96-yr-old found killed

Mumbai: 



A 96-year-old man was found dead at his chawl room in Nagpada on Saturday . The body was found with hands and legs tied up. The suspects used a handkerchief to suffocate Abdul Hameed Ansari, who stayed alone in his room in Yaqoob Manzil, Madanpura, said police.
N K Mehtar, senior inspector of Nagpada police, said the body was discov ered by Ansari's grandson, Wahid, around 8.30am when he came to deliver breakfast to the deceased.

“Ansari was fond of fancy mobile phones. The phones, which were not very costly , are missing. The accused apparently tried to unlock a cupboard, but could not succeed. The cupboard contained Rs 6.52 lakh, which was untouched,“ said Mehtar.

--Mateen Hafeez 


The Times of India, June 29, 2014

AGRIPADA INSTITUTE IN BRIBE ROW - ACB probing if school collected Rs 40 lakh illegally

Mateen Hafeez & Vinamrata Borwankar





Mumbai: The anti-corruption bureau (ACB), which trapped the principal and a senior clerk of St Joseph's High School at Agripada for allegedly accepting Rs 2,000 from a parent for handing over an SSC marksheet and a leaving certificate, is probing allegations that the school trust made Rs 40 lakh illegally.

 “We have received two letters from parents and the education department alleging that Rs 40 lakh was collected by the school from the students. It's a criminal misconduct, if proved. We are investigating it,“ said Vishwas Nangre Patil, additional commissioner of police, ACB. The ACB on Friday booked principal Sister Lovena Almeida and clerk Victorian Barett under the Prevention of Corruption Act and are seeking legal opinion and permis sion from the education department on their arrest. ACB sources said there were many such complaints from parents.
According to education officials, aided schools cannot charge any fee apart from tuition fee. However, Father George Athaide, secretary of the ABE, which governs the school, blamed the state government. “The government has not given aided schools non-salary grants since 2004. Hence, for amenities such as electricity and infrastructure, the school needs to collect funds and this is done in consultation with the parents. The school managements have also appointed teachers at their own expenses. The government should give the grants or schools will have to function without amenities.“ But Patil said: “Many parents claimed that the school has been charging Rs 2,000 for issuing marksheet and leaving certificate in the name of maintenance. Collecting money in such a way is illegal. Though the school issues receipt of the payment, it surprisingly contains the address of a parent and not that of the school on it. We are trying to establish in whose pocket the money went.“
ACB sources said they were trying to find out whether or not any bank account was maintained for such money . “If the money has been taken for good cause, they should show us,“ said an officer.





The Times of India, June 29, 2014

`Action only after footage scan in Zinta abuse row'

Mateen Hafeez





Mumbai: The Marine Drive police probing actress Preity Zinta's complaint of threat and molestation against industrialist Ness Wadia said they will complete scanning of CCTV footages of the alleged incident and then decide on action to be taken in a few days.

 Zinta has filed an FIR against her former boyfriend, Wadia, alleging molestation, threat and use of abusive words. “Since the said incident allegedly happened at Wankhede stadium, we have sought details of all the 230 CCTV cameras installed there and 19 cameras of the broadcaster channel. We have got most of the footage and will decide our next step based on it,“ said an officer.

The Times of India, June 29, 2014

Cops to record statement of Preity Zinta's US pal

Mateen Hafeez

Mumbai: 



The Marine Drive police probing Preity Zinta’s allegations against industrialist Ness Wadia want to record the statement of the actor’s friend, Gene Goodenough, a US national, to make the case watertight.A police source said Goodenough had reportedly seen Wadia abuse Zinta near the AC box at Wankhede stadium.
Zinta has filed a complaint against Wadia, her former boyfriend, accusing him of
threat, humiliation and abuse. Cops have also invoked section of molestation against Wadia. “We hear that Wadia was in an argument with Zinta when Goodenough saw them. He reportedly asked Wadia to stop abusing Zinta and leave the place. Following this, Wadia left, but he again allegedly abused Zinta on the ground during an IPL match on May 30,” said a police source. Zinta has given Goodenough’s name as a witness who was among the dozen witnesses. 

 

The Times of India, June 28, 2014

Cops to summon Ness only after matching statements

Mateen Hafeez & S Ahmed Ali





Mumbai: Police will record industrialist Ness Wadia’s statement only after corroborating Preity Zinta’s statement with that of witnesses, said an officer. Ness is likely to be summoned next week, the officer added. Zinta in her June 13 FIR had alleged that Ness, her former boyfriend of eight years and co-owner of IPL franchise Kings XI Punjab, had humiliated, abused and threatened her at an IPL match on May 30 at Wankhede stadium. 

“We have recorded Zinta’s statement on Tuesday and we are waiting for camera footage of the incident from broadcasters. We feel the broad casters’ cameras might have captured some evidence. We are also calling other witnesses and corroborating the statements. We will then summon Ness,” said another officer.

“We also plan to send an email to one of the witnesses—Jean, an Australian national—that Zinta has named. We will be send him a list of questions as Zinta said he had intervened. Jean was Zinta’s guest,” said the officer. The Marine Drive police have, so far, recorded statements of eight witnesses. While the police are trying to get each and every details that could be part of evidence, some officials also speculated that the case may end up in mutual settlement inthe court. The police have done a spot panchnama at Wankhede stadium and are compiling reports.

