Crime and Accident

Jaipur, October 29: At least 60 people were injured when a major fire broke out at an Indian Oil depot in Sitapura industrial area near here Thursday evening. Many of the injuries were reported from nearby areas and caused due to the shattering of glass panes, officials said.

Though the cause of the fire was not known, according to eyewitnesses the fire broke out after gas leakage from one of the tanks.

“The incident occurred at around 7.15 p.m. and we immediately pressed ambulances and fire tenders into service,” a district administration official told IANS.

Bhubaneswar, October 29: Natural disasters kill about 1,300 people every year in Orissa, said a report released here Thursday on the 10th anniversary of the super cyclone in which over 8,000 lives were lost.

Prepared by the Orissa State Disaster Mitigation Authority (OSDMA), the report was released by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

According to the report, natural disasters have taken the lives of over 50,000 people in a span of 38 years (1970-2007). The disasters include cyclones, floods, lightning, heat wave, fire, epidemics and droughts.

Ghaziabad, October 29: Three Special Operations Group (SOG) police personnel were critically injured during a shootout with dreaded gangster Ravinder Tyagi in western Uttar Pradesh, an official said. Tyagi was killed in the gun battle.

Tyagi, who is from Modinagar, was involved in over 30 cases of robbery and murder and carried a reward of Rs.50,000 on his head, police said.

New Delhi, October 29: Munna Bajrangi, a dreaded gangster carrying a reward of Rs.100,000 for his arrest and suspected to be behind the sensational murder of Delhi Police ‘encounter specialist’ Assistant Commissioner of Police Rajbir Singh last year, was Thursday nabbed in Mumbai, an official said here.

Bajrangi, who is also accused of gunning down Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Krishnanand Rai in November 2005, was arrested by sleuths of Delhi Police Special Cell in Mumbai’s Malad area around 4.30 p.m.

Bhopal, October 29: A bear, which killed four villagers in Madhya Pradesh’s Sidhi district, was shot dead by police Thursday, forest officials said.
Four people, including three brothers, were killed Wednesday when a bear mauled them in the Sansra forest range in Rampur, about 50 km from the district headquarters Sidhi. Three others were injured in the attack.

New Delhi, October 29: A Delhi court today granted bail to a woman who was arrested for impersonating as a senior IAS officer of Union Home Ministry and allegedly surveyed a market here with the local police to check security.

Metropolitan Magistrate Sourabh Pratap Singh Laler allowed the bail application and asked accused Pooja Jindal to furnish a personal and surety bond of Rs 10,000 each as pre-condition for her release.

Subhash Chandra Yadav, counsel for Jindal, earlier argued that the accused was a woman and a first time offender.

New Delhi, October 29: Delhi Police today claimed to have busted a gang with the arrest of three men who were allegedly involved in a series of dacoities, including one in east Delhi where they attacked a businessman’s family and decamped with Rs 1.5 lakh.

The arrested were identified as Mohsin (24), Nizam (25) and Akbar (25), a senior police official said. Mohsin was arrested on October 20 while two others were caught yesterday.

New Delhi, October 29: Three men were arrested in east Delhi for allegedly indulging in betting during the second one-day match between India and Australia, police said today.

The arrested were identified as Abhinab (28), Anil Saluja (26) and Ravi Saluja (24) and they were caught from a house in Guru Ram Dass Nagar of Shakarpur locality yesterday following a tip-off, a senior police official said.

“At the time they were apprehended they had placed bets amounting to nearly rupees one crore,” he said.

Ballia, October 29: At least 17 persons, including 13 children were injured, when a bus carrying school party turned turtle in Rasra area of the district, police said today.

The incident occurred late last night, when school bus carrying 90 students and teachers of DOH Mission School Mitahi, were returning from a picnic in Varanasi, they said.

The driver lost control over the vehicle, which turned turtle after ramming into an electricity pole at Sawra Chatti area, police said.

Lucknow, October 29: At least five persons were today injured when a packet kept on the roof of a bus exploded in Unnao district, about 60 kms from here, Home Department officials here said.

The incident occured in Purwa area of the district when a packet contianing explosives, which was kept on the roof, fell accidentally and exploded, they said.

Police said about 50-60 passengers were travelling in the bus at the time of the incident, they said.

–Agencies

Rameswaram, October 29: The fishermen’s association here claimed that 25 fishermen from this place were assaulted by Sri Lankan naval personnel when they were fishing near Katchatheevu in the Palk Straits early today.

Association president N J Bose claimed 20 fishermen had been admitted to a private hospital.

The fishermen alleged that the Sri lankan naval personnel damaged a boat and also Rs 10 lakh worth of fish catch, he said.

Four fishermen, who were in a boat, fell into the sea and were rescued by the other fishermen, he said.

Srinagar, October 29: At least 30 persons were injured when a bus skidded off the road and fell into a 20-feet gorge in Kupwara district of North Kashmir today, official sources said.

Nine of the injured were admitted to a hospital in critical condition.

The accident took place at Pahldaj-Ramhal, 90 kms from here, when the driver of the Handwara-bound private bus lost control over the vehicle.

Rescue parties immediately swung into action and shifted the injured to hospital, the sources said.

–Agencies

Madhubani (Bihar), October 29: Angry locals today set ablaze a police station after a truck ran over a youth at Jhanjharpur in Bihar’s Madhubani district.

