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Tag: Udaipur murder

  • NIA makes eighth arrest in Udaipur tailor murder case, 19-year-old man held

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: A 19-year-old man, who allegedly played an “important role” in the conspiracy to kill a tailor in Rajasthan’s Udaipur last month, has been arrested from the state, a National Investigation Agency (NIA) official said on Friday.

    Mohammad Javed, a resident of Sindhi Sarkar Ki Haweli, Kheradiwala, was the eighth accused arrested in connection with the gruesome killing of Kanhaiya Lal by two assailants armed with sharp-edged weapons at his shop in Udaipur’s Maldas street, a spokesperson of the NIA said.

    “Mohammad Javed, who was arrested on Thursday, played an important role in the conspiracy to kill Lal by conducting reconnaissance and passing on the information about the victim’s presence at the shop to the main killer, Riyaz, prior to the attack,” he said.

    Lal was killed with a cleaver inside his tailoring shop on June 28 and the NIA took over the case the next day.

    Earlier, seven accused, including the main culprits, were arrested during separate raids on June 29, July 1, July 4 and July 9.

    The gruesome attack by Riaz Akhtari on the tailor was recorded on a mobile phone by Ghouse Mohammad and the video was posted online. In another video, the duo said they hacked Lal to death to avenge an alleged insult to Islam. Both were arrested within hours of the killing.

    NEW DELHI: A 19-year-old man, who allegedly played an “important role” in the conspiracy to kill a tailor in Rajasthan’s Udaipur last month, has been arrested from the state, a National Investigation Agency (NIA) official said on Friday.

    Mohammad Javed, a resident of Sindhi Sarkar Ki Haweli, Kheradiwala, was the eighth accused arrested in connection with the gruesome killing of Kanhaiya Lal by two assailants armed with sharp-edged weapons at his shop in Udaipur’s Maldas street, a spokesperson of the NIA said.

    “Mohammad Javed, who was arrested on Thursday, played an important role in the conspiracy to kill Lal by conducting reconnaissance and passing on the information about the victim’s presence at the shop to the main killer, Riyaz, prior to the attack,” he said.

    Lal was killed with a cleaver inside his tailoring shop on June 28 and the NIA took over the case the next day.

    Earlier, seven accused, including the main culprits, were arrested during separate raids on June 29, July 1, July 4 and July 9.

    The gruesome attack by Riaz Akhtari on the tailor was recorded on a mobile phone by Ghouse Mohammad and the video was posted online. In another video, the duo said they hacked Lal to death to avenge an alleged insult to Islam. Both were arrested within hours of the killing.

  • Udaipur killing: Court sends another accused to NIA’s custody till July 12

    By PTI

    JAIPUR: A designated NIA court here on Tuesday sent another accused arrested in the case of tailor Kanhaiya Lal’s killing in Udaipur to the agency’s custody till July 12.

    The accused, Mohammad Mohsin, was presented before the court by a National Investigation Agency (NIA) team amid tight security arrangements.

    “After the hearing of the case, the court remanded Mohammad Mohsin in the NIA’s custody till July 12,” Special Public Prosecutor TP Sharma said.

    Sources said Mohsin was arrested on Monday for his alleged involvement in the conspiracy to kill Lal and in carrying out a reconnaissance of his shop.

    On July 2, the main accused — Riaz Akhtari and Ghouse Mohammad — who were arrested hours after they allegedly hacked Lal to death on June 28, and two other accused — Mohsin and Asif — who were arrested on June 30 for allegedly being involved in the conspiracy to kill the tailor and in carrying out a reconnaissance of his shop, were produced in the designated court, which is a special CBI court in Jaipur, amid tight security arrangements. The court had sent them to the NIA’s custody till July 12.

  • Udaipur murder: More questions emerge as new pictures of accused with BJP leaders surface 

    Express News Service

    JAIPUR:  Several pictures showing Riyaz Attari, one of the accused in the murder of Kanhaiya Lal, have gone viral, raising questions about his links with the state BJP unit.

    Among the photographs that have surfaced is one where Riyaz is seen wearing the BJP’s neck-band while accepting party membership from Karni Singh Shaktawat, the district convenor of the BJP’s membership campaign in 2019.

