Foreign B’wood divas shy away from citizenship

Mateen Hafeez | TNN

Mumbai: In the last five years, the collector’s office in Mumbai has received around 150 requests for obtaining Indian citizenship. However, not a single foreigner working in Bollywood have so far applied for citizenship, though some have been living in India for more than seven years.

It is also learnt that the immigration department is busy scrutinising the visa categories of dozens of foreigners who entered India on a tourist visa and began working in the film industry. “When one can get an employment visa and work with it, then what is the need of working on a visitor’s visa?’’ asked an immigration official. The department is now classifying the visa details of foreigners who entered the country on a specific visa but are flouting the rules.

Among those who have been staying in India and working on an employment visa include UK national and actress Katrina Kaif, US national Dipti Nawal, UK national Salma Agha and Yana Gupta from Czech Republic. “Most of the actors and other foreigners working in Bollywood prefer staying here on an employment visa. Sometimes they come asking for an extension in visa period. We consider whatever is correct as per the law,’’ said a police official from the immigration department.

Moreover, Pakistani singer Adnan Sami is staying in Mumbai along with his German national wife. As per the bilateral treaty between India and the US on tourist visa, an American national can stay in India on a tourist visa for as long as 10 years and the same tenure is applicable for Indian citizens in America as well.

Some models who came to India either on a short time tourist visa or an employment visa and could not get their visa period extended had to face the wrath of the law. Model Negar Khan, a Norway national, was deported to her motherland on February 7, 2005. She had come to India on a visitor’s visa but started working in video albums.

Immigration officials said that 40% of those who applied for Indian citizenship are Iranian citizens who have been staying in India for some time, the rest 40% are the second or third generation of South African nationals who went there but now want to return to their homeland, India. As part of the procedure to obtain nationality, a foreigner has to fill up forms under the Indian Citizenship Act, 1955, and submit it to the nearest collector’s office from where it is sent to the special branch or the intelligence department for check. Once it is verified, the collector calls an applicant for taking oath and then the documents are sent to the Union home minister’s office for the final nod.

Foreign actors in India include Ali Larter of the US (Marigold), Rachel Shelley of England (Lagaan), UK’s national Tobo Stephan (The Rising), Tania Zeta and an Austrian national (Bunty aur Babli and Salaam Namaste).

The Times of India, August 30, 2010

Builder dupes investors, uses money to fund films

Mateen Hafeez I TNN

Mumbai: The city police have launched a manhunt for a realty developer, Sandeep Shukla, who has allegedly duped more than 5,000 investors of around Rs 55 crore through various schemes and put the amount in the film industry.

Though several suspects have been arrested, the police are yet to nab Shukla, who spent the swindled money to set up digital film studios and to finance C-grade films. Shukla, a promoter of Leo 1 Productions, was also the financier of the second season of a popular reality show. “We are working hard to arrest the accused,’’ said Sanjay Saxena, additional commissioner of police, economic offences wing (EOW).

According to the police, Shukla founded a realty firm, M/s Aurum Realty Ltd, which floated two schemes—Nature Valley and Astra Hills—at Kasara and Karjat, promising investors to construct “dream houses’’ for them there. “The company promised the unsuspecting victims high returns on the amount they would invest till the projects came up,’’ an EOW officer said.

Shukla and his accomplices placed huge advertisements in newspapers saying, “Change your life. Be Rich. Get wealthy by investing in land.’’ Investors were promised that their money would double in a year and the directors of the company were even careful in disbursing the returns till March. “However, after that they stopped. Through those two schemes, Shukla and his associates swindled investors from across the state of Rs 40 crore,’’ the officer said, adding that they had offices in Nashik, Aurangabad and Pune for which they would pay more than Rs 2 lakh per month as rent.

Following complaints from duped residents, a probe was started in the Auram case. A check on the bank accounts revealed that Rs 1 crore in cash was transferred to Leo 1 Productions and Rs 50 lakh to actor Rajpal Yadav to produce a film, the police said.

In another fraudulent scheme called, Yes Cube Infrastructure Ltd, the accused opened the same company’s offices in Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan, Nashik, Pune and Dhule. In this scheme, they claimed to have started constructions of weekend bungalows at Nerul, Kalyan and Murbad. “They promised that on an investment of Rs 1 lakh a year, a person would get Rs 1.75 lakh in return. If he would invest it for three years, the person would make a profit of Rs 2.60 lakh and for five years, the amount would go up to Rs 4.30 lakh,’’ said the police, who have written to the banks, asking them to freeze the suspects’ accounts there.

Shukla set up another firm, Bristal Builders and Developers, and using the same modus operandi, duped investors of Rs 4.70 crore. The company claimed to be into constructions of bungalows at Navsari in Gujarat.

SCHEMING MIND
Developer Sandeep Shukla allegedly duped over 5,000 investors of around 55 crore through various schemes
Shukla, a promoter of Leo 1 Productions, financed second season of a popular reality show
Shukla set up realty firms and lured people into investing in his schemes by offering them high returns

The Times of India, August 30, 2010

Builder dupes investors, uses money to fund films

Mateen Hafeez I TNN

Mumbai: The city police have launched a manhunt for a realty developer, Sandeep Shukla, who has allegedly duped more than 5,000 investors of around Rs 55 crore through various schemes and put the amount in the film industry.

Though several suspects have been arrested, the police are yet to nab Shukla, who spent the swindled money to set up digital film studios and to finance C-grade films. Shukla, a promoter of Leo 1 Productions, was also the financier of the second season of a popular reality show. “We are working hard to arrest the accused,’’ said Sanjay Saxena, additional commissioner of police, economic offences wing (EOW).

According to the police, Shukla founded a realty firm, M/s Aurum Realty Ltd, which floated two schemes—Nature Valley and Astra Hills—at Kasara and Karjat, promising investors to construct “dream houses’’ for them there. “The company promised the unsuspecting victims high returns on the amount they would invest till the projects came up,’’ an EOW officer said.

Shukla and his accomplices placed huge advertisements in newspapers saying, “Change your life. Be Rich. Get wealthy by investing in land.’’ Investors were promised that their money would double in a year and the directors of the company were even careful in disbursing the returns till March. “However, after that they stopped. Through those two schemes, Shukla and his associates swindled investors from across the state of Rs 40 crore,’’ the officer said, adding that they had offices in Nashik, Aurangabad and Pune for which they would pay more than Rs 2 lakh per month as rent.

Following complaints from duped residents, a probe was started in the Auram case. A check on the bank accounts revealed that Rs 1 crore in cash was transferred to Leo 1 Productions and Rs 50 lakh to actor Rajpal Yadav to produce a film, the police said.

In another fraudulent scheme called, Yes Cube Infrastructure Ltd, the accused opened the same company’s offices in Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan, Nashik, Pune and Dhule. In this scheme, they claimed to have started constructions of weekend bungalows at Nerul, Kalyan and Murbad. “They promised that on an investment of Rs 1 lakh a year, a person would get Rs 1.75 lakh in return. If he would invest it for three years, the person would make a profit of Rs 2.60 lakh and for five years, the amount would go up to Rs 4.30 lakh,’’ said the police, who have written to the banks, asking them to freeze the suspects’ accounts there.

Shukla set up another firm, Bristal Builders and Developers, and using the same modus operandi, duped investors of Rs 4.70 crore. The company claimed to be into constructions of bungalows at Navsari in Gujarat.