Meanwhile, the crime branch probing into the alleged threat to Ness's father industrialist Nusli Wadia by Ravi Pujari, suspect that the fugitive gangster may have obtained Nusli's office number from the internet. “After calling up on the landline, he spoke to a woman staffer who did not know who Pujari was and passed on the call to the cellphone of Nusli's personal assistant. Pujari may have then called up the assistant and threatened her,“ said an officer.
A crime branch source said that they would record Preity Zinta's statement in this case.

The Times of India, June 26, 2014

Cops to verify Zinta, witnesses' statement

Mateen Hafeez & S Ahmed Ali TNN

Mumbai: 



The Mumbai police would record industrialist Ness Wadia's statement af ter corrobo rating actor Preity Zin ta's statement with that of the witnesses in the case she filed against him earlier this month, an officer said. Wadia is likely to be summoned next week, the officer added. Zinta had alleged in her June 13 FIR that Wadia, her former boyfriend and co-owner of IPL franchise Kings XI Punjab, had humiliated, abused and threatened her during an IPL match on May 30 at Wankhede stadium.

“We have recorded Zinta’s statement on Tuesday and by Wednesday afternoon we are hoping to get the camera footage of the incident from the broadcasters. We expect the broadcasters’ cameras might have caught some of the evidence in it. Meanwhile, we are busy in calling other witnesses and corroborating the statements. We will then summon Wadia,” said a police officer.

The Times of India, June 26, 2014

`Ness abused, demeaned my character'

Mateen Hafeez & Swati Deshpande

Mumbai: 



Actor Preity Zinta, during her two-hour statement to the police on Tuesday, reiterated the charges that her former boyfriend for eight years, industrialist Ness Wadia, had abused her at an IPL match on May 30.
Zinta had alleged in her June 13 FIR that Wadia, co-owner with her of IPL franchise Kings XI Punjab, had humiliated, abused and threatened her during the match. Though Zinta wanted to give her statement at her residence on Tuesday, cops insisted that she come down to Wankhede stadium for site inspection and clarification.

The media was in full strength both outside Zinta’s residence as well as Wankhede stadium where she arrived around 6.30pm and met personnel from Marine Drive police station.

“She had given a statement earlier, but we wanted clarifications. We asked her to come down to the stadium so thatit would be easier for her to explain and for the cops to understand the circumstances,“ said a senior IPS officer.

 Zinta had alleged that Wadia abused her during the match, which they were watching from the seats allocated to them as team owners.The thrust of her allegations was that Ness shouted abuses at her, which demeaned and insulted her as a woman, and attacked her character publicly despite several reminders she had given him earlier to check his language.

Zinta showed the police team the seats occupied by her and her friends during the match. Police recorded her statement, sought clarifications and did a spot panchnama. Her statement was recorded at one of the offices in the club complex at Wankhede.“She told us that 35 AC seats and 50 general seats had been reserved for her in the pavilion. She narrated what exactly happened that day. We had some queries and Zinta replied to them. Now, we have the entire statement,” the IPS officer added.
 

Actor Preity Zinta on Tuesday recorded her statement with Marine Drive police at Wankhede Stadium against her former boyfriend, industrialist Ness Wadia.
Her lawyer Hitesh Jain reached the stadium a little before she arrived and left with her around 8.30pm. Cops said she recounted the allegations mentioned in the FIR. The actor had come with her brother.

“We have Danish Merchant as a direct witness. Now, we will corroborate Zinta's statement with those of the witnesses,“ said an officer. When asked whether the police would now summon the accused, Wadia, the officer added, “We will examine the statements and see the evidence. Later, we will decide the future course of action.“ Police had earlier re corded statements of eight witnesses in the case.

Sources close to the IPL said on that day , Ness was upset on arriving after 8.30pm to find his mother and he had no seat as the reserved seats were all occupied. That's when he allegedly shouted at the staff, which Zinta refers to in the FIR without explaining the reason.

Zinta has also alleged that Ness had behaved badly with her in the past as well.
Zinta is believed to have identified one Jean, an Australian cricketer's relative, as a witness to investigators. While Merchant was seated on the fifth seat, Zinta was on the fourth. Jean, an Australian national, reportedly asked Wadia to stop when he was allegedly abusing her. Zinta has named 14 more witnesses like the staff and friends of Wadia and hers.
Jean is currently in the US but the police are likely to call him.

The Times of India, June 25, 2014

Cops to match Zinta statement with witnesses'

Mateen Hafeez & Swati Deshpande

Mumbai: 



Actor Preity Zinta, during her two-hour statement to the police on Tuesday, reiterated the charges that her former boyfriend for eight years, industrialist Ness Wadia, had abused her at an IPL match on May 30. 

Zinta had alleged in her June 13 FIR that Wadia, co-owner with her of IPL franchise Kings XI Punjab, had humiliated, abused and threatened her during the match. Though Zinta wanted to give her statement at her residence on Tuesday, cops insisted that she come down to Wankhede stadium for site inspection and clarification.

The media was in full strength both outside Zinta’s residence as well as Wankhede stadium where she arrived around 6.30pm and met personnel from Marine Drive police station.“She had given a statement earlier, but we wanted clarifications. We asked her to come down to the stadium so that
it would be easier for her to explain and for the cops to understand the circumstances,“ said a senior IPS officer.

