General
US cops used newborn’s stored DNA to nab father in a 1996 crime
In a worrisome trend, a lawsuit filed by the New Jersey Office of the Public Defender (OPD) has claimed that the police used blood samples from new-born babies to fund DNA samples and probe crimes committed more than 25 years ago.
The OPD officials learned that the State Police has successfully subpoenaed a newborn blood sample who is now approximately nine years old.
“The reason the State Police subpoenaed the sample was so that it could perform a DNA analysis on the sample and tie the child’s father, who became OPD’s client, to a crime that was committed in 1996,” the lawsuit read.
By serving a subpoena upon the Newborn Screening Laboratory, the State Police allegedly sidestepped its constitutional obligation to develop probable cause and obtain a warrant “so that it could obtain a buccal swab from OPD’s client to perform an analysis of his DNA”.
The suspect then became a client of the OPD, which alerted the office to the techniques used to identify the man.
Every baby born in New Jersey is required by law to be tested for 60 disorders within 48 hours of birth.
Through a simple needle prick to the heel, hospitals, medical facilities, and health care providers collect blood from newborns.
Those blood spot samples are later tested by the Newborn Screening Laboratory, which operated by defendants New Jersey Department of Health, Public Health and Environmental Laboratories.
“These blood spot samples are taken without informed consent by the newborn’s parents or guardians, and, upon information and belief, the samples are stored by Defendants for more than 20 years,” the lawsuit alleged.
In early 2022, OPD learned that at least one law enforcement agency has obtained newborn blood spot samples from the Newborn Screening Laboratory to perform a DNA analysis on the sample as part of a criminal investigation.
The State Police had re-opened an investigation into a “cold case” of sexual assault that had occurred in 1996 and had genetically narrowed the suspects to one of three brothers and their male offspring.
“Because there was not probable cause to obtain search warrants for buccal swabs from those suspects, the State Police instead served a subpoena upon the Newborn Screening Laboratory in or about August 2021 to obtain residual dried blood spot samples that had been collected from a male newborn in or about June 2012,” read the lawsuit.
To ascertain which family member was the suspect, the State Police sought the blood spot sample that was taken from an approximately nine-year-old child when he was a newborn to compare it to the DNA it had collected at the crime scene in 1996.
The lawsuit, filed jointly by the OPD and the non-profit organisation New Jersey Monitor, now seeks to force the state of New Jersey to disclose information on the full extent of the practice.
Maharashtra
Mumbai: Ajit Pawar plane crash, Marine Drive police station refuses to register case against MLAs

Mumbai: Police has refused to register a case in the Ajit Pawar plane crash case. NCP leader MLA Rohit Pawar along with other MLAs had today gone to Marine Drive police station and demanded that a case be registered in the Ajit Pawar plane crash or conspiracy case. The process of recording his confession statement was also going on, but in the meantime, the DCP and Additional Police Commissioner refused to register a case and said that a case cannot be registered in this matter. Expressing his displeasure, Rohit Pawar said that the purpose of registering an FIR today is that the DGCA has issued a circular on the basis of which action has been taken regarding the VSR company, on this basis the VSR company is responsible for this plane crash, yet the police have refused to register a case. He said that any citizen can register a complaint at the police station, this act says, but contrary to this, the police have refused to register a case. He said that efforts are underway to save the VSR company. He said that the police register cases for other crimes including assault, but why is the police not registering a case on the incident that happened with a Maratha leader and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar? This is completely wrong. Our struggle will continue until justice is achieved. He said that tomorrow morning we will try to register a complaint at the Baramati police station. Rohit Pawar expressed his disappointment and said that if a Deputy Chief Minister does not get justice, then what will happen to the common man? Regarding the registration of a case in the case of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, the ruling party BJP has also taken its stand that a case should not be registered in this matter, while it has also recommended a CBI inquiry into this matter, but despite this inquiry, we have the right to register an FIR, yet we are being deprived of it and have refused to take an FIR.
Maharashtra
Maharashtra madrasas are a hotbed of terrorism, Nitesh Rane’s venom after a video of students being beaten up in madrasas went viral

Mumbai: Addressing journalists at Vidhan Bhavan after a video of children being beaten up in a madrasa in Maharashtra went viral, Maharashtra Minister Nitesh Rane has poured venom against madrasas, calling them a base for terrorism and demanding their closure and has said that instead of madrasas, Marathi and other language schools should be allowed. He said that what is the need for madrasas in a Hindu nation? Are we allowed to teach Bhagavad Gita in Muslim countries? He said that the way children have been beaten up in a madrasa is completely wrong. If this incident of beating had happened in my constituency, what would have happened to it? Then no one would dare to torture a child. Nitesh Rane said that the way only Urdu is taught in madrasas and only Quran and Sharia are taught, that is why the students of madrasas are ignorant of other languages. Nitesh Rane said that in the same way that the Chief Minister in Assam has imposed audit and other conditions on madrassas, in Maharashtra too, audit of all madrassas should be made mandatory and monitoring should be kept on them. This demand will be made to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis soon. This country is a Hindu Rashtra, the rights of Hindus will be discussed here. Commenting on Kerala Story 2, Nitesh Rane targeted Muslims and said that those who do love jihad will not like this film because it has exposed love jihad and presented the facts. He said that this film is based on how Hindu girls are oppressed after love jihad. If there is an objection to the film, then stop love jihad.
Maharashtra
Abu Asim demands control over cybercrime and immediate return of funds in the House, there is no provision in the law for digital arrest; Devendra Fadnavis

Mumbai: The increase in cybercrime incidents in Mumbai is alarming. Citizens are being cheated on the pretext of fraud and digital arrest by claiming to be CBI, police and government officials. How will the government curb this? This is a daily occurrence and millions of rupees have been cheated in Mumbai including Ahilya Nagar. For this, the government will form a special task force. There has been a huge increase in cases of cheating people by threatening them in the name of digital arrest. Therefore, action must be taken against this. This demand was made by MLA Abu Asim Atami in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly today. He said that in most of these cases, after demanding money, this money is transferred to another account and its recovery will be ensured within an hour. He drew the attention of the House to this and said that today online fraud is being done on mobile phones in the name of “digital arrest”. Although there is no system of “digital arrest” in the law, cybercrimes are targeting the middle class and senior citizens, creating an atmosphere of fear. Sometimes, false allegations of receiving illegal goods in parcels or couriers are made and sometimes the victim is intimidated by showing a booking in his name. While collecting information from social media, these accused pose as CBI or Narcotics officers, threaten people and transfer money online to their accounts on the pretext of saving them from false cases. Victims who are cheated lose their life’s earnings and are forced to commit suicide in despair. demanded in the House that the government should set up a special task force to curb the rise in cybercrimes, create public awareness through all means of communication, make helplines accessible and effective, and ensure that the money transferred to the victims is immediately returned and strict action is taken against the accused. On my issue, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Minister of State for Home Yogesh Kadam provided important information to the House and presented a detailed statement of the action being taken by the government on this issue. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis clarified in the House that digital arrest has no legal status. If someone calls in the name of digital arrest, it is important to understand that he is a fraudster and should not be trusted because there is no provision for digital arrest in the legal procedure. An awareness campaign is being conducted regarding cyber crimes. Along with this, cyber fraudsters target the elderly. An IAS officer was also targeted in this. If anyone is subjected to cyber fraud, he should contact 1930 immediately for action and they will be assisted.
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