Crime file: 9-yr-old sexually assaulted in Bangalore; pregnant woman dies for non-availability of ambulance and more

Auto driver apprehended for misbehaving with 7-yr-old in Hyderabad 

Hyderabad: An auto-rickshaw driver was on Sunday apprehended by police for allegedly misbehaving with a seven-year-old girl at his house in Pragathinagar here.

Accused Yadagiri was taken into custody after the girl informed her mother about the incident who lodged a complaint with the police. Meerpet police booked a case under relevant sections of Nirbhaya Act against Yadagiri and said that the girl was Yadagiri's aunt's daughter, the police said.

In another case, a private employee Srinivas Raj, who was allegedly following a nurse on his bike and making certain remarks against her while she was an auto-rickshaw was thrashed by the auto-driver and other locals at Kukatpally here, before being handed over to police. Following a complaint by the woman, Raj was arrested, the police said. 

Next: 9-yr-old girl sexually assaulted in Bangalore

9-yr-old girl sexually assaulted in Bangalore

Bangalore: A nine-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted while returning home from school near Begur in Electronics City police station limits here, police said.

"The incident took place when the girl was returning from school. The suspect who followed her is said to have covered her face with a cloth from behind and molested her after taking her to nearby location," Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Kamal Pant told PTI.

He said the incident came to light when the girl informed her aunt after returning home. The aunt told the girl's parents, the ACP said.

Pant said police are yet get any information on the identity of the accused. "We have not been able to talk to the girl as she is still recovering in the hospital... parents too don't have much information," he said. 

Next: 4 women held for kidnapping baby from Muzaffarnagar riot camp 

4 women held for kidnapping baby from Muzaffarnagar riot camp

Patiala: Three women were arrested from Dehradun and one from Patiala for allegedly kidnapping a one month old baby from Muzaffarnagar and selling it here, police said.

The four women arrested have been identified as Usha, Madhu, Anandi and Sahjahan, Patiala SSP HS Mann said, adding, that they were looking into matter to clarify whether the baby, which is a boy, was brought from the Muzaffarnagar riot camps.

Mann said the baby's mother has been identified and a police team along with Madhu, Anandi and Sahjahan, has left for Muzaffarnagar to bring her to Patiala. The incident surfaced when a sting operation was conducted here by various agencies including a local human rights activist Harmeet Kaur Brar and the Punjab Police.

In the act, Brar posed as a US-based NRI and a decoy customer and Usha (50) was caught selling her the baby for Rs 6.5 lakh outside Moti Bagh Gurdwara, he said. During interrogation, Usha told police that the baby was brought on Friday from Muzaffarnagar, the already arrested kingpin of the racket and handed over to Brar, who was part of the sting operation, Mann alleged.

She said she had bought the baby from Madhu in Muzaffarnagar for Rs 1.3 lakh and had travelled to Patiala to sell it, the SSP said. Usha also claimed that the infant's parents, whom she doesn't know, sold the baby for Rs 50,000 to Madhu from whom she bought it for Rs 1.3 lakh on Friday, he said.

The baby was declared in a stable condition when taken to the Rajindra Medical College and Hospital. A case has been registered against the suspects under various provisions including Sections 363 (Abduction) and 34 (Crime done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the IPC and the role of the three women was under further investigation, Mann said.

Police, he said were looking for the racket, which, they believe, could involve people selling children in the riot-hit Muzaffarnagar.

Next: Pregnant woman dies for non-availability of ambulance

Pregnant woman dies for non-availability of ambulance 

Koraput (Odisha): A pregnant woman a village in Odisha's Koraput district died after which her husband alleged that non-availability of ambulance to shift her to Jeypore hospital caused the death.

The deceased has been identified as Sakuntala Sagaria (20) of Gumma village in Boipariguda area. Her husband, Kabi Sagaria, alleged that his wife succumbed at Boipariguda hospital Saturday morning as ambulance under Odisha Emergency Medical Ambulance Service (OEMAS) didn’t reached the hospital to shift her to Jeypore hospital, about 20 km away.

"My wife was seven months pregnant. As her condition deteriorated we admitted her at Boipariguda hospital on Friday evening. After examining her condition medical staff referred her to Jeypore hospital and we called the ambulance by dialing 108 but the ambulance didn’t reached the hospital," Kabi said.

"As financially we could not afford to hire a private taxi to shift my wife, we kept waiting for the ambulance but it never reached and my wife succumbed," he added.

After the incident, irate villagers blocked the Jeypore-Malkangiri road at Boipariguda demanding adequate compensation for the deceased’s family for which traffic was hit for several hours on the route. However, the blockade was lifted after the administration gave compensation of Rs 20,000 to the deceased’s family and assured of an inquiry into the incident.

