Thane: The Anti-Extortion Squad of the Crime Branch, Thane, acting on secret information, raided a gang involved in the illegal sale of Mephedrone (M.D.) and arrested two accused. Police seized 108.8 grams of Mephedrone worth Rs 10.88 lakh, a country-made pistol, and a live cartridge—totaling Rs 11.41 lakh.

According to the sequence of events, on the night of December 8 around 10:50 PM, the police team raided Shri Gajanan Residency in Adavali-Dhokali, Kalyan East, and caught Aakib Iqbal Bagwan (33). A large quantity of M.D. and an unlicensed country-made pistol were recovered from his possession. Further probe revealed that Bagwan was already wanted in two NDPS cases at Bazarpeth Police Station, Kalyan.

During interrogation, Bagwan disclosed that the pistol was supplied to him by Bharat Shatrughna Yadav. Using technical investigation and confidential sources, the police detained Yadav as well. A live cartridge was recovered from him during the search.

A case has been registered against both the accused at Manpada Police Station under relevant sections of the NDPS Act, the Indian Arms Act, and the Maharashtra Police Act.

The operation was carried out under the guidance of DCP Amarsingh Jadhav and ACP Vinay Ghorpade by Senior Police Inspector Shailesh Salvi, Assistant Police Inspector Sunil Tarmale, and team members Bhosle, Kanade, Thakur, Rathod, Shinde, Patil, Gaikwad, Jadhav, Gadge, Pavaskar, Hivare, Waykar, Shejwal, and Bhosle.

New Delhi, Dec 12: A special CBI court in Lucknow has sentenced two individuals — a former village pradhan and a fair-price shopkeeper — to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment in a major corruption case involving misappropriation of over Rs one crore under the Sampurna Grameen Rozgar Yojna (SGRY), the agency said on Friday.

The verdict was delivered on Thursday. According to an official release, the court convicted Satya Narayan Prasad Patel, then village pradhan, and Shahnawaj Alam, then fair-price shopkeeper (kotedar), imposing a total fine of Rs 55,000 on the two.

The court held them guilty of causing wrongful loss to the government exchequer by siphoning off cash and foodgrains allocated for rural employment and welfare.

The case dates to 2006, when Narhi Police Station in Ballia district registered an FIR alleging large-scale irregularities in SGRY distribution.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the probe on October 31, 2008 and registered a case against 172 accused persons, including officials responsible for implementing the scheme at the village and district levels.

Investigators found that the accused caused a wrongful loss of Rs 65 lakh in cash and misappropriated foodgrain worth Rs 45.26 lakh, preparing forged records and using fraudulent means to divert government resources intended for the rural poor.

“It was alleged that the accused persons had caused wrongful loss to the Government Exchequer to the tune of Rs 65.00 lakh in cash and foodgrain worth Rs 45.26 lakh and corresponding gain to themselves by cheating, fraud, and preparing forged documents under Sampurna Grameen Rozgar Yojna (SGRY),” the CBI said in its press note.

After a detailed investigation, the CBI filed a charge sheet on November 10, 2010, against three individuals: Satyendra Singh Gangwar, then Chief Finance and Accounts Officer of the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) Ballia; Satya Narayan Prasad Patel; and Shahnawaj Alam.

Following the trial, the CBI court convicted Patel and Alam but acquitted Gangwar of all charges.

Mumbai: A guest professor, booked for molesting female students at the annual function of St. Xavier’s College in south Mumbai, has approached the sessions court for an anticipatory bail, claiming he is suffering from a mental ailment and the case had been lodged to ruin his image. The court has reserved the plea for order next week.

As per the FIR lodged with the Azad Maidan police station, the professor was invited at an event of National Hindi Parishad, held on November 24, wherein he allegedly sexually harassed nine students and one retired teacher. It is claimed that he exhibited obscenity during the festival.

While seeking protection from the arrest, the professor has claimed he is suffering from depression and other health issues, and has on several occasion attempted to commit suicide. He claimed he is currently admitted in the hospital due to his mental ailment. The professor claimed he is ready to appear before the officer through video conferencing after he is discharged from the hospital.

The plea was opposed by the prosecution on the ground that from the statements taken from the victim women, the accused appears to be of “a perverted nature”, and the possibility of him behaving indecently with other women cannot be ruled out. The police have also raised an apprehension of communal tension as the accused and the victims are of different religions.