    The Congress claims that these are proof that Riyaz was an active member of BJP. However, senior BJP leader and leader of the Opposition in the Rajasthan Assembly, Gulabchand Kataria, who was also seen with Riyaz in a picture, said the viral photo looks like a cropped one and if it turns out to be doctored, he will initiate legal action against those responsible. 

    Ever since pictures of Riyaz with BJP leaders Kataria and Ravindra Shrimali emerged, BJP is facing queries and allegations on the social media.

    Shaktawat said some people wanted to join the party from the minority community, and this campaign was launched through missed calls.

    “The idea was to make new members and 15-20 people were connected on that day. How can we tell who is what?,” he said.

    Rajasthan Congress spokesperson RC Choudhary said, “The picture in the crowd can be with anyone, but it is not a coincidence, and the facts that have come to the fore cannot be denied.”

    Meanwhile, former chief minister Vasundhara Raje on Monday asked if Yogi Adityanath can establish peace in Uttar Pradesh, why can Ashok Gehlot not do so.

    She said a sense of fear and insecurity has arisen in the state which should be eliminated.

    Raje demanded the death penalty for the accused in the case and also advocated for modern training to the police force.

    She said it was completely a failure of the intelligence system.

    After meeting the family members of Kanhaiya Lal at their residence, Raje held a press conference separately.

    “The police failed to provide security to Kanhaiya Lal despite his complaints. He would not have been killed if he had got protection from the police. The Ashok Gehlot government of Rajasthan is completely responsible for the murder of Kanhaiya Lal,” she said.

    She added that the Congress government has no right to remain in power.

    “When Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath can establish peace in Uttar Pradesh by eliminating any atmosphere of terror, why can Ashok Gehlot not do it here,” Raje asked.

    She was accompanied by former state president of BJP Ashok Parnami and other leaders.

    (With PTI Inputs)

  • Thousands participate in demonstration against tailor’s murder; curfew relaxed in Udaipur

    By PTI

    JAIPUR/UDAIPUR: Thousands of people took part in a demonstration here on Sunday to protest the brutal killing of a tailor by two men in Rajasthan’s Udaipur, even as the situation remained normal in the city where curfew was relaxed for 10 hours from 8 am.

    Members of the RSS, VHP and other Hindu organisations attended the demonstration in the state capital Jaipur under the banner of “Sarv Hindu Samaj” and demanded death penalty for the accused.

    The main demonstration was held at Statue Circle where ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ was also played on loud speakers. Officials said permission for the demonstration had been granted.

    Kanhaiya Lal, a tailor, was killed by two men who had posted videos online that said they were avenging an insult to Islam. The incident triggered stray cases of violence in Udaipur and curfew was clamped in seven police station areas of the city. Lal was cremated on Wednesday in the presence of a large number of people.

    Former state BJP president Arun Chaturvedi, former MLA Mohan Lal Gupta and others were also present at the demonstration. “We have gathered here to give a strong message that violence and terrorism will not be tolerated in the country,” a seer told reporters at Statue Circle where a separate stage for them had been set up.

    “Huge support extended by the people to this demonstration reflects that Hindus are awakened and united for the sake of the ‘Sanatan dharma’,” local RSS leader Indresh Kumar said. Those who attended the demonstration also accused the ruling Congress in the state of doing appeasement politics. They said Rajasthan will not be allowed to be made a Taliban state and a ‘bulldozer baba’ is needed in Rajasthan too.

    Notably, ‘bulldozer baba’ is the sobriquet earned by BJP leader and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath due to his frequent reference of the heavy machine which his dispensation deployed to raze the ill-gotten property of criminals and mafias in the state.

    BJP leader Suman Sharma, who also attended the demonstration, demanded death penalty to the accused. A senior police official said the demonstration was held peacefully and permission was granted to the organisers.

    Elaborate security arrangements were made and a tight vigil had been kept in the area via drones, he said. It may be noted that section 144 of CrPC has been imposed across the state after the Udaipur killing.

    On the other hand, the situation returned to normalcy in Udaipur where curfew was relaxed from 8 am to 6 pm. “Situation is normal in the city and curfew will be relaxed for 12 hours from 8 am to 8 pm on Monday,” Uaipur collector Tara Chand Meena said.

    He said mobile internet connection is suspended till 12 noon Monday and further decision will be taken after a review meeting.

