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Saturday,07-June-2025

Crime

Vandal runs riot in 489-year-old Portuguese-built Mumbai church cemetery

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In a shocking incident, an unknown person sneaked inside the historic St Michael’s Church premises around dawn and vandalised 18 crosses in the graveyard of the 489-year-old church, near the Mahim station, officials of the Archdiocese of Bombay said here on Saturday.

According to the church’s Parish Priest, Fr. Bernard Lancy Pinto, the incident occurred around 6 a.m. when the unidentified miscreant entered the church premises and embarked on a damage-spree in the cemetery, sparking furious reactions among the Mumbai’s Catholic community.

“A FIR has been lodged at Mahim police station and investigations have begun. The police have assured us that they will arrest the person concerned based on the CCTV footage and the statement of witnesses,” he said.

He said the police have promised appropriate legal action against the vandal and they will also conduct a probe to check for any security lapses.

“It is regrettable and painful that the graves of the Catholics were vandalised at the St Michael’s Church. The sentiments of the community are deeply hurt as this act not only involved the destruction of religious objects but also disrespect for the dead,” said an Archdiocese spokesperson this evening.

“While the Church appreciates the support and assistance of various groups, we strictly do not wish to give this act a communal overtone. The police are investigating the incident and we remain hopeful that the perpetrator of this vicious crime will be brought to task,” the spokesperson added.

The St. Michael’s Church is the oldest Portuguese-built church in 1534 in its former colony of isles and the then sea-trading centre known as ‘Bom Bahia’ (later Bombay).

127 years later in May 1661, when Britain’s King Charles II married Princess Catherine of Braganza, the daughter of Portugal’s King John IV, ‘Bom Bahia’ was transferred to her husband as part of her wedding dowry.

The Mahim Church is famed for its Wednesday ‘novenas’ where people from all religions flock to attend and pray for miracles that are believed to take place.

The Catholic community in Mumbai and elsewhere has reacted sharply to the vandalism in Mahim Church and urged the police and government to take prompt action in the matter, besides ensuring security for the 125-odd churches in the city.

Many Christians – who number around 500,000 (or 3.30 per cent) of the city’s population – penned their sense of agony and outrage on social media posts, and recalled similar but smaller incidents of vandalism, theft of valuable church properties, etc, that have occurred in the past few years in different parts of Mumbai against the peace-loving community.

Saturday’s development came barely a day after the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation revoked a move to acquire a part of the cemetery besides the St Peter’s Church in Bandra west, for a road widening project, after Catholics from Mumbai raised an outcry and intervention of some local political leaders.

Crime

Man who issued death threat to Delhi CM Gupta, arrested from Ghaziabad

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New Delhi, June 7: A man who issued a death threat to Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has been arrested by a team from the North-West District Special Staff of the Delhi Police.

The accused was apprehended from Ghaziabad following swift investigative efforts after the threatening call was made late on Thursday night.

According to police officials, the threat call was made to the Ghaziabad Police Control Room (PCR) while the accused was allegedly under the influence of alcohol.

Shortly after the threat was received, the Delhi Police Control Room was alerted, and the matter was escalated due to the high-profile nature of the target.

Investigators identified the caller and tracked his location, but by the time authorities reached the source, the suspect had switched off his mobile phone.

After intensive tracing efforts, the Special Staff managed to arrest him from a hideout in Ghaziabad.

Preliminary interrogation has revealed that the accused is a law graduate (LLB), who had been facing personal turmoil due to a troubled marriage. His wife had recently left him, which reportedly pushed him into emotional distress.

Before making the death threat, he had placed another call in which he demanded to speak to his wife, police said.

Interestingly, the accused was found in possession of fake identification cards that appeared to be police credentials, raising suspicions that he may have attempted to impersonate law enforcement personnel.

Officers stated that he repeatedly tried to mislead the police during questioning.

“Assessment of the threat perception of VIPs or VVIPs is conducted by security agencies on the direction of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA),” a senior Delhi Police officer said.

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta is entitled to Z-category security under the standard protocol. Security agencies are expected to reassess her security cover following this incident, officials confirmed.

Police are continuing their investigation to determine whether the accused has any prior criminal history or links to other disruptive activities.

