Page 1256 - Law Crime
Ex-pastor sentenced to 18 years in child sex abuse case
A former New Jersey pastor who co-founded a Christian music festival has been sentenced to 18 years in prison in a child sex abuse case. Seventy-five-year-old Harry Thomas is the former pastor of Come Alive New Testament Church in Medford and co-founder of the Creation Festival, billed as the country's largest Christian music festival. He failed in a bid to withdraw his guilty plea in sexual assaults and other crimes involving five minors and was sentenced yesterday. Burlington County assistant prosecutor Stephen Eife calls Thomas "a devil in disguise." Thomas had acknowledged sexually assaulting a 9-year-old, having sexual contact with three girls ages 7 to 9 and exposing himself to a girl. He wept yesterday while expressing remorse and confusion about his crimes. Defence attorney Robin Lord cited Thomas' age, health problems and ministry work.
Authorities say Texas mall an active shooting scene
Authorities say there's an active shooting situation at a mall in McAllen, Texas, and are warning the public to stay away. The Hidalgo County Precinct 4 constable's office said on its Facebook page that a shooter was at the La Plaza Mall in McAllen, in the southernmost region of the state, just a few miles from the border with Mexico. Several law enforcement agencies have responded to the mall yesterday, including McAllen police, the Hidalgo County sheriff's office and the Texas Department of Public Safety. Dispatchers with McAllen police and the Hidalgo County sheriff's office declined to answer questions when reached by phone. The mall is one of the primary shopping centres in the Rio Grande Valley. No other information was immediately available.
4 held for sex trafficking 16-yr-old girl
Four persons, including a woman, were arrested for their alleged involvement in trafficking of a 16-year-old girl, the police said today. The accused have been identified as Ravi (32), Rinki (20), Rohit (22) and Mukesh (25), they added. On July 30, a case of kidnapping of a 16-year-old was registered in outer Delhi's Sultanpuri police station by her family, Seju P Kuruvilla, Deputy Commissioner of Police (outer Delhi) said. During investigation, it was learnt that the victim was with by one Abhishek (18). On July 21, the victim contacted her mother and informed that she was in Rohini. Her mother visited the place and brought her to the police station. She was medically examined and her statement was recorded, he said. In her statement to the police, the victim alleged that she was lured by Abhishek who took her Haridwar, where he sexually exploited her. After four days, they returned to Delhi and stayed at Old Delhi railway station platform where they met one Ravi who assured them a ..
Mentally unsound man kills 3 in J'khand, lynched
A mentally unsound man today hacked three persons, including a minor and an infant, to death before he was lynched by the enraged villagers in Gumla district, police sources said. The man also injured two persons. "The accused, identified as Chotu Munda, who was stated to be mentally unsound, hacked to death 45-year-old woman Bhandain Mundain, her three-year-old son Bipin and a month-old daughter Bibiyani with a dagger without any provocation," police said. Following the incident, enraged villagers in large numbers assembled on the spot and caught hold of the accused and beat him to death, the sources said. Officer-in-charge of Palkot Police station, Sudama Choudhary said Chotu has also injured two persons -- the victim woman's husband Krishna Munda and a villager Sukhdeo Munda -- who were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. On being informed of the incident, Choudhary, along with a police force, rushed to the village to investigate the incident. Asked if land dispute was .
BJP leader hacked to death, party blames Trinamool
A BJP leader was hacked to death in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district, with police putting the blame on "unidentified criminals", but the party accused the state's ruling Trinamool Congress of being responsible for the killing.
14 sentenced to life in 2012 Bihar hooch tragedy
A court here today sentenced 14 persons to life imprisonment besides awarding two years in jail to another, in a six-year-old hooch tragedy which had claimed more than 20 lives. The order was passed by Additional District and Sessions Judge Ramesh Chandra Dwivedi, who had on July 24 convicted all the 15 accused in the case relating to the consumption of spurious liquor. The incident had killed 21 Dalits, including five women, on December 7, 2012. All those who were sentenced for life were held guilty under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Excise Act and the SC/ST Act. They were also slapped a fine of Rs 25,000 each.
3 held for killing businessman in northwest Delhi
Three men were arrested for allegedly shooting a businessman dead in northwest Delhi's Jahangirpuri, police said today. On July 16, the businessman was shot dead by unidentified assailants. The police questioned the present and previous employees of the victim, his friends, relatives and business partners and zeroed down on three of the accused. The accused were told by a former employee of the victim's business partner that the businessman was a perfect target for extorting money, the police said, adding that the mastermind was yet to be arrested. The conspiracy was hatched nearly a month before the crime, the police said, adding that the plot was only to threaten the victim and extort Rs 50 lakh from him, but he was killed when he put up a resistance and tried to snatch the weapon of the assailants. The weapon and a vehicle used in the crime have been seized. The three accused were identified as Paras Jain (38), Neeraj Kumar (27) and Shivam alias Pandit (20). Shivam is a BCA student
woman raped by two in UP's Mathura
A married woman was allegedly raped by two men near Jait village on Chhatikara Vrindaban road here, the police said today. The accused, Pappu and Bhuri of Pingari village, raped the woman on July 21 when her husband was not at home, they said. The victim approached the police four days after the incident, the police said. She told the police that the accused had threatened her not to report the incident to anyone or they would target her family. The accused were known to her husband and would often visit him, the police said.