  • Udaipur killing: Some forces want to humiliate India in world, says BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya

    By PTI

    INDORE: Expressing outrage over the killing of a tailor in Udaipur allegedly for supporting former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma, senior BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya on Sunday said some forces want to humiliate India as its global reputation has gone up under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

    He also targeted Congress saying the grand old party is dismissing the Udaipur incident as a normal murder and not a terrorist act which has exposed its “real face”.

    “India’s reputation has increased globally under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership but some forces want to humiliate the country and they should not get political patronage,” Vijayvargiya told reporters when asked about the brutal killing of Kanhaiya Lal by some persons.

    Nupur Sharma was suspended by the BJP for making controversial comments about Prophet Mohammad.

    He said Congress is considering the gruesome incident as a normal murder, which is a terrorist act.

    “Making a video of the incident and circulating it means that the killers wanted to spread terror in society. I ask you had this incident happened in Uttar Pradesh (which is ruled by BJP) what would have happened? It is a question of the policy and intention of the government and a political party. After this incident, the real face of Congress has been exposed,” the BJP leader said.

    Queried on Congress’ claim that one of the accused in the murder case, Riyaz Akhtari, is linked to the BJP, Vijayvargiya said, “Now it is understood that there was a conspiracy behind this murder. If a person has to commit any (criminal) act in this office (BJP’s Indore office), he will first take online membership of BJP and then visit the party office by posing as a BJP member”.”

    A day earlier, the BJP had dismissed the Congress’ allegation that Akhtari was a member of the saffron party.

    Vijayvargiya also proposed imparting computer training in madrasas along with the Quran to help students of the Islamic seminaries to become doctors and engineers.

    “”We have no objection to the Quran being taught in madrasas. But computer training should also be imparted so that students get modern education,”” he said.

    Vijayvargiya said a person studying in a madrasa doesn’t become a doctor or an engineer.

    “”We want students of madrasas to become doctors or engineers as well, so education other than the Quran should also be imparted to them,”” he added.

    Vijayvargiya also said the experiment of providing modern education in madrasas has been started in Assam and Uttar Pradesh.

    He, however, termed the issue of madrasa education as a “broader subject” and said the government, as well as society, will have to ponder over it.

    “The society may allege that there is a need to control the education being imparted in madrasas, but we do not want to control it,”” he said.

  • Udaipur murder: Agencies to conduct analysis of accused phones to confirm Pakistan links

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI/JAIPUR: Security agencies including the NIA, probing the “heinous” murder of a tailor in Udaipur, will conduct an Internet Protocol Detail Records (IPDR) analysis of the phones used by the four accused arrested in the case, officials said on Sunday.

    They said it would help in ascertaining whether there was a radicalisation programme being run by Karachi-based Dawat-e-Islami religious group.

    One of the four accused was linked with the JeI, according to the agencies.

    The Rajasthan Police has, with the help of central security agencies, arrested the four people so far over the murder of Kanhaiya Lal on June 28 inside his tailoring shop.

    The gruesome attack by Riaz Akhtari on the tailor was recorded on a phone by Ghouse Mohammad, and it was posted online.

    They said in a video later that they hacked Lal to death with a cleaver to avenge an alleged insult to Islam.

    Besides these two accused, against whom the evidence is a self-shot video, the security agencies also nabbed two more — Mohsin and Asif — who are alleged to be a part of the conspiracy to spread terror amongst the public at large.

    The officials said that an IPDR analysis would be carried out on their phones to check their activities on the Internet.

    The IPDR helps in tracking the details of a call or message generated by a phone device and includes information like the number from which the call was made, destination port, start and end date and time.

    This technology works with closer proximity in a 2G environment.

    ALSO READ | WATCH | Udaipur murder accused attacked by mob outside court, clothes ripped

    The IDPR correlates the mobile users with other users of encrypted messaging service to make explicit the implicit call graphs in this data, according to a research paper by IIT professor Ranjan Bose, Computer Science student at the University of Maryland Adya V Joshi, who did internship with Delhi Police in 2017-18, and senior IPS officer Madan Oberoi, currently an executive director with Interpol.

    The research paper was submitted by the trio at the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), the world’s leading professional organisation having over 4 lakh members from 160 countries during its 4th International Conference on Collaboration and Internet Computing (CIC) in 2018.

    The IPDR analysis also helps in ascertaining the number of times a mobile user has visited a particular website, besides the calls and messages that were made using the internet telephony.

