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After 3 years in custody, activist Sudha Bharadwaj walks out of jail on bail

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After spending over three years in jail, lawyer-activist Sudha Bharadwaj finally walked out of the Byculla Women’s Prison on Thursday, 9 days after she was granted a default bail by the Bombay High Cour.

Stepping out of the prison gates in the afternoon, a frail but relaxed Bharadwaj waves out to the waiting media persons, before she was driven to her local residence.

The development came after the Supreme Court rejected the National Investigation Agency’s plea against the Bombay High Court’s December 1 verdict granting default bail to Bharadwaj and the route was cleared for her release from the jail on Wednesday with completion of the bail formalities.

On Wednesday, Special NIA Court Special Judge D.E. Kothalikar allowed Bharadwaj – an accused in the Koregaon Bhima-Elgaar Parishad cases and allegedly having links with Maoist groups – to be released on a cash bail of Rs 50,000.

As per the high court directions, he also set out the terms and conditions for Bharadwaj’s bail including that she must reside in Mumbai, not to leave the city without the court’s permission, and deposit her passport with the NIA.

However, the Special Court rejected her plea to travel to Chhattisgarh, or Delhi for her legal practice and also barred her from talking to the media about the case. She has been asked to attend proceedings of the trial in the court and ensure it is not delayed due to her absence.

Bharadwaj becomes the first of the 16 accused in the case to be enlarged on a default bail, though another accused P. Varavara Rao has secured bail on medical grounds, and one accused, Fr. Stan Lourduswamy died in custody while waiting for bail last July.

Hailing from Chhattisgarh, Bharadwaj was arrested by Pune Police on August 28, 2018 in connection with the Koregaon Bhima-Elgaar Parishad cases and slapped with charges under the stringent UAPA. Later, the NIA took over the case probe in January 2020.

The investigators claimed in the charge sheet that documents found from some of the co-accused and other evidence established her links with Maoist activities and the banned CPI-Maoist.

Crime

Mira-Bhayandar: Police Busts Illicit Liquor Brewing Den In Nallasopara

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Mira Bhayandar: Further tightening their screws against illicit liquor mafia ahead of the assembly elections scheduled to be held on 20, November, the Mira Road-based central crime branch unit attached to the Mira Bhayandar-Vasai (MBVV) police busted yet another massive illicit liquor brewing unit which was operating from a hillock in a dense jungle area in Nallasopara on Thursday.

Acting on a tip-off, a team led by assistant police inspector- Dattatray Sarak marched 2-kilometre-deep inside the jungle area located in the Dhaniv Baug area of Nallasopara (east) at around 8 am.

The team seized multiple barrels of hooch along with ingredients including 2,800 litres of fermented jaggery wash, 140 litres of liquor, chemicals and other manufacturing equipment collectively worth more than Rs. 1.42 lakh.

However, the den operator identified as- Prabhakar Bhoye and his employees managed to evade the police dragnet. The entire material and equipment were destroyed on the spot.

An offence under the relevant sections of the Maharashtra Prohibition Act-1949 for construction/works of any distillery or brewery and manufacturing intoxicants has been registered in this context at the Pelhar police station.

The consumption of illicit liquor which is unscientifically manufactured by using toxic chemicals like methanol and rectified spirit can cause deaths and other serious ailments including loss of eyesight. Further investigations were underway.

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Crime

Wildlife Smuggling Racket Busted: Rare Snakes, Reptiles, Caged Orangutan Rescued From Dombivli House

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Thane: In a significant operation exposing a wildlife smuggling racket, the Forest Officials rescued rare species of animals from a highrise in Dombivli. The officials raided an apartment in Palava City, Dombivli and found exotic animals including lizard, turtles, rare species snakes and other reptiles stored in the flat. Horrifying enough, the team found a monkey caged in the washroom of the apartment.

It was later confirmed that the rescued animals included Ignuana (lizard), an Orangutan and python. The operation was conducted by the Forest Range Officers from Thane and Kalyan along with a team from Manpada Police Station after a tip.

The officials did not find any accused present in the apartment at the time of the raid. A case under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 has been registered and a search for the accused is underway. Meanwhile, the seized species are handed over to a local NGO on a temporary basis for observation.

The video of the forest officials raid surfaced on the internet shows a boy opening the door of the well-kept apartment. After entering the flat, the officials gradually come across wildlife species stores in small cage, plastic boxes piled up in the passage and shocking enough an Orangutan in washroom at the end of the apartment.

As per the statement issued by the police, the teams raided the 8th floor apartment in B wing of Savarna Building in Palava City, Dombivli. In the action, the exotic animals seized as prima facie identified as python, ignuana (lizard), turtle, snake etc. The seized wildlife species, on temporary basis, are handed over to Birsa Munda- a local NGO. The pachanama, documentation and search for the accused is underway, it added.

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Crime

Mumbai: Unidentified Body Of Man Chopped Into 7 Pieces Stuffed In Plastic Boxes Found Near Gorai Beach; Probe On

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Mumbai: The dismembered body of a man, estimated to be between 25 and 40 years old, was discovered in several plastic boxes on the side road which goes to Gorai Beach in Mumbai on Sunday.

Upon receiving the information, police arrived at the scene and took the body into custody. It was later sent for a post-mortem examination. The body has not yet been identified, and a case has been registered.

According to police, on Sunday, a male body was found near Picxy Hotel, Babar Pada, Gorai, Borivali West. The body was cut into seven parts and packed in four plastic boxes. The deceased, believed to be between 25 and 40 years old, was wearing dark blue jeans and black shoes. His right hand bore tattoos.

A resident named Santosh Shinde, 55, from Mira Road, informed the Gorai police after learning about the incident. The Gorai police recovered the body from Shefali village in the Babarpada area.

A forensic team is currently investigating the case, and inquiries are ongoing in the vicinity of the incident location. Police have stated that the recovered body remains unidentified. The Gorai police have registered a case, and further investigation is underway.

A special team has been formed to investigate, and information is being gathered from CCTV footage and nearby police stations to assist in identifying the body.

A police officer said that the body was sent to Bhagwati Hospital for a post-mortem. “We can’t conclude anything immediately, as we are still investigating the matter,” the officer said.

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