Crime

Mangalore, March 18: Eleven aides of underworld criminal Chota Shakeel gang, including sharp shooter Ganesh Shetty, have been arrested in Karnataka, a senior police official said on Wednesday.

Eight persons were arrested here and based on information provided by them, the others, including Shetty, were rounded up in Chikmagalur following a raid recently, Superintendent of Police Dakshina Kannada Subramanyeshwara Rao told.

The three had come to Chikamagalur to collect weapons for their operations in Mangalore, he said.

Patna, March 18: A man chopped off a woman’s nose with a sharp weapon in a Bihar village after a heated exchange over a land dispute, police said Thursday.

Sakaldeo Sah attacked Asha Devi, in her early 30s, in Mainigram village in Purnia district, about 350 km from here, Wednesday evening after a quarrel over the demarcation line drawn between their houses.

“Asha Devi questioned and opposed Sah’s plans to encroach her land. This angered him so much that he attacked her and chopped off her nose with a sharp weapon Wednesday evening,” a police official said Thursday.

Rampur, March 18: A case has been registered against Samajwadi Party MLA Sripati Azad for allegedly setting ablaze a woman at her house in Rampur Majra village in Maharajganj district on Monday night. The MLA, who took the woman to hospital, is absconding while the woman is in a critical condition.

“She has suffered more than 90 per cent burns and her condition is critical. She was conscious for a few hours during the day, but is unconscious now,” said R K Singh, Principal of Baba Raghav Das Medical College, Gorakhpur.

Panaji, March 18: A 33-year-old Russian lady was found dead in her hotel room at Arapora area in North Goa tonight, police said.

The deceased identified as Elena was found dead in her room, where she was staying alone, at around 10 pm.Police inspector Manjunath Desai said the lady had arrived in the state on tourist visa six days back and was supposed to return back to Russia on March 24. She had travelled alone to India.

Anjuna police were informed about the incident by hotel staff who had opened her room with a master key when she did not respond to their calls this evening.

In the case where a retired post master had died due to poisoning on March 12, his son was held on Wednesday.

The incident took place in Basti Peerdad area where Gurdeep Singh, 62, his wife Satwant Kaur, 57, son Harvinder Singh, 36, daughter-in-law Simran, 30, and his grandchild were found unconscious, said SP (City II) Sarabjit Singh. During investigation, it was found that Harvinder had been involved in the case.

New Delhi, March 18: A 38-year-old woman, who worked with a TV channel, was arrested for lifting handbags from parties at India Habitat Centre here, police said Wednesday.

Meena Sharma, a graduate from Delhi University, was caught red-handed Tuesday with three hand bags from a party hall in the Indian Habitat Centre while she was trying to escape, a police officer said.

“We received several complaints of handbag thefts from various restaurants in Habitat Centre in the past few months,” the officer said.

–IANS–

Mumbai, March 18: The Bombay High Court Wednesday ordered the state government to file a report within 24 hours on the attack on two prominent social activists in Raigad Tuesday.

A division bench of Justice F.I. Rebello and Justice A.A. Sayed gave the order during the hearing on attacks on social activists, including the killing of Pune RTI activist Satish Shetty, which came up before the court.

Lucknow, March 18: Two men were arrested in Uttar Pradesh’s Barabanki district with 22 kg of heroin worth nearly Rs.22 crore, police said Wednesday.

The two men were nabbed Wednesday evening from near the Safdarganj railway station in Barabanki, some 35 km from here, following a joint operation by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and police.

“As of now, we cannot share much about those arrested. The two worked for an inter-state racket involved in supply of illegal drugs,” police Inspector Virendra Singh told reporters.

Gandhinagar, March 17: A suspected Maoist rebel was arrested from Gujarat’s Surat town Wednesday, police said.

According to police, Niranjan Mahapatra was living in the labour area of Pandesara for quite some time and was involved in provoking labour unrest.

Surat range Inspector General of Police A.K. Singh termed the arrest as “significant” but held back further information, saying it would hinder investigation.

South Gujarat tribal areas adjoining Maharashtra are considered Maoist infested and have been the spillover area for the Leftwing ultras.

–Agencies

Chandigarh, March 17: The Haryana government tonight suspended STF chief Ashok Sheoron, a day after he was arrested in connection with an alleged extortion and dacoity racket.

Sheoron, an Additional Superintendent of Police, who was arrested in Panipat yesterday, had been placed under suspension, an official release said here.

Earlier in the day, Panipat’s Chief Judicial Magistrate Gagandeep Kaur sent Sheoron to five-day police custody.

Seven STF personnel, including two assistant sub-inspectors, have already been arrested in connection with alleged racket.

Lucknow, March 17: Two men were arrested in Uttar Pradesh’s Barabanki district with 22 kg of heroin worth nearly Rs.22 crore, police said Wednesday.

The two men were nabbed Wednesday evening from near the Safdarganj railway station in Barabanki, some 35 km from here, following a joint operation by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and police.

“As of now, we cannot share much about those arrested. The two worked for an inter-state racket involved in supply of illegal drugs,” police Inspector Virendra Singh told reporters.

Ahmedabad, March 17: The horror tale of a pregnant woman having her womb slit open by attackers of the 2002 communal riots during the Naroda Patia massacre in Ahmedabad has been negated by a doctor who carried out the autopsy.

J.S. Kanoria during his cross-examination before special court judge Jyotsnaben Yagnik Wednesday said he had conducted the post-mortem examination on three bodies, including the pregnant woman, Kausarbanu Sheikh, and had found the foetus intact in her womb.