HC orders petitioner to pay Rs 10,000 compensation to Bengal CID
The Calcutta High Court has ordered a petitioner to pay Rs 10,000 to the West Bengal Criminal Investigation Department as compensation for making a false complaint of forgery, a CID release said.
Pb:Former SSP accused of framing official in graft case appears before SIT
Former SSP Shiv Kumar Sharma was today questioned by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in connection with a case pertaining to framing a revenue official in a graft case. Sharma reached the SP office in the police headquarters here this morning. Members of the Patwari Union had also gathered here, raising slogans against Sharma. The former SSP was taken to Sadar police station where the SIT questioned him for several hours, officials said. He was asked to appear again for questioning on August 3. Sharma later claimed that he was being "victimised" by the ruling regime. "Neither police officials who arrested the patwari served under me at any time nor did I ask them to nab him," he claimed. Sharma, along with other Vigilance Bureau officials, was earlier booked under various sections of Indian Penal Code and an SIT was formed to probe the charges. In 2009, Sharma, the then SSP (Vigilance Bureau) Patiala, had asked patwari Mohan Singh to furnish records related to his land in ...
Bullet that killed Inderpreet Chadha not fired from his weapon: Report
In a twist in the case involving the death of the son of a prominent charitable body chief, a forensic report has said the bullet that killed him did not match the one fired from his weapon. Earlier, it was suspected that the deceased, Inderpreet Singh Chadha, the son of former Chief Khalsa Diwan president Charanjit Singh Chadha, had committed suicide. During the court proceedings in the case here today, Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) experts P S Sehgal and Sandeep Singh Sahota submitted their report to the judge. The report stated: "No definite opinions could be offered with regard to the badly deformed lead bullet as to whether it had been fired through 0.32 inch Webley & Scott revolver bearing No. B-74402 due to lack of individual characteristic marks." It further said four swabs each on paper tapes were taken from the right as well as the left hand of the deceased. "During the chemical examination, the firing discharge residues could not be detected on either of the swabs. .
BSP seeks compensation for family of alleged victim of police
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Ashok Singh called on city police commissioner Subodh Kumar Jaiswal today and demanded compensation for the family of a 17-year-old youth who died at Sion Hospital last week. A mob had attacked security personnel after the death of Sachin Jaiswar (17) at Sion Hospital on July 22, blaming "police torture" and doctors' negligence. His family alleged that Jaiswar had been detained by police earlier and tortured. However, police cited medical records showing that Jaiswar died due to suspected leptospirosis, a bacterial disease, and not due to any injuries. According to the officials, Jaiswar was questioned by the Dharavi police on July 13 in connection with a mobile phone theft and later allowed to go home. The next day he ran fever and went to the hospital. He was sent home after medication. He was admitted again on July 16 for fever, and died on July 21. Singh demanded "strict action" if any official was found responsible for Jaiswar's ...
Dalit girl raped, 2 held
A 12-year-old Dalit girl was allegedly raped by two persons in Birbhum district, police said today. The incident happened on Thursday at a village under the jurisdiction of Suri police station, they said. The family of the girl, a resident of Hatzanbazar locality, alleged that the miscreants took her to a place near the Suri town and raped her, a police officer said. She has been admitted to a hospital, the officer said. The accused were arrested today after her family lodged a complaint with the police, he said.
Cops book 4 RPF personnel, 2 others on Rly clerk's complaint
Six persons, including a Railway Protection Force inspector and three constables, have been booked for allegedly trying to extort money from a railway ticketing clerk, a police official said today. An official said that ticket booking clerk Vaibhav Gavali (30), who was posted at Central Railway's Kasara station, was allegedly stripped by the accused on May 23 and asked to bring Rs 5 lakh as extortion money. "Gavali had reportedly complained to the higher authorities of alleged misdeeds of the RPF inspector and three constables," the railway police official informed. "On May 23, these six persons allegedly stripped Gavali and, in turn, threatened to complain to railway authorities that he was indulging in irregularities in ticket sales," the official added. He said that the accused then reportedly forced Gavali to get Rs 5 lakh in order to stop them from complaining against him but Gavali managed to escape while proceeding to arrange the money. A probe was carried out ...
