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Bihar: Saran police rescue kidnapped RJD leader Sunil Rai, two kidnappers Md Irfan and Md Alamtab Khan arrested

On 15th March 2023, Bihar police rescued retired Indian Air Force (IAF) veteran and Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Sunil Rai, who was kidnapped by miscreants on 14th March 2023. The Saran police in the Chhapra district of Bihar have arrested two persons in connection with the case. They are identified as Mohammad Irfan and Mohammad Alamtab Khan.

Sunil Rai’s father Ram Vilas Rai had shared details of the kidnapping case that took place on the morning of March 14. The incident took place near the market committee of the Mufassil police station area. Sunil Rai received a call from a person who asked him to meet. After this call, at around 4 am, he left his house and went towards the office.

At the same time, a white Scorpio car arrived there. Some people got down from the car and started dragging Sunil Rai inside the car. He resisted a lot, but the kidnappers dragged him in. After this, all of them fled away. The incident was caught on a CCTV camera. There were around six kidnappers in all, and all of them were carrying weapons. No one else was present around during the incident.

The police issued a press note after Sunil Rai was found safe. In this press note, a case related to land is cited as the prime reason behind the kidnapping. However, according to Ram Vilas Rai, no one has a grudge against his son.

During interrogation, accused Mohammad Alamtab Khan said that they had given Rs 1.80 crore to Sunil Rai to buy land. Of this, Rs 90 lakh was transferred through bank accounts and the rest was given in cash. The accused say that the RJD leader neither gave them the land nor returned the money. Therefore the accused kidnapped Sunil Rai.

According to the accused, their motive was either to take money from the RJD leader or to kill him. The Special Investigation Team of Bihar police raided and recovered the vehicle used in the incident. They also found Sunil Rai’s damaged phone.

SP Gaurav Mangla said, “The incident occurred as a result of a land dispute. Sunil Rai, the RJD leader, was abducted in a land dispute. The police are investigating and will take appropriate measures.”

It is notable that Sunil Rai is a retired Indian Air Force (IAF) veteran, who currently works as a property dealer and he is a leader in the RJD. He hails from Saran. He also contested an election as an independent candidate. Later he joined RJD.

Land for Job scam: Tejashwi Yadav says he will appear before CBI on March 25 when there will be no session in the Bihar assembly

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Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav on Thursday assured the Delhi High Court that he will join the CBI investigation on March 25 for questioning in connection with the land-for-jobs scam case.

Yadav’s lawyer assured the court after noting the submissions of CBI that “at this point of time, there is no endeavour to arrest him.” During arguments on Thursday before Delhi High Court, senior advocate Maninder Singh appeared for Tejashwi Yadav and submitted that CBI has been calling him while the budget session is underway.

“I can appear through Video Conferencing. I am constantly telling them that I am a resident of Bihar. I have been served with three summons by the agency in just a few days,” Singh said representing Yadav.

CBI advocate DP Singh said, “The budget session is not on Saturday. He (Tejashwi Yadav) was in Delhi during the first summon but he refused to join the investigation. We need his appearance before us as there are documents to be shown,” add a CBI lawyer.

The bench of Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma on Thursday after noting the submissions of both sides disposed of the matter and granted liberty to the petitioner to re-approach the court if any grievance occurs in the future in this regard.

Tejashwi had submitted that notice under section 160 of the CrPC can only be issued to a person, who is situated within the local jurisdiction of that police station or is within the adjoining police station. Therefore, the Impugned Notices have been issued in gross violation of the provisions of the CrPC more particularly the provision stipulated in Section 160 of the CrPC.

However, the petitioner has received the above-mentioned Impugned Notices from the Respondent, requiring him to appear in New Delhi. The same is, however, in disregard of the law, the Yadav’s lawyer said.

Tejashwi Yadav through plea also prayed that directions be issued to the CBI that whenever Yadav is interrogated in the present FIR, he is allowed the presence of his advocate(s) at a visible but not audible distance, as per the law laid down by the Supreme Court of India.

He also said the petitioner (Tejashwi Yadav) is duty-bound to render full cooperation and assistance in the ongoing investigation.

Tejashwi Yadav also sought the issuance of direction, especially in the nature of mandamus for quashing of summons dated February 28, 2023, March 4, 2023, and March 11, 2023, issued by the CBI for appearance before the New Delhi branch of CBI.

The Rouse Avenue Court on Wednesday granted regular bail to ex-Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, ex-Bihar CM Rabri Devi, their daughter-RJD MP Misa Bharti and other accused in Land for Job alleged scam case.

