Crime
Maharashtra Sarpanch murder: Prime suspect Walmik Karad surrenders
Pune (Maharashtra), Dec 31: After posting a video statement, absconder Walmik Karad — a prime suspect in the sensational broad daylight murder of Massajog (Beed) Sarpanch Santosh Pandit Deshmukh on December 9 — surrendered to the CID, Pune, here on Tuesday morning.
Karad – on the run for the past 22 days — claimed innocence in an extortion case he had been booked for. He gave himself up after a series of measures by the state police to zero in on him.
In his statement, he contended that he was implicated in a false case of extortion on December 12 — which is now being linked with the Beed Sarpanch murder case, though his name doesn’t figure in this (murder) — said that he was prepared to cooperate with the investigators and also ready for any punishment.
A former domestic helper at the home of Maharashtra’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Cabinet Minister Dhananjay P. Munde, Karad was later elected as a municipal councillor, but abruptly ‘disappeared’ as politics went on a massive boil.
Subsequently, deploying tech intel, the police tracked his movements to Pune and Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh) and initiated the process to seize his properties, freeze bank accounts, other assets, etc.
Post-surrender, Karad is undergoing a questioning session with top police and CID officials, after which he is likely to be arrested and produced before a designated court for remand, an official indicated.
The deceased Sarpanch’s daughter Vaibhavi S. Deshmukh expressed satisfaction over Karad’s surrender, but demanded that even the other absconding culprits must be arrested and punished “to ensure justice to my father”.
“The police must scan the CDR of his (Karad) mobile, and find out all those who had helped him in any manner, arrest and give them the most stringent punishment under the law,” she demanded, her eyes moist with tears.
Nationalist Congress Party (SP) General Secretary Dr Jitendra Awhad alleged that “everything is planned and orchestrated” and Karad is reportedly named as an ‘accused’ in a murder case lodged with Parli (Beed) Police.
Leaders of multiple political parties have said that Karad is booked/wanted/accused in several big and small cases but has continued to thrive owing to political patronage.
Shivba Sanghatana chief Manoj Jarange-Patil said that now Karad is in the police clutches, the investigators should arrest the other fugitives and reiterated that “Karad was supported by his political masters”, warning against any attempts to ‘protect him’.
The Sarpanch murder snowballed into a national political storm with condemnation from Union Minister of State for Social Justice Ramdas Athawale, Congress’ Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Nationalist Congress Party (SP) President Sharad Pawar, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) President Prakash Ambedkar and other bigwigs.
The issue had also figured in the state legislature during the recent Winter Session in Nagpur, at least three all-party protest marches were taken out in Beed, Latur and Parbhani in support of the Deshmukh family.
In a move of solidarity, 543 Gram Panchayats in Gondia, 491 in Washim and 205 in Yavatmal districts are observing a 3-day shutdown to condemn the Massajog (Beed) Sarpanch’s murder, and over the next few days, more Gram Panchayats are expected to follow suit.
Crime
RG Kar financial irregularities case: Trial court slaps show-cause notice on CBI
Kolkata, Jan 30: A trial court has slapped a show-cause on Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for procedural lapses in passing on information to the court about the West Bengal government’s nod for framing charges and trial process against former R.G. Kar principal Sandip Ghosh in the case related to financial irregularities in the institution.
On January 28, the CBI informed Calcutta High Court’s single-judge bench of Tirthankar Ghosh about the clearance from the state government to start the charge-framing and trial process.
Now, the trial court has taken objection as to why the CBI has not informed the same court about the development.
It is learnt that the judge of the trial court has directed the Central agency to give a written explanation for why the same court was informed about it.
The CBI officials investigating the case received the no-objection certificate from the state government on the evening of January 27 and informed the Calcutta High Court about it the next day. On that day, CBI also submitted a report to the Calcutta High Court on the progress in the R.G. Kar financial irregularities case.
A single-judge bench of the Calcutta Court directed officials to complete the framing of charges and begin the trial process within a week.
Besides CBI, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is also conducting a parallel probe into the case.
While CBI started its investigation following an order by the Calcutta High Court, the ED made a suo motu entry to investigate the money laundering angle after filing an enforcement case information report (ECIR).
Altogether five persons, including Sandip Ghosh, his assistant-cum- bodyguard Afsar Ali, private contractors Biplab Sinha and Suman Hazra and a junior doctor Ashish Pandey, have been named by CBI and all are in judicial custody.
The main charges in the case include manipulation in the tendering process of R.G. Kar, getting infrastructure-related work done by private contractors bypassing the state Public Works Department against the hefty commission, smuggling of bio-medical wastes from the hospital outside and finally selling organs of the unidentified bodies sent to R. G. Kar morgue for post-mortem in the open market at premium prices.
Crime
Mumbai: Worli Police Arrest 40-Year-Old Woman Within 12 Hours For Kidnapping 5-Year-Old Girl In Prem Nagar
Mumbai: A 5-year-old girl was kidnapped while playing outside her house in Prem Nagar, Worli, between 11 AM and 12 PM on Tuesday.
The Worli Police acted swiftly upon receiving the information and launched an intensive search operation, successfully arresting the accused within 12 hours. The arrested woman has been identified as Deepali Bablu Das (40).
She is currently in police custody, and authorities are investigating whether she has been involved in similar child abduction cases in the past or if she is connected to a larger kidnapping network.
Crime
Delhi Police seize ‘Punjab sarkar’ car with cash, liquor; Mann govt says ‘fake’
New Delhi, Jan 30: Delhi Police have filed a case after a vehicle labelled “Punjab government” was intercepted with cash, liquor and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) pamphlets, an official said. The Punjab government, however, said the car had a fake registration plate and was different from the registered model.
The car was found on Wednesday and a large amount of cash and liquor was seized, police said.
The car had a “Punjab government” sticker, said the officials, adding that AAP pamphlets were also found in the car.
Delhi Police said the vehicle was found parked outside Punjab Bhawan on Copernicus Marg in the national capital. When searched, the cops said they found cash amounting to Rs 8 lakh, liquor bottles with Punjab stamps, and AAP pamphlets inside the car.
As per the model code of conduct in force in Delhi ahead of the Assembly elections, people are barred from carrying more than Rs 50,000 in cash.
A case has been registered at the Tilak Marg police station.
The Punjab government soon issued a denial after the news came out. The government said in a statement that as per the official record, the car was registered in the name of Major Anubhav Shivpuri, who was posted at the Army Dental College, Pathankot, three years ago. He is a permanent resident of Khadki in Maharashtra, it said.
“It has come to the knowledge of the Department of Transport (Govt of Punjab), that a vehicle carrying registration number PB35AE1342 has been apprehended in Delhi carrying illegal liquor and some unaccounted cash. It has been alleged in the media reports that the vehicle has a sticker of Punjab Govt on it,” the statement read.
The Punjab government said the registered vehicle model on the registration number PB35AE1342 was the Ford Eco Sport of make year 2018 but the actual vehicle apprehended by the police belongs to the Hyundai Creta series. “This confirms that the vehicle’s number plate is forged and fake. High-Security Registration Plate(HSRP) is mandatory for all vehicles and the registration plate visible in the video is an ordinary one, without the features of HSRP, hence easy to forge. Also, we have searched our records and found that no such vehicle is owned or hired by Govt of Punjab. The apprehended vehicle does not belong to Govt of Punjab at all.”
The AAP also released a statement, saying the car seizure was a “planted stunt and utterly bogus”.
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