    The probe agencies have also found several Pakistani numbers on their WhatsApp account and said one of the accused was part of the secret groups ostensibly meant for religious activities.

    In one of these groups, it was alleged that Ghouse had been asked to do “something spectacular” to avenge the insult to Islam and the officials believed that this could be the turning point where the ‘barbaric’ act of killing the tailor could have been hatched.

    They said that Mohsin’s place was used for sharpening the cleaver used in the act, while Asif had helped in carrying out the recce of the tailor’s shop.

    The four are the custody of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) till July 12.

    ALSO READ | Photo of Udaipur accused with BJP leader goes viral, party denies connect

    The NIA had on June 29 re-registered the case after taking it over from the Rajasthan police under the anti-terror Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

    “NIA has re-registered a case under sections 452, 302, 153(A), 153(B), 295(A) & 34 of IPC and sections 16, 18 & 20 of UA(P) Act, 1967 against accused who have conspired, planned and committed the heinous murder of Shri Kanhaiya Lal Telli on 28.6. 2022 in Udaipur, Rajasthan,” NIA spokesperson had said.

    “The accused persons had also circulated a video of the criminal act in the social media claiming responsibility for the murder in order to trigger panic and strike terror among the masses across the country,” the spokesperson had said.

    The case was initially registered at Dhanmandi police station in Udaipur.

  • Photo of Udaipur accused with BJP leader goes viral, party denies connect

    By Express News Service

    JAIPUR: A major controversy has erupted after a picture of Udaipur murder accused Riyaz Attari with leader of the opposition Gulabchand Kataria went viral on social media.

    The picture is reportedly from a 2018 event. Also, an old post of a worker associated with BJP Minority Morcha surfaced in which he has described Riyaz as a BJP worker.

    On social media, the leaders of the BJP Minority Front had shared photos with Riyaz several times. Tahir shared a post in November 2019 and wrote for Riyaz, “Har Dil Aziz, our brother Riyaz Attari, a BJP worker was welcomed on his arrival in Udaipur from Umra’s Ziarat. May Allah accept all the prayers of Riyaz Attari Bhaijaan, Amen.”

    WATCH | Udaipur murder accused attacked by mob outside court, clothes ripped

    This post was put on Tahir’s Facebook account on 25 November 2019.  In this, Tahir and Chainwala and another BJP leader are seen garlanding Riyaz.  At the same time, in many posts related to Tahir, a Facebook account named Riyaz Attari has been mentioned.  But that account is no longer visible. In this regard, Irshad Chainwala said that he has no connection with Riyaz. Riyaz had returned from Mecca-Medina after performing Umrah.  Then he was welcomed with a garland. Chainwala claims he was introduced to Riyaz by Tahir.

    Photos of Riyaz have also surfaced with Udaipur BJP District President Ravindra Shrimali. However, Shrimali said that Riyaz has nothing to do with the party. “Riyaz is not a member of our party. If anyone can stand and take a picture in the crowd, then such a person cannot be linked to any party. All this is being done by the opposition party under a conspiracy. We are ready to be investigated by any agency,” he remarked.

    However, BJP in Rajasthan on Saturday denied the allegation and said that the Udaipur accused has never been a member of the party.

    M Sadiq Khan, Rajasthan BJP Minority Morcha state president said, “BJP is world’s largest party and hence anybody can come and click pictures with our leaders. But this doesn’t mean that he has been our party member. The accused has never been a member of our party. The state government due to its failure, wants to hold someone responsible. I request the Chief Minister to leave his post,” he said.

  • WATCH | Udaipur murder accused attacked by mob outside court, clothes ripped

    By Online Desk

    The two main accused in the Udaipur tailor murder case were attacked by a mob outside the premises of an National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Jaipur on Saturday.

    The accused were thrashed by lawyers and an angry mob outside the court premises while being escorted by police. But the cops quickly put them into a van waiting there.

    Riaz Akhtari and Ghouse Mohammad were arrested on Tuesday, hours after they allegedly hacked the tailor to death with a cleaver at his shop for extending supporting to now suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma, and posted videos online saying they are avenging an insult to Islam.

    The two others, Mohsin and Asif, were nabbed on Thursday night for being involved in the conspiracy. They were produced before the court here amid tight security arrangements.

