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Angelina Jolie anonymously files suit against FBI for giving clean chit to ex-husband Brad Pitt in 2016 case: All you need to know

Hollywood actor Angelina Jolie is said to have filed a lawsuit against the FBI in April, anonymously as Jane Doe, requesting documents related to an investigation involving Brad Pitt. She did so reportedly in an attempt to learn why no criminal charges were brought against her ex-husband following their alleged fight onboard a private jet in 2016, that led to the couple’s divorce.

The suit seeks the FBI to release information related to the investigation after Jolie claimed Pitt had physically assaulted her and their children on a private flight in the year 2016.

The attorney for Jane Doe said in April that she couldn’t comment on the identity of her client. But the lawyer noted that her client was “seeking such records for years but has been stonewalled and has had to resort to court action to receive needed records.”

According to Daily Mail, the FBI documents, which have yet to be publicly released, were obtained by several news outlets on Tuesday. As per the agency’s document, the assistant United States attorney and the assistant United States chief of the Criminal Division discussed the case in November 2017 before a decision was reached not to proceed with charges against Brad Pitt.

The documents revealed how Jolie told FBI officials that Pitt yelled at her, “grabbed her by her head,” shook her, “pushed her into the bathroom wall” and repeatedly punched the ceiling of the plane.

The records said the altercation occurred 90 minutes into the flight between France and Los Angeles on September 14, 2016.

It was reportedly the same flight where Angelina Jolie allegedly sustained injuries from a physical altercation and gave an agent “a photo of her elbow in an attempt to corroborate this.” Jolie had claimed there was $25,000 of damage done to the private jet.

She alleged that he punched the ceiling of the plane four times after telling her, “You’re f—ing up this family.” When the kids asked, “Are you OK, Mommy?,” Pitt allegedly replied: “No, she’s not OK, she’s ruining this family, she’s crazy.”

Jolie had further claimed in her statement that Pitt’s actions scared their six children, who ranged in age from 8 to 15 at the time.

At this point, one of the kids, whose name was redacted from the report, yelled, “It’s not her, it’s you, you p**k!,” according to the report. Pitt then allegedly ran toward the child, but Jolie held him back, suffering injuries to her back and elbow in the process.

‘Angelina Jolie trying to inflict the most amount of pain by reviving plane incident’, says a source close to Brad Pitt

Brad Pitt, meanwhile, denied all the accusations meted out at him by his ex-wife. A source close to Pitt claimed that both he and Jolie had the FBI documents in question for six years, and Jolie likely meant to “revive an issue that was painful for everybody and was resolved six years ago.”

“They investigated it. They prepared materials, reviewed it together and decided not to charge him,” says the source.

“What are the motivations of a person to take up court time and public resources in filing an anonymous FOIA request for the material they have had for years? There’s only one: to inflict the most amount of pain on her ex. There is no benefit to this. It is harmful to the children and the entire family for this to be made public,” said Brad Pitt’s source.

“It’s wave after wave of attempts to hurt him,” added the source. “He has remained virtually completely silent other than to acknowledge things he could do better. He has remained silent on this issue because he knows that’s the best thing for his kids, what’s best for everybody. He has maintained that stance despite a never-ending barrage of attacks and attempts made to use the courts against him.”

Brad Pitt given clean chit in 2016 case

According to NBC News, the actor was officially cleared by the FBI of any wrongdoing involving his children on November 22, 2016. Laura Eimiller, an FBI spokeswoman, issued a statement saying, “The FBI has conducted a review of the circumstances and will not pursue further investigation. No charges have been filed in this matter.”

Angelina Jolie filed for divorce from Brad Pitt 4 days after the altercation

Notably, the altercation between Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt took place on September 14, 2016. On September 19, Jolie filed for divorce from The Fight Club actor Brad Pitt. After 11 years of marriage, the former Hollywood couple has been embroiled in a messy legal battle. Despite the fact that Jolie and Pitt are legally divorced, the couple is still fighting over custody of their minor children.

