Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 20: A local court in Thiruvananthapuram sentenced 24-year-old Greeshma to death by hanging for murdering her lover, Sharon Raj, by poisoning him with a toxic chemical mixed into ayurvedic medicine on October 14, 2022.

While the sentence was being pronounced, Greeshma remained motionless, but Sharon’s parents, present in the courtroom, broke down in tears.

The court remarked that the crime was heinous, and the convict deserved no leniency. Although there were no eyewitnesses in the case, the court praised the police investigation team for conducting a flawless probe.

The court had invited Sharon’s parents to witness the sentencing, highlighting the emotional gravity of the case.

The case also involved Greeshma’s uncle, Nirmal Kumar, who was sentenced to three years in prison. However, Greeshma’s mother, the second accused, was acquitted.

Sharon succumbed to poisoning after battling for life for 11 days, passing away on October 25, 2022.

The tragic relationship between Greeshma and Sharon initially started as a close friendship but deteriorated after Greeshma became engaged to another man.

Evidence presented in court revealed that Greeshma sought to end her relationship with Sharon, motivated by an astrological prediction claiming her first husband would die, allowing her to have a peaceful second marriage.

WhatsApp messages between the two showed Greeshma’s belief in this prediction, which Sharon reportedly attempted to challenge and disproved. Relatives claim Sharon had symbolically married Greeshma at Vettukadu Church and even applied ‘sindoor’ on her forehead.

Sharon’s family accused the Parasala Police of initially attempting to derail the investigation, despite their insistence that the murder was premeditated.

The case took a dramatic turn when Greeshma attempted suicide by consuming disinfectant while in police custody. The attempt, made just before evidence collection, was thwarted by police intervention, saving her life. A separate case was filed against her for this suicide attempt.

During the trial, despite the substantial evidence presented by the police, Greeshma continued to deny any wrongdoing. The case garnered widespread public attention, with many awaiting the verdict as a test of justice in a deeply tragic story.

New Delhi, Jan 20: In an interim order passed on Monday, the Supreme Court directed the halting of trial court proceedings in a defamation case filed by a BJP worker against Congress MP Rahul Gandhi over the latter’s alleged defamatory remarks against Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

During one of his public speeches in Jharkhand’s Chaibasa before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the senior Congress leader had called Shah a “murder accused”.

A bench headed by Justice Vikram Nath took note of the submission advanced on Rahul Gandhi’s behalf that only an aggrieved person and not a proxy third party can institute a criminal defamation complaint.

Staying the defamation proceedings till further orders, the Bench, also comprising Justice Sandeep Mehta, remarked, “If you are not the person aggrieved, how can you have a proxy filing of complaint?”

“Issue notice to the state of Jharkhand and the complainant. All proceedings in the trial shall remain stayed till further orders,” ordered the apex court.

In February last year, the Jharkhand High Court dismissed Rahul Gandhi’s plea for quashing the criminal defamation case filed by BJP leader Navin Jha.

Gandhi imputed the BJP leadership to be “liars” who are “drunk with power” and BJP workers will accept a person “accused of murder” as the party president but people will never accept the same in the Congress party.

“The people of this country will accept a lying Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership drunk with power because they know that, what the Bharatiya Janata Party is designed for. [T]hey will, accept a man accused of murder as the President of Bharatiya Janata Party but the people will never accept the same in the Congress Party,” said Rahul Gandhi. The complaint said that Rahul Gandhi’s statement was not only false, rather, it was an insult to all workers, supporters and the leaders who have been working selflessly for the BJP.

In its judgement, a bench of Justice Ambuj Nath of the Jharkhand HC said that the imputation was prima facie defamatory in nature and a prima facie case under sections 499/500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was made out against Rahul Gandhi for imputing the BJP leadership as liars and drunk with power.

Mumbai, Jan 20: Mohammad Shariful Islam Shehzad, the 30-year-old Bangladeshi national arrested for allegedly stabbing actor Saif Ali Khan during a failed robbery attempt, told police that he was a wrestler in Bangladesh before coming to India, sources said.

Shehzad revealed during interrogation that he used to compete in the lower weight category at district-level and national-level wrestling championships in Bangladesh.

His wrestling background, he claimed, enabled him to attack Saif Ali Khan without sustaining any injuries himself, police sources added.

After committing the crime, Shehzad reportedly changed his clothes three to four times to evade detection. He moved across multiple locations, travelling from Bandra to Dadar, Worli, Andheri, and finally to Thane.

On the day after the incident, he returned to Dadar, continuously roaming around, making it difficult for the police to track him down.

Shehzad arrived in Mumbai in September and initially worked at a hotel through a housekeeping company. The contract of the company was also raided as part of the investigation.

Meanwhile, police have transferred Shehzad from Santacruz Police Station to Bandra Police Station for further questioning and investigation. They revealed that Shehzad had scoped out several Bollywood celebrities’ residences before targeting Saif Ali Khan’s house.

He admitted to surveying Saif Ali Khan’s 12-storey building, Satguru Sharan, and Shah Rukh Khan’s Mannat, among other high-profile residences.

Using a ladder to inspect entry points, Shehzad abandoned plans to target Mannat due to its tight security and high walls.

On January 15, Shehzad conducted a detailed recce of Saif Ali Khan’s house and identified an easy entry point. He returned later that night and entered the building at 1:37 a.m. on January 16.

However, his robbery attempt failed, and in a panic, he attacked Saif Ali Khan before fleeing without stealing anything.

Desperate to return to Bangladesh after being unemployed for a month, Shehzad sought financial help but was unable to secure funds. Inspired by an auto driver’s comments about celebrity homes in Bandra, he decided to rob a high-profile residence to finance his return.

Despite a clear opportunity to steal cash and jewellery, Shehzad fled in fear of being caught. He then closely monitored the investigation through news channels, saving screenshots of suspects shown by the media, which were later recovered from his mobile phone.

Mumbai Police initially detained two suspects who resembled Shehzad but continued their hunt. He was eventually arrested on Sunday morning near Hiranandani Estate in Kasarvadavali, Thane, about 35 kilometres from Saif Ali Khan’s residence.

He had been hiding in a labour camp in a forested area and attempted to evade arrest by hiding in bushes but was captured after a seven-hour search operation.

According to DCP Dixit Gedam, Shehzad lacked Indian identification documents, and evidence confirmed his Bangladeshi nationality. Investigators also found that he had been living in Mumbai for four months under the alias Bijoy Das.

Upon his arrest, Shehzad confessed to the crime, saying, “Haan, maine hi kiya hai” (Yes, I did it). He has been remanded to police custody for five days, during which investigators plan to recreate the crime scene at Saif Ali Khan’s residence.

The incident has raised concerns about the security of high-profile residences in Mumbai. Police continue their probe to uncover more details about Shehzad’s activities and background.