Zinta had alleged that Wadia abused her during the match, which they were watching from the seats allocated to them as team owners.
The thrust of her allegations was that Ness shouted abuses at her, which demeaned and insulted her as a woman, and attacked her character publicly despite several reminders she had given him earlier to check his language.

Zinta showed the police team the seats occupied by her and her friends during the match. Police recorded her statement, sought clarifications and did a spot panchnama. Her statement was recorded at one of the offices in the club complex at Wankhede.

“She told us that 35 AC seats and 50 general seats had been reserved for her in the pavilion. She narrated what exactly happened that day. We had some queries and Zinta replied to them. Now, we have the entire statement,” the IPS officer added.

Actor Preity Zinta on Tuesday recorded her statement with Marine Drive police at Wankhede Stadium against her former boyfriend, industrialist Ness Wadia.Her lawyer Hitesh Jain reached the stadium a little before she arrived and left with her around 8.30pm. Cops said she recounted the allegations mentioned in the FIR. The actor had come with her brother.
 “We have Danish Merchant as a direct witness. Now, we will corroborate Zinta's statement with those of the witnesses,“ said an officer. When asked whether the police would now summon the accused, Wadia, the officer added, “We will examine the statements and see the evidence. Later, we will decide the future course of action.“ Police had earlier re corded statements of eight witnesses in the case.

Sources close to the IPL said on that day , Ness was upset on arriving after 8.30pm to find his mother and he had no seat as the reserved seats were all occupied. That's when he allegedly shouted at the staff, which Zinta refers to in the FIR without explaining the reason.

Zinta has also alleged that Ness had behaved badly with her in the past as well.
Zinta is believed to have identified one Jean, an Australian cricketer's relative, as a witness to investigators. While Merchant was seated on the fifth seat, Zinta was on the fourth. Jean, an Australian national, reportedly asked Wadia to stop when he was allegedly abusing her. Zinta has named 14 more witnesses like the staff and friends of Wadia and hers.
Jean is currently in the US but the police are likely to call him.

The Times of India, June 25, 2014

Preity sticks to her charges against Ness

Mateen Hafeez & Swati Deshpande

Mumbai: 



Actor Preity Zinta, during her two-hour statement to the police on Tuesday evening, reiter ated that she had been abused and threatened by her former industri alist boyfriend, Ness Wadia, at an IPL match on May 30s. Zinta had earlier alleged in her June 13 FIR that Wadia, her former boyfriend of eight years and co-ownof IPL franchise Kings XI Punjab, er with her of IPL franchise Kings XI Punjab, had humiliated, abused and threatened her during the match. Zinta wanted to give her statement at her residence. Preity Zinta wanted to give her statement at her residence on Tuesday , but cops insisted that she come down to Wankhede stadium for site inspection and clarification.

The media was in full strength both outside Zinta's residence as well as Wankhede stadium where she arrived around 6.30pm and met per sonnel from Ma rine Drive police station.

“She had given a statement earlier, but we wanted clar ifications. We asked her to come down to the stadium so that it would be easier for her to explain and for the cops to understand the cir cumstances,“ said a senior IPS officer.
Zinta had alleged that Wadia abused her during the match, which they were watching from the seats allocated to them as team owners.

“She told us that 35 AC seats and 50 general seats had been reserved for her in the pavilion. She narrated what exactly happened that day . We had some queries and Zinta replied to them. Now, we have the entire statement,“ the officer added.

The Times of India,June 25, 2014





Cops may meet Preity today for statement

Swati Deshpande & Mateen Hafeez TNN





Mumbai: Actress Preity Zinta, who is back in the city , is likely to record her statement with the Marine Drive police on Tuesday . The statement would either be recorded at her residence or at Wankhede stadium, where the alleged incident took place.

 

The actress after landing in Mumbai by a British Airways flight on Sunday morning reached her Bandra house and stepped out for a meeting later in the night, said a source. She gave the media the slip and was out of her house for two hours. “Our officers will go to her residence to record her detailed statement. Later, she could be asked to come to Wankhede stadium for spot panchnama,“ said additional commissioner Krishna Prakash. A police source said that a woman officer will be part of the team that records Zinta's statement against her former industrialist boyfriend, Ness Wadia. Preity has lodged an FIR against Wadia, accusing him of issuing threats and abusing her.

“We are in the process of recording the witnesses' statement. The future course of action will be taken once Zinta's statement is recorded and corroborated with that of witnesses,“ said a police officer.
The police chief had called the actress back from Los Angeles, where she had flown to immediately after registering the FIR at Marine Drive police station on June 13. She has accused Ness, who along with her co-owns IPL franchise Kings XI Punjab, of pulling her hand and publicly humiliating her as a woman by using foul language and profanities against her at Wankhede stadium during a T20 match on May 30.

The Times of India, June 24, 2014

Preity may not visit cops today

Mateen Hafeez & Swati Deshpande I TNN

Mumbai: 



Actor Preity Zinta, who had lodged a complaint against former boyfriend, industrialist Ness Wadia, arrived from the United States on Sunday and is not expected to give her statement to the Marine Drive police on Monday.

Sources familiar with the case said that she will not visit the police station on Monday . The police are keen to record her statement soon and are likely to do it a day later. But they have not revealed where they will record her statement.