Going with the preliminary medical report, Chief district medical officer of Koraput Nirajnan Das said, "The woman was suffering from anaemia and was referred to Jeypore hospital. But her family members didn't shift her."

"Janani Express ambulance of Boipariguda hospital is under repair and we will inquire to ascertain as to why the ambulance under OEMAS didn't respond," he added.

In September 2013, chief minister Naveen Patnaik had launched OEMAS for the tribal-dominated Koraput district. With average response time of 20, 25 and 35 minutes for urban, semi-urban and rural areas, the emergency ambulance service is available round-the-clock and a patient can avail the service by dialing 108 toll free number during emergencies.

Next: Married woman claims she was gang raped in Jaipur

Married woman claims she was gang raped in Jaipur

Jaipur: A married woman (24) was allegedly gang raped in broad daylight in Vishwakaram area of the city, police said on Sunday.

According to a complaint filed at Vishwakaram police station on Saturday, the woman, a mother of two, was forcibly pulled into a sports car when she went to buy some medicine on Road No. 17 of the area on January 3.

She was then taken to a secluded place and gang-raped, Vishwakaram SHO Kishan Singh said, adding that she has been referred to the Janana Hospital for a medical test.

The SHO, however, said the woman had changed her statement on the location and the number and identity of persons involved in the crime several times. She would be sent to a court tomorrow for recording her statement under Section 164 of the IPC, he said.

Her husband, a labourer, was also contacted to get some clues in the case, the SHO said. A case of gang rape has been registered against unknown persons, he said.

Next: Minor held for bid to molest 13-year-old girl

Minor held for bid to molest 13-year-old girl

Hyderabad: The Banjara Hills police has arrested a minor boy for allegedly harassing a 13-year-old girl at BJR Basti on Saturday.

The 17-year-old accused, who had been frequently harassing the girl, allegedly entered the house of the victim drunk on New Year eve and attempted to take a photo of her. Earlier, the elders in the area had warned the boy not to disturb the girl.

The Banjara Hills police booked a case against the boy under Section 447 (for criminal trespass) and 506 (for criminal intimidation).

“The accused boy claimed that he was in love with the girl, and that he had come to meet her. However, following a complaint from the victim’s family, we booked a case against him and send him to the juvenile home,” said a police officer from Banjara Hills.

Earlier, the elders in the area had caught the accused red-handed while harassing the girl. They had warned him that they would approach the police and had asked him to keep off the girl.

Next: 61-year-old man killed over ‘illicit’ relationship

61-year-old man killed over ‘illicit’ relationship

Srikakulam (AP): An 61-year-old man was killed at Avalangi village in Palakonda mandal on Saturday over illicit relation charges.

According to Palakonda SI, M. Vinodbabu, the deceased was identified as Baasuru Somaiah who was having a relationship with an unmarried woman and her father Palavalasa Sriramulu suspected their relationship. Sriramulu suspected his daughter’s fidelity.

Sriramulu hit Somaiah with a wooden stick on his head and the latter succumbed to injury.

Police rushed to spot and recovered the body.

Next: Man held with 1.2 kg gold at Delhi airport

Man held with 1.2 kg gold at Delhi airport

New Delhi: A man has been arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle into the country 1.2 kg of gold bars at Indira Gandhi International airport here.

The accused, a native of Ghaziabad, was intercepted by customs officers after his arrival from Bangkok yesterday late night. On thorough personal search of the passenger, who is in his early thirties, 16 gold bars were found concealed inside the insoles of the shoes worn by him.

"The recovered gold bars totally weighed 1,220 grams (about 1.2 kg) and was collectively valued at Rs 28.77 lakh," a customs official said. The gold bars were seized and the passenger was arrested, he said, adding that further investigation was continuing. 

Next: Sexual assault: AP tutor is related to victims

Sexual assault: AP tutor is related to victims

Hyderabad: Ramvath Harish Naik, the tutor who allegedly sexually assaulted minor girls at a hostel run by the Village Reconstruction Organisation, a voluntary body, was arrested on Saturday.

N. Srinivas, the hostel warden, was also arrested for negligence as he allowed Naik to stay in the hostel at night. About 12 cases have been registered against the two.

Nalgonda district SP Prabhakar Rao said that the NGO has about 35 boys and 45 girls. Harish Naik, who is an Intermediate fail, was appointed to teach the students for a salary of Rs 2,000.

“He used to take tuitions for girls in the morning and at night, and sometimes used to stay back at the hostel at night. It was during this time that he lured the victims — who are students of Classes IV and V — with chocolates and molested htem,” Rao said.

He also used to allegedly threaten and overpower his victims if they resisted. He sexually assaulted 12 students over a period of three months. The crimescame to light recently when he went on leave. The police has registered 12 cases under nine Sections against Naik and Srinivas.