Barmer woman's death: Thar Express halted; body yet to reach India
The body of a 65-year-old woman who died in Pakistan could not be brought to India today, even as the Thar Express was halted at Khokhrapar railway station of Pakistan for repatriating her mortal remains, an official said. The woman, Reshma, from Rajasthan's Barmer district had gone to Pakistan with her son Syab Khan on June 30. She passed away on July 25. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had assured help to the elderly woman's family members. The weekly Thar Express, linking India and Pakistan, was halted for over an hour at Khokhrapar station in Pakistan in the evening. But the body could not be taken to the railway station, therefore, the train left for India without the body, the official said. Barmer District Collector Shivpasad Madan Nakate said formalities have been completed at the level of the high commission of India in Pakistan for the repatriation of Reshma's mortal remains. He said other options were also being explored to bring the body to India.
3 arrested for waving black flags at Amit Shah's convoy in UP
Three people, including two women, were arrested for allegedly waving black flags and jumping in front of BJP chief Amit Shah's convoy here, police said today. The incident took place yesterday in the Dhoomanganj area, Superintendent of Police (City) Brijesh Shrivastav said. The protesters claimed to be members of the Samajwadi Party's student wing, Dhoomanganj SHO Sandeep Mishra said, adding that they were arrested on the charge of breach of peace. A purported video of the incident showing police personnel manhandling the protesters went viral on social media. Shah's four-hour itinerary in the city was packed with temple visits, religious functions and meetings with seers.
Panel of Secys discusses possibility of enacting new anti-lynching law
A panel of senior government officers today deliberated over the possibility of enacting a new law to check the increasing incidents of lynching in different parts of the country. Tehseen Poonawalla, who petitioned the Supreme Court and got a string of directives issued to the government on prevention of the crime, appeared before the Committee of Secretaries and strongly pitched for a new law with punishment of life imprisonment to those found guilty. Poonawalla, who is pressing for an anti-lynching bill or Masuka (Manav Suraksha Kanoon), told PTI that he had a fruitful meeting with the panel headed by Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba and explained the difference between riots and mob violence, "all of which together can be called lynching". He said an incident of lynching can take place due to factors like anger, hate, fear etc. and hence, there is a need to define every such crime separately. Poonawalla said he conveyed to the panel that whenever a special law was enacted, the ...
Rape cases rising in Rajasthan under BJP govt: Sachin Pilot
Rajasthan Congress president Sachin Pilot today alleged rape cases were rising in the state amid a "poor" law and order situation under the BJP government. He condemned the alleged rape and murder of a seven-year-old girl, whose body was found today in a field not very far away from her home in Jhalawar district's Mogiyabhiya village. The police suspect the minor, who went missing last evening, was strangulated to death after being raped as injury marks were found on her neck. Pilot accused the Vasundhra Raje-led government of not being serious towards such cases. "Cases of rape are on the rise due to negligence of the government. Criminals are getting a conducive environment in the state due to the poor law and order situation," he said in a statement here. Pilot said though the name of Raje's pre-poll yatra had been changed from 'Suraj Gaurav Yatra' to 'Rajasthan Gaurav Yatra', people want to know how and when the state's 'gaurav' or pride grew under the BJP rule. Raje's 40-day ...
Woman raped by priest inside temple premises in Gr Noida
A woman was allegedly raped by the head priest inside a temple premises in a Greater Noida village, police said today. The incident took place in Dhoom Manikpur village in the Badalpur police station area on July 9, they said. According to the police complaint, the victim visited the temple with a woman relative, following which the priest called her into his room and raped her. Greater Noida Deputy Superintendent of Police Avaneesh Kumar said a case was registered against the accused, identified as Swami Kanhaiya Nand, who absconded after the incident. A probe was launched and efforts are underway to nab the accused, Kumar said.
Satyajit Mohanty new Police Commissioner, Bhubaneswar-Cuttack
The Odisha government today appointed Additional DG Satyajit Mohanty as the new Commissioner of Police as part of a reshuffle in the senior IPS level, according to a notification issued by the home department, Mohanty, a 1988 batch officer, replaced Y B Khurania, who has been transferred as ADG Provisioning. Mohanty was earlier in charge of Provisioning. Similarly, 1994 batch officer Sanjeeb Panda has been appointed as the new Transport Commissioner while 1998 batch officer Amitabh Thakur has been given additional charge of IGP State Armed Police (SAP). Thakur is now IGP, Law and Order. Pandit Rajesh Uttamrao, a 2007 batch officer, is the new SP Bhadrak while 2011 batch officer Buttala Gangadhar is the new SP kalahandi. The 2012 batch IPS Madkar Sandeep Sampat has been posted as the new SP, Crime Branch. Madkar Sandeep Sampat, who was working as the SP of Kalahandi district, has been transfered and posted as SP, CID, Crime Barnch. OPS officer Deba Prasad Dash is new SP ...