Legal cases between Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt had been together for nearly a decade before marrying in 2014. Their relationship also began amid controversy, as most reports at the time stated that the couple met in 2004, while Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston were still married to each other. Jennifer and Pitt, on the other hand, made it clear in an official statement to People magazine that they were splitting up after considering various issues, and it had nothing to do with what the tabloids had to say. They also stated that they were splitting up amicably.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt filed for divorce in 2016, and their marriage was declared null and void in 2019. According to TMZ, Angelina Jolie was dissatisfied with Brad Pitt’s excessive alcohol and substance consumption, which she felt was endangering their children. Brad Pitt’s team was quick to respond, stating that the actor was a devoted father. Brad Pitt later told People magazine that the most important thing for them right now is the well-being of their children.

Within the next few days, an investigation was initiated on Brad Pitt, over child abuse allegations, which was being processed by the FBI and LA DCFS.

No substantial evidence against Brad Pitt

Angelina Jolie was initially granted full custody of her children for more than three weeks, but the case quickly reached the courts as Brad Pitt sought joint custody. The investigating authorities stated in November 2016 that there was no substantial evidence of physical abuse against Brad Pitt.

The Fight Club actor attempted to keep the case out of the public eye. It was later settled in January 2017 because the ex-couple wanted to keep the matter private for the sake of their children.

Angelina Jolie was dissatisfied with the proceedings thus far

After Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s divorce was finalised in 2019, their custody case fell silent for a while. Angelina Jolie attempted to remove Judge John W Ouderkirk as the judge-in-charge in August 2020, despite the fact that he was unanimously appointed by the couple, in order to keep their case as private as possible. She claimed that the judge was biased against her, but the courts denied her request.

Court granted joint custody of children to Brad Pitt

Angelina Jolie was of the opinion that the judge ignored a specific incident that pointed to physical abuse. She also stated that she had substantial evidence that could be proven if the minor children were permitted to testify. Children over the age of 14 are permitted to testify under California law, but Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s children’s testimony was not taken at this time. Brad Pitt was granted joint custody over the next few months, while Angelina Jolie still continues to fight for full custody of the children.

Maharashtra: Suspicious boat carrying weapons including AK-47 found abandoned along the Raigad coast, high alert sounded

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On Thursday, a high alert was issued along the coastal area of Maharashtra after a suspicious boat carrying weapons was found abandoned on the beach of Harihareshwar, Raigad. The Police and the security agencies immediately reached the spot to conduct a preliminary investigation into the case.

According to the reports the boat, which is now in the custody of the security agencies, was full of weapons which included rifles like AK-47 and other explosives. The residents of Raigad district and the nearby areas are also concerned after the incident. However, the police are trying to pacify and control the situation. The officers have asked the residents to not believe in the rumors and stay calm instead.

The collector of Raigad, Dr. Mahendra Kalyankar, elaborating on the incident said that people are scared since the incident was first reported. “There is no need to be scared. If you come across any suspicious thing or person, please inform the department so that further action can be taken in the interest of the safety of all”, he said addressing the people of Raigad and nearby areas.

To note, the police are investigating to know the details of the boat that was found abandoned in the water with weapons. The police stated that there was no person on board the boat. The papers and materials recovered from the boat are being inspected by the Police. The district administration has also informed Coast Guard and Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) regarding the incident.

Raigad MP Sunil Tatkare also highlighted the severity of the threat and said, “This is serious. Earlier in 1993 similar suspicious boat was discovered and we all know what happened after that. In this case, proper investigation is required and even the center needs to look into the matter”, he said. “I will raise this issue. I don’t want to hamper the investigation. Let people of Raigad know the truth cause their security is in question”, he added.

Reports mention that the weapons discovered from the boat are dismantled and are of no use to anyone. A team of the Maharashtra Anti-Terror Squad is also leaving Mumbai for Alibaug and ATS chief Vinit Agrawal is accompanying the team. Further, the bomb squad has also been rushed to the spot.

