Crime Patrol: Andhra's call money racket: Loan sharks, political goons and forced sex work (Episode 83 - 28th January, 2016)

January 30, 2016     No comments




The gang gave loans to innocent women at high interest rates, and threatened them when they were unable to repay



When the police busted a loan racket in Vijayawada on Saturday, little did they know that they had uncovered a nexus involving prostitution, large amounts of money exchanging hands and many government and police officials.



Some alleged local political party leaders are also said to be involved in the racket.



It started with the police arresting Y Ramachandra Murthy, a deputy engineer of AP Transmission Corporation and G Satyanand, who are alleged to be the brains behind the operation, along with a few private financiers.



According to The Indian Express, this was preceded by a complaint by a woman victim with the Machavaram police, where she alleged that her daughter and son-in-law were abducted by a financier after they failed to repay a loan of Rs 3 lakh, which they had taken at an interest rate of 30 per cent.



Vijayawada Police Commissioner Gautam Sawang told the newspaper "This gang’s modus operandi is to give loans to innocent women at very high interest rates, and when they are unable to repay on time, they threaten them and coerce them into handing over their houses or lands in lieu of the loan. There are allegations that in some instances they forced the women into flesh trade to earn the money to repay the loans. All this is under investigation."



The task force that made the arrests is reported to have found that the gang saw a turnover of Rs 600 crore per year.



As far as political connections to the case are concerned, some of the accused were working as private bodyguards for some leaders of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), who were allegedly backing the mafia.



Deccan Chronicle reports that Bhavani Shankar, who was a bodyguard for one of the kingpins, himself claims to be a bodyguard of VIPs of the TDP. A B.Com graduate from Nalanda Degree College, Shankar is well known in TDP circles. Two other accused, Dudala Rajesh and Srikanth Pendyala, are graduates from a city college. Venigalla Srinivas, who is among the accused, is closely associated with Penamaluru MLA Bode Prasad.



These reports came as even more women stepped forward and started filing cases against the accused and narrated tales of how they were being coerced into the flesh trade.



Some women alleged that the gangsters had posted their photographs on social media sites, besides blackmailing and forcing them into flesh trade, while some alleged that videos of them getting raped were circulated to the extent that they contemplated suicide.



Some reports also suggest that this is the third time that such a racket has been exposed in Andhra Pradesh.



The Hindu reported that this issue is giving the jitters to TDP leaders, as victims are lodging complaints against call money organisers, who have been allegedly supported by the ruling party leaders. Meanwhile, the YSR(C) and the Congress are busy making efforts to derive political mileage by cornering the TDP MLAs.



However, the Director General of Police (DGP) J V Ramudu, on Sunday, gave a clean chit to the ruling party MLAs belonging to the city while adding that chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu had asked him not to allow the guilty to go scot-free, however big they might be.



Speaking to The New Indian Express, Ramudu said:



“We will not spare anybody. We will take stern action if those involved in the call money case harassed women in getting back their loan amount...We will not hesitate even to slap the new Criminal Amendment Act (Nirbhaya) against the offenders, who are involved in assaulting women sexually. I have asked Vijayawada Police Commissioner Gautam Sawang and other DCPs to probe involvement of any MLA in the case. There is no specific information about any MLA’s involvement in it."



Addressing the media, State home minister Chinnarajappa also said that there was no political pressure in the case.



"The government has directed the police to conduct a fair and thorough probe into the scandal and arrest all the accused in the case. I request the victims to register their complaints either with Krishna District Collector Babu A, or with City Police Commissioner Gautam Sawang,” the minister said.



Meanwhile, Sawang has appealed to the victims to come forward and lodge complaints in his office and has personally promised to look into the cases.



At present, cases have been registered under IPC sections dealing with cheating, rape, sexual harassment, extortion, defamation and criminal conspiracy.



Thanks To:

http://www.thenewsminute.com/article/andhras-call-money-racket-loan-sharks-political-goons-and-forced-sex-work-36782

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Crime Patrol: Is this woman one of ISIS's top Indian recruiters? Hyderabad mother of three arrested for radicalising young people online (Episode 80, 81 on 5th, 6th January, 2016)

January 26, 2016     No comments

She allegedly had the perfect cover. 



