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Kerala HC dismisses Swapna Suresh’s anticipatory bail plea

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The Kerala High Court on Thursday dismissed the anticipatory bail plea filed by Swapna Suresh and P.S. Sarith on the grounds that the charges against her are bailable and hence her plea was rejected.

Sarith is not even an accused in the case which was filed on Wednesday.

She, the prime accused in the gold smuggling case on Thursday filed an anticipatory bail plea after the Kerala Police registered a case against her on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, she revealed that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, his wife and their daughter have all played a role in smuggling of gold and currency.

On Wednesday, she again repeated her allegations and said she said all this in her confession statement before a magistrate under Section 164 of the CrPC at Kochi on Monday and Tuesday.

When the Congress and the BJP took up the issue and demanded Vijayan’s resignation, former State Minister and CPI-M supported Independent MLA K.T. Jaleel filed a case against Swapna and former seven time MLA P.C. George that they are airing baseless allegations against Vijayan to tarnish the image of the government.

On Wednesday evening after the case was filed, the Kerala Police registered an FIR against the two and charged them for conspiracy to create violence and it was against this that Swapna and Sarith, also an accused in the gold smuggling case filed an anticipatory bail plea fearing arrest by the police.

In the court, the counsel for the state government pointed out that Sarith is not even an accused and also said that the plea was filed merely to get some false information available to the public domain.

In her bail petition she had pointed out that one Shaj Kiran had approached her stating that he was close to Vijayan and CPI-M state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan and threatened of dire consequences if she does not withdraw her statements and in lieu of that she should issue a fresh statement absolving Vijayan and his family.

But denying of having ever said such a thing, Kiran told the media that he was a good friend of Swapna whom he came to know about 52 days back.

“We have a different relation and she is known to my wife and father also. I went and saw her yesterday and spoke to her even today. I have never met either Vijayan or Balakrishnan. All what I said to her is if she doesn’t have substantial evidence, then it might go against her. I said this just as any friend would do,” said Kiran.

Swapna then met the media from her office at Palakkad and said Kiran is and was a friend of mine.

“A few days back he was with us and when we were having dinner he said tomorrow Sarith will be picked up by the police. And on Wednesday from noon to night he was with me and said the next day a person called Nikesh Kumar who is the voice of Vijayan will come and meet me and all I should do is to hand over my mobile to him and when done, my travel ban will be lifted and I will have nothing to fear in my cases anymore,” said Swapna.

“When I was with Kiran from noon till midnight, Kiran got more than 50 calls from two additional director generals of police Vigilance – M.R. Ajithkumar and additional director general of police – Law and Order, whose name I don’t know. Tomorrow the audio clip of Kiran will probably be released by my lawyer. When you hear that everything will be very clear and if I am still alive tomorrow, we can again meet and you (media) can ask me again,” added Swapna who pointed out that she decided to file an anticipatory bail plea fearing harassment by the police.

Meanwhile, the counsel of Swapna said he told the court that the police might even arrest her.

“When I told this to the court, the court asked me to file a petition to the same. Tomorrow we will file a petition to quash the case that has been registered against Swapna as such things can never happen anywhere except in Vijayan’s domain and that’s why strange things are happening,” said R. Krishna Raj, counsel of Swapna.

Crime

16 Bangladeshis, including 7 minors, apprehended in East Delhi

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New Delhi, June 2: In a drive against Bangladeshis illegally living in Delhi, the city police rounded up 16 persons, including seven children, from the Seemapuri area, an official said on Monday.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara), Prashant Gautam, said the apprehended Bangladeshi nationals revealed that they had crossed into India approximately 18-19 years ago under the cover of darkness.

“They illegally entered India due to extreme poverty and a lack of livelihood opportunities in their native villages, located 40-50 km from the India-Bangladesh border in West Bengal,” he said.

The DCP said the arrests were made by a joint team of the Foreigner Cell and special staff of Shahdara after receiving a tip-off last month.

Those arrested include four men and five women, he said, adding that after entering India they initially stayed in the Cooch Behar area.

DCP Gautam said that from there, they travelled by train to New Delhi in search of better employment opportunities.

“Eventually, they moved to Haryana and began working in the rural areas, particularly at brick kilns, where they were involved in brickmaking,” he said.

These kilns are located away from main villages and residential areas, which allowed them to live in hiding without attracting attention, he said.

“No government agency had conducted any verification or background checks on them during this time. The brick kiln owners, driven by the motive of engaging low-cost labour, employed them without documentation,” he said.

Over time, they settled in the area, raised families, and continued to live and work without legal status or scrutiny, he said.

DCP Gautam said that on May 30, the Foreigner Cell of the Shahdara District received information regarding the presence of illegal Bangladeshi nationals attempting to enter the Seemapuri area.