SCHEMING MIND
Developer Sandeep Shukla allegedly duped over 5,000 investors of around 55 crore through various schemes
Shukla, a promoter of Leo 1 Productions, financed second season of a popular reality show
Shukla set up realty firms and lured people into investing in his schemes by offering them high returns

The Times of India, August 30, 2010

SC upholds quashing of MCOCA against Gawli

Mateen Hafeez | TNN

Mumbai: The Supreme Court on Friday upheld the quashing of Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) and other criminal charges against gangster-turnedpolitician Arun Gawli in a 2005 extortion case.

Gawli was arrested in 2008 in connection with an extortion case. He was also booked for the murder of a Shiv Sena corporator, Kamalakar Jhamsandekar.

A bench of Justice P Sathasivam and Justice B S Chauhan held that evidence on record indicated that the Mumbai police had pressured and harassed the complainant, Mohammed Quershi, a businessman, into lodging a complaint against Gawli and his gang members. “Mohammed’s wife, Ayesha, maintained that the complaint was not lodged voluntarily and that her husband and other family members had been subjected to harassment by the cops for no fault of theirs. The FIR stated that Gawli and his men had extorted Rs 25 lakh from Qureshi,’’ the court said.

The Times of India, August 28, 2010

4 held with 74L booty they stole from firm

Mateen Hafeez I TNN

Mumbai: The Pydhonie police have arrested four persons and recovered Rs 74 lakh which they had stolen two weeks ago. The suspects include a peon who worked in the victim’s iron and steel office for 17 years, a purchase manager working for a developer and a bank’s recovery agent.

Senior inspector Shamsher Pathan identified the accused as Sunil Satam, Mahesh Nagnale,
Amit Desai and Rajesh Tawde, all Dahisar residents. “They conducted the operation in such a manner that it was difficult to crack the case. However, our team worked round-the-clock and arrested them,’’ said Pathan. The theft took place in Masjid Bundar.

A police team, led by inspector Gulabrao More, began the probe. The theft took place on August 11 and owner of the office, Rajesh Mehta, lodged a complaint with the police. “The thieves had used the duplicate key to open the door and take away cash. To make it look like the handiwork of professional thieves, the suspects ransacked the entire office,’’ said inspector More.

Satam, who is working for Mehta for the last 17 years, was like Mehta’s family member, said More, adding that six others would keep the duplicate key of the office, including Satam. “Satam got in touch with Nagnale, who works for a builder on a monthly salary of Rs 35,000. Later, they roped in Desai, a bank recovery agent and a Tawde, a history sheeter,’’ said More. Tawde is involved in as many as six cases of assault, theft, robbery etc.

“When we were doing the panchanama, Satam was also present there. We recorded his statement but found some contradictions. Later, we checked his mobile phone record and found that calls were made to and received from Nagnale. When Nagnale was questioned, he said he never came to Masjid Bundar area but his mobile phone location proved that he had come there,’’ added an officer. Finally, Nagnale broke down and confessed his crime. Police recovered Rs 20 lakh cash from his residence and the rest was recovered from Satam’s house. This led to other arrests.

The Times of India, August 27, 2010

Demand for CID probe into youth’s death

Mateen Hafeez I TNN

Mumbai: Activists and politicians, cutting across party lines, have demanded an inquiry by the state CID inquiry into the death of a 20-year-old college student allegedly due to torture by the Ahmednagar police. Anmol Gaikwade died on August 14, barely four hours after he was released from the judicial custody in an alleged robbery case.

According to sources, one Vasant Kamble from Pune lodged a complaint with the Niwasa police on June 15, stating that he was robbed and assaulted by a group of six boys. The cops swung into action and arrested six college boys, all Christians. Soon after their 15-day police custody was over, the youths were sent to judicial custody.

Abraham Mathai, vice chairman of the state minorties commission, said, “We demand a state CID inquiry into the matter.’’ Pastor Jawle stated that Niwasa inspector and head constable had even paraded the six youths in semi nude condition in front of their college.

The Times of India, August 26, 2010

Reputed firms warn job-seekers of e-scamsters

Mateen Hafeez | TNN

Mumbai: After Godrej, the names of Wipro and Videocon are now being used by e-scamsters and the companies are trying their best to warn people about it.

Reputed firms have been advertising in papers, warning people against fraudsters who have been sending e-mails, promising jobs in those company and asking the candidates to depsit a security amount in a bank account. The c o m p a n i e s have clarified that they have got nothing to do with such job promises.

Currently, the cyber crime investigation cell (CCIC) of the city crime branch is investigating a case against a person who, posing as an employee of a Godrej, sent e-mails to several people, offering them “a job at a new Godrej plant’’ with salaries ranging from Rs 30,000 to Rs three lakh per month. Of course, he added that, the recepient must deposit Rs 6,850 in a certain account. The police are yet to make a breakthrough.

In its advertisement, Wipro stated, “Such e-mails enclose letters, which fraudulently use the Wipro logogram and direct job-seekers to deposit specified sums of money as security deposit in named and numbered bank accounts in India. Wipro never requires any deposit by an individual who is in the process of being selected or is selected for employment there.’’

Videocon has joined hands with the police to trace the culprits who are playing the trick on job-aspirants. “Videocon condemns such deceitful action and is working very closely with the police and cyber crime cell to curb such illegal activities. There is a strong need for industries to collaborate and spread awareness by reaching out to the targeted commmunity and proactively info r m i n g them of the email threats that can put innocent job aspirants into a trap.’’

Videocon added that the scamsters keep changing their e-mail IDs and phone numbers.

The fraud first came to light after P B Rao, assistant general manager (Industrial Relation) of Godrej and Boyce Manufacturing Co Ltd, lodged a complaint with the cyber cell. He told the police that someone, posing as a Godrej employee, had been cheating people with fake job offers, using their company’s name. The e-mail in question stated, “The company offers you the post of an executive/manager in your respective department.’’ The sender asked the candidates to deposit Rs 6,850 in an account of a Hyderabad Bank of India and “assured’’ that he would be refunded.

The Times of India, August 25, 2010

No D-gang member held for extortion this year

Mateen Hafeez I TNN

Mumbai: The year so far has seen a slew of underworld gangs, including Chhota Rajan and Bharat Nepali, rear their ugly heads. Conspicuous by their absence are members of the Dawood Ibrahim gang. This is the first time in the last 15 years that not a single member of the D-gang has been arrested for extortion in the city. To support this refreshing change is the data made available by the Mumbai police. Of the 160 people arrested for extortion this year, not a single gangster owes allegiance to the Dawood gang.

According to statistics, extortion has, since 1995, topped the list of crimes by the organized gangs. “Underworld gangs are mostly involved in extortion, which is their main source of income,” said a senior police officer. “However, it seems that the Dawood gang has distanced itself from extortion in the last few years,” he said.

Officials attribute the Dgang’s absence from extortion cases to “shortage of manpower”. “Over 200 gangsters associated with the Dawood gang were killed in police encounters in the last two decades. Where is the manpower now,” asked the officer. “They do not want to indulge in activities which may cause further damage in the form of arrests,” the officer pointed out. He added that young boys no longer want to join the gang. “There are hardly any D-gang members in the city,” the officer added.

This year, 110 cases of extortion have been registered across the city. “Some of the arrested accused are members of the Chhota Rajan gang, while seven suspects are from other gangs. The rest are petty criminals,” another officer said.

This is in stark contrast to the crime scene in the metropolis till about two years ago. Between 2001 and 2009, as many as 400 extortionists belonging to the Dawood gang were arrested.

An official from the intelligence department sounded a word of caution. “Members of the D-gang are very much active, only they have changed their modus operandi,” he said.