Bhubaneswar, March 17: A CRPF employee, posing as a CBI officer, was today arrested while taking a bribe of Rs One lakh from a businessman here.

The impostor, identified as Hemant Kumar Barik, working as a signal operator in CRPF and posted in Kolkata, was nabbed by CBI sleuths.

A sum of Rs one lakh was seized from Barik’s possession, a CBI official said.

“The CBI was probing into the credentials of Barik,” Additional SP, CBI, P K Panigrahi, said.

The CBI also sought complaints from people who had been cheated by Barik in the past.

Panchkula, March 17: A Court here today dismissed the anticipatory bail application of the son of a high-profile retired bureaucrat couple, who was arrested earlier this month on charges of attempt to murder.

Panchkula’s District and Sessions Judge S P Singh dismissed the plea of Ranjit Bajaj, son of retired bureaucrat couple from Punjab– Rupan Deol and B R Bajaj.

Ranjit, currently lodged in a jail in Ambala, was arrested from his house in Chandigarh on March 3.

Namakkal (TN), March 17: A 24-year old youth, who threw acid on a college girl after she spurned his love, was today sentenced to ten years rigorous imprisonment by a court in Rasipuram, 35 km from here.

Chief Judicial Magistrate of Rasipuram and Fast Track Judge C Gunasekaran also imposed a fine of Rs five lakh on Arumugam and ordered his house be attached in case of default.

The 23-year old girl, a BA student of local government arts college, had lost her sight in the right eye and suffered burns on the right side of her body in the acid attack on January 11, 2008.

–Agencies

Lucknow, March 17: Two members of underworld kingpin Chhota Shakeel, one of whom is wanted in connection with a jewellery shop heist in Thane, were arrested by Special Task Force of Uttar Pradesh police from Maharajganj district, home department sources said here today.

Raj Chaudhary alias Michale Thapa and Jitendra Singh were arrested from Sunauli area in Maharajganj district after an encounter last evening when they were attempting to cross over to Nepal, they said.

While Thapa is a Napelese citizen, Jitendra hails from Deoria district of UP, the sources said.

Harda (MP), March 17: A 90-year-old man, who claimed himself as the disciple of Yoga Guru Ramdev, was today detained by the police for allegedly cheating childless couples in the state.

Shivdayal Sharma alias Swami Baba cheated many childless couples across the state, police said.

Sharma has taken money ranging from Rs 20,000 to Rs 40,000 from many couples without a child with the promise to give them medicine to enable them to have kids, they said.

Srinagar, March 17: At least 15 persons, including 13 children, suffered minor injuries when a fire broke out in an orphanage in Kupwara district, official sources said today. The fire, which broke out yesterday, partially damaged the three-storeyed building of the orphanage, run by a non-governmental organisation at Brainwari, 100 kms from here.

Mathura (UP), March 17: A member of a gang, indulging in stealing of luxury vehicles, was killed and six police personnel were injured in an encounter inside a forest area here today, police said.

On receiving information that the gang had stolen a ‘Scorpio’ from near Farah police station area, a team of police personnel was formed to nab them, they said.

Senior Superintendent of Police B D Paulson, after giving the orders, rushed to the forest area along with the team on receiving a tip-off that the gang had taken shelter in the forest area of Tehra village, police said.

New Delhi, March 17: The centre has expressed its displeasure over the report sent by Uttar Pradesh government on the Bareilly riots and sought further clarifications on the arrest of a Muslim cleric which led to the tension.

The Home Ministry has sought reasons for the arrest of Ittehad-e-Millat Conference leader Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan on charges of inciting communal feelings, attempt to murder and treason and his subsequent release.

“Either his arrest was not proper or his release. The government should give proper reasons for both,” official sources said.

Hyderabad, March 17: Two teachers were today taken into custody for allegedly sexually harassing girl students at a Zilla Parishad school in Vishakhapatnam district, police said.

The teachers — Shankar Rao (Social Studies) and Satya Babu (Physical Education), at Godicherla ZP high school in Nakpalli mandal of Visakhapatnam district, allegedly subjected the girl students to sexual harassment by asking them to kiss, touch and making obscene gestures, they said.

Chandigarh, March 17: Police here today claimed to have busted a sex racket and arrested four women in this connection.

“We had information that a sex racket has been operating in this region for last few months. We then decided to send one of our men posing as a customer and the deal was struck for Rs 20,000,” DSP (South) J S Khaira said.

Rs 2,000 was paid as advance to a 45-year-old woman who would allegedly supply girls and charge money between Rs 2,000 and Rs 20,000.

“The woman called that customer to her house in sector 45, from where she would run the sex racket,” he said.

Marijuana, March 17: A Kentucky man high on marijuana and drunk on whiskey put his 5-week-old son in the oven Sunday and left him there overnight, police said.

The oven door was slightly ajar, and the oven was not turned on.

After smoking marijuana at the restaurant where he works as a cook, Larry Long, 33, returned home to share a fifth of whiskey with the baby’s mother, Brandy Hatton, McCracken County Sheriff Jon Hayden said in a statement.

Hatton had four or five shots and went to bed while Long finished the bottle, Hayden said.

Lucknow, March 17: Two members of underworld kingpin Chhota Shakeel, one of whom is wanted in connection with a jewellery shop heist in Thane, were arrested by Special Task Force of Uttar Pradesh police from Maharajganj district, home department sources said here today. Raj Chaudhary alias Michale Thapa and Jitendra Singh were arrested from Sunauli area in Maharajganj district after an encounter last evening when they were attempting to cross over to Nepal, they said.