Afsha Jabeen alias ‘Niclole’ or Nicky Joseph, aged 37, had been a mystery woman for Indian intelligence agencies so far. 



She is alleged to have used the pseudo name Nicole Joseph, pretending to be a Christian who had converted to Islam. 


 “She used her fake identity to attract non-Muslims to take up Islam like her,” said an intelligence official. 


 Living in the UAE (though originally from Hyderabad), she was deported to India on Friday for allegedly being a recruiter for the dreaded ISIS after nine months of surveillance. 


 She was initially believed to be a British citizen who had converted to Islam and relocated to UAE. 


 After months of intelligence gathering on her, her real identity as Afsha Jabeen was revealed. 



Afsha Jabeen alias ‘Niclole’ or Nicky Joseph

had been a mystery woman

for Indian intelligence agencies so far


 Sources said in 2008 she started a Facebook group called Islam vs Christianity, encouraging discussion on the two religions.


he intelligence official said she got the idea of pretending to be a Christian who converted to Islam after seeing a video on You Tube. 


 She married an Indian, Devendra Batra, who also adopted Islam and is now known as Mustafa. 
Intelligence agencies believe that the number of Indians who have joined ISIS has gone up to 30

Intelligence agencies believe that the number of Indians who have joined ISIS has gone up to 30
The couple has three young daughters who were also deported to India along with her. She got married to Batra in 2002 when the two worked together in a private firm in UAE. 



Her husband ran a real estate business in the country, oblivious of her activities on cyber space. 


 She allegedly used the internet to radicalise young Indian boys and prepare them to join ISIS.


 “We suspect some of them she was in touch with did join ISIS eventually. She is not revealing much at the moment,” said the intelligence official, who was part of the operation to track her. 


 Mail Today had reported earlier that the terror group has headhunters within India and among Indians living abroad for recruiting youth attracted to the idea of establishing a Caliphate. 


 Sources said once Afsha starts giving answers many more Indians who are associated with the ISIS could be identified. 


 Her name first cropped up in January 2015 after Telangana Police arrested a Hyderabad youth Salman Mohiuddin who was in touch with her. 


 She was allegedly responsible for indoctrinating him and convincing him to join ISIS. 


Salman had taken his Masters degree in engineering from Texas, but returned to Hyderabad as he did not get a visa extension. 



Salman had been active on social media and had also created a Facebook group called Daula Islamia or Islamic State along with four other administrators in India. 
They allegedly radicalised youth for jehadi activities.



The others were from Delhi, Surat, Mumbai and Jammu and Kashmir, but Salman had no clue of their real identities. 



After his arrest, Salman revealed that he met a lady named Nicky Joseph, a UK citizen who converted to Islam and went off to the UAE. 



Later, they were in constant touch on social media and also started Facebook pages to talk about ISIS. 


“They got friendly and she convinced him to join ISIS. He wanted to marry her after reaching Dubai. She told him that after getting married the two would join ISIS,” said an intelligence official. 



Salman got his visa for Dubai but was intercepted and arrested before he could leave. 



He had also allegedly been in touch with an ISIS leader in Syria. 



Afsha had been in UAE for years as her parents shifted there when she was still a child. 



After completing her schooling there, she returned to India. 



She graduated from Shadan College in Hyderabad and went back to UAE.



Afsha has been arrested under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, 1967, section 13 (1) which states whoever (a) takes part in or commits, or (b) advocates abets, advises or incites the commission of any unlawful activity shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to seven years. 


 She has also been charged with section 153 A of the Indian Penal Code for promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language along with 120 (B) dealing with criminal conspiracy. 
Officials interrogating her said they now need to know who her handler was and whether she was directly in touch with ISIS leaders. 


 “She operated through Facebook pages and chat rooms identifying and radicalising young Muslim youth who were vulnerable to the ISIS propaganda,” said an official.




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Crime Patrol: Delhi: Paralysed man 'kills' wife, 4-year-old son (Episode 609 on 22 Jan, 2016)

January 22, 2016     2 comments




30-year-old Nitin Mani apparently suspected his wife, Shweta, of being involved in an extra-marital relationship.