Under law, the police can record a female complainant's statement at her residence. A senior police officer said that Zinta would inform them when it can be recorded. A senior IPS officer said they could arrest Wadia if Zinta's statement is corroborated with that of witnesses, and if they collect enough evidence.

In a Facebook post on Sunday night, she said, “Exhausted but happy to finally be back home in Mumbai. I'd like to apologize to the media but it will not be possible for me to make any comments or statements as this investigation is still on. Pls co operate & PLEASE don't call my staff or friends non-stop as they have requested me to make this appeal to you all on their behalf.“
Additional commissioner of police (south region) Krishna Prakash said they did not record her statement on Sunday . Zinta went to the US soon after filing the complaint on June 13.


The Times of India, June 23, 2014

Security Cover For Two Group Staffers

Gangster made four more calls on Friday: Wadias 

 

S Ahmed Ali & Mateen Hafeez I TNN





Mumbai: Three days after gangster Ravi Pujari allegedly called up the Wadias asking them not to “harass” actor Preity Zinta, the Wadia Group lodged a fresh complaint saying it had got four more calls from the same number. 

The office of Nusli Wadia complained to the anti-extortion cell of the crime branch of Mumbai police, which is probing the earlier threat calls, that they first received calls on the office phone on Friday. As the staffers did not pick up the line after having identified the number, more calls were made on the mobile phone of Wadia’s personal secretary. These, too, were not picked.
Police commissioner Rakesh Maria said the police have decided to provide security cover to two staffers belonging to the Wadia Group in the wake of the calls. Police have already deployed two armed constables each outside the Wadia office and residence.

Maria had said on Wednesday that the number from which the threat was issued was from Iran and that the call was made using VOIP (voice over internet protocol, a technology that allows calls over the internet). The crime branch is now probing why the fresh calls have been made and how Pujari may have got access to the various Wadia Group numbers. Pujari, who split from the Chhota Rajan
gang, is believed to be holed up in Australia and is wanted in Mumbai and Mangalore in over three dozen cases, mostly related to extortion. 

The anti-extortion cell on Friday also recorded the statements of two Wadia Group staffers in connection with the earlier calls. On Tuesday, the group had complained saying a caller who identified himself as Ravi Pujari had warned it against “harassing” Zinta and had also issued a threat via SMS.
Meanwhile, the Marine Drive police probing the case that Zinta filed last Friday against industrialist Ness Wadia have recorded the statements of seven witnesses. Zinta had alleged that Wadia had abused, threatened and humiliated her at the Garware Pavilion at Wankhede stadium during an IPL match on May 30.

Zonal DCP Ravindra Shisve said IPL chairman Ranjib Biswal had told the police he would give his statement next week as he was slated to go to Australia. Zinta, who flew to the US a day after lodging her complaint, is scheduled to return to Mumbai on Saturday.

Shisve said the police would decide their next course of action after recording her statement and weighing the evidence. Wadia has consulted advocate Mrinalini Deshmukh to understand the legalities better in the charges levelled against him. The advocate admitted the Wadia Group had got in touch with her.
(With inputs from Swati Deshpande)

The Times of India, June 21, 2014

Gangster made four more calls, say Wadias

S Ahmed Ali & Mateen Hafeez I TNN



Mumbai: Three days after gangster Ravi Pujari allegedly called up the Wadias asking them not to “harass“ actor Preity Zinta, the Wadia Group on Friday lodged a fresh police complaint saying it had got four more calls from the same number.

 

The office of Nusli Wadia complained to the anti-extortion cell of the Mumbai crime branch, which is probing the earlier threat calls, that they first received calls on the office phone on Friday . As the staffers did not pick it up after identifying the number, more calls were made on the mobile phone of Wadia's personal secretary. These, too, were not returned.

Police commissioner Rakesh Maria said cops have decided to provide security cover to two staffers belonging to the Wadia Group in the wake of the calls. Police have already deployed two armed constables each outside the Wadia office and residence.

Meanwhile, the Marine Drive police probing the case that Zinta filed last Friday against industrialist Ness Wa dia have recorded the statements of seven witnesses. The actor had alleged that Ness had abused, threatened and humiliated her in Wankhede Stadium's Garware Pavilion during an IPL match on May 30. Maria had said that the SMS threat issued on Monday was from an Iranian number and that the call was made using VOIP (voice over internet protocol, a technology that allows calls over the internet).

 
 
The Times of India, June 21, 2014

Zinta returns on Saturday, says won't sell team stake

Swati Deshpande, Mateen Hafeez & S Ahmed Ali





IPL's Raman Confirms Verbal Plaint

 

Mumbai: Sundar Raman, the IPL chief operating officer, on Thursday recorded his statement with the police in the Preity Zinta-Ness Wadia case as it became clear that the actor will return to the city on Saturday to give her side of the story to the Marine Drive police station.
Zinta also tweeted to dispel speculation that she might sell her stake in the IPL franchise Kings XI Punjab, which she owns along with the Wadia group scion, or that she might be settling in the US, where she is now .

In the other development in the case, the police on Thursday extended armed security outside the home as well as office of industrialist Nusli Wadia and registered a fresh case against gangster Ravi Pujari for threatening him and the group.

In her complaint on June 12, Zinta had said Ness misbehaved with her in public, pulled her by her hand and showered abuses after an IPL match at Wankhede Stadium on May 30.