The Times of India, August 23, 2010

Kasab stays away from fasting during Ramzan

Pakistani gunman and convict, Ajmal Kasab

Mateen Hafeez | TNN

Mumbai: Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab, who along with his nine accomplices killed scores of people in the name of ‘jihad’, is not observing Roza during Ramzan. The convict has been eating bananas, apples and taking medicines, while fasting during the day is compulsory for every adult Muslim in this period.

A source in the jail said Kasab, who had been kept in an isolated cell in barrack 12, kept himself busy reading books and could be seen on a CCTV camera, having lunch and taking medicines during the day. A person observing Roza are supposed to fast between sunrise and sunset.

Kasab, after his arrest by the crime branch, had claimed to be part of a ‘jihadi mission’ and that they were acting in the name of religion. However, several Muslims have already said Kasab and company were completely ignorant of the true meaning of the word, jihad. “A genuine Muslim does not kill people and practise Islam in its pure form. Fasting in the month of Ramzan is compulsory for every Muslim. One should not be surprised if Kasab is not observing Ramzan as he does not know real Islam,’’ said a Muslim religious leader.

An Arthur Road jail source said that they had to prepare a daily report on Kasab’s food and activities. “According to the report, he is having banana, poha, roti, vegetables, milk and tea regularly. He had earlier claimed to be unwell and sought treatment. Now, he can be seen taking medicines at prescribed schedules,’’ said the source.

While the barracks in the Arthur Road jail are opened at 6.30 am for breakfast, a lunch is served around noon and by 3.30 pm, all the inmates are given their dinner. However, for Muslim inmates observing Roza, the schedules changed. “Those who observe Ramzan are served bread, tea/milk, vegetables, egg and banana between 4 am and 5 am every day for saheri (meal before sunrise) and fruit, daal, rice, chapati and tea for iftar (breaking fast) around 6 pm,’’ the source added.

Rozadar inmates are also allowed to buy food from the jail canteen which is opened especially for them at midnight and in the evening. “Special food is served to Rozadars on Eid. Though non-veg is banned inside a prison, on Eid, prisoners can have it. They are served firni and sheer-khurma,’’ said another officer.

mateen.hafeez@timesgroup.com

The Times of India, August 22, 2010

Mulund blast accused gets bail as cops fail to file charge sheet

Mateen Hafeez I TNN

Mumbai: In what is probably an embarassing first, a man accused of being involved in a terror case was granted bail as the police failed to file the charge sheet within the stipulated three-month period. However, Wajihul Qamar Murtuza alias Babu, an accused in the 2003 Mulund blast case, will not be able to walk out of the prison yet as another case of grevious hurt is pending against him in Mazgaon court.

Babu was arrested seven years after a bomb ripped through a suburban train and killed 13 commuters at Mulund. According to officials of anti-terrorism squad (ATS), Babu (44) was nabbed on May 10 this year from his embroidery workshop at LBS Road in Kurla. The ATS handed over Babu to the city crime branch, which is probing the Mulund blast case.

“We will now try to obtain bail in the grevious hurt case so that he could come out of the prison,’’ said Babu’s advocate Priyatosh Tiwari. “There is absolutely no evidence against him. The only charges made out against my client are that of conspiracy with no direct involvement in the case,’’ Tiwari added.

Soon after the arrest, ATS chief Rakesh Maria had said that Babu’s name figured in the main charge sheet along with names of all the other accused. “Babu’s role in the 2003 Mulund train blast has been clearly spelt out in the main charge sheet. Six more accused in the case are still absconding,’’ Maria had said at that time. ATS officials had also claimed that Babu was also involved in the blasts at Mc-Donald’s in Mumbai Central and Vile Parle railway station.

“Babu underwent terrorist training at Padgha village in Thane and also helped assemble explosives used in the three blasts,’’ Maria had said.

The Times of India, August 21, 2010

Email promising job a fake, say firm officials

Mateen Hafeez I TNN

Mumbai: The cyber crime investigation cell (CCIC) of the city crime branch is probing a case against a person who, posing as an employee of a Godrej company, sent emails to several job seekers, asking them to deposit Rs 6,850 in an account for a job at a new Godrej plant, with salaries ranging from Rs 30,000 to Rs three lakh per month.

P B Rao, assistant general manager (Industrial Relation) of Godrej and Boyce Manufacturing Company Ltd, filed a complaint stating that someone was trying to dupe people using their company’s name. The email states, “Your bio-data has been selected for our new plant (manufacturing of refrigerators, air conditioners and washing machines). The company offers you the post of an executive/manager in your respective department.’’

The sender further stated that the recruitments are being done for new plants across the country. Candidates were asked to deposit Rs 6,850, to be refunded after the interview, in an account at Hyderabad Bank of India.

Godrej stated that their recruitment office was flooded with calls after the fraud. “The mails asking candidates to deposit money in an account against their so-called selection in the so-called ‘Godrej Electronics India Ltd’ are fake,’’ they said. Police say they will initiate action once they get the details about the mail’s origin from the server.

The Times of India, August 19, 2010

New credit card con hits city

Mateen Hafeez | TNN

Mumbai: The Mumbai police are increasingly coming across cases of swindlers using ‘social engineering’ to siphon out thousands of rupees from banking accounts. The term ‘social engineering’ is used to describe the modus operandi of hackers who trick people into revealing passwords or other confidential information over the phone or in person.

According to the police, victims receive a call on their cellphone from a cheat posing as a bank executive, who tells them that a certain sum—normally in excess of Rs 20,000—has been deducted from their account for payment towards a credit card purchase. The caller then hangs up.

Gullible victims, fearing a credit card fraud, call back the same number, believing that there is a bank employee on the other end. The swindler then tells the victim that he could block the credit card to prevent any further misuse, and asks for security details such as passwords. Armed with this information, he then goes on to siphon out thousands of rupees from the victim’s bank account.

Officials from the cyber cell of the Mumbai police say this trend is spreading in the city. “We have got several complaints from people who say that someone called them up and informed them that some transaction had been carried out through their credit card. Worried, they asked the caller to block the credit card. It was only later that they discovered that money had been siphoned out from their account,’’ said an officer.

Swindlers use personal data to impress victims
Mumbai: The swindlers have their tactics all chalked out. They impress the victim by speaking in fluent English, addressing him/her by his or her full name, citing the credit card number and the name of the bank. Later, they ask for the identification PIN number of the credit or debit card on the pretext of blocking transactions. “The caller may also advise you to lodge an official complaint with the bank about this cheating,’’ said an official, adding that the average credit card holder does not normally have his bank’s official telephone number and thus gets cheated.

In the past, there have been cases in Mumbai where credit card fraudsters have been found hand-in-glove with petrol pump employees, restaurant employees and shopping mall cashiers who took printouts of credit cards swiped in their shops and handed them over for a fixed commission. In 2007, Jet Spice, Kingfisher and several other airlines suffered a loss of over Rs 17 crore when a gang of young boys got hold of the details of credit card holders and used them to book air tickets. The gang, which had its touts around airports and air ticketing offices, would then sell these tickets at a cheaper rate.

Sleuths of the cyber cell have a word of advice for all credit card and debit card holders: never divulge details about these. “If you get a call, phone your bank and inquire,’’ they said. “Don’t share your personal details with the caller, and never make any financial transaction in a cyber cafe. Finally, always update your new contact number with your bank.’’