    #UdaipurIslamic Terrorists being taken away by police from NIA Court. Just see the anger of public.Yesterday Justice Kant had an opportunity to douse this anger, instead with lose mouth added fuel to fire. If something happens who will be responsible. pic.twitter.com/x5LJenABfL
    — Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) July 2, 2022
    “The court ordered police remand till July 12,” according to a lawyer.

    There were heavy police arrangements on the court premises and several lawyers shouted slogans like “Pakistan Murdabad” and “Kanhaiya ke hatyaron ko fansi do” (give death sentence to Kanhaiya’s killers).

    The clothes of one of the four accused were also torn, and the agitated lawyers raised slogans against Pakistan and demanded capital punishment for them.

    There was heavy security deployment on the premises, but as the accused were being taken out of the court, the group of lawyers attacked them before police personnel somehow managed to hustle them into a waiting prisoner transport vehicle.

    The lawyers shouted slogans such as “Pakistan Murdabad” and “Kanhaiya ke hatyaron ko fansi Do (hang the murderers of Kanhaiya)”.

    Udaipur tailor Kanhaiya Lal was hacked to death on Tuesday by Akhtari and Ghouse who said in a video posted online that they had avenged an insult to Islam.

    Akhtari and Ghouse were arrested by the state police on the day of the incident while Mohsin and Asif were nabbed two days later.

    The latter two have been accused of being involved in the conspiracy and carrying out a recce of Kanhaiya Lal’s tailoring shop.

  • Udaipur murder: Two arrested for conspiracy, says police

    By PTI

    UDAIPUR: Two persons were arrested from here on Thursday night for conspiring the brutal beheading of a tailor, a senior police official said.

    Tailor Kanhaiya Lal was killed Tuesday afternoon by two cleaver-wielding men, Riaz Akhtari and Ghouse Mohammad, who posted a grisly video of the crime online claiming responsibility for the “beheading”.

    Both the accused were arrested in Rajsamand hours after the crime.

    “Two persons have been arrested.

    They were co-conspirators of the murder of Kanhaiya and they are being interrogated,” the official said on Friday.

    The arrested accused were identified as Mohsin and Asif.

    The case is being investigated by National Investigation Agency (NIA) with support of the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) and Special Operations Group (SOG) of the Rajasthan Police.

  • Udaipur murder: Pakistan-based Dawat-e-Islami comes under scanner for fund collection near border areas

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Pakistan-based Dawat-e-Islami, which is under the scanner in the brutal Udaipur killing case, collected Rs 20 lakh in donations from some border villages and towns of Rajasthan in just about a month this year, sources in the security establishment said on Thursday.

    Also, an instance of a politician from the desert state allegedly donating about Rs 2 lakh to the organisation is under the radar of agencies probing the case.

    When contacted by PTI, the politician, who is not being identified, said he would soon revert but later on did not answer calls or messages.

    The officials said the agencies have flagged a number of recent propaganda and radical activities of the organisation in the border areas of Jaisalmer and Barmer, including Rs 20 lakh it collected in donations from locals in the Jaisalmer district in April alone.

    The organisation, the sources said, collected funds in the name of charitable Islamic works.

    Their footprints were found in other border districts of the state, and as far as in the forward areas of Gujarat and even some regions of Jammu and Kashmir.

    The sources said the agencies also found that the organisation distributed some literature, in the online and hard copy mode, targeting the border population,s especially those in the younger age group.

    The Karachi-based Dawat-e-Islami website says the outfit was established in 1981.

    On its website, the outfit describes itself as a “global non-political Islamic organization working for the propagation of the Quran and Sunnah throughout the globe”.

    One of the two prime accused in the brutal killing of tailor Kanhaiya Lal Teli in Udaipur on Tuesday, Ghouse Mohammad, has links with the Pakistan-based organisation, Rajasthan DGP M L Lather had said.

    Ghouse, Lather said, had visited Karachi in 2014.

    Ghouse and Riaz Akhtari allegedly hacked Teli to death with a cleaver at his shop in Udaipur and posted videos online saying they are avenging an insult to Islam.

    The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has now taken over the probe in the case and said the two wanted to “strike terror among the masses across the country”.

    Some of the cadres of Dawat-e-Islami have been found to be involved in terror incidents, including the assassination of Pakistan’s Punjab province Governor Salman Taseer in 2011.