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Sasikala’s nephew quizzed in Kodanad heist and murder case

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In a major development in the Kodanad murder and heist case of April 2017, V.K. Sasikala’s nephew and Managing Director of Jaya news channel Vivek Jayaraman has been quizzed by the Nilgiris police, sources said on Thursday.

The DMK government had reopened the case.

He was questioned on Wednesday by a special police team from 1.40 p.m. till 5 p.m. in presence of his advocate.

This is the first time, a person close to Sasikala’s family is being questioned in the case. Highly placed sources in Nilgiris police told IANS that Vivek Jayaraman was questioned after the manager of Kodanad estate Natarajan during his questioning had said that Vivek was looking after the affairs of the estate since the incident of heist and murder.

Kodanad estate, a 900-acre property in the Nilgiris district, belonged to late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa and her aide V.K. Sasikala. This was the summer home of the former Chief Minister.

On April 23, 2017, after the passing away of Jayalalithaa and Sasikala behind the bars at Bengaluru in a disproportionate asset case, robbers barged into the estate bungalow and murdered a security guard Om Bahadhur and grievously injured another, Krishna Thapa.

The prosecution case was that a group of people led by the former driver of Jayalalithaa, C . Kanagaraj, along with 11 other men, entered the bungalow on April 23, 2017 at 10.30 pm and attacked the security guards in which Krishna Thapa was injured and Om Bahadhur killed.

It was alleged that Kanagaraj had told another gang member K.V. Sayan from Kerala that Rs 200 crore was stashed in the estate bungalow but the gang could get only 10 expensive watches and a crystal rhino that was worth Rs 42,000.

Five days after the heist, Kanagaraj who hails from former Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami’s village, died in an accident. The same day, a lorry rammed into the car in which K.V. Sayan and his family were travelling at Palakkad in Kerala killing his wife and daughter while Sayan escaped with minor injuries.

The Computer operator of the estate, Dhinesh Kumar was found hanging at his residence on July 3, 2017 months after the heist and murder at the Kodanad bungalow.

After the DMK government assumed office, the case was reopened and 81 people were quizzed and three accused, Deepu, Santhosh Swami and M.S. Satheeshan had filed a petition before the Madras High Court to question Sasikala in the case.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, had during the run-up to the 2021 Assembly elections publicly stated that the Kodanad estate case would be reopened and the real perpetrators of the crime booked.

The AIADMK had after the case being reopened retorted that the DMK government was trying to settle scores with the party using the Kodanad estate case and was trying to frame former Chief Minister, Edappadi K Palaniswami in the case.

Crime

Delhi: Crime Branch arrests habitual offender with 68 cases, cracks snatching incident involving NRI woman

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New Delhi, Nov 28: The Delhi Police Crime Branch has arrested a notorious repeat offender with 68 criminal involvements, securing a major breakthrough in a high-profile snatching case targeting an NRI woman earlier this year, the Delhi Police said on Friday.

The accused, identified as Tarun alias Gadam Wala, a resident of Aman Vihar, had been on the run for over seven months and was declared an absconder by a city court.

According to officials, the arrest was made by the Western Range-I team of the Crime Branch following specific inputs received on November 24.

Tarun, a listed Bad Character (BC) of PS Aman Vihar, had managed to evade multiple police teams after being implicated in a snatching incident involving a woman visiting Delhi from California.

The case, registered under FIR No. 508/2025 at Karol Bagh police station, pertains to an incident on April 5 when the complainant was returning after withdrawing cash from a PNB ATM on Padam Singh Road.

“On April 5, 2025 at about 11:50 a.m., after withdrawing money from PNB ATM, Padam Singh Road, two unidentified boys on a black scooty snatched her gold chain (approx. 15 grams) and fled towards Ganga Mandir Marg. She raised an alarm, but they escaped,” the police said in iots press note.

“During investigation, co-accused Rahul (driver) was arrested and recovery of the scooty and gold chain were affected. However, his associate Tarun alias Gadam Wala had been absconding since the incident,” it said.

A team led by Inspector Mahipal and supervised by ACP Satendra Mohan, acting on secret information and technical surveillance, tracked Tarun to Aman Vihar and apprehended him without incident.

During interrogation, police said, Tarun confessed to being the pillion rider who snatched the chain.

He revealed that Rahul had stolen the scooty used in the crime and that he received Rs 6,000 as his share after the chain was sold. He also told investigators that he is a drug user and committed the crime to fund his addiction. Tarun had been released from jail in January 2025 after serving time in another snatching case.

Police records show the accused has been involved in 68 cases related to snatching, theft, burglary, robbery, and Arms Act violations.

“His capture marks a major success in ongoing efforts to curb repeat offenders and strengthen public safety,” said DCP Harsh Indora.

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Crime

Land fraud case: J&K Crime Branch files chargesheet, two accused sent to judicial custody

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Srinagar, Nov 28: The Economic Offences Wing of Jammu and Kashmir Crime Branch Kashmir said on Friday that it has filed a chargesheet against the accused in the court of law, as two accused have been sent to judicial custody.

