar, Alannah Francis, Alia Waheed, @shantidas.bsky.social, Anna Moore, @lucymorgan.bsky.social and @sharandhaliwal.bsky.social
- Reposted by Shanti DasThe capital of the Caribbean nation of Haiti is now at the mercy of gangs bent on kidnap, rape and murder. Louise Callaghan meets their victims — and confronts a warlord
- Reposted by Shanti DasThe EDL founder is charging about £28 a minute for videos giving advice to supporters on anti-Islam activism and migrant hotel protests
- Reposted by Shanti DasAt least 50 members of the House of Lords have worked for lobbying firms since January last year despite MPs being banned from paid advisory roles, a Times investigation has found. www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...
- Reposted by Shanti DasThe Labour government faces questions over “cash for access” after a Times investigation found that businesses have been offered private meetings with “an influential Labour figure” as part of sponsorship packages costing almost £9,500. www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...
- Reposted by Shanti DasHundreds of pandemic fraud cases are at risk of collapsing because the investigating officials were gathering evidence without the legal right to do so. An FOI shows officials at Thurrock Council based Natis were not correctly certified to do this work. www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...
- Very happy to share that I’ve joined the investigations team at The Times, working under @paulmorganbentley.bsky.social. Please get in touch if there’s something we should be looking into - my new email is shanti.das@thetimes.co.uk
- Last week was my final one at the Observer after three years. It’s been a privilege to work with such a brilliant team and I got to work on some stories I'm really proud of. Wishing everyone all the best for life at the new Obs. I’m having a little break before the next chapter 🗞️
- ‘It felt like a demon was inside me’: young Christian missionaries allege spiritual abuse www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...
- Reposted by Shanti DasChristian missionary group accused of public shaming and rituals to ‘cure’ sexual sin
- Reposted by Shanti DasProsecutors told to do more to strip ‘revenge porn’ abusers of victim images
- Reposted by Shanti Das‘I’ve been getting 100 messages a day’: Church of Scientology accused of intimidating UK critics
- Reposted by Shanti DasWomen seeking asylum in UK allege sexual abuse in mixed-sex hotels
- Reposted by Shanti DasFlawed UK visa scheme led to ‘horrific’ care worker abuse, says watchdog
- Reposted by Shanti DasMastercard and Visa linked to illegal gambling sites accused of scamming UK customers
- Reposted by Shanti Das‘It’s not ethical and it’s not medical’: how UK rehab clinics are cashing in on NAD+
- Reposted by Shanti DasThe prioritisation of court cases must be changed to stop victims of horrific crimes facing years-long waits for trials as less serious crimes are bumped ahead in queue, barristers and victims’ advocates have said A listing review is set to report back next week www.theguardian.com/law/2025/feb...
- Reposted by Shanti Das🚨 EXCLUSIVE: Surgeons at a top NHS trust embroiled in allegations of racism, sexism, homophobia and bullying that created a “toxic” culture and harmed patient care, according to a secret report: www.thetimes.com/article/aa76...