The Times of India, August 19, 2010

‘Tech, cloning used to send terror email’

Mateen Hafeez I TNN

Mumbai: Investigations into the terror email case have revealed that prime suspect, Sagar Kashyap, had used a technique called Team Viewer. He made use of a desktop of one of his associates and carried out all the operations from his own computer. That is why the results of the probe showed that the email was sent from another computer. In Team Viewer, the desktop of a computer can be operated from any computer.

Kashyap (20), son of a CR motorman, is a second-year student of computer science. On August 7, he sent an email to two news channel offices posing as a militant, Gulam Imran Khan, and threatened to blow up their offices on August 12. A team led by antiterrorism squad additional commissioner Sukhvindar Singh, officers Nasir Kulkarni and Mahesh Parkar arrested Kashyap on August 11. “Kashyap had stolen the password and logged on with the names of around 24 people,’’ said Singh.

When asked whether Kashyap was linked to any terror outfit, ATS chief Rakesh Maria said, “Our probe is still on. No such information has come to our knowledge.’’ According to a source, Kashyap is also accused of internet time theft, which he committed using someone else’s log-in.

Initially, the ATS found that Kashyap had actually cloned the MAC number of someone else’s computer and was using his internet protocol (IP) address. A MAC number is a computer’s identification number. “In earlier cases, the police would first detect the IP address, which would help them to solve the case. But, here, results showed that the IP address belonged to a Ghatkoparbased businessman,’’ said an officer. To solve the mystery, the police team had to check on more than 17,500 users of Wnet, an internet service provider.

When the police found out that Kashyap had used the desktop of one of his associates, they summoned the latter for questioning. However, the owner of the computer said that the crime was committed without his knowledge. Kashyap has been booked for impersonation, cheating and cyber crime.

The Times of India, August 17, 2010

Stockbroker arrested for duping doc of Rs 3.8 crore

Mateen Hafeez | TNN

Mumbai: The economic offences wing (EOW) of the city police recently arrested a stockbroker for allegedly duping cancer specialist, Dr Murlidhar Kamath, of Rs 3.8 crore. The accused, who was entrusted to deal with shares on behalf of Kamath, had sold the shares to “repay his loan’’.

The police said that the suspect, Dilip Nivrutti Bhure (41), a Dadar resident, had floated a firm, Bhure Investment, claiming he was a subbroker for share trading at Dalal Street. “During 2001 and 2007, Kamath had given his shares to Bhure to convert into Demat form. However, Bhure deposited the shares in his own Demat account and later sold them to various people. Hence, it becomes a case of criminal breach of trust,’’ said an EOW officer.

Bhure had provided fake bills and share certificates to the doctor.

When he floated his firm, Bhure hired an office and also recruited around half a dozen staff who would deal with the customers in connection with share business. Bhure’s main job was to convince his clients to invest in shares. He would then take all responsibility of handling the transactions. In return, the clients would give him some “portion of their profit’’.

According to the police, Bhure has been dealing in intraday (buying and selling of financial instruments on the same trading day) and Future and Options (financial instruments that derive their value from an underlying—for instance stock or gold). Bhure told the police that he had used the money, made by selling Kamath’s shares, to repay his loans. “Bhure had been giving fake bills, fake share transfer certificate and fake contract notes. However, Kamath did not realise this. However, when Kamath wanted his shares, he realized that he had been fooled,’’ said an officer.

There are around two dozen complaints against Bhure at the Shivaji Park police station for duping people, promising them to get huge profit for them in shares. He allegedly sold shares of many people and cases are still pending.

mateen.hafeez@timesgroup.com

The Times of India, August 16, 2010

CISF men thrash cops in street brawl

An injured policeman at St George Hospital

Men In Khaki Slug It Out Over Traffic Snarl At Sewri

Mateen Hafeez | TNN

Mumbai: It was a case of men in khaki vs men in khaki. An alleged traffic snarl triggered an argument between six constables and the personnel of the Central industrial Security Force (CISF) who beat up the latter and confined them to a traffic chowkie cabin at Sewri on Friday morning.

The Sewri police have registered a case against the 15 CISF personnel, including assistant commandant Alok Joshi.

The incident took place around 9.45 am near Malet Bunder close to Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT). According to the traffic police, three of their constables, Pramod Tavde, Sanjay Patil and Sachin Tayde, were manning the vehicles outside Madal Bunder when a truck came in from the wrong side. The three constables intercepted the truck to issue the driver a ticket and that allegedly created a traffic jam. Presently, the CISF assistant commandant Joshi, along with his subordinates, came out of the Bunder gate and started arguing about the traffic jam, though the area did not fall under their jurisdiction, the constables stated in their complaint with the Sewri police.

“This started an argument, which soon took an ugly turn and before the constables could react, the CISF personnel started assaulting them,’’ the complaint stated. Unable to fight them off, the constables called up the police control room and informed about the incident. “A mobile van from the Yellow Gate police station was immediately sent to the spot. When these police constables tried to intervene, the CISF personnel assaulted them as well,’’ said Quiser Khalid, deputy commissioner of police (port zone). The CISF personnel then allegedly dragged all the constables inside the chowkie cabin and locked them up for 15 minutes. All the while, they continued beating up the constables, the complaint stated.

The police constables again called up the Yellow Gate police station following which another team arrived at the spot and rescued the victims. The injured constables were sent to St George Hospital; one of them, Sanjay Patil, is reportedly in a serious condition.

The CISF personnel have been booked on charges of assault, illegal confinement, deterring a public servant from his duty, rioting and assaulting a public servant. As The CISF comes under the central government, the city police will have to go through certain formalities before they can take any action against them. Deputy inspector general of CISF Archana Tyagi could not be contacted.

The Times of India, August 14, 2010

Three held for threatening Goregaon businessman

Mumbai: Three Kashmiri youths were arrested by the crime branch for posing as members of the defunct Bunty Pandey gang and robbing a businessman at Goregaon. The trio stole 33 watches and an iPhone from the shop at gun point.
Those arrested included Meraj Deen Gulam (20), Zahoor Gulam Nabi (21) and Peer Mohammed Iqbal Shafi (22). — Mateen Hafeez | TNN

The Times of India, August 14, 2010

Student held for terror email - 20-Year-Old Had Cloned Ghatkopar Bizman’s Comp ID For Crime

Mateen Hafeez I TNN

Mumbai: The 20-year-old youth, arrested by the antiterrorism squad (ATS) on Wednesday for sending emails to private news channels threatening to blow up their offices, had actually cloned the MAC number of someone else’s computer and hence was using his internet protocol (IP) address.

The suspect, Sagar Kashayap, had cloned the MAC number (a computer’s identification number) and copied it on his computer before sending the e-mail. The IP address was allotted to this MAC number which was, in fact, owned by a businessman.

Initially, the police suspected the e-mail could have been sent by the banned outfit, Indian Mujahideen, whose members send such e-mails using unsecured WiFi network. Later, Kashayap—a second-year student of Bachelor in Computer Science—was arrested for sending a threat email, posing as a militant.

“In earlier cases, the police would first detect the IP address which would help them to solve the case. But, here, Kashayap had cloned the MAC number where the IP addresses was allotted and it showed that the IP address belongs to a Ghatkoparbased businessman. We questioned him but he was not the culprit,’’ said an officer.

An ATS team, led by additional commissioner Sukhvindar Singh, and comprising assistant inspector Nasir Kulkarni and Mahesh Parkar had to struggle with around 17,500 users of Wnet, an internet service provider, to nab Kashayap.

Son of a train motorman, Kashayap, resides at Kurla railway quarters. He had sent an e-mail to two private news channels and a computer firm, posing as a militant. He sent the e-mail using an account,yuvraj.patil00@gmail.com and in the e-mail, posed as one Gulam Khan. “Kashayap threatened to blow up his targets on August 12,’’ said an officer.

