News Analysis India

Tag: CID

  • Seven imposters including one woman posing as CID officers held in Bihar  

    Express News Service

    PATNA: Enacting the Akshay Kumar-starrer Special-26, seven imposters including a woman posing as CID officers extorted lakhs of rupees from traders before they were arrested from Bihar’s Madhubani district.

    Police said that the imposters— all in the age group of 18-25 years— laced with a walkie-talkie, duped ‘vulnerable’ businessmen of Andhramath police station area in Madhubani district close to the India-Nepal border. One of the cons identified as Jitendra Kumar Safi is even a graduate.

    Before making businessmen their targets, cons gathered information from local people about them. They extorted money primarily from those traders who were not fair with their customers. They scared the businessmen with their fake ‘CID’ ID cards.

    Officer-in-charge of Andharamath police station Dharmendra Kumar said that the outlaws used to scare the businessmen by accusing them of possessing narcotics like ganja and charas and banned cough syrup.However, their luck ran out when a woman raised an alarm after cons started extorting money from her husband, the owner of a big grocery shop by making false allegations against him.

    Exhibiting their audacity, imposters even took the woman and her husband to the police station to lodge a ‘complaint’ against them. But when the police verified their ID cards, all cards were found to be fake.

    A car bearing the registration number of Delhi, a motorbike, a walkie-talkie and a board with CID painted on it, two mobile phones and six fake ID cards have been recovered, deputy superintendent of police P K Sah revealed. All imposters are natives of the Madhubani district.

    While four imposters, Jitendra Kumar Safi (29), Arun Kumar Safi (19), Panaj Kumar Das (20) and Punita Kumari (25) are natives of Dhanushi Sarseema village under the Khatauna block area. Three other imposters identified as Rumanshu Kumar (19), Santosh Kumar (23) and Devendra Prasad Yadav (27) are natives of Ghormohna village.

    Madhubani Superintendent of Police (SP) Sushil Kumar said that after the arrest of the imposters, at least 10 traders informed police that they had also been duped of huge cash by the imposters. “They may have been operating in the area for more than a year,” he said.

    The police were trying to ascertain their antecedents from other police stations in the district and outside.During interrogation, the ringleader Jitendra tried to convince the members of the gang that they were not doing any unlawful activities. “Hum log Sahi kaam kar rahen hain (Our actions are right),” a member of the gang quoted Jitendra.

    The members of the gang used to plan their operation meticulous. “This was the secret of their success in their ‘operation’,” an investigating officer pointed out.

    PATNA: Enacting the Akshay Kumar-starrer Special-26, seven imposters including a woman posing as CID officers extorted lakhs of rupees from traders before they were arrested from Bihar’s Madhubani district.

    Police said that the imposters— all in the age group of 18-25 years— laced with a walkie-talkie, duped ‘vulnerable’ businessmen of Andhramath police station area in Madhubani district close to the India-Nepal border. One of the cons identified as Jitendra Kumar Safi is even a graduate.

    Before making businessmen their targets, cons gathered information from local people about them. They extorted money primarily from those traders who were not fair with their customers. They scared the businessmen with their fake ‘CID’ ID cards.

    Officer-in-charge of Andharamath police station Dharmendra Kumar said that the outlaws used to scare the businessmen by accusing them of possessing narcotics like ganja and charas and banned cough syrup.
    However, their luck ran out when a woman raised an alarm after cons started extorting money from her husband, the owner of a big grocery shop by making false allegations against him.

    Exhibiting their audacity, imposters even took the woman and her husband to the police station to lodge a ‘complaint’ against them. But when the police verified their ID cards, all cards were found to be fake.

    A car bearing the registration number of Delhi, a motorbike, a walkie-talkie and a board with CID painted on it, two mobile phones and six fake ID cards have been recovered, deputy superintendent of police P K Sah revealed. All imposters are natives of the Madhubani district.

    While four imposters, Jitendra Kumar Safi (29), Arun Kumar Safi (19), Panaj Kumar Das (20) and Punita Kumari (25) are natives of Dhanushi Sarseema village under the Khatauna block area. Three other imposters identified as Rumanshu Kumar (19), Santosh Kumar (23) and Devendra Prasad Yadav (27) are natives of Ghormohna village.

    Madhubani Superintendent of Police (SP) Sushil Kumar said that after the arrest of the imposters, at least 10 traders informed police that they had also been duped of huge cash by the imposters. “They may have been operating in the area for more than a year,” he said.

    The police were trying to ascertain their antecedents from other police stations in the district and outside.
    During interrogation, the ringleader Jitendra tried to convince the members of the gang that they were not doing any unlawful activities. “Hum log Sahi kaam kar rahen hain (Our actions are right),” a member of the gang quoted Jitendra.

    The members of the gang used to plan their operation meticulous. “This was the secret of their success in their ‘operation’,” an investigating officer pointed out.

  • Mehul Choksi has no reason to leave Antigua, claims his lawyer

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: Negating the rumours that fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi has fled to Cuba, his lawyer Vijay Aggarwal on Tuesday said he is a ‘valid citizen’ of Antigua and had no “legal impediment, constraint or risk” in the island country.

    The lawyer said that he was informed by Choksi’s family that the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) has joined the Antigua police in the investigation to search for Choksi.