Special Judge Geetanjali Goel on Wednesday while granting regular bail to all accused in the case noted that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had not arrested any accused in the case and the chargesheet was filed without arresting.

The CBI in its first chargesheet filed in connection with the alleged land-for-job scam stated that irregular appointments of candidates were made in Central Railway, violating the laid down norms and procedures of Indian Railways for recruitment.

As a quid-pro-quo, the candidates directly or through their immediate relatives/family members, sold land to the family members of Lalu Prasad Yadav (then Union Railway Minister) at highly discounted rates up to 1/4th to 1/5th of the prevailing market rates, stated CBI.

CBI further stated that investigation has revealed that Lalu Prasad Yadav during the period 2007-08 when he was Union Minister of Railways, with the intent to acquire the land parcels situated in Vill- Mahuabagh, Patna and Vill-Kunjwa, Patna which were situated adjacent to the land parcels already owned by his family members; entered into a criminal conspiracy with his wife Rabri Devi, daughter Misha Bharati, Officers of Central Railways namely Sowmya Raghvan the then General Manager, Kamal Deep Mainrai, the then Chief Personnel Officer, and residents of Vill-Mahjabagh, Patna and Vill-Bindaul, Bihta, Patna and Patna City namely Raj Kumar Singh, Mithlesh Kumar, Ajay Kumar, Sanjay Kumar, Dharmendra Kumar, Vikas Kumar, Abhishek Kumar, Ravindra Ray, Kiran Devi, Akhileshwar Singh, Ramashish Singh.

According to the CBI, all the candidates after their engagement as substitutes were subsequently regularized.

In lieu of getting them appointed in Railways, Lalu Prasad Yadav got the lands transferred owned by candidates and their family members in the names of his wife Rabri Devi and Misha Bharti for sale consideration which was much lesser than the prevailing circle rates as well as the prevailing market rates.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Woman kills her mother, chops up her corpse and hides body parts for months, arrested by Mumbai Police

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On Wednesday, March 15, Mumbai Police arrested a 23-year-old woman named Rimple Prakash Jain residing in the Ibrahim Kasam building in the Lalbaug area. Rimple allegedly killed her 55-year-old mother, amputated her limbs, and hid the body parts for months.

The  Kalachowkie police on Wednesday found the decomposing body of the deceased in a plastic gunny bag in a cupboard and her severed limbs in a water tank in the bathroom. A case has been registered under section 302 of the IPC and the Arms Act. On Thursday, the accused who was presented before the Mazagaon metropolitan magistrate’s court has been sent to police custody till March 20.

Veena Prakash Jain, the victim, was last seen alive on December 26 by a neighbour, according to the police. Veena used to reside with her daughter and alleged murderer, Rimple Jain. The accused used air fresheners and perfumes to cover the foul smell coming from the rotting corpse. Rimple, a Class 12 dropout, lost her father around 20 years ago.

The incident came to light when on Tuesday evening, one of Veena’s nieces went to the Lalbaug house to give her money for monthly expenses. When Rimple did not open the door, the niece inquired about them from the neighbours where she came to know that Veena has not been seen for over two months.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone IV) Pravin Munde added, “The niece informed her mother and an aunt, who went to the Lalbaug house. As they kept on knocking on the door, Rimple opened the door after some time but closed it soon after.” Following this, the suspicious relatives barged into the house where they found a strong rotting smell. They took Rimple to the police station where a missing person complaint was registered based on Veena’s brother’s complaint.

When the police visited the house, they found the victim’s torso and head wrapped in a saree and stuffed inside a polythene bag, and her limbs were found in a steel drum in the bathroom.

Moreover, the police team discovered a sickle and an electric marble cutter inside the home, and they suspect that these tools may have been used to amputate Veena’s limbs. Rimple was interrogated after the remains of the deceased victim were sent for postmortem at KEM hospital. She allegedly told the police that Veena had fallen off the first floor on December 27 last year.

Reportedly, a police officer has said that Rimple has confessed her crime however, she has not made any revelation regarding the motive behind murdering her own mother.

CBI registers FIR against former Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia in the Feedback Unit case

A second case has been registered against former Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, who is already in jail after his arrest in the excise policy scam case. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed an FIR against him in its ongoing probe into a “snooping case” related to the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) alleged Feedback Unit (FBU) snooping scandal. The CBI has filed the First Information Report (FIR) against seven individuals, including former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, in connection with the case.