The police first began hunting for Yuvraj Patil. Soon after he was traced, the police realised that Patil, a pharmaceutical company’s executive, was not the suspect. “Patil told us that on August 3, he had given his login name and password to one of his subordinates, Nalawade. Nalawade also gave a satisfactory reply and the police reached a dead end,’’ the officer added.

Then began a door-to-door search for the culprit since the businessman, Patil and Nalawade’s fate was dependent on the arrest of the real culprit. The police zeroed in on the Line Area Network (LAN) and found that someone from Kurla must have used the IP address. “When we reached Kashayap’s residence, he was about to go to sleep and asked to us to come the next morning. While we were making enquires with his mother, he went in to another room and disconnected the internet connection. While searching his computer, we found some suspicious material and seized it. During sustained questioning, Kashayap admitted to having sent the email,’’ said the officer. Kashayap was booked for impersonation and cyber terrorism. He has been remanded in police custody till August 16.

Nigerian gang member held for e-fraud
Mumbai: A Malad resident was arrested by the cyber police for allegedly hacking into the net-banking account of an accountant of a private company and siphoning off Rs 2 lakh.

Giriraj Tiwari (28), who is part of a gang of Nigerians, has been arrested for cheating and breach of trust. The complaint was filed by an accountant working for a private firm in Andheri.

In February, the risk control unit office of the ICICI Bank called him and enquired whether he
had transferred Rs 2 lakh to other accounts and that, too, in 10 instalments in an hour’s time. The victim went to the bank and the statement showed Rs 2 lakh missing. The bank forwarded his complaint to the cyber cops.

The cops found that three persons were beneficiaries of the siphoned amount. The first beneficiary was a Nigerian national who was arrested last month. The accused revealed that he had used Tiwari’s bank account to siphon off the victim’s money. -S Ahmed Ali I TNN

The Times of India, August 13, 2010

Manhunt on for killers of trader

Mateen Hafeez | TNN

Mumbai: The D B Marg police is looking for the abductors of a gems trader who went missing last month and was later killed. The victim, Suresh Duggal’s body was found on railway tracks in Vasai on July 29.

According to the police, Duggal (45), a resident of Jesal Park in Bhayander (East), had left home on July 27 for his office at Pancharatna, Charni Road, in the morning but he did not reach there. Later in the day, a missing persons complaint was lodged at D B Marg police station.

The police said that hours after they began flashing wireless messages about Duggal, he reportedly called up his family and told them that he had been kidnapped. “Duggal told his family members that he was confined to a dark room and was threatened with dire consequences. However, he could not elaborate anything about his abductors or the place he was confined at,’’ a police officer said.

The Vasai police had initially registered a case of accidental death. Later, Duggal’s family identified his body. However, Duggal’s post mortem revealed that he had been tortured and then killed. The Vasai police then converted the case of accidental death to murder.

Duggal’s family did not not receive any ransom call and he was not carrying any jewels when he was kidnapped, said an officer.

The Times of India, August 12, 2010

Relief for Chitra captain till Aug 18 - Passports Of Crew Members Impounded

IN DEEP WATERS: An afloat container outside the Gateway

Rebecca Samervel & Mateen Hafeez | TNN

Mumbai: The captain of MSC Chitra got a temporary reprieve on Wednesday after the sessions court directed the police to refrain from arresting him till August 18.

The development comes close on the heels of Yellow Gate police officials impounding the passports of all crew members with instructions to not leave the city until the probe is over. “Investigations are in a crucial stage,’’ said DCP Quisar Khalid.

In his anticipatory bail application, Captain Minguelinho Ranjit Martins blamed the captain of Khalijia 3 for the collision. The 38-year-old from Marmagoa claimed that Khalijia 3 was “unseaworthy’’ and not fit to sail whereas MSC Chitra was properly inspected before sailing from JNPT. “The accident was not staged to claim insurance money. I have been in this industry for the last 18 years,’’ the bail application said.

The captains and crew of the two vessels were booked under various sections of the IPC and Environment Protection Act. “I was asked by the police to appear before the officers for questioning. My image will be sullied if I go to jail,’’ he said.

“I have a crucial role to play in the salvage operation and have been personally supervising it. My presence is extremely vital as I am familiar with the vessel, the containers, the location of fuel tanks etc...,” he stated.

Public prosecutor R V Kini said, “The police have not decided whom to arrest as yet.’’

WATER-TIGHT CASE
Yogesh Naik | TNN
The port wing of the Mumbai police is building a water-tight case to nail the guilty. “We are examining the records and have taken down statements of both the captains against whom FIRs have been filed. We will zero in on the culprit after a thorough probe,’’ said an officer. Police commissioner Sanjeev Dayal said, “We will soon decide against whom the chargesheet is to be filed.’’

The Times of India, August 12, 2010

Trio dupes 1,500, flees with Rs 10 cr

INVESTMENT SCAM

Engineers, PR Officials Fell Prey To Fraud

Mateen Hafeez I TNN

Mumbai: The police are hunting for three directors of a private firm who duped over 1,500 people including software engineers, public relations executives and those working in ports. The accused told their victims that their money would be invested in real estate in return for huge profits. However, they fled with Rs 10 crore.

The economic offences wing (EOW) is looking for Sandeep Shukla, Nilesh Mahatre and Sebestian Pereira, all directors of Yes Cube Infrastructure Ltd. The company had offices in Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan, Nashik, Pune and Dhule.

The trio floated this company and placed advertisements in newspapers, seeking investment. They claimed that the company was involved in the construction of weekend bungalows at Nerul, Kalyan and Murbad. The accused had entered into a MoU on bogus stamp papers and also notarised the same. “Bogus property documents and tentative ownership papers of non-agricultural plots, signed by the accused, were annexed ‘’ a police officer said. “They started this scheme in 2008 and shut their shops in March 2010. They would pay a rent of Rs 50,000 a month for their office premises and had hired Englishspeaking staff to impress the investors including retired teachers and housewives,’’ said an officer.

The accused lured investors with huge profits. “On an investment of Rs one lakh a year, an investor could get Rs 1.75 lakh in return. If the same amount was kept with the company for three years, the investor was promised a profit of Rs 2.60 lakh during this period and if it was invested for five years, the investor was promised a profit of Rs 4.30 lakh,’’ said investigating officer, Tanvir Shaikh. The police have written to several banks to freeze the suspects’ accounts.

The brain behind this fraud is reportedly Sandeep Shukla, a Std XII drop-out.

The Times of India, August 12, 2010

Trio dupes 1,500, flees with Rs 10 cr

INVESTMENT SCAM

Engineers, PR Officials Fell Prey To Fraud

Mateen Hafeez I TNN

Mumbai: The police are hunting for three directors of a private firm who duped over 1,500 people including software engineers, public relations executives and those working in ports. The accused told their victims that their money would be invested in real estate in return for huge profits. However, they fled with Rs 10 crore.

The economic offences wing (EOW) is looking for Sandeep Shukla, Nilesh Mahatre and Sebestian Pereira, all directors of Yes Cube Infrastructure Ltd. The company had offices in Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan, Nashik, Pune and Dhule.

The trio floated this company and placed advertisements in newspapers, seeking investment. They claimed that the company was involved in the construction of weekend bungalows at Nerul, Kalyan and Murbad. The accused had entered into a MoU on bogus stamp papers and also notarised the same. “Bogus property documents and tentative ownership papers of non-agricultural plots, signed by the accused, were annexed ‘’ a police officer said. “They started this scheme in 2008 and shut their shops in March 2010. They would pay a rent of Rs 50,000 a month for their office premises and had hired Englishspeaking staff to impress the investors including retired teachers and housewives,’’ said an officer.