The victims were sent for medical examination and will be shifted to another NGO and financial aid will be provided by the government.

Only one victim has come forward to lodge a complaint, but more are expected to follow.

Miryalguda DSP Subhash Chandra Bose said Harish Naik belongs to the same ST community as the victims and was distantly related to most of them.

This made it easier for him to commit the crime. He knew their language and they trusted him, which he took advantage of.

There were angry demonstrations and protests in Peddavoora and Nalgonda town, and demands for maximum punishment for the accused.

Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy has sought a report on the alleged crimes. A petition was also filed with the State Human Rights Commission, which has directed officials to submit a report.

Next: 2 more Assamese held with fake notes

2 more Assamese held with fake notes

Chennai: For the second time in two days, the city police on Saturday busted a counterfeit currency racket run by Assamese by arresting two more men from the northeastern state and recovering around Rs 3 lakh worth fake Rs 1,000 rupees notes buried under a sand mound at Koyambedu.

The two men, identified as Telbar Husain, 20, and Muhammad Goyal Ali, 20, have been in the city for the past four months, working as security guards, the police said.

Telbar was held at Adambakkam after he had approached a photocopy shop at New Colony with a fake Rs 1,000 note to recharge his phone.

The police gave chase and held him after shopkeeper Wasim Akram informed them about the suspicious currency.

Telbar’s arrest led the police to his accomplice, who works as security guard with a private agency and was posted at a construction site in Koyambedu.

Based on their confession, the police recovered Rs 2.74 lakh worth Rs 1,000 bills buried under a sand mound there. 

Genuine currency notes worth Rs 19,900 were also recovered from them, a release added.

Police sources said the duo was associated with a gang of three persons arrested in Royapuram on January 2 with fake currencies.

Their modus operandi involved obtaining genuine currencies by exchanging the counterfeit notes and “we suspect the notes to be smuggled in from Bangladesh”, a senior police officer said.

Sadam Husain, said to be the kingpin in the racket who supplied these workers with the counterfeit, is still absconding. The arrested men were supposed to launder the money and deposit half the amount in Sadam’s account. The police also seized three remit cards, used to transfer money, from the accused. The hunt is on for the other accused'

Next: Man found gagged, hanging from ceiling

Man found gagged, hanging from ceiling

Chennai: Mystery surrounds the death of a 30-year-old man, found hanging in his binding-cum-printing unit at Royapettah on Saturday.

The deceased, Baskar, was found dead at his unit at Mir Bakshu street.

However, the man’s relatives have raised doubts over his death, as he was found gagged and with his legs and hands tied. It was Baskar’s sister Amala who first saw him hanging from the ceiling when she went to the unit around 7 am.

According to a relative, Ramu, “His mouth was plastered and limbs tied using adhesive tapes. His head was also covered with a plastic cover.” We suspect it to be a case of murder, he added. Baskar had been at the unit the whole night to finish pending work and around 5 am came to his house, adjacent to his unit, but returned immediately to his workplace.

The relatives allege that the man was killed in a span of two hours and demanded that the police probe his death.

The Anna Salai police have registered a case of suspicious death under section 174 of CrPC and sent the body to the government Royapettah hospital for post-mortem.

Next: Home alone woman killed

Home alone woman killed

Bangalore: A 57-year-old woman, who was alone at her house, was found murdered in Telecom Layout near Sunkadakatte in Kamakshipalya police limits on Saturday. The police initially suspected it to be a murder for gain.

The deceased has been identified as Revathi. She was the wife of Bala­subramanyam, a retired bank official, who is currently working as a manager in the finance and ac­counts department of Bya­ppanahalli Namma Metro station.

The couple’s son, B. Ganesh, a software engineer, got married recently. His wife is also a software engineer and both are settled in Australia.

The family hailed from Chennai and was settled in the city for the last two years. Bala­subramanyam had constructed a new house in Telecom Layout first cross and the couple had moved in just three months ago.

The police said that the incident came to light when domestic help Lakshm­amma came to the house aro­und 11.15 am.

The main door of the house was ajar and she found Revathi lying dead on the steps leading to the first floor. She called up Balasubramanyam, who was in office.

The police were alerted soon after.

“The assailants have tied her hands with a shoe lace, stuffed her mouth with a piece of cloth and put a plaster. They have then strangled her with a dhoti. Her gold chain worth around Rs 65,000 has been taken away, while her gold earrings have not been touched. It appears to be a case of murder for gain,” the police said. 

“Balasubramanyam told us that two men aged between 20 and 25 years had come to the house in the morning. They were trying to sell potted plants to the couple. As Balasubra­manyam was rushing to office, he asked them to come later. Around 10.45 am, Revathi called him over phone and told him that the two pot sellers were back. That was her last call. We suspect that the two men could be behind the murder,” the police said.

