1. Out for a Walk, SP Leader Shot in Mau, FIR Names No One
A Samajwadi Party (SP) leader and former village pradhan was shot dead while he was out for a morning walk at a village in Mau district on Sunday, 12 January.
The incident came to light when a resident spotted the body of 42-year-old Bijli Yadav in a field. Police suspect that an issue related to the upcoming panchayat election could be behind the murder.
On his wife Meena Yadav’s complaint, an FIR has been lodged against unidentified persons at Mohammadabad police station. No one has been arrested.
A native of Shikwaliya village, Bijli Yadav is survived by his wife and five daughters. He was private contractor and owned two trucks.
Abhinav Kannaujia, Circle Officer of Mau, said around 7 am, they were informed that Yadav was shot dead. A police team rushed to the spot and sent the body for postmortem. Former Mau SP president Dharam Prakash said that Yadav was an old party worker and was in charge of Shikwaliya election booth .
(Source: The Indian Express)
2. Pune: 20-Year-Old Strangles Minor Friend to Death After Abducting Him, Arrested
A 20-year-old man was arrested Sunday, 12 January, for abduction and murder of his 17-year-old friend, said police.
The deceased has been identified as Abdulahat Siddiqui, a resident of Kala Gaurav Complex in Dapodi and a student of Class XII at a city college. His friend, Umar Nasir Shaikh (20), a school dropout, was arrested Sunday. Shaikh told the police that he hatched the plan to kidnap his friend from a movie, Khatarnak Khiladi 2.
Police Inspector Shankar Awatade of Bhosari police station said, “Around 8.15 pm on Saturday, 11 January, Siddiqui left his home with his friend Shaikh. We have reasons to believe that the suspect had hatched a plan in advance to confine Siddiqui somewhere and call his family members for ransom. As he could not find a place, he took Siddiqui to a secluded location on the campus of Pune University, where he first hit him on the head and then strangled him to death. A little after 9.30 pm, he contacted the family.”
According to police, Shaikh called another friend from Siddiqui’s mobile phone to inform his brother that Siddiqui has been kidnapped. When Siddiqui’s brother called the phone, Shaikh demanded Rs 40 lakh as ransom, said police.
A police officer said they were also probing whether the relationship between the duo had turned bitter over a girl they both knew.
(Source: The Indian Express)
3. 18-Yr-Old Domestic Help Found Hanging at Doctor’s House in Panchkula
An 18-year-old woman allegedly hanged herself at the house of her employer in Sector 17, Panchkula, on Saturday, 11 January.
Police said the woman, a native of Jharkhand, worked as a domestic help for a doctor for the past 10 months.
While the doctor and his family live on the ground floor, she lived on the first floor.
Around 8am on Saturday, 11 January, when she did not come downstairs at the usual time, one of the family members went to check on her, and found her hanging from the ceiling with a rope.
The police were informed, and body was sent to the General Hospital in Sector 6.
Police said the body bore no injury marks, adding that no suicide note was found.
The post-mortem examination will be conducted after her family members arrive from Jharkhand. Police have initiated inquest proceedings under Section 174 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
4. Fraudsters Pose as E-Wallet Execs, Send KYC Texts to Dupe Customers
Cyber-fraudsters have started a new criminal trend of posing as executives of e-wallet company Paytm, to scam users of their money. Mumbai Police have received several Paytm e-wallet fraud complaints since last year and have traced a number of these scamsters to Jharkhand.
According to the police, fraudsters send messages purported to be from Paytm, informing users that their e-wallet accounts will be suspended as their KYC (know your customer) details have not been updated. The fraudsters then call the users and trick them into sharing their e-wallet details, which they use to withdraw money from their accounts.
A cyber officer from Mumbai Police, said, “This cybercrime is trending since the past year. We have analysed 40 such numbers and the calls are coming from Jamtara in Jharkhand, which is a hub for such crimes. There are two to three more places in north Indian states from where these calls are being made.”
The officer mentioned that all these numbers used for scams belong to a single telecom service provider, which indicates that KYC is not done properly by the provider.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
5. Pune: Man Posing as RAW Officer Turns Out to Be Murder Accused on the Run
He introduced himself as Akhand Kumar Shukla, an officer from Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), and said he wanted to share “sensitive information about arms smuggling from Bihar” with police.
But soon his luck ran out as the police unmasked his real identity as a murder accused on the run, identified as Sonu Tiwari (26) from Bihar, hiding in Pune.