The accused lured investors with huge profits. “On an investment of Rs one lakh a year, an investor could get Rs 1.75 lakh in return. If the same amount was kept with the company for three years, the investor was promised a profit of Rs 2.60 lakh during this period and if it was invested for five years, the investor was promised a profit of Rs 4.30 lakh,’’ said investigating officer, Tanvir Shaikh. The police have written to several banks to freeze the suspects’ accounts.

The brain behind this fraud is reportedly Sandeep Shukla, a Std XII drop-out.

The Times of India, August 12, 2010

Ex-CEO of CCI held for attempted suicide, released on bail

Mateen Hafeez I TNN

Mumbai: Former CEO of Cricket Club of India (CCI), Kamaljeet Rajpal (54), who had allegedly attempted suicide last year, was recently arrested by the Cuffe Parade police for this crime and later released on bail.

Rajpal’s family had claimed that the licensed country revolver went off accidentally while it was being cleaned. A case of attempted suicide was registered against Rajpal.

“We have recorded his statement and found that Rajpal had attempted to kill himself,’’ said an officer. The police are planning to charge sheet Rajpal so that he could be tried in a court of law.

At the time of his attempted suicide, Rajpal was accused of sending an obscene e-mail to a female member of the CCI.

The Times of India, August 11, 2010

Joint team will scour sea to find containers

Mateen Hafeez | TNN

Mumbai: A joint team of several agencies was formed on Tuesday to investigate and locate containers that have sunk in the Arabian Sea due to the collision between two cargo ships, MV
Khalijia 3 and MSC Chitra, on August 7.

Sources said the joint team will have officials from the Indian navy, Mumbai Port Trust, marine police, Coast Guard and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), among others. “We have also set up two helplines which will be connected to all the coastal police stations for better coordination,’’ said Quaisar Khalid, deputy commissioner of police (port zone).

The Yellow Gate police on Tuesday completed recording statements of captains of the two cargo ships. “We are in the process of verifying the statements and are yet to reach a conclusion,’’ added Khalid.

The police are yet to ascertain whose fault led to the collision. A case under the Environment Protection Act was registered against the authorities of the two vessels and Sections of the Indian Penal Code were added in the FIR.

It is learnt that hydrographic ships of the navy will start surveying the sea from Wednesday. “The hydrographic ships have sonar equipment which can locate the sunk containers through sound waves,’’ said a police official.

Khalijia, which was under repair for over two weeks, was returning to the shore while Chitra was outbound.

The police are now awaiting details of the Vehicle Traffic Management System from both the vessels.

The Times of India, August 11, 2010

Co-op society manager ends life after losing money

Mateen Hafeez | TNN

Mumbai: Upset over having lost a huge amount of money in the share market, a 57-yearold manager of a credit co-operative society ended his life inside his office room on Tuesday.

D M Jadhav had been working with Janseva Credit Co-operative Society since its establishment 25 years ago. The J J Marg police said Jadhav, a resident of Manisha Nagar in Kalwa, was found hanging from the ceiling fan in his office chamber near Goal Deval near Grant Road. “Jadhav’s friends have told us that he was depressed for the past couple of days after he lost some money in the share market. Last evening, he stayed at his office and asked the peon to leave,’’ said a police officer. Jadhav reportedly waited for all the employees left before he hanged himself. The police are yet to find out the amount he had lost.

On Tuesday morning, when a peon arrived at the office around 8 am, he found Jadhav’s door locked from inside. He immediately informed the other office bearers and they opened the door using another key, only to find Jadhav hanging from the fan. No suicide note was found till Tuesday evening. “We have sent the body for post mortem and waiting for the report,’’ said sub-inspector R Salunkhe.

The Times of India, August 11, 2010

Oil’s not well, say alarmed citizens

Slick Nearing Raigad District, Clean-Up Could Take A Month

Vijay Singh, Yogesh Naik & Clara Lewis | TNN

The authorities claimed on Monday that the oil scare had passed. Coast Guard IG S P S Basra said, “As far as the oil spill is concerned, things are under control.’’ The police and Raigad collectorate officials also denied the district was affected, but locals of some of coastal villages in Alibaug taluka, Raigad district, claimed to have spotted signs of the oil spill reaching their shores on Monday.

Alibaug-based environmentalist, Surendra Waman Dhawale, of the Shambhuraje Yuva Kranti group, told TOI: “Till Monday evening there was no serious sign of the oil coming towards our coast. However, we have reports from local fishermen in Awas, Mandwa and Kihim villages that small oil patches were seen on these beaches.’’ But Raigad collector Subhash Sonawane asserted, “We are keeping a close watch on the Raigad beaches, but there is no sight of the floating fuel oil here,’’ he said. Mahindra Dalvi, of Thal Gram Panchayat in Alibaug taluka, informed: “Our fishermen have been told not to go out in the sea to fish, while consumers have been advised not to eat it, as it may be contaminated. This has further affected the income of the locals.’’

The chief manager (operations) of Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) S N Maharana, informed that of the 1219 containers on the stricken ship, 31 were filled with chemicals. However, various agencies are working round-the-clock to ensure that there is no chemical leakage from the epicentre of the accident site in the sea. About 512 containers were on the ship’s deck and the rest in the hold. The hold, said environment minister Suresh Shetty, was still intact.

Neutralising the spilled oil before it reaches the mangroves and the sea-coast; removing containers floating or lodged on the rocky seabed are the two priorities before the government. The entire clean-up operation could take a month. “The priority is to ensure the spill does not reach either the mangroves or the coast,’’ Shetty added.

Tehsildars in all the coastal areas in Mumbai, Thane and Raigad district right from Raj Bhavan to Rewas-Mandwa, have been asked to collect water samples and test them for oil. “If oil is found in any place then the protocol that has been set to tackle the spill will be set into motion,’’ said Shetty adding the Coast Guard was in charge of neutralising the oil spill. The Chitra has tilted 75 degrees and is resting on rocks, making entry into the ship difficult.

Technicians of Smith Salvage Company, the official salvagers of M S Chitra had arrived on
Sunday from Singapore and they would concentrate on removing the containers from the hold.

J S Saharia, chief, disaster management, said the collision between the two cargo ships M S Chitra and M V Khalija occurred because of a miscommunication between the Vessel Traffic Management System (that guides ships to and from the harbour) and the two ships.

Meanwhile a 45-year-old constable attached to Mumbai’s Marine police drowned in the Arabian Sea after he fell off a speed boat near the shore. Ramesh Tukaram More and four other policemen were posted near Ghadyal dock. “On Monday morning, More’s colleagues reported he was missing,’’ said Quaiser Khalid, DCP (port zone). Divers later found his body around 2.30 pm, he added. His body has been sent for post-mortem.