The CBI conducted a preliminary inquiry into the matter and discovered that the Feedback Unit established by the Delhi government to combat corruption had also gathered “political intelligence”. Based on its findings, an FIR is now filed in this case against Manish Sisodia. Among those accused in this case are Sukesh Kumar Jain, Rakesh Kumar Sinha, who works as a Special Advisor to the Chief Minister and Joint Director of the Feedback Unit, Pradeep Kumar Punj – the Deputy Director of the Feedback Unit, and Satish Khetrapal, who works as a Feedback Officer for the GNCT of Delhi. Additionally, Gopal Mohan, who serves as the Anti-corruption Advisor to the Chief Minister of Delhi, is also among the accused.

The Union Home Ministry has given permission to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to prosecute Sisodia in the case on 22nd February 2023. The Home Ministry communicated this decision to the principal secretary of the Delhi Lieutenant Governor, stating that the sanction was granted under Section 17 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) sought sanction to prosecute Sisodia after its preliminary investigation suggested that the ‘Feedback Unit was used to carry out ‘political snooping’ against the political rivals of AAP. It was found that the FBU was spying on political leaders, bureaucrats, and even judges. CBI’s request to sanction the prosecution of Sisodia was approved by the Lieutenant Governor (LG) of Delhi Vinay Kumar Saxena. 

The Delhi LG wrote in his note that the seeds for the establishment of an extra-constitutional/extra-judicial body modeled after a private intelligence organization and answerable to a single person were planted at the inception.

Feedback Unit

After AAP won the election in Delhi in 2015, the vigilance division’s Feedback Unit was set up to keep the government updated on various activities taking place in multiple ministries, autonomous bodies, and institutions under the jurisdiction of the Delhi government. 

The Arvind Kejriwal-led government established a ‘Feedback Unit’ after losing control over the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) in 2015. Later in 2019, a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court comprising justices AK Sikri and Ashok Bhushan ruled that the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi and by extension, the Centre will have jurisdiction over Delhi’s anti-corruption bureau.

In September 2015, the Kejriwal government established a Feedback Unit- an Extra Constitutional-Extra Judicial Intelligence Agency which became operational in February 2016. The FBU was staffed by 17 contract employees, the majority of them former officers of the Central Armed Police Forces and the Intelligence Bureau.

Manish Sisodia is already arrested in the Delhi Liquor Policy Scam Case

On Friday, 10th March 2023, a Delhi court remanded former deputy chief minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia to Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody till 17th March 2023. The court ruled this while hearing a money laundering case filed in connection with the Delhi liquor policy regarding the excise policy for the year 2021-2022.

The court deferred Sisodia’s bail application hearing until March 21 while making the decision about ED’s remand, citing a lack of time. Manish Sisodia is remanded to ED custody till 17th March 2023. Manish Sisodia was arrested by CBI on 26th February 2023.

Pakistan: Judge offers former PM Imran Khan protection from arrest in Toshakhana case if he surrenders in court

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A Pakistan court judge on Thursday, said that he would halt the arrest of the country’s former prime minister Imran Khan in the Toshakhana case, only if Khan surrendered in the court, Dawn reported.

The bench of Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ), Zafar Iqbal made the above remarks while hearing the reference of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) that sought criminal proceedings against Imran for hiding details of Toshakhana gifts. According to a report in Dawn, the PTI Chairman was scheduled to be indicted in the reference by the sessions court on February 28, but his attorney had asked the judge to excuse him from the hearing since he had to show up in numerous other courts. He had previously had his indictment postponed several times.

Khan was then issued non-bailable arrest warrants, and the judge ordered the police to bring him before the court by March 7. The PTI leader avoided being taken into custody and then petitioned the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to have the warrants revoked.

The former prime minister of the country was given some reprieve by the IHC, but was still instructed to appear in the sessions court on March 13; nevertheless, the former prime minister again skipped the hearing.

As a result, Khan was granted new non-bailable arrest warrants on Monday by ADSJ Iqbal, who also ordered the police to take him to court by March 18.

PTI supporters and law enforcement agents engaged in two days of fierce combat when the police attempted to arrest Imran at his Zaman Park mansion in Lahore on Tuesday. After the courts got involved on Wednesday, the fights eventually stopped.

The most recent arrest warrants for Imran were also contested by the PTI on the same day before the IHC. The PTI leader was told to give the trial court an undertaking stating that he would appear at the hearing on March 18 after the plea was rejected.

The case was picked up again by the ADSJ Iqbal court on Thursday morning. Khawaja Haris Ahmed and Babar Awan, Imran’s attorneys, were present.