Authorities have also launched a separate enquiry into the use of forged police IDs found in his possession.

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Crime

Five fined for intrusion in Gir’s protected zone

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Ahmedabad, June 6: The Forest Department in Gujarat has taken action against five individuals caught attempting to spot lions illegally in the Kodiya Vedma area of the Khambha Tulsishyam range in Dhari Gir East.

According to officials, forest patrol teams intercepted a car late at night on June 5 in the protected Kodiya VD zone.

The group, which included two individuals from Bhavnagar and three from Khambha, had entered the restricted area without permission in an attempt to sight lions.

Acting under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, the Department imposed a fine of Rs 90,000 on the offenders. A formal case has also been registered against them.

Illegal lion sightings in the Gir forest region have become a growing concern, with such intrusions not only endangering wildlife but also violating the core principles of conservation.

Officials warned that strict legal and financial penalties will continue to be enforced against anyone disrupting the natural habitat or endangering the safety of both animals and people.

The Forest Department has reiterated its appeal to the public to avoid unauthorised wildlife excursions and support the ongoing efforts to protect the Asiatic lion population in the Gir forest. Illegal lion sightings and unauthorised safaris have become an increasing concern in Gujarat, particularly in and around the Gir National Park – the only natural habitat of Asiatic lions.

Over the past few years, forest officials have recorded multiple incidents of individuals and groups entering restricted areas for lion sightings, often during late hours and without permits.

In January 2023, eight people were caught conducting an illegal lion show in the Babariya range of Gir West and were fined a total of Rs 1.2 lakh under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

In another case from February 2022, a group of tourists from Surat was booked for entering a protected forest zone in the Amreli district and attempting to provoke a pride of lions for social media videos.

Similarly, in 2021, a local in Junagadh was arrested for organising a paid “lion show” for private guests, a case that led to increased surveillance by the Forest Department.

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Crime

Stampede case: RCB Marketing Head, DNA staffers among four held in Bengaluru

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Bengaluru, June 6: Four people, including the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Marketing Head and DNA Event Management Company staffers, were arrested on Friday in connection with the stampede near the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru that claimed 11 lives.

Nikhil Sosale, Head of Marketing for RCB, along with Sunil Matthew, Kiran, and Sumanth from DNA Event Management, have been arrested, according to the police.

Police said the accused have been arrested in a joint operation at the Bengaluru International Airport.

The police have also raided the residences of Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) Secretary Shankar and KSCA Treasurer Jayaram.

The personnel of the Cubbon Park police, who have registered the case in this regard and the special wing of the Central Crime Branch (CCB) conducted the joint operation.

The arrested individuals were on their way to Mumbai. All four accused have been brought to the Cubbon Park Police Station, where they were being interrogated by Seshadripuram Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP).

Even after the permission for the victory parade was not given, Sosle posted a message on social media about the victory parade and later deleted it, the police said.

He also announced that free tickets are available at the Stadium for the victory celebration event.

He allegedly further announced that the tickets would be available at Gate numbers 9 and 10 at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, and did not make arrangements to distribute the tickets.

The post was also made on the Royal Challengers’ official handle that the entry will be given at 3 p.m. This post has led to the gathering of lakhs of people, police said.

The DNA Company has acted as per the directions of Sosle. Among the total 21 gates, only three gates were opened, creating chaos.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday announced the suspension of five senior police officers, including the Bengaluru Police Commissioner and DCP (Central Division), in connection with the stampede incident on June 4.

“Such an incident has not occurred since I became an MLA, minister, Dy CM, and Chief Minister. This incident has deeply saddened us,” he stated.

The Karnataka Police in the FIR claimed that the accused parties — RCB franchise, DNA event management firm, and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) Administrative Committee — organised the victory celebration without the necessary permissions.

The FIR has been registered under Sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 118(1) (voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt by using dangerous weapons or means), 118(2) read with Section 3(5) (voluntarily causing grievous hurt, when the act is done by several persons in furtherance of common intention), 190 (unlawful assembly), 132 (criminal force to deter a public servant), 125(a) (filing false affidavit), and 125(b) (rash and negligent acts that endanger human life) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

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