A statement issued by the Crime Branch Kashmir said, “The Economic Offences Wing of Crime Branch Kashmir has produced a chargesheet before the Hon’ble Court of Special Judge Anti-Corruption, Anantnag, against Mushtaq Ahmad Bhat, son of Ali Mohammad Bhat, resident of Babapora Qazigund, Tehsil Devsar, District Kulgam, and Mohammad Yousuf Dar, resident of Khandipahari, Harnag, Anantnag.

“The case originated from a complaint alleging that Mushtaq Ahmad Bhat, then serving as Patwari Halqa Khandipahari Anantnag, entered into a criminal conspiracy with the complainant’s brothers to fraudulently mutate land falling under Khewat Nos. 05 and 07 at Khandipahari Harnag.

“This was done despite the land being under litigation and a status quo order issued by the Hon’ble Court, which was duly reflected in revenue records,” it said.

Investigations revealed that the Patwari concealed material facts, facilitated the sale of a portion of the disputed land and prepared fraudulent mutations.

Accused Mohammad Yousuf Dar was also found to have procured a fake and forged gift deed purportedly executed by his mother.

“The alleged witnesses to the deed denied any involvement. The complainant further stated that the Patwari demanded money for providing revenue extracts and that no departmental action was taken despite approaching senior revenue authorities,” it said.

Upon enquiry, the allegations were found prima facie substantiated, leading to the registration of FIR No. 45/2015 under sections 420, 468, 471, 120-B RPC, and 5(2) PC Act at Police Station Crime Branch Kashmir.

After a thorough investigation, the chargesheet has now been filed for judicial determination.

During the course of proceedings, the court has remanded the accused Mushtaq Ahmad Bhat and Mohammad Yousuf Dar to the judicial lock-up.

“The Economic Offences Wing of Crime Branch Kashmir remains committed to bringing fraudsters and economic offenders to justice and urges the public to remain vigilant against such fraudulent activities,” the statement added.

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Crime

Mumbai: 72-year-old Man Loses ₹35 Crore In Massive Trading Fraud, Alleges Brokerage Firm Misused Wife’s Account

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Mumbai: A 72-year-old Mumbai resident has alleged that he lost an astonishing Rs 35 crore in a trading scam that spanned four years. Bharat Harakchand Shah, who lives in Matunga West, claims that Globe Capital Market Limited conducted unauthorised trades using his wife’s account, eventually leaving him with a massive debt he never knew existed.

Shah, who runs a low-rent guest house for cancer patients in Parel along with his wife, inherited a share portfolio from his father in 1984. With no understanding of stock markets, the couple never traded actively and kept their holdings untouched for decades.

The alleged fraud began in 2020. Following a recommendation from a friend, Shah opened Demat and trading accounts for himself and his wife with Globe Capital Market Limited, transferring the inherited shares to the brokerage.

At first, the arrangement seemed simple. Representatives from the firm contacted him regularly, assuring him that no additional investments were required and that the inherited shares could be safely used as collateral. Shah was told he would receive “personal guides” to help navigate the process.

Two company employees, identified as Akshay Baria and Karan Siroya, were assigned to manage his portfolio. According to the FIR, this was when they allegedly took full control of the couple’s accounts.

Shah said the two employees initially called every day, advising him on which orders to place. Soon, they began making home visits and even sent emails through their own laptops. He was instructed to share every OTP, open every SMS and email, and grant all permissions.

Believing he was following official instructions, Shah unknowingly allowed the firm to operate freely. He remained unaware that extensive trades were being conducted in his and his wife’s names.

Between March 2020 and June 2024, Shah received annual statements showing consistent profits. With nothing amiss on paper, he had no reason to doubt the firm’s actions.

Everything changed in July 2024 when Globe Capital’s Risk Management Department called him, informing him that he and his wife owed Rs 35 crore due to a large debit balance. He was warned that his shares would be sold immediately if the amount was not paid.

Distressed, Shah visited the firm’s office where he learned for the first time that unauthorised trades, including circular trading, had caused his portfolio to collapse. Shares worth crores had already been sold.

Fearful of losing his remaining assets, Shah sold the leftover shares and cleared the entire Rs 35 crore debt. He later transferred the remaining holdings to a different brokerage.

When he downloaded the original transaction statements from the company’s website, Shah noticed major discrepancies compared to the profit statements emailed to him for four years. He also discovered that the brokerage had responded to multiple NSE notices using his name—without ever informing him.

“For four years, the company presented us with a false picture, while the actual losses continued to mount,” Shah said.

Shah filed an FIR at the Vanrai police station. The case, registered under IPC sections 409 (Criminal Breach of Trust) and 420 (Cheating), has now been handed over to the Mumbai Police’s Economic Offences Wing for a detailed probe.

He has described the episode as an “organised financial fraud”, hoping the investigation will uncover how such large-scale unauthorised trading went unnoticed for years.

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