A report published in Dawn read legislators from the ruling coalition filed the reference last year, alleging that Imran had not disclosed information about the gifts he had received from the Toshaskhana (during his tenure as prime minister) and the money from their alleged sales. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) reached the conclusion that the former premier had in fact made “false statements and erroneous declarations” about the presents on October 21.

The Toshakhana is a division of the Cabinet Division that houses presents that foreign dignitaries and the heads of other states have given to monarchs and officials.

Imran was declared ineligible according to Article 63(1)(p) of the Constitution, according to the order.

The ECP then submitted a copy of the reference to the Islamabad Sessions Court, requesting that Imran be charged with a crime for allegedly lying to officials about the gifts he received from foreign dignitaries while serving as prime minister, Dawn reported. 

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Two SpiceJet pilots penalised for consuming gujiya and beverages inside the cockpit on Holi

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SpiceJet recently penalised two of its pilots for allegedly jeopardising flight safety. The airline grounded them after they consumed gujiya and beverages that were kept on the control panel within the cockpit on the day of Holi. The incident was reported on board a Delhi to Guwahati flight on March 8. According to airline management, the pilots put flight safety at risk with their actions, and an investigation is already underway.

According to a SpiceJet spokesman, all flight crew members abide by the airline’s rigorous policy regarding the consumption of food in the cockpit. He added that appropriate disciplinary action would be taken at the conclusion of the probe. The company has taken both pilots off the roster for now.

The incident came to light after a photo of an open cup placed on the control panel of a SpiceJet aircraft went viral on social media earlier this week. The cup had the spice jet logo printed on it. As per the guidelines, the cups inside the cockpit need to have a lid on them, and have to be kept on a tray to avoid spillage.

However, the airline is still trying to ascertain the exact timeline of the incident. “It is not clear from the post when was the photograph taken, whether it is recent or old, the sector being operated or the crew or even the aircraft in question. We are trying to ascertain these details,” the airline said.

As the image went viral online, several netizens criticised the careless behaviour of the crew in question.

Mohan Ranganathan, who was reportedly the first one to share the photo online, while sharing the image commented, “Even horoscope cant save you if there is an emergency.”

Another netizen called the act ‘appalling and unprofessional’, pointing out that the ability of the airplane to fly safely could be compromised if the liquid spills.

Another user showed the correct way to drink a beverage in the cockpit.

On Tuesday, India’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, took note of the incident and asked SpiceJet to immediately identify the crew members and take appropriate action.

Umesh Pal murder case: New CCTV footage emerges showing gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed’s son Asad Ahmed chasing and attacking Pal

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In the latest development to the Umesh Pal murder case, new CCTV footage has emerged, wherein gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed’s son Asad Ahmed is seen chasing Umesh Pal on the street with a pistol in his hand.

In the latest 24 seconds video, which was captured moments before Umesh Pal was murdered, the latter can be seen running towards his house in order to save his life. Then, a scuffle breaks out between the assailants and Umesh Pal.

Asad is seen attempting to shoot Umesh Pal in the head, while both are engaged in a physical scuffle inside a narrow lane. Pal tries to escape the clutches of Asad and his aides. At this point, a woman can be seen running towards Umesh Pal to rescue him, but when she hears multiple rounds of fire being shot, she flees the scene.

The assailant, Asad, is seen tucking a pistol to his waist, while gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed’s aide, Guddu Muslim, hurls a bomb at gunner Raghvendra Singh.

Umesh Pal and his two police security guards Raghvendra Singh and Sandeep Nishad were shot dead outside his home in Prayagraj’s Dhoomanganj on February 24.

Reportedly, the person seen with a pistol in his hand is Asad Ahmed, the son of mafia-politician and former MP Atiq Ahmed, identified as the master conspirator of the murder of Umesh Pal. The Prayagraj police are taking forward the investigation on the basis of this new video.

Atiq Ahmed is currently locked in Sabarmati jail in Ahmedabad for orchestrating the kidnapping and assault of a real estate businessman, Mohit Jaiswal, from the Deoria jail. Atiq is also the prime accused in the 2005 murder of BSP MLA Raju Pal, who was shot dead in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj. Notably, Umesh Pal was the prime witness in this case.

Atiq Ahmed used FaceTime on his iPhone to plan the murder of Umesh Pal from jail

The Police earlier revealed that Atiq Ahmed along with his brother Ashraf, who is in Bareilly jail in UP, planned Umesh Pal’s murder from within the jail and also made all the preparations to save his son Asad Ahmed from the case and showcase his presence in Lucknow.