- Reposted by Shanti Das‘It’s not ethical and it’s not medical’ -- Claims that NAD+ infusions are a fix for #addiction are unproven, risky – and possibly illegal, by @shantidas.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/society/2025... via @theguardian.com
- I wrote about the murky world of "anti-ageing" therapy NAD - from retracted research and celebrity hype to the clinics pushing it as an addiction cure ⬇️ www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
- Reposted by Shanti DasPleased to see @shantidas.bsky.social continuing her excellent work reporting on some of the more questionable activities of the private (and expensive) drug treatment industry [with some thoughts from myself] www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
- Reposted by Shanti Das‘Revenge porn’ abusers allowed to keep devices with illicit images
- Perpetrators of intimate image abuse are being allowed to keep photos of their victims after a failure by prosecutors to request their deletion Just 3% of recent magistrates court cases resulted in a deprivation order being made, an Observer analysis has found
- Reposted by Shanti DasBetting giants spared regulatory action after secret deals with watchdog
- Reposted by Shanti DasPrayer and prosecutions: the US ‘hate group’ waging war over Britain’s abortion clinic buffer zones
- Reposted by Shanti Das52 of 150 gambling sites tested shared data with Meta without consent. FB then bombarded the user with gambling ads, including from firms that weren't caught sharing data. Superb investigation into how UK gambling firms & Meta profit from systematic data misuse: www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
- Reposted by Shanti DasRevealed: gambling firms secretly sharing users’ data with Facebook without permission
- New: Gambling companies are secretly tracking visitors to their websites and sending their data to Facebook without consent. We visited 150 sites and found a third breaking the rules. In the days after the testing, we were flooded with gambling ads. With @jonungoedthomas.bsky.social
- Reposted by Shanti Das‘I lost 10 years of my life’: how UK betting giant’s unlawful marketing kept suicidal gambler hooked
- Reposted by Shanti DasOBSERVER: Betting giants under fire #TomorrowsPapersToday
- Reposted by Shanti DasNew: How Roman Abramovich's aides created an elaborate tax-dodging scheme to pretend his superyachts were being used for commercial purposes when in fact the billionaire was using them for pleasure. Experts say it could amount to illegal tax evasion. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...
- Reposted by Shanti DasMPs in new freebie row after accepting darts hospitality from betting firm
- Reposted by Shanti DasWegovy maker Novo Nordisk rebuked by watchdog over failure to disclose payments to UK health groups
- Unregulated period-tracking apps that tell users their “fertile window” are being promoted in the UK for use as contraception. One says it’s as effective as using condoms. But the apps aren’t registered as medical devices - and often they don’t work. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
- Reposted by Shanti Das‘Would love to see her faked’: the dark world of sexual deepfakes - and the women fighting back
- Reposted by Shanti Das‘Unprecedented’ rise in abortion prosecutions prompts call for law change from medical leaders
- Reposted by Shanti DasGreat piece by @shantidas.bsky.social on conflicts of interest within UKs pharmacy industry www.theguardian.com/business/202...
- Reposted by Shanti Das‘Everything is destroyed, nothing could be saved:’ anger and despair in communities devastated by North West floods
- Victims of the New Year’s Day floods say they’ve been begging for better flood defences for years. Now they’ve lost everything. I met some of those who’ve been worst hit for this week’s Observer: theguardian.com/environment/...
- Reposted by Shanti Das@shantidas.bsky.social Observer report on ASA’s ruling this week about the misleading practices of some private drug treatment brokers, including a short quote from myself www.theguardian.com/society/2024...
- UK addiction helplines that promise free and impartial advice are referring people to rehabs that pay them thousands in commission. The advertising watchdog has upheld complaints against seven firms that misled patients about their business models ⬇️ www.theguardian.com/society/2024...
- Reposted by Shanti DasThis is a pretty fascinating and horrifying insight into how PR can manipulate social media conversations. www.nytimes.com/2024/12/21/b...
- Reposted by Shanti DasRevealed: property developers behind ‘breakfast club’ that donated £130,000 to Labour
- Reposted by Shanti DasGreat exclusive by @shantidas.bsky.social in the Observer www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
- New: Property developers are behind a secretive club that anonymously donated £130,000 to Labour The West Midlands Breakfast Club had previously refused to disclose its funders & claimed to be “a platform for people” from a “cross section” of local businesses www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
- The club - an unincorporated association with no formal status - donated to Labour in Feb to help West Mids mayoral candidate Richard Parker But it was 4 months late declaring its backers to the elections watchdog - meaning the firms’ ties to the donation were secret during the campaign
- Transparency disclosures now show the club received £100k from developers with business interests in the region - including the firm behind a luxury Birmingham skyscraper The source(s) of the remaining £30k are still a mystery ⬇️ www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
- Reposted by Shanti DasWith news that Bangaldesh's Anti-Corruption Commission is investigating City minister Tulip Siddiq, here is our investigation into London's links to alleged corruption involving the former Bangladesh elite, under the regime ruled by Siddiq's aunt. www.theguardian.com/business/202...