Madhya Pradesh: Home Minister Dr. Narottam Mishra suggests ‘flop and frustrated actor’ Arjun Kapoor should focus on his acting rather than threatening public

Arjun Kapoor’s statement expressing displeasure over the boycott trend of Bollywood films is getting a lot of reactions from all quarters. Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Dr. Narottam Mishra has termed Arjun Kapoor’s statement as a threat to the public. He has also called Arjun Kapoor a ‘flop and frustrated actor’ and suggested that he should focus on his acting skills rather than standing by ‘Tukde Tukde Gang’.

On 17th August 2022, while answering a question about Arjun Kapoor’s reaction to the boycott trends against Bollywood movies, Dr. Narottam Mishra said in a press conference, “Now if a flop actor threatens the public, I do not believe it is right. I think it will be better if instead of threatening the public, he focuses on his acting. I have a question for him. Does he or those who are supporters of the tukde-tukde gang have the courage to make a film on another religion? Can they use abusive language for any other religion and demean the gods of any other religion? You do this all with the Sanatan Dharma and threaten the people when they boycott your films. Wait, Arjun Ji. Now the public has become aware.”

What did Arjun Kapoor say?

Arjun Kapoor, Boney Kapoor’s son, whose father, uncles, cousins, stepmother, and step-siblings have all been part of the tinsel town, in a recent interview with Bollywood gossip website ‘Bollywood Hungama’ said that the film industry people need to come together to end the boycott trend. “We have stayed silent for too long and thought our work will speak for itself,” he said. He added that now people are used to making boycott calls and the hashtags that run are far from reality.

Arjun Kapoor further claimed that the shine of the film industry has come down over the past few years because they (film industry people) didn’t do much and ‘allowed’ muck to be thrown at them. Kapoor’s interview came close on the heels of much anticipated big-budget films like Aamir Khan’s Laal Singh Chaddha and Akshay Kumar’s Raksha Bandhan tanking at the box office miserably. While many netizens have claimed the films had a weak opening because of the boycott calls made for the films owing to the Hinduphobic nature of people associated with the films, critics have also noted that the films were badly made and were more like an assault on sensibilities of the audience.

Bihar: Vegetable vendor’s 15-year-old daughter killed in broad daylight in Patna, video caught on CCTV

On Thursday, a vegetable vendor’s 15-year-old daughter was shot in the neck allegedly over a love affair in the Indrapuri area of Sipara in Patna. The incident happened at around 7:30 in the morning when the girl was returning from coaching classes. Police investigating the case said that they have identified the accused but he is yet to be arrested.

According to the reports, the CCTV footage of the incident went viral over the internet where the girl studying in class 9 was shot by a man. The man in the video could be seen waiting for the girl to arrive at the spot. He then pulled out a gun from his bag, shot her in broad daylight, and then ran away.

The Police reached the spot after around one and a half hours of the incident. The victim girl was then shifted to the hospital and is currently undergoing treatment. Reports mention that the condition of the girl is critical.

To note, the incidents of murder, theft, and other crime have been on the rise since CM Nitish Kumar resigned from his position to join hands with the Rashtriya Janata Dal in the state. Earlier on August 11, a journalist named Gokul Yadav was shot dead in broad daylight in Gopalganj. He was shot five times by five miscreants leading to his death on the spot.

On the same day, a Ram Janki temple priest named Rudal Sah was murdered in Bettiah, Bihar. While the objective of the murder is as yet unclear, reports mention that the murderers carried the severed head of the priest to Pipra Kali temple. Also, the Buddha Toyota showroom was robbed of Rs 9 lakhs in Patna, Bihar. As reported, 12 miscreants had entered from the back door, killed a private security guard, and looted the showroom cash and 6 laptops.

