Crime
Hema Upadhyay Murder Case: Bombay HC Dismisses Bail Plea Of Key Accused Chintan Upadhyaya
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Monday dismissed the bail plea of artist Chintan Upadhyay who was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for abetting and conspiring to kill his estranged wife Hema Upadhyay in December 2015,
A division bench of Justices Revati Mohite-Dere and Gauri Godse dismissed the plea observing that prima facie there was sufficient ground to show his involvement in the murder. The country will pass a reasoned order later.
HC admitted Chintan Upadhyay’s appeal
The HC, on October 25, admitted Upadhyay’s appeal challenging his conviction and sentencing by the sessions court. Upadhyay has approached the high court through advocate Bharat Manghani challenging his conviction contending that the sessions court erred in its findings while finding him guilty. Pending hearing in his appeal, he had sought bail.
The ghastly 2015 murder case
Hema and her lawyer Harish Bhambani were allegedly smothered to death by Vidhyadhar Rajbhar on December 11, 2015, with the help of other accused persons. He killed the duo allegedly at Upadhyay’s behest. The next day, a rubbish collector discovered their bodies stuffed in cardboard boxes in a nullah in Kandivali.
Sessions judge, on October 7, found Upadhyay guilty of abetting and conspiring to kill Hema and sentenced him to life in prison observing that the murder was “brutal”, but it cannot be termed as “rarest of rare” which warrants a “death penalty only”. The judge found three others – Vijay Rajbhar, Pradip Rajbhar and Shiv Kumar Rajbhar, who hail from the same village – guilty of murdering Hema and her lawyer and Harish Bhambhani and sentenced them to life imprisonment.
Hema’s family had also approached the HC seeking permission to intervene in the matter and oppose Upadhyay’s bail plea. The HC had allowed the family to intervene.
Upadhyay’s conviction
Special public prosecutor Vaibhav Bagade opposed the bail plea contending that there was enough evidence against Upadhyay based on which the sessions court had convicted him.
Upadhyay’s appeal contends that the sessions judge erred in accepting the retracted and uncorroborated confession of a co-accused, Pradip, as voluntary, admissible and having been corroborated.
The judgment of the trial court lacks proper and cogent evidence and reasoning to convict him, the appeal argues. It wrongly relied on a retracted confession of co-accused Pradeep Rajbhar, to hold it as genuine. The appeal also questions the inference drawn by the sessions court that since Rajbhars had no motive to murder Hema, they acted at Upadhyay’s behest. It is not permissible in law to draw such an inference, said Manghani.
Crime
Two apprehended for firing at house in Nand Nagri to create fear

New Delhi, Sep 14: The Anti-Auto Theft Squad (AATS) of North-East District Police worked out a firing incident reported under the jurisdiction of Nand Nagri Police Station by apprehending two accused persons who allegedly fired at a complainant’s house to create fear.
The accused were identified with the help of extensive CCTV footage analysis and technical investigation.
According to police, on September 4, two unidentified persons riding a scooty fired at the complainant’s house in the Nand Nagri area with the intention of creating fear and fled from the spot.
Following the incident, FIR No. 485/26 dated September 4 was registered at Nand Nagri Police Station under relevant Sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Arms Act, and an investigation was initiated.
Considering the seriousness of the incident, the AATS team of North-East District was tasked with identifying and apprehending those involved.
A dedicated team led by Inspector Deepak Pandey, In-charge of AATS/NED, analysed numerous CCTV recordings and developed clues through technical investigation and other sources. Sustained efforts and detailed examination of the available evidence helped the team identify the suspects.
On September 12, acting on a specific tip-off, the AATS team conducted a raid in the Sunder Nagri area and apprehended Azim Khan. During interrogation, his associate Imran alias Rahul was also apprehended at his instance. Both accused were subsequently handed over to the local police for further legal proceedings.
Police said Imran alias Rahul, 25, son of Ibrahim and a resident of Bhopra Chowk, Siddqi Building, Uttar Pradesh, was previously involved in two theft cases.
Azim Khan, 36, son of Illiyas and a resident of Gali No. 1, Sunder Nagri, Delhi, has nine previous cases registered against him, involving murder, attempt to murder, culpable homicide, robbery, snatching, rape, kidnapping, theft and offences under the Arms Act. He is a Bad Character of Nand Nagri Police Station.
Further investigation into the case by the police is underway.
Crime
‘Felt unsafe’: Woman biker alleges car attack after asking occupants to maintain distance in Gurugram

