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Interpol issues 3 Red Corner notices against Mehul Choksi’s suspected kidnappers

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 The Interpol has issued three red corner notices against persons suspected of kidnapping and torturing fugitive businessman Mehul Choksi in May 2021.

These moves were at the Antigua and Barbuda authorities’ request.

A statement issued by the police force of the island nation said: “Those Red Notices were approved (by a magistrate of the country Conliffe Clarke) and issued (by Interpol).”

The Interpol notices are a setback for Indian law enforcement and intelligence agencies, who accuse Choksi of defrauding the public sector Punjab National Bank to the tune of Rs 13,000 crore and want him for questioning in India.

Choksi denies the charge and insists his companies never defaulted on loans from the bank.

Choksi, who has apparently been a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda since 2017, complained that he was beaten up, blindfolded and forcibly taken on a boat from Antigua to Dominica, another island in the West Indies.

This complaint was prima facie upheld by an interim finding of the Antiguan police as well as by a Dominican court.

The charge made by Choksi was he was lured into a Hungarian woman’s flat in Antigua, following which two UK-based men of Indian descent took him to Dominica and handed him over to Dominican police.

Reportedly, Indian law enforcement officers arrived in Dominica on a leased Qatar Airways executive jet to secretly whisk him away to India; but were dramatically thwarted by a local radio presenter, Loftus Durand, breaking the news of Choksi’s illegal detention.

Meanwhile, the police commissioner of Antigua and Barbuda, Atlee Rodney, has sternly denied any collusion between his force and Choksi as suggested in an article circulated by an Indian news agency and carried by a section of Indian news media last week.

The piece seemingly quoted a blogger Kenneth Rijock (described as “a renowned financial crimes investigator”), who the wire report claimed “said that Choksi has been scheming to illegally extend the court process in Antigua, by paying bribes to government officials, including senior Antigua police official, Adonis Henry”.

“Multiple witnesses report that Choksi and Inspector Henry have been meeting at least three times a day at Al Porto, a Jolly Harbour (an area in Antigua) restaurant reportedly owned by Choksi, wrote Rijock in his financial crime blob.”

“Choksi not only reached out to Henry but also tried to influence Antigua magistrate Conliffe Clarke through illegal payments,” it added.

Reacting to such reporting, Commissioner Rodney stated: “It is most unfortunate that Mr Kenneth Rijock, on his internet blog, made several false statements, concerning the Antigua and Barbuda Police Force in relation to Mr Mehul Choksi without ascertaining the facts.

“The entire blog is false with inadequate or no research of the facts and has a malicious purpose and ought not to have been posted.”

The Antiguan police testified that only two meetings took place between Choksi and Inspector Henry.

“Both engagements occurred around August 2021 and June 2022 during an investigation… at Mr Choksi’s office… in the presence of his attorney.”

A media report in IMI, an internet media outlet, claimed Rijock received a four-year federal prison sentence for duping US tax authorities and that there are several libel cases against him.

As for Choksi attempting to influence Magistrate Clarke to delay court proceedings relating to India’s demand for his extradition, Antigua News Room, a media portal, produced a copy of a letter his attorneys have written to the Registrar of the High Court in Antigua.

The letter pointed out that Rijock’s article, as reported via a news agency, “has the clear and significant potential to undermine the justice system of Antigua and Barbuda”.

Antiguan Prime Minister Gaston Browne’s party was re-elected in a general election on Wednesday.

There was no comment from the government.

Crime

Mumbai Crime: High-Tech CCTV Cameras Help Chembur Police Nab Burglar Red-Handed Inside Sarvodaya Estate House

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Mumbai: High-tech security cameras installed in a house at Sarvodaya Estate, Chembur, helped police catch a burglar red-handed in the early hours of October 26. The accused has been identified as Nikhil Anil Kamble, a resident of Vashinaka. The Chembur police have registered a case and arrested him.

According to the FIR, Ravindra Kashinath Churi, 72, a retired employee of India Waterproofing Company, resides at Sarvodaya Estate with his wife Sushma, 66, and son Jay, 35. The family usually spends the day at their Sarvodaya Estate home but stays overnight at their residence in Ramkrishna Apartment, Postal Colony Road, Chembur.