Even in the genre of murder mystery films, it is difficult to find a case where a physically challenged person is the killer. But what Nitin Mani has claimed to have done would have given Alfred Hitchcock a brainwave.



The 30-year-old, paralysed from waist down in a motorcycle accident three years ago, has claimed to have throttled his wife and son to death on the night of his sixth wedding anniversary.



He then tried to stab himself to death and failing which, he called in the police and turned himself in. Apparently Nitin suspected his wife, Shweta, of being involved in an extra-marital relationship and thus chose to eliminate her.

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What comes as a surprise was how Nitin, who according to the woman's family had to depend on others even for the slightest movement, managed to kill his 26-year-old wife and four-year-old son Garv.



Adding further twist to the tale was the fact that Nitin's parents and two brothers were in the same house when the murders took place. But none of them heard anything.



Could there be more to the story than what Nitin was claiming? Shweta's family members thought so, as they trained the needle of suspicion on Nitin's relatives.



"Nitin was dependent on others even for the slightest movement. How can he murder two people? My daughter and grandson were poisoned," alleged Dinesh Verma, Shweta's father, who runs a jewellery shop in Bhogal, south Delhi.



It was alleged that the murders were planned as Nitin's family members wanted the Rs 50 lakh compensation for themselves. Following the accident three years ago, Nitin, who was an interior decorator, was awarded Rs 71 lakh in compensation. He had received Rs 21 lakh, which he had deposited in the bank in the name of his son, a student of GD Goenka School in Rohini. Nitin was waiting for the remaining amount.



Family members revealed Nitin had become grumpy and sank deeper into depression following the accident, which rendered him wheelchair-bound for the rest of his life.



On Thursday evening, Nitin celebrated his sixth wedding anniversary with his family members at their Beghumpur residence.



The party went on till midnight and family members said Nitin had allegedly consumed alcohol.



His mother claimed that around 2.30 am, she heard a knock on the door. "I opened the door and was surprised to see the police. They started inquiring about my son," Nitin's mother Sushma said.



The police then knocked on the door of Nitin's room and when no one answered, broke it down to see Shweta and Garv lying on the bed.



"It looked like they were sleeping on the bed," Sushma, who believes her son to be innocent, said.



The police said the murders could have been committed one hour after the party.



"Garv wanted to sleep with me, but I had asked him to sleep with his parents. I could have at least saved him," Sushma lamented.



Police said around 1.50 am they received a call from Nitin informing them about the double murder. He had also called up Shweta's family members and told them about his crime.



Police shifted the bodies to Sanjay Gandhi hospital and took Nitin in custody. His brothers Shivam (28), a salesman, and Rohit (26), who owns and drives a radio taxi, were detained for questioning.



"He had turned into a desperate man after the accident and it is possible he may have committed the crime. He sometimes abused me as well. He thought that his life had come to an end after the accident," Nitin's father Mahinder Pal said.



"The couple had an argument after the party. We are investigating into the matter. There were three stab wounds on Nitin's body. He claims he tried to kill himself. Postmortem will throw light on the murders," a police officer said.



Thanks To:

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/paralysed-man-murders-wife-son-in-new-delhi/1/171969.html

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Crime Patrol: Retired BEL DGM who went missing in November found murdered (Episode 607, 608 on 16th, 17th Jan, 2016)

January 22, 2016     No comments




Rajaram, 67, a resident of the BEL layout in the Vidyaranyapura area and retired Deputy General Manager (DGM) from BEL had been missing from his residence since November 13.



The case of disappearance of a retired Bharat Electronics Limited deputy general manager in Bengaluru since November 13 has been found to be a case of murder of the 67-year-old man by a man who was supposed to handover documents of properties owned by the retired DGM to his only daughter.



Rajaram, 67, a resident of the BEL layout in the Vidyaranyapura area and retired Deputy General Manager (DGM) from BEL had been missing from his residence since November 13 and a case was registered by his brother Shekar on November 18 with the police. Police investigations have found that Rajaram was estranged from his daughter following the death of his wife but wanted to hand over documents of his property to his daughter Madhuvanti.