Gurugram, Sep 14: A woman biker in Haryana’s Gurugram has alleged that a car repeatedly followed her before hitting her motorcycle and fleeing the spot, leaving her shaken and raising concerns over road safety in the city.
“I have nothing to say, but today I felt unsafe on Gurugram roads. People like these aren’t afraid of hitting people and running away,” the woman said after the incident.
The rider, who identifies herself as Sia and operates the Instagram page ‘rebelwheels_sia_’, uploaded footage of the incident on social media and described what she said happened before the collision.
According to Sia, the incident occurred on Sunday while she was riding her Aprilia RS 457 sports bike along Golf Course Road with members of her biking group.
In the video, she alleged that the occupants of a car had been following her from the beginning of the ride. She claimed that the people inside the vehicle behaved aggressively and attempted to get close to her motorcycle.
Sia said she asked the occupants to maintain a safe distance, but instead, they allegedly asked her to stop. She also claimed that the men appeared to be under the influence of alcohol.
The rider said she continued moving ahead in an attempt to prevent the car from cutting her off. A friend riding behind her also tried to intervene by positioning his motorcycle in a way that prevented the car from repeatedly coming alongside her.
Despite this, Sia alleged, the car continued following her. She claimed that at one point, the driver attempted to cut across the path of her motorcycle, resulting in a collision.
The impact knocked Sia off her bike, while her motorcycle was dragged several metres along the road. The car then reportedly left the area.
The incident was captured on an action camera fitted to Sia’s motorcycle.
She further alleged that one of her friends pursued the car and attempted to stop the driver. The vehicle eventually halted at a traffic signal, where the friend confronted the driver and allegedly told him that he was responsible for the collision.
However, according to Sia, the driver denied causing the accident and subsequently drove away from the traffic signal.
In a social media post, Sia appealed to the Gurugram Police to take action against motorists who allegedly put other road users at risk and flee after causing accidents.
She also shared the vehicle’s registration number and identified the registered owner mentioned in the vehicle’s registration certificate.
The video subsequently gained significant attention online, with social media users expressing support for the rider and calling for action against the alleged driver. Several users tagged the Delhi Police, Gurugram Police, Gurugram Traffic Police and Haryana Police, urging authorities to investigate the incident.
Some users also called for an FIR to be registered, while others highlighted concerns over rash driving and the safety of motorists, particularly on busy roads in Gurugram.
Crime
Hyderabad horror: Minor girl sexually assaulted by 9 people, all booked under POCSO Act

Hyderabad, Sep 14: A minor girl was drugged, abducted and sexually assaulted by nine people over a span of three days in Medchal Malkajgiri district near Hyderabad.
All the accused were booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, and arrested after the victim escaped from their clutches and lodged a complaint at Alwal Police Station under Malkajgiri Police Commissionerate.
The 16-year-old girl, a Class 11 student, was sexually assaulted on various occasions by the accused including those known to her, at different places including in a car, during a train journey and in a hotel room.
According to police, the victim came in contact with one J. Varun when she was in 10th class. A few months ago, the accused sexually assaulted her in his car after giving her a chocolate laced with sedatives. Another youth Romala Varun, who was introduced to her by J. Varun, also sexually assaulted her after making her a cigarette, liquor and Ganja addict.
Preliminary investigation by police revealed that the victim had earlier came in touch with one David Varun through Instagram. The accused had made her consume liquor and misbehaved with her.
Suspicious over her behavior, the girl’s father admonished her on September 9. Angry over this, the girl left the house and reached Bollarum Railway Station, where a person Neeraj met her. He called his friend Vicky and they sexually assaulted the victim after giving her some intoxicated substances.
Later, Vicky along with another friend Nikhil took the girl to a OYO room in Dulapally. Vicky and Nikhil along with two others sexually assaulted her. On the night of September 9, Vicky brought her his house in Bollarum and confined her here.
The next day she managed to escape and reached Bollarum Railway Station. Vicky along with his friend Ganesh reached there and forcibly drugged her. They took her to Medchal Railway Station. From there, they took her to Malkajgiri and on the way sexually assaulted her in the train. After reaching Malkajgiri, they boarded an autorickshaw. However, she managed to escape and reached her house and with the help of family members approached police.
On a complaint by the victim, police registered cases under POCSO Act and various sections of BNS against the accused.
The police have also arrested manager and owner of OYO hotel for admitting the minor and allotting a room without proper verification.
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