For security, Churi had installed advanced CCTV cameras at his Sarvodaya Estate home. As usual, on the evening of October 25, around 6 p.m., the family locked the house and left for Ramkrishna Apartment. The next morning, at around 5:45 a.m., Jay received an alert on his mobile phone from the security system, indicating movement inside the house.

Upon checking the camera footage, Jay informed his parents that someone had broken into the house. Ravindra Churi and his son rushed to the spot and found the main door locked from both inside and outside. Upon inspection, they noticed that the kitchen window grill was partially broken and moved aside, confirming that a burglar was inside.

Jay immediately called the police helpline (100). Acting swiftly, a Chembur police team reached the scene and, with assistance from the fire brigade, broke open the door. Inside, they found Nikhil Kamble hiding and caught him red-handed.

Although no valuables were found in Kamble’s possession, the house was ransacked. The police took him into custody and registered an FIR under Sections 331(4) and 62 of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) Act, based on Ravindra Churi’s complaint, charging Kamble with breaking the window grill and attempting burglary.

The Chembur police are conducting further investigation into the case.

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Crime

Karnataka: Bajrang Dal files police complaint over Wi-Fi name ‘Pakistan Zindabad’

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Bengaluru, Oct 29: Bajrang Dal has filed a police complaint regarding a Wi-Fi username ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ at the Jigani Police Station on the outskirts of Bengaluru on Wednesday.

The police have registered a Non-Cognisable Report (NCR) in this regard and initiated an investigation.

According to the police, the incident was reported from Kallubalu village near Jigani on the outskirts of Bengaluru.

The complaint states that while checking available Wi-Fi networks to access the internet, one of the visible Wi-Fi usernames was found to be ‘Pakistan Zindabad’.

Bajrang Dal activists have alleged that anti-national elements may be operating in the area. The complainant stated that when Wi-Fi options are searched on a mobile device, the IDs of nearby users are displayed, and what was shocking was the appearance of the ID named ‘Pakistan Zindabad’.

The complaint further alleged that someone using such a name indicates the possible presence of a person with extremist intentions in the vicinity, raising serious concerns about their activities.

The Jigani Police have registered an NCR and are investigating the matter.

Earlier, in February 2024, an incident of ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogans in the premises of Vidhana Soudha being raised by supporters of Congress leader Syed Nasir Hussain after his Rajya Sabha election victory had sparked a major controversy.

The BJP had demanded an investigation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). The situation had escalated to the point where members of the Congress and the BJP nearly came to blows in the Legislative Council.

Subsequently, on March 4, 2024, the Vidhana Soudha Police arrested three people for allegedly raising ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogans in the corridors of Vidhana Soudha during the victory celebrations of Rajya Sabha member Syed Nasir Hussain.

The arrests were made based on a Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report, circumstantial evidence, and witness statements gathered at the event. The accused were identified as Iltaz from Delhi, Munawar from RT Nagar in Bengaluru, and Mohammed Shafi Nashipudi from Byadagi in Haveri district, Karnataka.

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Crime

Mumbai Shocker: 43-year-Old Delivery Boy Arrested For Allegedly Molesting Minor In Colaba

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Mumbai: In a disturbing case from South Mumbai, the Colaba Police have arrested a 43-year-old delivery boy for allegedly molesting an 8-year-old girl in a residential building at the Colaba. In this case an FIR has been registered in Colaba police station against delivery boy.

The 35 Year old complainant, who works as a domestic help and resides in the Colaba, reported that the incident took place on October 26, around 7:00 PM. The accused, identified as Imran Mohammad Sherkhan (43), a delivery boy residing at Cuffe Parade, allegedly approached the minor girl under the pretext of asking for an address. He then kissed her on the cheek and neck, pinched her lips, and behaved in a manner that outraged her modesty. The child’s mother immediately informed the police, following which a case was registered.

Acting swiftly, the detection staff traced and arrested the accused from his residence in Cuffe Parade on October 27. The victim was taken to St. George Hospital for medical examination.

An FIR has been registered against Imran Sherkhan under relevant sections of the BNS and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The Colaba Police are investigating the matter further.

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