Raman, in the statement recorded at the city's BCCI office, acknowledged that Zinta had verbally complained to her about the incident. Besides Raman, the police have got the statements of six witnesses, including IPL operations and logistics manager Ankit Baldi, and many have confirmed the incident. “Raman's statement is in affirmative about the verbal complaint. We wanted to record his statement since there was a mention of him in the complaint application.

Now we are waiting for the complainant to come and give a detailed statement,“ said Ravindra Shisve, zonal deputy police commissioner, clar ifying that Raman was the BCCI official mentioned in the FIR to whom Zinta had verbally complained after the May 30 match. Reports said Raman told the police she was upset and he had asked her to calm down and think before taking any action.
“The incident took place at three places, says the complaint. First, in front of the team staff, secondly , she said as she approached her seat, Wadia followed her, and thirdly , at the ground. We are verifying the details,“ added Shisve, refusing to name the witnesses citing security .

Zinta, who had left for the US after filing the complaint, is flying back after police chief Rakesh Maria spoke to her on Wednesday , asking her to return and record her statement. Ness Wadia's statement, too, hasn't been recorded.

The anti-extortion cell of the crime branch, which is probing the Pujari angle, is keen to find out how the extortionist got the phone num bers of Nusli Wadia's personal assistant. Sources said it is likely to question Zinta and Ness in the context. Also, the Wadia staffers who took Pujari's calls have been summoned on Friday to hear Pujari's recorded voice and try to identify if they had heard the same one.

On Tuesday , the Wadia group filed a complaint that it had received threat calls and an SMS that said: “Give message to Wadia don't f*** around with Preity Zinta or else I will f*** whole of your business. Don Ravi Pujari."

Investigators said Kings XI Punjab is yet to give details of the seating at the Wankhede pavilion, where the fight took place. The police are going through the footage of 230 CCTV cameras at Wankhede. “We have got footage of one (among 19) camera from the broadcasters. We are waiting for the remaining ones,“ said Shisve. “We have not got anything substantial from the CCTV footage yet."

The Times of India, June 20, 2014

Cops expect Zinta statement by this weekend, says Maria

 

Mateen Hafeez TNN





Mumbai: The probe in Preity Zinta's complaint against former boyfriend Ness Wadia is set to progress with the police chief saying the actor's lawyers have said she would meet the cops by this weekend. Zinta had left for the US after filing the complaint, accusing Wadia of molestation and abuse at the Wankhede Stadium during an IPL match, last Friday.

“She needs to be given a 48hour notice as it would take time to return from Los Angeles where she currently is,'' a source close to the actor said. Her legal team confirmed that Zinta is in touch with the police.

“We have been told by Zinta's lawyer that she will be coming to the police station by this weekend.
Once her detailed statement is recorded, we will call the witnesses,“ said police commissioner Rakesh Maria. No witness has come forward to give a statement yet. “We have asked Sundar Raman, IPL COO, to give his statement.

He is in Chennai and has assured us he will come soon,“ added Maria. In her complaint, Zinta had claimed that Wadia, co-owner of IPL team Kings XI Punjab with her, had also misbehaved with her during the IPL auction and Raman had intervened.

Reacting to reports about a possible out-of-court settlement with Zinta keen to sell her stake in the IPL team, a Wadia group spokesperson said it was “all speculative fiction“. Advocate Hitesh Jain, Zinta's lawyer, also declined to comment on the “speculation“.

The police have sought details of cameras installed in and around Garware Pavilion in Wankhe de, where Zinta had said she was abused, threatened and humiliated during the IPL match, and asked for footage captured by cameras of a television channel.

In all, the channel had installed 19 cameras in the stadium. “We have asked them to provide images from all the cameras. Besides, the police have also asked for more camera images from the stadium authorities,“ said Maria. As many as 220 cameras are installed at Wankhede.
 
(Inputs by Swati Deshpande)

The Times of India, June 19, 2014

Ness abused a cricketer's son during Preity incident: Police

Mateen Hafeez TNN





Zinta, Wadia On 2nd CCTV Clip

 

The Marine Drive police, probing the Preity Zinta-Ness Wadia case, are considering whether or not to make the underage son of a “legendary cricketer“ a witness in the case.
 

They are also in possession of a second CCTV clip that they said shows the actor and the industrialist in conversation.

 In her FIR, filed on Friday , Zinta accused Wadia, her former boyfriend, of molestation and abuse during an IPL match on May 30. The two are co-owners, along with others, of the Kings XI Punjab team. The police said on Monday that they have learnt that the “legendary cricketer's son“, present at the Garware Pavillion stands, where the alleged incident took place, asked Wadia not to disturb others. At this, Wadia allegedly abused the boy . Police officers have refused to identify the boy, but said the investi gating team would explore if he w could be a witness in the case. c In all, the police have gone c thorough nine and a half hours o of CCTV footage from Wank l hede stadium, almost all of c which, barring the 20-second clip, is irrelevant, said an officer. The quality of the 20-second clip will be improved in a laboratory for the police to discern what Zinta and Wadia told each other.

Meanwhile, IPL chairman Ranjib Biswal has confirmed to a TV news channel that Zinta approached him with a verbal complaint after the incident.