“The tip-off indicated that a group of individuals was moving across the Uttar Pradesh-Delhi border near Shaheed Nagar,” he said.

The arrests were made by a joint team of Foreigner Cell and Special Staff comprising SI Shaji John, ASI Gajender, ASI Johar, ASI Nazir, Head Constable Arun, Head Constable Siddharth, Head Constable Yoginder, Head Constable Amit, Head Constable Vijay, Head Constable Anuj, Woman Head Constable Geeta, Woman Head Constable Manju, Woman Head Constable Renu and Constable Aman led by Inspector Munish Kumar I/C Special Staff & Foreigner Cell under the supervision of Gurudev Singh, ACP/Operations.

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Crime

Delhi Police arrests own Head Constable for stealing Rs 50 lakh, gold from anti-terror unit’s warehouse

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New Delhi, June 2: Exposing the criminal mentality of some men in Khaki, the Delhi Police arrested one of its own personnel for stealing Rs 50 lakh and valuables from the anti-terror unit’s warehouse in South Delhi, an official said on Monday.

Head Constable Khurshid, who was shifted out of the Special Cell to the East District a few days ago, was arrested on Saturday for stealing Rs 50 lakh in cash in addition to gold jewellery of an unspecified amount from the Special Cell malkhana (store room) at the Lodhi Road office, the official said.

He was identified and arrested using CCTV footage of Friday night when the theft took place, he said, adding that the stolen items have been recovered.

According to officials, Khurshid relied upon departmental information about the presence of valuables and cash in the malkhana to execute the theft.

Khurshid managed to execute his plan flawlessly and could have got away easily but for an alert malkhana incharge who detected that there was something amiss in the warehouse, the police said.

The arrested Head Constable was earlier posted in the malkhana but was transferred to East Delhi a few days ago, said an official.

“He was aware of the articles kept in the warehouse and also the process to access them,” he said.

He allegedly timed his theft around his transfer so that the suspicion of the absence of the valuables and cash would fall on his other colleagues in the Special Cell’s malkhana.

The Special Cell is a specialised unit of the Delhi Police tasked to prevent, detect and investigate cases of terrorism, organised crime and other serious crimes in Delhi.

While penal offences committed by policemen are probed by the law enforcers themselves, allegations of misconduct with public are investigated by the Delhi government’s Police Complaints Authority.

Authority Chairperson Justice Poonam A. Bamba, former Judge of the Delhi High Court, said in the Annual Report 2023-24 that a total of 1,688 complaints were received and carried forward during the period.

During the year, 649 cases were disposed of, leaving 1,039 cases pending. The percentage of disposals stood at 38.44 per cent.

The Authority is also authorised to probe public complaints related to extortion, land or house grabbing and other incidents involving serious abuse of authority. Complaints of illegal detention, police custody death or rape and grievous hurt in police custody are also probed by the Authority.

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Crime

Thane Crime: Man Attacked With Sword In Kalyan For Dispute Over Construction Of Toilet Near House

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Mumbai: In a separate incident, a 15-year-old boy has been detained for allegedly murdering his co-worker, 22-year-old Kaisar Azgar Ali, in Bhiwandi. The incident occurred on Wednesday, May 28, in the night at a worksite in Mankoli village, where both were employed as carpenters.

According to police, a minor argument escalated into a violent attack. The minor allegedly first struck Ali with a hammer, then used a plywood grinder to fatally injure him, slitting his neck and shoulder. Investigating Officer D.K. Kadam stated that the minor had been upset with Ali’s behaviour at the site and the situation turned violent after Ali allegedly struck him during the altercation.

The minor fled the scene, but police were alerted by the house owner and contractor who discovered the crime. A panchnama was conducted and the boy was located, detained and presented before the Juvenile Justice Board. He was remanded to an observation home. Ali was rushed to Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital, where he was declared dead.

Thane: A 24-year-old man, Vikrant Jadhav, was brutally attacked with a sword in Umbarde, Kalyan West on Sunday. The assault is believed to be the result of an ongoing land dispute. According to reports citing police sources, Jadhav was fetching water when he was ambushed and attacked. He is currently receiving treatment for serious injuries at Rukminibai Hospital in Kalyan.

The victim’s father, Vijay Jadhav, has accused members of the neighbouring Gaikwad family of orchestrating the attack. The two families have reportedly been at loggerheads for years over property issues. Vijay had previously filed a police complaint against the Gaikwads, alleging that they had threatened to kill his family if he did not halt construction of a toilet adjacent to their home, reported Hindustan Times.

The Khadakpada police have registered a case under Section 118 (causing hurt with dangerous weapons) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and are currently investigating the matter. Efforts are underway to identify all the assailants and verify the allegations of prior threats and extortion.

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