- Reposted by Shanti DasCan someone working in a shop really be their own boss? Some big name UK retailers seem to think so. My story for the Observer on shops hiring "freelance" gig workers without basic employment rights 1/2 www.theguardian.com/business/202...
- Reposted by Shanti Das‘My right side was paralysed, I was so sick’: the pesticide poisonings in Brazil that lead back to the UK
- Reposted by Shanti DasHow many rape cases are derailed by ‘sexsomnia’ claims? The CPS doesn’t know
- Rape cases are collapsing after suspects claim to have “sexsomnia”, a rare sleep disorder that's hard to disprove. The CPS has pledged to “robustly challenge” the defence. But it isn’t tracking cases - and has no idea how many times the defence has been used ⬇️ www.theguardian.com/society/2024...
- In response to an FOI request, the CPS admitted it wasn’t collecting data on how many cases it has dropped after the suspect / defendant claimed to have the rare condition. It also isn’t tracking the use of the defence in court - or how often it’s successful - despite fears it’s being abused
- It’s despite repeated promises to challenge the so-called sexsomnia defence. In April an Obs investigation indicated a rise in use of the defence - with 80 cases in the last three decades, but eight in the last year (and at least three more since) amp.theguardian.com/society/2024...
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View full threadSince then, the CPS has promised to learn lessons from past failings. We did FOI requests to find out how it’s getting on - but found it’s not even monitoring the issue. www.theguardian.com/society/2024...
- Reposted by Shanti DasEXCL: Caps on political donations are being considered by ministers as part of sweeping reforms to the UK electoral system @elenicourea reveals www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
- Reposted by Shanti DasReporting on people the state makes destitute via NRPF is one of the most distressing things I've done as a journalist, but this is truly disgusting - a child who died after being denied foster care by her local council because of her mother's immigration status. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024...
- Reposted by Shanti DasA few weeks ago I was in Wolverhampton discussing Desi pubs for R4’s Kitchen Cabinet. The talk of kebab platters made me want to eat in one so straight after the record I jumped in a cab to the Desi Yew Tree. Today’s restaurant review. www.theguardian.com/food/2024/de...
- Reposted by Shanti Das‘Child poverty has got a lot worse’: outgoing charity boss lambasts Tory failures and social media giants
- I spoke to NSPCC boss Sir Peter Wanless for this week's Obs. After 11 years at the charity he says: -the Tories failed children - with "pretty much every indicator" going the wrong way - it’s “morally repugnant” that parents can still smack children in England www.theguardian.com/society/2024...
- He also accused Meta of being "in denial" after the death of 14-year-old Molly Russell, who killed herself in 2017 after viewing self-harm content on Instagram. He said the company's response was "terrible". "They were in denial ... wriggling and refusing to share information.”
- And he came out against an Australia-style social media ban for under 16s. He said restricting web access was a “blunt instrument” & could set child development back "considerably". "We’ve got to get the guardrails right … which doesn’t mean kicking kids off.” ⬇️ www.theguardian.com/society/2024...
- New: the true scale of 'dark money' flowing into UK politics Cash from firms that have never made a profit, from unincorporated associations that don't declare their funders & banned donations from abroad are all entering the system www.theguardian.com/politics/202... @transparencyuk.bsky.social
- Reposted by Shanti DasRevealed: UK politics infiltrated by ‘dark money’ with 10% of donations from dubious sources
- Reposted by Shanti DasI've done a long read on the Assisted Dying bill and the emotional toll it has taken on so many involved. I've explored how it's being received in Number 10 (with dread) and the divisions among new Labour MPs and why so many MPs still are undecided with less than 24 hours to go.
- Reposted by Shanti DasRe-sharing this starter pack of UK writers of long reads and news features - now including the likes of: - @edcaesar.bsky.social - @shantidas.bsky.social - @franciscogarciadf.bsky.social - @emmavj.bsky.social Building as more people join, please feel free to suggest others go.bsky.app/LKjZkJYat://did:plc:ueivecetg7pzhashe2b7utng/app.bsky.graph.starterpack/3lbab3zkdvg2u
- Reposted by Shanti DasTory MP Danny Kruger investigated by standards watchdog over assisted dying funds