Expert speak
A senior ONGC officer says the best way to deal with an oil spill is to neutralise it with chemical dispersants like acids (hydrofluoric), phosphorus compounds, acidic and caustic gases, and organic compounds

One At A Time
Clearing navigational channels of the containers is first priority
This will be done using a crane, which will lift containers to a barge, and they will be taken to JNPT
There are nearly 500 containers at sea, 11 near Raigad
Oil from the ship will have to drained out next
Finally, the ship will be towed away by tugs
Salvagers have flown in experts from Rotterdam with booms to control the oil slick, but Coast Guard officials said it was not just enough as slick has spread
Main channels of JNPT and MbPT have been closed down
MbPT is allowing only small vessels
MbPT chairperson Rahul Asthana said it will take two days before the port can be opened for operations
Chief of staff of western naval command, vice-admiral Pradeep Chauhan said helicopters and ships are searching for containers that have sunk. Even the Port Trust has hired sonar-equipped boats

Global Remedies
Bioremediation | Micro-organisms or biological agents are used to break down or remove oil
Controlled Burning | It can only be done in low wind, and causes air pollution
Dispersants | They cluster around oil globules and allow them to be carried away in the water Dredging | Used for oils dispersed with detergents and other oils denser than water Skimming | Requires calm sea
Solidifying | Solidifiers change physical state of spilled oil from liquid to semi-solid or rubber-like material that floats on water, making removal oil easy
Vacuum & Centrifuge | Oil can be sucked up with water, and then a centrifuge used to separate the two

With inputs from Mateen Hafeez

SPILLING OVER: The MSC Chitra has further tilted on Monday (top); containers from the stricken ship floating off the Mumbai coast (right); a curious child from the Geeta Nagar slums, Colaba, examines the oil washed ashore by the sea near the settlement on Monday

Coastal places which are likely to be affected by the Mumbai oil spill:
The Times of India, August 10, 2010

Cops lodge FIR, grill captains of 2 vessels

TROUBLED WATERS: Captain of MV Khalijia 3, Lakshman Dubey

Mateen Hafeez | TNN

Mumbai: The Yellow Gate police on Monday questioned the captains of MSC Chitra and MV Khalijia 3. However, the police are yet to find out who was responsible for the collision between the two vessels that took place off the city coast on Saturday morning.

Deputy commissioner of police (Port Zone), Quaisar Khalid, said that a case under the Environment Protection Act was registered against the authorities of the two vessels and the sections of the Indian Penal Code were also applied in the FIR on Monday.

“MV Khalijia 3, which had been under repair for over two weeks, was returning to the shore while MSC Chitra was an outbound vessel. There was no casualty and all the 33 people on the two vessels were rescued,’’ said Khalid.

Meanwhile, the police carried out the panchnama of the two ships on Monday. “We registered the case after the coastal police submitted an application to us. We treated their complaint as an FIR,’’ added Khalid. The police have also asked for the Vehicle Traffic Management System of the two vessels.

The containers that sank had biscuits and other stuff, said police. A team from the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board also visited the spot. Final reports from several agencies are yet to come, said police officials.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that the captain of MV Khalijia 3, Lakshman Dubey, was back on the vessel.

mateen.hafeez@timesgroup.com

The Times of India, August 10, 2010

1,000 women join police force

WINDS OF CHANGE

Mateen Hafeez | TNN
Mumbai: In a welcome change, the city police force witnessed the induction of 30% women constables during its recruitment drive in May-June this year. This is significant considering that the figure used to hover around an abysmal 10% all these years.

“Earlier, most families were opposed to the idea of women joining the force,” said a senior police officer. “This is why there were fewer khaki-clad women. But times are changing,” he said. “More and more women are coming forward to join the force.”

This year’s recruitment drive saw a total of 3,586 constables being inducted into the force. Of these, 1,048 are women. “Now, we can deploy women at most of the police stations as well as other departments,’’ said a police officer. Usually, women constables are attached to the crime branch.

“Victims of rape and molestation are often reluctant to speak with men officers. They are
more comfortable talking to women officers,’’ said an observer.
The state government prescribes that women officers comprise 30% of the force. There are 14,000 posts for women in the Mumbai police force, but only 4,000 female personnel.

The Times of India, August 9, 2010

‘Dossa’s allegations against Abu Salem false’

Mustafa Dossa

Mateen Hafeez | TNN

Mumbai: The crime branch has claimed that allegations made by Dawood gang member Mustafa Dossa against gangster Abu Salem are baseless.

Investigators found that Dossa’s allegations in court that Salem wanted to extort Rs 30 crore from him were just to cover up the assault case. “Dossa had told the court that the injuries on Salem’s body were self-inflicted and that Salem demanded Rs 30 crore from him. No such fact has been verified during the interrogation; Dossa had lied in court,’’ a crime branch officer said.

Dossa had allegedly attacked Salem with a spoon in the Arthur Road jail last month after the former suspected that Salem was passing information about him to the jail authorities. “Dossa suspected that Salem was passing on information about him and the other gang members. Dossa also said that Salem had a problem whenever he was taken to a court outside Mumbai. Dossa claimed that Salem would complain of the police being friendly towards Dossa,’’ said an official. “Dossa claimed that Salem’s men attacked him and put the blame on Dossa as they wanted to falsely implicate him. We found that it was Dossa who attacked Salem,” he added.

The Times of India, August 7, 2010

Two behead roommate for stealing mobile, Rs 2K

BODY CHOPPED INTO EIGHT PIECES

Mateen Hafeez | TNN

Mumbai: Two persons were arrested on Thursday morning for beheading their 30-yearold roommate, an interior decorator, after they learnt that he had stolen a mobile. Following the murder, the accused chopped off the victim’s limbs and other parts of the body and threw them away into a dustbin at Dharavi.

The accused, Feroz alias Phool Babu (25) and Khursheed Shaikh (20), were arrested on Thursday. The incident took place on July 30. “The accused as well as the victim, Qamruddin, shared a rented room in Dharavi,” said a crime branch officer.

When one of the accused found his mobile missing and the other could not find Rs 2,000, they started suspecting that Qamruddin had stolen them. After questioning him, their suspicion grew even stronger, the police said. On the night of July 30, Qamruddin came back to the room drunk and went off to sleep; that apparently made the two all the more angry, the police added.

The two then headed for a nearby liquor shop where they downed a few pegs. “They had also bought a butcher’s knife. On returning from the bar, the two killed Qamruddin with the knife. Then they beheaded him, chopped his body into at least eight pieces and after washing off the blood, dumped the severed body parts into two polythene bags,’’ said crime branch deputy commissioner of police Nisar Tamboli.

Feroz and Khursheed then waited in the room for six hours till daybreak, when they took the polythene bags to a nearby dustbin and dumped them there, the police said. The BMC dumper picked up the bags, along with the garbage, and disposed of them at the Kurla site. The body parts were discovered only when the bags tore while being dumped.

“With the help of Qamruddin’s photo, we located his Dharavi home. The two accused have confessed to their crime,’’ said an officer.

The Times of India, August 6, 2010

D K Rao was also on hit list

ROBE INTO RAJAN AIDE

Mateen Hafeez | TNN
Mumbai: The probe into the murder of Chhota Rajan aide Farid Tanasha has revealed that the killers were also planning to bump off the gangster’s trusted lieutenant, D K Rao. The motive apparently was to wipe out the Rajan gang from the city.

Tanasha, who had hit the headlines for organising a party in Chembur Gymkhana along with a few police officials, was shot dead by unidentified persons inside his ground-floor flat at Tilak Nagar in Chembur on June 2. The crime branch has so far arrested 12 persons, including two builders, a hotelier and a hawala operator, all booked under MCOCA.

“One of the suspects, Aslam Khan alias Abbas, has told the police that they were planning to eliminate D K Rao, who handles the Rajan gang in Mumbai,’’ said a crime branch officer.

“Abbas said while the day of the attack on D K Rao was yet to be finalised, they were given the hint that they should start targeting all Rajan gang members,’’ said an official.