According to reports, Ashraf’s brother-in-law Saddam used to go to Bareilly’s jail to meet Ashraf and make him talk to Atiq. STF was keeping an eye on Saddam’s activities and was continuously listening to the conversation between Atiq and Ashraf. After this, the duo started using the FaceTime app. According to the reports, Atiq had also communicated with the murderers of Umesh Pal.

As per reports, most of the time the two conversed about land deals and litigation. Ashraf was angry at Umesh Pal’s increasing interference in some matters and was asking Atiq to ‘settle the account’. At the same time, Atiq talked about solving the matter through mediators.

Also, the gangster had made all the arrangements to execute the murder of Umesh Pal and save his son Asad. According to police sources, the location of Mohammad Asad’s mobile was in Lucknow at the time of the incident. Not only this but money was also withdrawn from Asad’s ATM in Lucknow during the incident.

The police examined the CCTV footage of the murder and identified Asad in the video. However, as per the Police, Asad deliberately left his phone and ATM card in Lucknow to deviate from the evidence in the case.

Meanwhile, following the expose, six Bareilly Central Jail personnel, including the jailor and deputy jailor, were suspended for facilitating illegal meetings of visitors with gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed’s brother Ashraf in the prison, officials said. Those suspended included jailor Rajiv Kumar Mishra, his deputy Durgesh Pratap Singh, head jail warder Brijveer Singh, and jail warders Manoj Gaur, Danish Mehndi and Dalpat Singh.

Atiq and Ashraf were recently booked in connection with the killing of Umesh Pal based on the complaint launched by Umesh Pal’s wife Jaya Pal. Besides, the police also booked Atiq Ahmed’s wife Shaista Parveen, two sons, aides Guddu Muslim and Gulam, and nine others.

The accused have been booked under sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with a deadly weapon), 149 (unlawful assembly), 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and provisions of the Explosive Substances Act and the Criminal Law Amendment Act.

Uttar Pradesh Police even announced a Rs 25,000 cash reward for information leading to Atiq Ahmed’s wife Shaista Parveen’s arrest.

Foreign national runs naked on busy Gurugram road bringing traffic to a standstill, detained

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In a bizarre incident, a Nigerian national was caught running naked on a busy road in Gurugram on Wednesday, March 16. The strange visual shocked passersby and disrupted the traffic. The incident took place at around 6 pm, when the man was spotted running naked in the middle of the road near the busy Tulip Chowk in Sector 69.

The Gurugram Police immediately swung into action and rushed to the scene. Upon the arrival of the Police, the man tried to run towards a nearby village where he was caught by the villagers and tied to a tree.

The police immediately took the man into custody and took him to a nearby hospital for a medical checkup.

The SHO of Badshahpur, Madan Lal, said that they have detained the Nigerian national and are investigating the matter. If his mental health is found to be stable, they will register a case against him for public indecency and disturbing public order.

The police are also trying to establish the reason behind the man’s erratic behaviour. They are investigating whether he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or whether he has a history of mental illness.

The incident has caused a stir among the local residents and has raised concerns about the safety of the public. The police have urged people to report any suspicious behaviour and to avoid any confrontation with such individuals.

Nobel committee deputy leader Asle Toje praises PM Modi but denies calling him the favourite for the Nobel Peace prize

On Wednesday, March 15, Asle Toje, Deputy leader of the Nobel Prize Committee, praised India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and reportedly called him the biggest contender for the Nobel Peace Prize. Calling PM Modi the “most reliable face of peace in the world,” Toje hailed his governance and added that India is becoming a rich and powerful country because of PM Modi’s policies.

Asle Toje, who called India a peace legacy, believes the country is destined to become a superpower of this century. “It is interesting to see that from a growing country, India is becoming one of the primary economies of this world. India is taken more seriously now. When India speaks it tends to be with a more friendly voice, without threats” said Toje.

Furthermore, lauding India’s effort under the leadership of Modi to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine, he stated that PM Modi is the most trusted leader who can stop wars among warring countries and establish peace.

Calling himself a “big fan” of PM Modi, Toje added that every leader in the world should work for peace, and a powerful leader like Narendra Modi has a far greater ability to do so.

Toje added that the world needs leaders like PM Modi who just doesn’t think about his country but the entire humanity.

PM Modi is a leader who not only takes care of uplifting India and its economy but also contributes and participates in matters around the globe, said Toje.

UPDATE: However, despite praising PM Modi and evidently being his fan, Asle Toje, on Thursday, dismissed media reports claiming he said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the biggest contender for the Nobel Peace Prize. Toje’s clarification came after news reports claimed that Toje, during this visit to India, had tipped PM Modi to be the “biggest contender” for the Nobel Peace Prize.