On Saturday, 11 January, afternoon, a frail, short man came to the Kondhwa police station. While he was standing in the front yard and observing things around him, a policeman on duty, Amol Phadtare, asked him what he wanted. The way he introduced himself was no less than a character from a Bollywood spy movie: “Akhand Kumar Shukla, additional superintendent, RAW”. He told police that a consignment of arms and ammunition was coming from Bihar to Kondhwa in Pune and he wanted to “share info” with senior officers.
While he got an audience with senior officers, even basic counter questions to him did not yield satisfactory answers.
(Source: The Indian Express)
6. Mumbai: 4 Held for Sexual Assault of 19-Year-Old Student
Four youth were arrested on Saturday, 11 January, for allegedly sexually assaulting a 19-year-old student at a college in Nagpada.
Police said the incident took place around 1.30 pm, when the first-year BCom student was standing near a stationery shop in the college premises. An eyewitness told The Indian Express that the accused touched the woman’s private parts and her shoulder.
In her complaint to the police, the woman alleged that a 20-year-old student from the same college, touched her inappropriately. When she confronted him, he allegedly started abusing and threatening her. At this, other students intervened and the accused allegedly went on to abuse and threaten them as well. In the meantime, a student called the police. As soon as a police van arrived at the college, the accused fled, the complainant claimed.
The four have been booked under sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 352 (punishment for assault or criminal force otherwise than on grave provocation), 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.
(Source: The Indian Express)
7. Man Hacked to Death by Woman in Raiganj
A man was hacked to death allegedly by a woman with whom he was in an illicit relationship in West Bengal's North Dinajpur district, police said on Sunday, 12 January.
The incident happened in Ukilpara area in the district's Raiganj town.
Gopal Das and Saraswati Jha, both married to other persons, were in an illicit relationship, police said, adding that recently Gopal was having an affair with another woman.
Saraswati came to know of the other woman and when they were drinking together on night of 11 January , she attacked him with a sharp object, killing him instantly, they said.
Saraswati has been arrested and a case has been filed, they said.
(Source: Times of India)
8. Pune Trader’s Minor Son Abducted for Ransom, Found Murdered: Police
A vegetable trader’s son was found murdered in the early hours of Sunday, 12 January, in Dapodi area in Pune, a day after he was allegedly abducted. Police have launched a manhunt for suspects including some acquaintances of the deceased 17-year-old youth.
Police have identified the deceased youth as Abdulahat Sayyed Siddiqui, a resident of Bombay Colony in Dapodi, who was a class 12 student at a local college. Officials said that his father is a vegetable trader in Dapodi.
In the early hours of Sunday, 12 January, Siddiqui’s body was found near the campus of Savitribai Phule Pune University. Subsequently, a probe was launched by the police.
“As per our information, the family members of the deceased had received a call for the ransom of Rs 40 lakh. We are working on various clues. We suspect involvement of acquaintance of the deceased youth.” A police officer, who is part of the probe said.
The the crime branch of the Pimpri Chinchwad Police commissionerate and the Bhosari police station, which has jurisdiction over the area where the family of the deceased stays, have launched a probe in the case.
(Source: The Indian Express)
9. Girl Injured in Acid Splash: Jewellery Cleaner Also Arrested
A day after a 13-yr-old girl received burn injuries when acid allegedly spilled on her during a spat between a woman Asha Sonkar and a jewellery cleaner Ram Chandra Soni at Balda locality in Qaiserbagh here, the police on Sunday, 12 January, also arrested the latter.
Soni was booked under Section 285 (negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible matter), 336 (act endangering life of others) and relevant sections of Poisons Act, said SK Sinha, CO, Qaiserbagh.
As per the police, Soni had gone to the locality to clean jewellery and had a verbal spat with a woman Asha Sonkar. Sinha said, “The woman accused Soni of spoiling her jewellery and during the spat, she threw his bag on the ground. Meanwhile, acid from the bottle kept inside the bag spilled over three people sitting near him.”
He said two women received minor burns but 13-yr-old Gungun received severe burn injuries and was rushed to the Balrampur Hospital. Doctors said the victim was out of danger but still under observation.
Her family had lodged a complaint against Asha Sonkar for allegedly throwing acid on Gungun. “We have booked the woman under Section 326A (acid attack) and arrested her,” said Sinha.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)