“They might have entered on the pretext of inspecting the house for placing the pots. While Revathi was taking them to the terrace, they might have attacked her on the steps,” the police said.

Kamakshipalya police have registered a case and are investigating.

Next: Cops nab red sanders smuggling mafia don

Cops nab red sanders smuggling mafia don

Tirupati: The Tirupati urban police and the task force have nabbed a most-wanted red sanders smuggler wanted in 19 smuggling cases. Balu alias Balraj, 39, was nabbed by the task force at Merlapaka near Tirupati.

Tirupati Urban SP S.V. Rajasekhar Babu and task force OSD Uday Kumar said the arrest was a breakthrough.

Tirupati SP Balraj said Balu, a lorry driver hailing from Red Hills in Chennai, began working for red sanders smuggling kingpin Sahul Hamid from 2008. Balu used to export red sanders through Tuticurin, Kandla and Mumbai ports as per the instructions of Sahul.

In 2010, Sahul Hamid engaged another person named Shakti, hailing from Madurai, to transport 10 tonnes of red sanders through the Tuticurin port and paid him Rs 20 lakhs for that. Though Shakti transported the red sanders concealing them under paddy bags to Tuticurin, he did not export them but kept it in a godown.

Learning about this, the enraged Sahul Hamid exported the red sanders through others and instructed Balraj to get back the paddy bags from Shakti for failing to execute the deal despite accepting Rs 20 lakh.

However, when the red sander logs belonging to another kingpin Ravi, operating from Chennai, were shifted by Balraj at the behest of Sahul Hamid, clashes broke out between Sahul Hamid and Ravi.

Sahul engaged a hitman named Umapati to eliminate Ravi, but Ravi who learnt about it thwarted it by killing the hitman.

Fearing a threat to his life, Sahul Hamid shifted base to Dubai and has been running the smuggling operations from there, SP Rajasekhar Babu said.

After Sahul shifted to Dubai, Balraj took charge and has been running the racket.

Next: Man held for murder attempt

Man held for murder attempt

Bangalore: The Byatarayanapura police have arrested a 24-year-old youth who allegedly attem­pted to murder a car driver.

The accused has been identified as Santosh alias Santhu, a resident of T R Mill in Chamrajpet. He had stabbed Ramesh, a resident of Kuvempu Nagar near Hosa Guddadahalli off Mysore Road.

According to the police, Santosh had an illicit affair with Ramesh’s wife and this had led to fights between the two on several occasions.

Ramesh had also applied for a divorce and the matter was in family court.

Recently, Santosh came to Ramesh’s house and asked him to send his wife to him as they were in love.

However, Ramesh had told him that he would send her once the divorce process was completed and this had upset Santosh.

“On January 2, Santosh hatched a plot to murder Ramesh and went to his house in the night. He stabbed Ramesh in his chest and escaped. Ramesh is currently recovering at a hospital,” the police said.
Santosh was arrested as investigations revealed the fight between him and Ramesh, the police added. Further investigations are on.

Next: Two murdered on Bangalore outskirts

Two murdered on Bangalore outskirts

Bangalore: Two youths were found murdered at an isolated place in Madh­anaya­kanahalli police station limits on the city’s outskirts early Saturday. Th­ey were stabbed to death and in order to conceal their identity, the assa­ilants had smashed their faces with stones.

The dead youths had some criminal cases registered against them in Kamakshipalya and Rajgopal Nagar police limits. Investigators suspect old enmity as the reason behind the gruesome murder.

The police have identified the dead as Umesh Babu (35) and Manjunath (34). Umesh, a native of Turuvekere in Tumkur, is a resident of Cauver­ynagar. Manj­unath was staying at Patteg­arapalya. They were auto rickshaw drivers by profession.

The two are suspected to have been murdered inside a luggage auto rickshaw and the bodies have been thrown behind a hospital in Machohalli.

Both Umesh and Manj­unath, along with some of their friends, had consumed alcohol at a bar near Patt­egarapalya on Friday night.

Before going to the bar, Manjunath dropped his wife and child at his father-in-law’s house.

Later the two friends are suspected to have gone in Manjunath’s luggage auto along with other friends, the police said.

But on Saturday morning, both Umesh and Manjunath were found murdered.

The police suspect that the two may have got into an altercation with the accused before they got murdered.

The accused might be either their friends or known to the deceased. Old rivalry is being suspected as the reason for murder.

The police are also not ruling out the possibility of a row over finance matters. Liquor bottles were seen near the scene of crime. The luggage auto with blood stains was parked at a distance, the police said. However the exact reasons for the murder is yet to be ascertained.

The police claim that they have got vital clues about the killers and hope to arrest them soon. Mea­nwhile, two of the accu­sed have surrendered before police on Saturday afternoon. Further investigations are on.