The Times of India, June 17, 2014

Yasin Bhatkal is now an accused in 13/7

Mateen Hafeez TNN





Mumbai: The Maharashtra anti-terrorism squad (ATS) on Monday filed a 542-page chargesheet against Yasin Bhatkal, the alleged India chief of banned outfit Indian Mujahideen, and his aide Asadullah Akhtar, alias Tabrez, before a special MCOCA court.
 

The two have been accused of planning and executing the 13/7 blasts, which killed 27 people and injured 127 on July 13, 2011.
The police had earlier filed chargesheets against five men in the case. “Since Yasin and his aide were arrested in the later stages, we filed a supplementary chargesheet against them,“ said an ATS officer. The two were arrested on August 29, 2013, by the NIA and the Bihar police on the Indo-Nepal border.

The ATS took them in custo dy on February 5 this year.

The supplementary chargesheet states that it was Bhatkal who assembled the three 13/7 bombs with the other accused and even went to plant them. “After planting the bombs, he fled the city ,“ the chargesheet states. The RDX bombs exploded at Zaveri Bazar, Opera House and near the Dadar railway station in the evening. The charges against the accused include murder, attempt to murder, damage to public and private property, and being a part of a terror outfit. If the charges are proved, they may get the death penalty. In the chargesheet, the police have disclosed the role of a new accused, Wasim, alias Ibrahim, who is still wanted.

“The arrested and the wanted accused formed an organized crime syndicate to promote insurgency , thereby causing three bomb blasts at three locations.

There is sufficient evidence on record to prosecute the accused,“ said the chargesheet.
The ATS said that Rs 10 lakh was sent from Dubai to Delhi to one of the accused, Kanwanain Pathrija, through hawala channels.

The money was later given to Bhatkal and used for the blasts, as per the chargesheet. It also said that Yasin and Tabrez had planned to blow up a police van in Dadar, but did not have the time to plant the bomb, which was dumped in a dustbin.

IM's suspected chief Riyaz Bhatkal and his brother Iqbal are both believed to be in Pakistan. Their Indian operations are believed to be led by Yasin, who is suspected to be involved in over 40 terror cases.

The Times of India, June 17, 2014

Women's commission pushes cops for action, legal experts say arrest may not be needed





In 2009, when IPL was being played in South Africa, those in the Kings XI Punjab camp began to speak of discord between the two co-owners, Ness Wadia and Preity Zinta, a source said and recalled a heated exchange between the two in a five-star hotel in Johannesburg

 

A day after actor Preity Zinta filed a molestation complaint against former boyfriend, the industrialist Ness Wadia, Mumbai Cricket Association on Saturday gave police four-hour CCTV footage of the recent IPL match at Wankhede stadium during which the alleged incident took place. Zinta (39) and Wadia (44) are co-owners of IPL team Kings XI Punjab, which won against Chennai Super Kings that day .
TOI had reported about the FIR in its late edition on Saturday .

Police commissioner Rakesh Maria said, “Once we go through the CCTV videos and talk to her (Zinta) about the witnesses, people will be called for statements. We are doing everything step by step.“

When asked when will Wadia be summoned for questioning, Maria replied, “We have to get information about the entire incident and then we will summon him.“ While he de clined to comment on the number of witnesses, police sources said Zinta has named two.

“Cops took the CCTV footage of the May 30 match from us today ,“ said Ravi Savant, vice-president, MCA, and vicepresident BCCI.

Zinta, who left for the US on Friday , told the police she had lodged a verbal complaint with BCCI officials that very day .A BCCI source said she changed her mind after a few “officials“ pleaded with her. The source, though, refused to divulge whe ther these officials were from Kings XI Punjab or the BCCI.




In a statement posted on her Facebook page on Saturday , Zinta has requested the media to respect her privacy . “This is a very difficult time for me... My intention is not to harm anyone but only to protect myself."

 Wadia, on his part, issued a statement saying, “I am shocked at the complaint. The allegations made against me are totally false and baseless.“ Inher complaint filed with the Marine Drive police, Zinta had alleged that Wadia touched her inappropriately , threatened her with dire consequences, insulted her in public and hurled abuses at her during the match. She had added that Wadia's “constant“ abuse and intimidation had caused her “a lot of mental and physical distress“ and made her “feel unsafe and ashamed as a woman“.

A five-member delegation of the Maharashtra Women's Commission led by Chitra Wagh met Marine Drive police officials on Saturday morning.

“It's been 24 hours since the molestation complaint was filed. We wanted to know what action police have taken and why they have not arrested Wadia yet,“ Wagh told TOI.

“Police told us that they were in the process of getting CCTV footage of the spot and they will record statements of several witnesses.

They assured us that once this work is complete, they will arrest Wadia within the next 24 hours.“

Legal experts said penal sections invoked in the case are all bailable and no arrest is essentially required.
The Marine Drive police on Friday registered a case under Indian Penal Code's sections 354 (sexual harassment of a woman), 504 (insult intended to breach public peace), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 509 (insult a women's modesty)--all bailable offences.

Sources told TOI around 8.45pm on May 30, Wadia had walked in at Wankhede with mother Maureen, family and friends--an entourage of eight to ten people--close to 40 minutes after the match between Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings match had started.

“He looked annoyed over the fact that no seats had been kept reserved for him, despite being aware that he would arrive at the stadium. For close to two full overs of the Kings XI Punjab's innings, they had to keep standing. Those in the Preity camp say since he had not informed when he would be arriving and with how many people, there was no way that seats could've been kept reserved for him. It was on this issue that Ness lost his temper on the Kings XI staff,“ said a source present at the ground.