The locals blocked the Jhanjharpur-Fulparas road and when the police personnel objected to it the irate mob attacked the police station and burnt it.

Two constables – R N Tiwari and P P Yadav – of Jhanjharpur police station suffered injuries in the attack, police said.

Srinagar, October 29: At least three militants were killed in a gun battle with security forces in Mendhar area of Poonch district in Jammu early Thursday morning, army officials said.

Acting on a tip off, security forces raided a militant hideout in Talwa area of Mendhar, about 200 km north-west of Jammu. Three militants were killed in the shoot out that followed.

—IANS

Srinagar, October 29: At least three militants were killed in a gun battle with security forces in Mendhar area of Poonch district in Jammu early Thursday morning, army officials said.

Acting on a tip off, security forces raided a militant hideout in Talwa area of Mendhar, about 200 km north-west of Jammu. Three militants were killed in the shoot out that followed.

–IANS–

Lucknow, October 29: A criminal case was lodged against a woman doctor here Wednesday for allegedly assaulting an 11-year-old girl, who was employed in the medico’s house as a domestic help, police said.

The accused, Aruna Bharti, is a faculty member at the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) here.

The girl was rescued by the Child Helpline Monday evening from Bharti’s flat from inside the SGPGIMS campus after her neighbours called up the helpline complaining that they are hearing the cries of a girl from the house for the past few days.

Punjab, October 28: Two people were arrested and at least 5 kg of heroin, worth Rs.25 crore in the international market, was seized from them in this Punjab city, police said Wednesday.

District police chief P.K. Jaiswar said the drugs consignment was recovered from a car at a checkpost on Ladowali Road here.

The police official said that further investigations and interrogation of those arrested were being done to nail people to whom the consignment was to be delivered.

Panaji, October 28: Ajay Kaushal, 50, the Britain-based NRI who was arrested in Goa, lashed out at media photographers twice within 24 days, once even yanking at a lensman’s shirt, while he was being taken to a court under police escort.

Kaushal, who was on the run evading a 15-year sentence in Britain for assaulting and kidnapping a businessman at Burnley, Wednesday made a wild lunge at the video camera of a cameraperson Siddharth Mehta, who works for a local cable news channel, all in the presence of five police constables who were escorting him.

New Delhi, October 28: A teacher of a reputed music school in the national capital was today convicted by a Delhi court for outraging modesty of his 10-year-old disciple almost five years ago.

Dileep Soloman, who was working as a piano teacher at the Delhi School of Music, has been held guilty under section 354 (outraging modesty of woman) and 509 (making indecent gesture to insult a woman) of IPC.

Metropolitan Magistrate Geetanjali Goel has fixed the matter for October 31 for hearing arguments on the quantum of sentence which may extend to two years in jail or fine or both.

Jammu, October 28: Police today achieved a major breakthrough by arresting a Pakistan based Lashkar-e-Toiba courier from city’s outskirts and recovered Rs 2.4 lakh from him, a police spokesman said here.

Acting on a tip-off, special operation group of state police laid a special naka at Narwal, on the outskirts of city this afternoon, he said adding that they intercepted a vehicle carrying the suspected person but he ignored the signal and fled away.

Jammu, October 28: Security forces have arrested three over ground workers of pakistan based Lashkar-e-Toiba outfit in a village of Kishtwar district, a defence spokesman said here today.

Acting on a tip-off, a joint column of Rashtriya Rifle and police apprehended three LeT OGWs from Patnazi area, about 260 kms from here, in Kishtwar district last evening, he said.

They have been identified as Mohammad Farooq, Qadir and Riaz Ahmed, the spokesman said, adding that these OGWs were handed over to police for further investigations.

–Agencies

Mumbai, October 28: Two alleged contract killers have been arrested for attempting to kill a bar owner here, police said.

Vencil Miranda (27) and Nitin Pawar (28), who were working for alleged gangster Sachin Khambe, were nabbed near Maithri Park in suburban Chembur yesterday when they were about to board a Bangalore-bound bus, they said, adding a 7.65 mm pistol and three rounds were recovered from them.

The two along with their aide had on October 1 shot at bar owner Krishna Shetty in Vakola area.

Lucknow, October 28: Four poachers have been arrested in Uttar Pradesh’s Badaun district and several tortoises have been seized from their possession, police said Wednesday.

The four were nabbed Tuesday night along with 12 tortoises in Badaun’s Bagrain area, some 280-km from Lucknow. Their four aides, however, managed to escape with sacks containing nearly 90 other tortoises, police added.

Ahmedabad, October 28: Two workers were killed and another seriously injured when a lift collapsed at the site of an under-construction power project near Mundra town in Kutch district today. The lift collapsed due to a technical fault, police said.

Of the three construction workers who were in the lift, two — Uttam Singh and Munna Tiwari — died on the spot, while the third, Ashutosh Singh, received severe injuries and rushed to Bhuj Hospital for treatment, they said

—PTI–

Jind (Haryana), October 28: A young couple was found hanging from a tree in a Haryana village, police said Wednesday adding that investigations are underway into the deaths.

The bodies were discovered hanging from a tree in Sapa Kheri village, 30 km from here, late Tuesday, villagers told the police.

According to residents, the two were in love but their families were opposed to their relationship.

Later, the bodies were brought down and cremated by one of the families.