Considering the trail of incidents, the BJP had slammed Nitish Kumar govt saying that with the return of RJD, ‘jungle raj’ had returned to the state of Bihar. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra last week held a press conference to state that several people, including journalists, had been killed and a temple priest was beheaded since the two parties joined hands to form the government. “Disorder is spreading in the state at a fast pace. It will not be an exaggeration to say that ‘jungle raj’ returns to Bihar,” Patra was quoted.

He stated that the BJP’s presence in the state government had previously served as a deterrent to crime, even though the party did not have home department.

West Bengal police arrest two suspected Al-Qaeda terrorists from North 24 Parganas, interrogation reveals 17 others active in the region

On Wednesday, the special task force (STF) unit of the West Bengal Police foiled a massive terror bid as it arrested two suspected terrorists having links with Al-Qaeda from the Shashan village of Barasat block in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal.

The police have also seized several pieces of radical literature indicative of waging war against the Union of India from their possession.

The STF source confirmed that the detained persons have been identified as Abdur Rakib Sarkar, a resident of Gangarampur, District Dakshin Dinajpur, and Kazi Ahasan Ullah, a resident of Arambagh, District Hooghly. The duo might be active members of the banned terrorist outfit in the Indian Sub-Continent (AQIS), an affiliate group of Al-Qaida, said the police.

According to reports, the STF received a tip on Wednesday night about alleged Al Qaeda terrorists hiding in North Parganas, along with incriminating materials including anti-national documents. Following the tip, the STF raided the Kharibari area of Shashan, North Parganas, and apprehended the alleged terrorists.

Sources in the STF said that their team learned that Sarkar would arrive late Wednesday evening to meet Kazi Ahshanullah at the latter’s residence in Shashan in North 24 Parganas. Accordingly, STF sleuths laid traps and nabbed Sarkar along with Ahshanullah as soon as they reached Shashan.

It has been learned that several cases have been registered against Sarkar and Kazi Ahshanullah at various police stations in West Bengal. STF was looking for both of them for a long time for active involvement in insurgency activities.

According to reports, during interrogation, the duo admitted to being active members of AQIS. The STF investigators are currently questioning them about their other associates in the West Bengal terrorist chain or sleeper cells. STF sources said that the accused named 17 others who have been active in the region during their interrogation. The police, accordingly, is now initiating a specific case under the various provisions of the UAPA and IPC against the two detained accused and the other 17 names revealed during their interrogation thus far.

Meanwhile, the duo will be presented in a lower court in Barasat on Thursday, where the STF will seek their custody for further questioning.

‘Business as it should be’: Airtel’s Sunil Bharti Mittal tells how 5G spectrum allocation was done within hours of payment, details

On Thursday, the Bharti Airtel founder and Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal lauded the PM Modi led-government for ease of doing business after the company received an allocation letter for the designated 5G spectrum within hours of payment of the dues.

“No Fuss, No Follow Up, No running around the corridors, and No tall claims. This is the ease of doing business at work in its full glory”, Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal said in an official statement released on August 18. He also appreciated the Department of Telecommunications which comes under the Ministry of Communications and said that the current government had made business easy.

“In my over 30 years of first-hand experience with DOT, this is a first! Business as it should be. Leadership at work-Right at the top and the helm of telecom. What a change, change that can transform this nation – power its dreams to be a developed nation,” he added.

The statement revealed that the company paid Rs 8,312.4 crore to the Department of Telecom (DoT) towards dues for spectrum acquired in the recently concluded 5G auctions. The company said that it paid four years of 2022 5G spectrum dues upfront. Mittal praised the Modi-led govt and said, “Leadership at work- Right at the top and at the helm of telecom. What a change! Change that can transform this nation- power its dreams to be a developed nation”.

Reports mention that the Department of Telecommunications has received an upfront payment of around Rs 17,876 crore from companies including Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio, Adani Data Networks, and Vodafone Idea for the 5G spectrum they won in a recent auction.