It was then that Preity reportedly intervened. She told the police that “for no reason he started abusing and screaming at me, grabbed my arm and tried to pull me by his hands.“ BCCI-IPL officials asked both Preity and Ness to sort out the issue after the match.

“Nobody wanted television cameras zooming into all kinds of wrong things,“ another source said.
A source close to Preity added the incident could've still been settled amicably if not for Ness sitting next to her once again.

“He took the seat after all this and started abusing her again in front of everyone. She just couldn't take it anymore but somehow sat there for the entire match,“ the source said.

Though their team won by 24 runs, the victory was soured for Zinta. “He used foul language which I never even imagined he would use... which was demeaning to my character and reputation,“ she said in her FIR and said since it happened in front of everyone “it really disturbed me“. “I say that Ness Wadia has gone to the extent of threatening me with dire consequences and intimidating me by boasting of his political clout and connections. On May 30, during the IPL match at Wank hede, he intimidated me by saying he could make me disappear as I was nobody and only an actress and he a powerful person,“ she added.

“I have tried to be very normal and nice to him as I wanted peace in my life, but the recent incident at Wankhede has left me shattered and in fear for my life.'' Zinta's advocate Hitesh Jain, when contacted, declined to comment.
Wadia, sources said, was “stunned'' at the FIR. “Why did she wait for almost two weeks before filing a complaint and only to rush off to the US immediately before even recording her statement?“ asked a member of Wadia group spokespersons' team.

In 2009, when IPL was played in South Africa, those in the Kings XI Punjab camp, for the first time, began to speak of discord between the two co-owners, a source said and recalled a heated exchange in Johannesburg.

(With inputs from Mateen Hafeez, Gaurav Gupta & Swati Deshpande)





The Times of India, June 15, 2014

Rs. 125cr sales tax evasion racket busted





Mumbai: The sales tax department has lodged 47 FIRs, involving over Rs 15 crore, against steel traders for tax evasion and will register 217 more FIRs in the next few days. After all 264 FIRs are registered, it will be biggest case in Mumbai in terms of sales tax complaints at one go.

 “After calculating the tax evaded in all 264 cases, we found that it's an Rs 125-crore scam,“ said an officer. More than 1,000 people have been booked for cheating, forgery and using fake documents. Nisar Tamboli, zonal DCP , said, “The cases are spread over five-six years. It's a huge investigation and we are in the process of filing the FIRs.“A few months ago, while going through an internal audit, the department found that hundreds of traders had not paid sales tax in the last three years and used fake documents to get the Tax Identification Number.
They then approached the V P Road police station.

A team of five cops, led by inspector Sanjay Kamble, found that several firms were floated and bank accounts opened using fake documents, including electricity bills and ration cards.

The major defaulters include Asian Metal Industries, Rohan Steel Impex, Ambe Steel Center, Deep Metal Pvt Ltd.

--Mateen Hafeez





The Times of India, June 13, 2014

Cops want DNA samples of kin of gangster in Thai jail

Mateen Hafeez / TNN





Mumbai: The Mumbai crime branch has asked the Andheri metropolitan magistrate court for permission to collect DNA samples of the relatives of a wanted gangster, so that it can prove his Indian nationality to a Thai court and get him extradited to India.

 

Muzakkir Husain aka Munna Jhingada, a D-gang member, is serving time in a Thai prison for the murder attempt on Chhota Rajan and for the killing of Rajan's aide Rohit Verma in 2000. While India has been trying to get Munna extradited here, Pakistan has been opposing its attempts. Islamabad claims he is a Pakistani citizen.

Police officers say Munna is a goldmine of info on the Dgang, which could explain the challenges to his return to India. They say Munna's family home is in Jogeshwari. He entered the underworld in 1996 and soon became a hitman for Chhota Shakeel. He was arrested in 1997. Following his release, he fled the country.

On Shakeel's orders, the police say, Munna led a team of five men from Pakistan to Thailand to kill Rajan in 2000. Rajan survived the gun attack, but his aide Verma died. When the Thai police arrested Munna, he told them he was a Pakistani national and gave his name as Mohammed Salem. About 10 years later, Islamabad claimed Salem was a Pakistani citizen and should be extradited there. To support its claim, Pakistan submitted “forged papers“, including a Pakistani passport.

Indian authorities say they had long ago provided Thailand Munna's personal details, photos, fingerprints and list of crimes. Based on the info, the Thai government had indicated to them that it will extradite him to India after his jail term.

Bangkok had communicated this to CBI through Interpol in 2012; the same year a Mumbai police team had visited Bangkok. It is to bolster their assertion of Munna's Indian nationality that cops recently asked to collect his kin's DNA samples.

“The court order is awaited,“ said joint commissioner of police (crime) Sadanand Date.

The Times of India, June 11, 2014

Tip us off, cops tell citizens

Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: The city police on Monday evening conducted a meeting with trustees of several mosques, temples, college students and cyber experts at Birla Matoshree Hall, to avoid any untoward incident on the controversial posts on Facebook. The police said citizens must alert them about rumours that may lead to a law and order problem.

 Krishna Prakash, additional commissioner of police (south region), said they had spoken to several students, met mohalla committee members and those looking after security at shopping malls. “Some groups are behind the posts. They want to create a communal divide.