The daughter who did not want to meet her father since she blamed him for the demise of her mother allegedly deputed an acquaintance who ran a store near her apartment in south Bengaluru to collect the documents. The acquaintance S Mahesh, 36, plotted to kill the former BEL DGM and take over the property documents after Rajaram refused to hand the documents to him, the police have alleged.



The main accused allegedly used the assistance of a security guard from Nepal identified as Mohan Dushad, 23, to carry out the crime. Police said the duo reached Rajaram’s house around 8 pm on November 13 and demanded the original documents of Rajaram’s properties and killed him with a screwdriver when he refused to give the documents. They took the dead body in a car and disposed by setting it ablaze on the Hindupur-Madugiri road near the Andhra Pradesh border in order to prevent its identification. In course of the probe police quizzed Rajaram’s daughter and she said that she had assigned Mahesh to get the property documents from her father. After he was picked up Mahesh confessed to the crime.



Thanks to:

http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/bangalore/retired-bel-dgm-who-went-missing-in-november-found-murdered/#sthash.eI8UVdN9.yc6a860G.dpuf


BENGALURU: The police have arrested two men who had allegedly murdered a 73-year-old retired Deputy General Manager of BEL. The accused had taken away the original documents of property worth around Rs 13 crore after committing the murder.



The accused have been identified as S Mahesh, 36, a resident of Byrasandra in Jayanagar 1st Block, and Mohan Dushad, a native of Assam. They have been accused of murdering Rajaram, a resident of BEL 1st Block.



Police said that Rajaram was living his wife Premalatha and daughter Madhuvanthi. After his wife died of illness in 2013, Madhuvanthi shifted to Pride Apartment in Bilekahalli on Bannerghatta Road. She reportedly hated her father for not taking proper care of her mother and believed that this led to her death.



“Rajaram wanted to transfer all his property to Madhuvanthi’s name and was asking her to come to his house. But Madhuvanthi had told him that she would send someone else. She had told Mahesh, who was running a departmental store in Pride Apartment, about the issue and had asked him to collect the papers from her father. Mahesh agreed and had visited Rajaram 2-3 times, but Rajaram had refused to give him the documents,” the police said.



“Mahesh, who took advantage of this opportunity, hatched a plot to murder Rajaram and hoped to make money by convincing Madhuvanthi to sell off the property. He roped in his friend Mohan, who was working as a security guard. The duo went to Rajaram’s house on November 13 around 8 pm and asked for the documents. When he refused, they murdered him by hitting him with a spanner. Later, they tied his limbs and took his body to Hindupur-Mahdugiri Road in a car. They poured petrol and burnt the body in a vacant plot,” the police explained.




The accused S. Mahesh and Mohan Dushad (Photo: DC)

On November 18, Rajaram’s elder brother Shekhar filed a missing complaint with the police. The police, who took up the probe, circulated the photo of Rajaram to all police stations and received confirmation from the Hindupur police, who had taken up a murder case of an unidentified man. The family members also confirmed that it was Rajaram’s body.



Vehicle number gave the clue



As the investigations started, a constable, informed seniors that he had noted down the vehicle registration number of a bike, which was moving around suspiciously near Rajaram’s house, a few days before the murder. Based on the number, the police took the information of the vehicle owner and it was traced to Mahesh.



“As his questioning revealed that he was running a business in Pride Apartment, where Madhuvanthi lived, there was a strong suspicion on him. When grilled he confessed to the murder,” the police added. Madhuvanthi, who was working in Canada earlier, is said to be mentally unstable now and Mahesh tried to take advantage of this fact, the police said.



Thanks To:

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/151212/nation-crime/article/two-held-bel-man%E2%80%99s-murder

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Crime Patrol: 19-Year-Old Battered to Death in Muzaffarnagar, Father, Brother Arrested (Episode 75 on 19th Jan, 2016)

January 20, 2016     No comments

LUCKNOW: A 19-year-old Dalit girl was killed in Muzaffarnagar, allegedly by her father and brother, over her relationship with a youth.



Pratibha, a resident of Malira village, was spotted with the youth by the family. On Tuesday morning her body was found in the fields. Her head had been bashed in with bricks.



Police said she had been murdered on the spot.



This was the second such case to be reported from the district within a week.



Initially, the family alleged the girl was murdered by an unknown person when she went to the fields.



