New Delhi, Oct 15: The Special Staff of Shahdara district has arrested a man posing as a tantric and two of his associates for cheating a 79-year-old man on the pretext of extracting buried ancestral gold through occult rituals and stealing gold jewellery worth approximately Rs 15 lakh from his residence, Delhi Police said on Thursday.

The police recovered Rs 2.73 lakh in cash, a Mahindra Scorpio-N, clothes used during tantric rituals, fake identity documents, mobile phones, and other articles in connection with the case.

The case was registered at Seemapuri police station under FIR No. 622/2026 under Sections 318(4), 305, 123 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), following a complaint by Girijesh Singh, 79.

According to the complaint, the accused, identified as Shoaib Ali, Mahakader Khan, and a man posing as ‘Krishna Pandit’, gained the complainant’s confidence by showing him a genuine gold coin and promising to extract buried ancestral gold through tantric rituals. They induced him to pay approximately Rs 39.30 lakh through cash and UPI transactions.

During the intervening night of August 4, the accused staged a ritual at the complainant’s residence using steel pots containing soil and fake gold biscuits. The complainant alleged that he was administered a sedative and became unconscious. Upon regaining consciousness, he discovered that gold jewellery worth approximately Rs 15 lakh was missing from his cupboard.

Following verification, a case was registered, and the investigation was handed over to the Special Staff of Shahdara district.

A dedicated team was constituted under the leadership of Inspector Ashish Kumar, in-charge of Special Staff, under the supervision of ACP, Operations, Pavan Kumar and the overall supervision of DCP, Shahdara, R.P. Meena.

During the investigation, the main accused, who allegedly posed as Krishna Pandit, was traced to Amba Vihar in UP’s Muzaffarnagar. His identity was established as Tahsin, 48, and he was subsequently arrested.

Police said a black Mahindra Scorpio-N, Rs 2.73 lakh in cash, 11 rings, tantric clothes, two Aadhaar cards bearing the names of Tahsin and Krishna Sharma, a PAN card, an ATM card and two mobile phones were recovered at his instance.

The two alleged associates, Shoaib Ali, 40, a resident of Mayur Vihar in Dasna, Uttar Pradesh, and Mahakader Khan, 48, a resident of Dabagram Salboni in West Bengal, were also arrested. They introduced the complainant to the main accused and facilitated the subsequent transactions.

Police said further investigation is underway to establish the individual roles of the accused, trace the money transferred through various accounts and payment modes, identify the beneficiaries and determine whether other persons were involved in the alleged crime.

New Delhi, Oct 15: A man was allegedly stabbed to death by a group of assailants in southeast Delhi’s Kalindi Kunj area in a suspected revenge killing linked to a past rivalry in jail, police said. Three accused have been arrested so far, and further investigation is underway.

The deceased, Shahid Hussain, a resident of Abul Fazal Enclave-II in Shaheen Bagh, was taken to Apollo Hospital by Constable Avdesh of Kalindi Kunj police station. A medico-legal certificate issued at 5.32 p.m. by the hospital stated that Hussain had been brought dead.

Police reached Shriram Chowk after Head Constable Manish informed the duty officer about the stabbing. An abandoned scooter was found at the scene, with bloodstains nearby.

According to the preliminary account shared with the police, Hussain had gone to meet Shabid Malik alias Monu, a resident of Madanpur Khadar, in Basantpur, Haryana. The two allegedly met at a restaurant and consumed beer. While Hussain was returning on his scooter, four men riding a black Splendor motorcycle with silver stripes allegedly intercepted him and stabbed him before fleeing.

Shabid Malik was detained for questioning. Police later apprehended Karan alias Karam Shah, 21, a resident of JJ Colony in Madanpur Khadar, near Samosa Chowk. Investigators were informed that Karan had been riding the motorcycle and had sustained a stab injury to his left leg during the attack, according to the police account.

During questioning, Karan allegedly told investigators that the murder was planned to avenge an earlier rivalry between Hussain, also known as Chhota Chor, and Tarun alias Ranjan, who had allegedly been injured by Hussain while in jail. Tarun reportedly feared that Hussain might target him after his release.

Police said Tarun and Shabid allegedly planned to lure Hussain to a beer party and attack him on his return journey. The police account also names Gaurav Gumma, Aman and Raja as alleged participants in the conspiracy. Abuzar alias Sonu, 27, allegedly provided his newly purchased Splendor motorcycle for the crime.

Police said three accused have been arrested and will be produced before a judicial magistrate. Investigators will seek four days of police custody remand. Further investigation is underway.

Kochi, Oct 15: In a major relief to former Kerala Director General of Police (DGP) Tomin J. Thachankary, the Kerala High Court on Thursday suspended the sentence awarded to him in a disproportionate assets case, nearly a month after he was sent to jail in a historic first involving a retired DGP-rank officer in the state.

Thachankary had been in jail since September 18, when the Kottayam Vigilance Court sentenced him to four years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 30.84 lakh.

His conviction marked an unprecedented moment in Kerala’s policing history, with a former police chief ranked officer being sent to prison following a corruption conviction.

The High Court’s decision to suspend the sentence offers immediate legal relief to the former senior IPS officer.

However, it does not amount to an acquittal, and his challenge to the conviction remains to be decided.

The dramatic turn in Thachankary’s fortunes comes after a long career marked by power, influence and political connections.

At the height of his career, he was widely regarded as a close aide of the then Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

He also had good links with former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, giving him access to political circles across party lines.

But his fortunes took a sharp turn on September 18, when he was sent to prison following the Vigilance Court verdict.

The case, which had remained under investigation and trial for years, finally resulted in his conviction after a prolonged legal battle.

The case relates to allegations that Thachankary accumulated assets disproportionate to his known sources of income between January 2003 and July 2007, when he was serving as a senior police officer.

The court rejected his explanation regarding the source of funds used to purchase several properties, leading to his conviction under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Thachankary challenged the conviction before the High Court, arguing that the trial court had misread the evidence and relied on incorrect calculations.

He also contended that income and assets linked to his wife had not been properly considered.

The suspension of his sentence marks a significant development in the case.

The final outcome will depend on the High Court’s consideration of his appeal against the conviction.