People should help the police and we should not allow antisocial elements to create law and order problems,” he said.

Mumbai’s cyber crime investigation cell is probing the case of objectionable posts on the social networking site about Chhatrapati Shivaji, Dr B R Ambedkar and the Shiv Sena chief, the late Bal Thackeray. The Nanded police had stated last week that those who ‘like’ such posts would be booked under the Information Technology Act and under the Code of Criminal Procedure. A person could face three to five years in jail if convicted under Section 66(A) of the IT Act (punishment for sending offensive messages through communication service, etc).

Cases against unidentified persons have been filed in Mumbai, Nerul, Pune, Nashik, Yeola, Aurangabad, Satara and Sangli. Three pages on Facebook have been blocked.





The Times of India, June 10, 2014

Those behind anti-social posts identified

Chittaranjan Tembhekar & Mateen Hafeez TNN

 

 

 



 

Teams Sent To Make Arrests, Says R R Patil

 

The Maharashtra government has identified those responsible for posting morphed photographs of Maratha warrior Shivaji and Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackeray on social media. 

Home minister R R Patil said on Monday that the case had been cracked but did not reveal the identity of those responsible. The state had sent teams to arrest them, he added.

A crime branch officer told TOI separately that during investigations, the origin of the posts has been found to be a north Indian state in one of the cases. “We are sending our team to nab the culprits,” he said, adding that the culprit seems to be an expert in spoofing servers, and that the posts were posted to Facebook using proxy servers in three countries, including Russia and Georgia.

“Anti-social elements are posting inflammatory posts to stoke hatred, bitterness and disharmony between sects,” he said, and warned that action would be taken not only against those who posted photos but also against those who ‘liked’,shared and forwarded them.

He denied that the Centre had sought and then rejected a special report on the killing of Pune techie Mohsin Shaikh from the state. He said the state was exploring the need for legislation to prevent the misuse of social media, such as ‘posting’, ‘sharing’, and ‘liking’ communally provocative issues and photos to avoid such communal tension. Maharashtra ranks first in the country in terms of use of social media.

Patil said reports on major incidents are always sent to the Centre to addressqueries raised at the national level.“There are no special directives from the Centre regarding the murder. There is also no controversy between the state and Centre over the issue. It is very clear that the youth was murdered, for which Hindu Rashtra Sena workers had been arrested,” he said, pointing out that Mohsin was “innocent” and had nothing to do with the posts.

Patil admitted that Mohsin died in the riots and justified the CM’s Rs 5 lakh compensation, saying the victim was one of the family’s prime breadwinners and was well-educated. “The state has enacted a law wherein the government can award compensation to any victim of violence, such as an attack or rape,” he added. “Those who ‘like’ and forward objectionable content are siding with the culprits, and in few days, you will see stringent action against them,” he said.

3 held in Aurangabad

Three persons have been arrested for allegedly posting objectionable material and pictures about a religion on a social networking site and a messaging platform, the police said in Aurangabad on Monday. The arrests were made in two cases. Santosh Yadav (37) and Sainath Yadav (21) were apprehended on Saturday after they allegedly uploading the objectionable material. AGENCIES 

The Times of India, June 10, 2014

ATS to remove 13/7 suspects' posters

Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai :The state anti-terrorism squad (ATS) has decided to remove all the posters containing the photographs of four 13/7 blasts suspects, including Indian Mujahideen's chief, Yasin Bhatkal.  The posters were put up across the state after a series Each suspect carried Rs 10L reward of blasts. The ATS had earlier announced a total payout of Rs 40 lakh for information lading to their arrest. “All the four suspects have been arrested and we don't think there is a necessity to retain the posters any longer. We will initiate steps to get the posters removed,“ said a senior ATS officer. Bhatkal alone is suspected to have been involved in more than 14 terror attacks. “Based on investigation, we decided to put up the posters. Our intension was not to malign anyone,“ the officer added. The posters contained photographs of Bhatkal, his aides Tahseen Akhtar, Asadullah Akhtar alias Tabrez and Waqqas, a Pakistani national. The ATS had issued these posters in January 2013. Each suspect carried a reward of Rs 10 lakh. “We had printed 2.5 lakh posters and pamphlets and distributed them at various places, including railway stations, bus stops, shopping malls, eateries, cinema halls, schools and places of worship. Besides, the other state police also took our posters and reprinted them,“ said another ATS officer.

The Times of India,June 9, 2014

3 held with Rs 4L fake currency

Mateen Hafeez

Mumbai: 



The Pydhonie police on Wednesday arrested three persons and seized fake Indian currency amounting to Rs 3.8 lakh from them near Masjid railway station. The case is likely to be transferred to the National Investigation Agency.
“We got information that three people—Alam Shaikh (28), Ataru Rehman Shaikh (38) and Gulam Shaikh (28)—will come near Masjid station with fake currency to deliver to their contact in Mumbai. We caughtthem,” said D M Kuprekar, assistant inspector of police. “All notes are in the denomination of Rs 1,000. The arrested, who were used as the “courier”, stay in a Vakola slum. One of the accused was given Rs 15,000 for expenses. 

We could not nab the person who was to take the delivery as he did not turn up,” said an officer.
The notes are of high quality and have over 98% features that are similar to real currency. All the accused originally belong to Jharkhand.

The Times of India, June 6, 2014