While all telecom providers have chosen to pay in 20 yearly instalments, Bharti Airtel has paid in four annual instalments of Rs 8,312.4 crore. Reliance Jio has paid Rs 7,864.78 crore, Vodafone Idea has paid Rs 1,679.98 crore, while Adani Data Networks has paid Rs 18.94 crore. While the first three are telecom operators, Adani Data will use the spectrum to offer B2B solutions. The company said that it will use its own 5G network for its data centres and for the supper app it is building to support various kinds of businesses.

The country’s largest telecom spectrum auction ever attracted a record Rs 1.5 lakh crore in bids, with Mukesh Ambani’s Jio capturing nearly half of all airwaves offered with an Rs 87,946.93 crore offer. Gautam Adani’s business has offered Rs 211.86 crore for 400 MHz in a spectrum that is not utilized for providing public telephone services. Sunil Bharti Mittal’s Bharti Airtel successfully bid Rs 43,039.63 crore, while Vodafone Idea Ltd purchased spectrum for Rs 18,786.25 crore.

Delhi HC restrains ED from proceeding against Rana Ayyub in money laundering case after she approached court challenging ED attachment of funds

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The Delhi High Court on Wednesday barred the Enforcement Directorate (ED) from taking further steps under Section 8 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 against alleged journalist Rana Ayub in a money laundering case. Justice Yashwant Varma issued the notice after Ayyub filed a petition against her assets being attached.

On Ayyub’s petition, the court served notice to the investigating agency and requested a response within six weeks.

The court, additionally, also restrained Ayyub from disposing of or creating any third-party rights over the attached funds in certain bank accounts.

“Till the next date of listing, the respondent (ED) shall stand restrained from taking further steps as contemplated under Section 8 (Adjudication) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002. The petitioner shall also stand restrained from disposing of or creating any third party rights or encumbering the property which forms the subject matter of the provisional order of attachment,” ordered the court.

The bench of Justice Yashwant Varma said that the order will stay in effect till the next date of hearing on November 17.

Notably, ‘journalist’ Rana Ayyub on Wednesday moved the Delhi High Court challenging the attachment of funds by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Ayyub, represented by advocate Vrinda Grover, one of the torchbearers in saving terrorist Yakub Memon from the gallows, claimed that the provisional attachment order issued in February 2022 had lapsed and ceased to exist after 180 days, and the Adjudicating Authority therefore can no longer pass an order of confirmation.

Allegations of fund embezzlement against Rana Ayyub

It may be recalled that on February 10, OpIndia had reported that ED seized Rs 1.77 crore in Ayyub’s and her family’s accounts under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. A few days after the expose, Ayyub alleged in a statement that she was being framed for her “journalism” and that she did not misuse the money.

However, all her claims were debunked by a Twitter user Hawk Eye who was the first to share details of alleged charity fraud last year. The ED has, in its attachment order, said, “Rana Ayyub has cheated the general Public Donors in a pre-planned manner and with the intention to cheat the general public donors.”

The order emphasised that the ‘scam’ started from the time she received the funds, which she did not use for Covid-19 relief work. She instead made a fixed deposit of ₹50 lakhs and transferred the amount to the savings account of her father, and sister through net banking. You can read the details about the allegations of misuse of Covid-19 funds by clicking on the link here.

On March 29, Rana Ayyub was stopped by Indian Immigration officials from boarding a flight to London due to the pending money laundering case against her. On April 4, she was granted permission to travel abroad by the Delhi High Court with the pre-requirement that she divulges details of her travel, contacts and her place of stay.

Uttar Pradesh: Police arrest Muslim cleric Phakhare Alam for raping a minor on the pretext of performing an exorcism on her

Mohanlalganj Police arrested a Muslim cleric named Maulana Phakhare Alam on August 17 for allegedly raping a 15-year-old girl under the guise of treating her with exorcism. As per reports, the cleric has confessed to the crime in front of the Police. A case against the cleric has been registered under Sections 406 and 376 of the Indian Penal Code and relevant Sections of POCSO Act.