"We suspected the family's role and during investigation, it came out that the father had killed her," said Shravan Kumar, Superintendent of Police, City.



The police arrested the girl's father Jagpal and brother Pradeep, who, they say, have confessed to the crime.



The father, Jagpal said he did it for his "honour" as his daughter had threatened to elope if the family did not accept their relationship.



Thanks To:

http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/19-year-old-battered-to-death-in-muzaffarnagar-father-brother-arrested-724599

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Crime Patrol: Suicide note of rape victim leads to the arrest of two men (Episode 606 on 15th January, 2016)

January 16, 2016     No comments




The minor was found hanging at her Vakola residence in Santacruz (East) Tuesday night by the Vakola police officials.



A suicide note written by a 16-year-old girl has now led to the arrest of two men who allegedly raped her over a period of time, the police said.



The note, written in chaste Hindi, reportedly detailed her ordeal as she faced sexual assault by her brother-in-law and her boyfriend. The police, who recovered the suicide note alongside her body Tuesday night, have now arrested the two men on charges of rape and abetment to suicide, making it one of the rare cases in which a dying statement by a minor has been used to establish an offence that allegedly took place in 2012.



The minor was found hanging at her Vakola residence in Santacruz (East) Tuesday night by the Vakola police officials.



According to police officials, the girl was a student in the first year of Bachelor of commerce and studying in a Vile Parle college. She was alone in the house when she hung herself with a dupatta.



Her mother returned home at 9.30 pm only to find the door of her house locked from inside. The victim’s mother called up her father who broke the door to find their daughter dead.



The police officers said that at 10pm they visited the spot and found a letter written by the 16-year-old girl in Hindi, reading which her parents went in a state of shock. The girl’s suicide note contained the names of two men who had raped her and abetted her suicide.



“According to the letter the girl had visited her native place in 2012 for her sister’s wedding. The girl wrote that a day before her sister was about to get married, her sister’s fiance raped her,” said Vilas Joshi, senior police inspector of Vakola police station. The girl in the note mentioned that she was then 14 years old and could not tell her parents about the rape as she was afraid that her sister’s marriage would be called off.



The girl came to Mumbai and began living with her parents in Vakola while her sister and brother-in-law stayed at Wadala. The police officers said that the girl later had a boyfriend in college. The boy who is 17 years old had raped the girl a few days ago by promising her marriage and then broken off with her. “The girl in her note said that she was depressed and feared her parents reaction on hearing that she was raped by her boyfriend,” said Joshi.



After reading the letter the Vakola police have arrested the girl’s brother-in-law and her boyfriend for raping her on different occasions and also abetting her to commit suicide.



“The two have been arrested under sections 376 and 306 of the Indian Penal Code. They will be produced before the court on Thursday,” said Joshi. The girl’s parents who were in a state of shock said that they had no idea that their daughter was going through such a situation.



Thanks to:

http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/suicide-note-of-rape-victim-leads-to-the-arrest-of-two-men/

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Crime Patrol: Cops crack Nala Sopara murder in six hours (Episode 604, 605 on 10th January, 2016)

January 13, 2016     No comments

Victim's 2-year-old son rescued, reunited with dad; using her mobile was the killer's undoing.



The Nala Sopara police nabbed Suresh Nemaram Prajapati on Thursday night from Dahisar for the murder of Gatki Devi, a pregnant woman, who was found with her throat slit at her Nala Sopara apartment the same afternoon. Her two-year-old abducted son has been rescued and reunited with his father, Ambalal Devasi Singh.



The Nala Sopara police formed 10 teams to arrest Prajapati, 21, the alleged murderer. The Palghar local crime branch was also a part of the detection team. Prajapati was caught red-handed while taking the ransom of Rs 1.5 lakh that he had demanded to be kept in a parked bus at Kandarpada near Dahisar railway station. The arrest was made within six hours of the crime- around 12:30 am (Friday).



"Prajapati used to frequently watch crime serials on television and tried to mislead us by changing his location 10-12 times," said said Inspector Ravindra Badguzar of the Nalla Sopara police station. "He did not turn up for 15 minutes after the cash was dropped."