The Times of India, August 6, 2010

Man arrested for duping investors

Mateen Hafeez I TNN

Mumbai: The economic offences wing (EOW) of the city police has arrested a 35-ye a r- o l d man for collecting money from investors on the pretext of giving them high returns in the real estate business. The accused, Jignesh Rathod, fled with Rs 4.70 crore. The investors include policemen, doctors, teachers and housewives.

The police are now looking for another suspect, Sandeep Shukla, and several others. The suspects floated a company, Bristal Builders and Developers, and placed advertisements in newspapers seeking investment. The company claimed to be into construction of weekend bungalows in Navsari, Gujarat. The police say the accused had entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on bogus stamp papers and got the same notarised. “Bogus property documents and tentative ownership papers of non-agricultural plots signed by the accused were annexed with the MoU,’’ a police officer said.

The accused spent money in setting up digital film studious and financing C-grade movies. “The accused started their office at Kandivli and rented a commercial gala for Rs 80,000 per month. While Rathod and Shukla were the brain behind the scam, they did not take any designation in the company,’’ said an officer. “The told the 582 investors that their company has a 125-acre land in Gujarat and they wanted to develop it. They collected investment for the same from policemen, teachers, housewives, etc and then stopped paying the investors,’’ said assistant inspector S M Dhawale.

The accused said the investors’ money would be used in the construction of villas in Gujarat and they will be given tentative ownership of the villas till the completion of the project.

The accused floated various schemes for investors, ranging from Rs 54,000 to Rs 15.21 lakh. “On an investment of Rs 54,000, th investors were offered Rs 10,990 per month. If one invested Rs 1.21 lakh, he was promised Rs 22,500 per month. Those who invested Rs 15.21 lakh were offered Rs 3.40 lakh per month return till the completion of the project,’’ the police said.

Rathod and Shukla were also accused in a similar scam, of Auram Realty, in which they were directors. Shukla, promoter of Leo 1 Productions, was also the financier of the second season of a popular reality show. During the Auram case probe, the bank accounts revealed a cash transfer of Rs 1 crore to Leo 1 Productions and Rs 50 lakh to actor Rajpal Yadav to produce a film, the police said.

The Times of India, August 6, 2010

ATS nabs Goa blast suspect in Maharashtra

Mateen Hafeez

Mumbai: The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on July 31 arrested rightwing outfit Sanatan Sanstha's member, Prashant Juvekar (24), for his alleged role in the last year's Goa blast. Juvekar was caught soon after he got down from a train at Bhusawal junction in Maharashtra.

A bomb went off while being taken from one place to another at Madgaon in Goa and killed two members of Sanatan Sanstha on October 16, 2009.

ATS chief Rakesh Maria said Ratnagiri resident Juevekar had taken part in terror training. ``He learnt bomb making and handling gelatine sticks, timers and batteris in a training camp in Goa between August 23 and August 25 last year. He is a full time parcharak of Sanatan Sanstha,'' said Maria. According to Maria, another accused, Malgunda Patil who died while ferrying a bomb along with an accomplice, had called up Juvekar and invited him for a terror training in Goa. ``They were taught on how to make a bomb, connect timers, batteries, gelatin sticks and the use of improvised explosive device (IED),'' said Maria. Jevekar has been remanded into police custody till August 3.

Juvekar was arrested in a joint operation of several teams of the ATS. The police claimed to have recovered a 7.65 mm pistol from him. ``He was a conspirator in the blast and took part in all the conspiracy meeting. Juvekar had been evading arrest since the bomb blast. He had also taken part in an experiment of bomb making and doing an explosion in Goa,'' added the ATS chief.

According to ATS sources, Juvekar's parents, both retired bank employees, were full time sevaks of the Sanatan Sanstha. ``Jevekar got married a few weeks prior to the blast. He was a full time parcharak (preacher) for the outfit,'' said an officer. Juvekar is also accused of taking part in a conspiracy meeting in 2008 that was held in Jalgaon district in Maharashtra.

Juvekar, a Commerce graduate, quit Law degree course in the final year. ``He has told names of around half a dozen Sanatan members who attended the conspiracy meetings,'' said the source, adding, Juvekar was not a planter. An officer said that soon after the Goa blast, Jevekar went underground. ``He stayed with his maternal uncle in Malad in Mumbai, then went to Rajkot, Baroda, Ahmedabad, New Delhi, Bihar and Varanasi. ``We arrested him while he was returning to Mahrashtra,'' the officer said.

BOX:

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on May 17, 2010 filed a charge sheet in against 11 activists of right-wing organisation, Sanatan Sanstha for the 2009 Diwali-eve blasts in Goa. They face charges of conspiring and collecting arms for waging a war against the state and mischief. They have also been charged under the Explosive Substance Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The chargesheet, running into about 3,000 pages, was filed before sessions judge U V Bakre. The two accused who died in the blast were Malgonda Patil of Sangli and Yogesh Naik of Talaulim-Ponda.

Four others-Vinay D Talekar, 28, and Vinayak P Patil, 29, both of Ponda, Dhananjay K Ashtekar, 28, of Ratnagiri and Dilip G Malgaonkar, 39, of Sangli-are in NIA's custody. The remaining five-Rudra Patil of Sangli, Sarang Ankolekar of Pune, and Jayprakash alias Anna, Prashant Ashtekar and Prashant Juvekar, all from Ratnagiri-are absconding. The chargesheet names 250 witnesses, who are likely to be examined by the local court during the trial.

August 3, 2010

Rise of Nepali gang gives cops sleepless nights

Mateen Hafeez | TNN

Mumbai: The city has got a ‘new kid on the underworld block’, and the crime branch is apparently getting jittery over the gang rearing its head in the metropolis.

With the Bharat Nepali’s gang—which claimed the responsibility for the killing of advocate Shahid Azmi and Chhota Rajan aide Farid Tanasha—slowly spreading its tentacles across the city, the cops are apparently getting sleepless nights as the underworld group is hiring shooters from outside Mumbai who are not on police records.

Nepali, the prime accused in the murder of trade union leader Datta Samant in 1997, had split from the Rajan gang and formed his own outfit. A senior crime branch official said though Nepali was part of the Rajan gang in the past, they do not have much information about the gangster’s new strategy. “He is hiring shooters from outside the city. What is worrying us is that we don’t have much information on the newcomers,’’ said the official. Nepali is currently using one Malaysian SIM card and another belonging to an Australian phone company. “People from UP villages are not on police records and the fear of information being leaked out by freshers is less,’’ said a crime branch officer.

In case of Azmi’s murder, four persons were arrested who were given a contract of Rs 1 lakh to bump off the advocate. “The shooters were brought to the city from outside Mumbai. We have been checking the details of history-sheeters but it was not easy for us to simply catch them. The arrests took a lot of hard work, intelligence networking and verification from dozens of suspects,’’ the officer said. The police suspect that Azmi’s killing was part of Nepali’s plan to establish his supremacy in the underworld. Azmi, who represented 26/11 accused Faheem Ansari, was shot dead in his office on the night of February 11 at point-blank range. One of the shooters is from Ahmednagar, while the other is a resident of Akola.

“We have records of almost all the Rajan and D-company members. However, it becomes difficult for us to identify culprits brought from outside Mumbai,’’ the officer added.

In case of Tanasha’s murder, nine persons were arrested and the shooters were reportedly hired from Uttar Pradesh. Tanasha was shot dead on June 2 by two sharp-shooters who fired five bullets from their two 7.65 revolvers from close range inside his Tilak Nagar Colony building residence at Chembur.

mateen.hafeez@timesgroup.com

The Times of India, August 2, 2010