Inspector-in-charge Kuldeep Dubey said in a statement that a 15-year-old teenager living in the village often went to Maulana Phakhre Alam, a resident of the Dariyapur Police Station area. In the complaint filed by the father of the girl, it was said that the cleric forcibly raped the girl. As per the complaint, four months ago, when the mother took the girl to the cleric, he took her into the room on the pretext of her exorcism and raped her. When the girl told her mother what had happened, she remained silent out of fear of society.

Around eight days ago, her father, who worked in Mumbai, came back home. The teenager informed him about the incident. On Tuesday, the father went to the Police station along with the girl and filed a complaint against the cleric. Upon receiving the complaint, Police raided several locations to arrest the cleric, but he was not found. Later, Police got a tip-off that the cleric was seen at the Railway Station trying to escape. When the Police reached the station, the cleric tried to run, but he was nabbed by Police and sent to jail.

Further probe into the matter is underway.

Rajasthan: Sadhu Chetan Das found murdered outside his hut in Hanumangarh district

On Tuesday, a Sadhu named Chetan Das was found murdered in Bhakhrawali village of Hanumangarh district, Rajasthan. He was stabbed several times and his various body parts were also injured. The incident came to light when the villagers saw his dead body lying outside his hut on Wednesday morning.

According to the reports, Sadhu Chetan Das was a resident of Bhakhrawali village and had been living in a small hut for around 25 years. He had good relations with the villagers and had no enmity with anyone. After he was found murdered outside his hut on Wednesday morning, the villagers immediately informed the Police who reached the spot for investigation.

The Police transported the dead body to a local hospital’s mortuary. The officers meanwhile also inquired about the Sadhu and his behaviour in the village. The Police are investigating the case to identify the accused murderers and the reason behind the murder.

According to the Sangaria police, Sadhu Chetan Das had been living in the village for around 25 years. Unknown assailants are suspected to have killed the deceased. On asking the villagers, the Police came to know that Sadhu had developed a good relationship with all the people of the village. He had no fights or disputes with anyone. Chetan Das was originally from Punjab and the villagers often used to serve him food and other things that he needed.

The villagers have condoled the killing of Sadhu Chetan Das and have demanded the police identify and arrest the murderers as soon as possible. At present, the police have kept the body of the deceased Sadhu in the Sangaria Hospital mortuary. Although the police are investigating the case from all the possible angles, no motive for the murder has been ascertained so far.

Dead bodies of children found stuffed inside suitcases sold at New Zealand auction, police launch investigation

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Police in New Zealand launched a homicide investigation after human remains were allegedly discovered stashed in suitcases in Auckland. According to reports, a family from Manurewa, South Auckland in New Zealand had won the two suitcases following a storage unit auction on August 11. Upon returning home, the family, to their horror, discovered human remains stuffed inside the suitcases.

The post-mortem of the remains revealed that they belonged to two young children.

NZ Police Detective Inspector Tofilau Faamanuia Vaaelua said on Thursday that the bodies of the children, aged five to ten, may have been inside the suitcases for three to four years.

According to the New Zealand police, the family which purchased the items from the storage unit is not involved in any way.

The family had bid online on the contents of the storage locker, which is a common practice for storage sheds with unpaid rent and has even inspired a popular US reality TV show, Storage Wars.

Buyers are not permitted to thoroughly examine the contents prior to the auction, and it was only after the family returned home that they made the horrific discovery.

Meanwhile, NZ Police Detective Inspector Vaaelua stated that CCTV would be analysed, but that it would be difficult given the length of time the bodies had been in storage.

As per NewsHub, the New Zealand Police are trying to identify the dead bodies to notify their relatives about the unfortunate event.

“The priority for police is to confirm the identification of the deceased so that we can establish the full circumstances behind the discovery,” NZ Police spokesperson Anna Thompson said in a statement. Thompson added, “However, we are still awaiting the completion and results of the post-mortem examination so we are unable to comment.”