As per police sources, Prajapati admitted to committing the crime as he needed money for his ailing mother's treatment.



Gatki Devi, 25, was found murdered on Thursday afternoon. Her body was found in a semi-nude state. The post-mortem reports are awaited. Prajapati had kidnapped her 2-yearold son and later called Ambalal around 4:45 pm from Devi's mobile phone and demanded a ransom of Rs 1.5 lakh. Prajapati had also told Ambalal that his wife was lying unconscious in the kitchen. Ambalal reached home to find Devi lying in a pool of blood. "A complaint was registered for murder, extortion and kidnapping against the unknown killer on Thursday afternoon," said Badguzar.



As per Badguzar, Prajapati would regularly accompany Ambalal and visit his house to carry raw materials for imitation jewellery. "Prajapati was, therefore, aware of Ambalal's routine and known to Gatki Devi," said PI Badguzar. "The mistake of calling Ambalal from Gatki Devi's mobile phone nailed him."



Prajapati was produced before the Vasai court on Friday and has been remanded to police custody till August 28.



Thanks To:

http://www.mumbaimirror.com/mumbai/crime/Cops-crack-Nala-Sopara-murder-in-six-hours/articleshow/48591843.cms

Man who killed pregnant woman, kidnapped her son arrested



MUMBAI: Less than 12 hours after a three-month pregnant woman was murdered in her Nalasopara home and her two-year-old son kidnapped, the police arrested the culprit from outside Dahisar station after he picked the bag containing the ransom money and rescued the boy.



Ten police teams were formed to trace the boy, Prakash Devasi, and nab the accused, Suresh Prajapati (21), an imitation jewellery delivery boy who is known to the family.



On Thursday, Prajapati allegedly slit 25-year-old Gatki's throat, kidnapped her son and called her husband Ambalal (26), who works in Bhoiwada, from her cellphone and demanded a ransom of Rs 1.5 lakh.



A Nalasopara resident, Prajapati is a cousin of Ambalal's business associate. Police said in the past, Prajapati had visited the Devasis' house in Sai Sahara building to deliver imitation jewellery. While it is obvious that he planned the adduction to make easy money, police are clueless why he killed Gatki. They are awaiting the post-mortem report to verify if she was sexually assaulted.



When Ambalal told the police about the ransom call, they asked him to play along. They placed a GPS in the bag containing the cash so that they could trace the kidnapper even he managed to give them the slip.



Prajapati initially called Ambalal to Borivli station to drop the money. When Ambalal reached the station, he got another call asking him to come to Dahisar station. Convinced that Ambalal was not accompanied by cops, Prajapati told him to leave the bag near a bus outside Dahisar station at 11.30pm. After 15 minutes, when Prajapati, who had brought the boy along with him, collected the bag, policemen nabbed him.



A case of murder and kidnap has been registered against Prajapati, who has been remanded in police custody.



Thanks To:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Man-who-killed-pregnant-woman-kidnapped-her-son-arrested/articleshow/48594298.cms

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Crime Patrol: Minor among 2 arrested for murder in Jaipur (Episode 603, 604 on 8th Jan, 2016)

January 12, 2016     No comments

JAIPUR: The Jaipur Police commissionerate, probing the murder of a 50-year-old woman, on Thursday arrested a minor boy who is a relative of the deceased and his aide.



According to Mahesh Nagar police station SHO Umed Singh Solanki, the duo - the minor boy and his 21-year-old associate Vinod Meena - were arrested from Mahesh Nagar area of the city. The minor is brother-in-law of the deceased's son.



The wife of a bank manager, Somawati Devi, was strangulated to death on December 1 when she was alone at home. The house was also looted.



The SHO said the booty - Rs 35,000 in cash, and gold and silver ornaments - has been recovered from the duo.



Police said the duo had stayed at the woman's house, had breakfast, tea and lunch before carrying out their plan.



During interrogation, the minor boy told police that he was angry with his "jijaji" (brother-in-law) for harassing and torturing his sister, and wanted to take revenge.



The SHO said the two have been booked under various sections of the IPC including sections 302 (murder) and 394 (robbery).



Thanks To:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/Minor-among-2-arrested-for-murder-in-Jaipur/articleshow/45375314.cms

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