    “The reports of him missing are genuine. I had received a call from his family also, and now the Antiguan police have also confirmed it. I have been told by his family that Antigua Police and CID are investigating. The family is in shock and worried. Everyone is clueless about his whereabouts,” said Aggarwal while talking to ANI.

    Denying rumours of Choksi leaving Antigua, the lawyer said he had no reason to go anywhere.

    “He is a valid citizen of Antigua. He had no legal impediment, constraint or risk in Antigua. Moreover, in Antigua, by challenging the constitutional validity of the Antiguan Extradition Act and Antiguan Citizenship Act, we have taken a stay on even the processing of any extradition request sent from India or to be sent from India,” said Aggarwal.

    I have been told by his family that Antigua Police and CID are investigating. The family is in shock and worried. He had no reason to fly anywhere, he is a valid citizen of Antigua. In India also he is not a fugitive: Vijay Aggarwal, Mehul Choksi’s lawyer pic.twitter.com/cKpLTOvQlP
    — ANI (@ANI) May 25, 2021

    Choksi’s lawyer reiterated that he would not leave Antigua because “Red Corner Notice (RCN) has been issued and if he tries to cross any (international) borders, he can be apprehended and the Indian government can be informed.”

    When asked about further course of action, the lawyer said Choksi needs to be found before proceeding. “I am hoping we will have some updates by today evening and tomorrow morning,” he added.

    There were media reports in Antigua that the police have launched a manhunt for Mehul Choksi. It was reported that Choksi left his home last evening to go for dinner at a well-known restaurant in the southern part of the island and was never seen again. His vehicle was discovered in Jolly Harbour later in the evening, but there was no sign of him, reported Antiguan newsroom.

    Choksi has been involved in a legal battle to stop his extradition to India to answer fraud charges against him. Police are yet to state the matter, reported the Antiguan newsroom.

    Mehul Choksi was the owner of Geetanjali jewellers and is involved in an economic fraud case of over Rs 13,000 crore and siphoning off the money illegally. CBI has filed several cases against him and investigations are underway, including his extradition request. 

  • Blast possibly accidental, Bengal minister may not be target: CID officer on Murshidabad explosion

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: West Bengal minister Jakir Hossain, who was seriously injured in an explosion last week in Murshidabad district, might not be the target of the perpetrators and the bomb seemed to have gone off accidentally, an officer of the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID) said on Monday.

    The miscreants who could have links to an international terror group possibly brought the explosive kept in a bag from outside the state and were on their way to take it to Kolkata or somewhere else, the top CID official told PTI on condition of anonymity.

    Hossain, Trinamool Congress MLA and the minister of state for labour, was waiting at platform no 2 of Nimtita station to catch a train to Kolkata at around 10 pm on February 17 when the blast occurred injuring him and several other people.

    The West Bengal government has handed over the investigation into the case to the CID.

    The investigators collected torn pieces of a black bag, remains of mobile phone battery and a bike-battery, wires and other items from the site of the explosion.

    The results of the tests conducted on those articles are yet to arrive, the IPS officer said.

    “Going by our initial investigations, it seems that the bomb went off accidentally and not intentionally. Miscreants had kept the explosive inside the bag and probably had plans to travel to Kolkata or some other district. But most likely, the minister was not their target,” he said.

    As security arrangements at Nimtita station were “a bit relaxed” compared to several other stations of West Bengal such as Malda, Jalpaiguri, Siliguri or Burdwan, miscreants might have chosen it to transport the explosive, the CID official said.

    He said that the CCTV footage and mobile video recordings of the spot are being examined.

    The CID is yet to arrest anyone in connection with the blast.

    Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday paid a visit to Hossain at the state-run SSKM hospital in Kolkata where he and 13 other people injured in the explosion are undergoing treatment.

    “Jakir is fine now. He had to undergo two surgeries. The doctors here have done a very good job. I will request everyone who is visiting Jakir and others to take precautionary measures and not to go too close to them as COVID-19 infection is increasing again,” she said.

  • EAM Jaishankar Conveys Condolences On Demise Of Bahrain PM Prince Khalifa

    Indian Foreign Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar on Wednesday met with Bahrain’s Deputy Prime Minister HH Shaikh Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa. Jaishankar conveyed condolences on the passing away of his father HRH Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, who was the prime minister of Bahrain until his death on November 11. He recalled HRH Prince Khalifa’s role in strengthening India-Bahrain relations as Prime Minister of Bahrain for more than 50 years.

    Jaishankar, who is on a two-day visit to Bahrain, also called on the newly-appointed Prime Minister HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa to wish him on his recent appointment on behalf of Indian PM Narendra Modi. 

    Jaishankar reached the Gulf Kingdom on November 24 and started his visit with a warm meeting with his Bahraini counterpart Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani. Jaishankar said that he discussed regional and international issues with Al Zayani and also thanked him for taking care of the Indian community amid the ongoing health pandemic. 

    “Bahrain’s leadership appreciated the contribution of the Indian community to the development of Bahrain and the assistance provided by India during the Covid pandemic through the supply of medicines, medical equipment, and medical professionals. Both sides affirmed to further strengthen their Covid-related cooperation. They also expressed satisfaction on operationalisation of Air Bubble arrangement between the two countries,” the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement.