Page 1948 - Law Crime
Nirav Modi: ED seizes diamonds, jewellery worth Rs 5,100cr
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) today conducted searches in multiple properties linked to billionaire jewellery designer Nirav Modi in Mumbai, Delhi and few other cities and seized diamonds, jewellery and gold worth Rs 5,100 crore, agency officials said. The raids came after the ED filed a money laundering case of alleged fraud of Rs 280-crore against Modi, his wife Ami, brother Nishal and business partner Mehul Choksi and others yesterday, following a complaint by Punjab National Bank (PNB). "The ED searched 17 premises across India of Nirav Modi and Geetanjali Gems in a case related to fraud in PNB. Stocks of gold, diamond and precious stones worth Rs 5,100 crore were seized," the central probe agency said in a statement. Sources said that the cost of the precious items seized by the agency from the showrooms and workshops was based on the "stock value". Fixed deposits valued at Rs 3.9 crore have also been seized, they said. Five properties in Mumbai were put under "prohibitory ...
No need for judicial inquiry in Kamala Mills fire: BMC to HC
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) told the Bombay High Court today that there was no need for judicial inquiry into the fire at two restaurants in Kamala Mills compound last year. The fire at roof-top restaurants 1 Above and Mojos Bistro claimed 14 lives on December 29. BMC's counsel Anil Sakhre today said the civic body was already conducting a detailed inquiry, and action had been taken against several officials. "Twelve officials from the BMC and fire department have been booked for negligence and a departmental enquiry has also been initiated against them. We are taking all necessary steps. So there is no need for a judicial inquiry," Sakhre said. He made the submission before a division bench of justices R M Borde and R G Ketkar which was hearing a PIL filed by former IPS officer Julio Ribeiro, seeking judicial inquiry into the fire. The bench asked the Maharashtra government to state if it was in favour of a judicial inquiry, adjourning the hearing to tomorrow.
Florida shooting: teen charged with 17 counts of murder
The 19-year-old suspect in the Florida school mass shooting has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder.Nikolas Cruz was apprehended on Wednesday and taken into custody after the shooting. He has been officially charged with the killings, according to the Broward County Sheriff's Office.Cruz was a former student and was expelled from the school for disciplinary reasons.The incident happened at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, a town about 50km north of Fort Lauderdale, shortly before 3pm as the school day was coming to a close.According to Sheriff Scott Israel the suspect had an AR-style rifle and "countless" gun magazines.The authorities had been going through his social-media accounts which contained "very, very disturbing" information, the Wall Street Journal quoted Sheriff Israel, as saying.The shooting, which claimed 17 lives, left both students and teachers dead and another 15 have been injured.
Bank employee commits suicide in Delhi
A 26-year-old bank employee on Thursday committed suicide in the national capital by lying in front of an oncoming train, police said.
Irrigation scam: seven accused get interim protection
The Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court today granted interim protection from arrest to seven accused, directors of RJ Shah & Company and D Thakkar Constructions, in a case related to alleged scam in the Mokhaburdi Upsa Lift Irrigation scheme. No "coercive steps" should be taken against them till March 5, 2018, the next date of hearing, said the court, seeking government's reply to the accused's pre-arrest bail applications. Anti-Corruption Bureau of Maharashtra police has filed cases against Kalindi Rajendra Shah and Tejaswini Rajendra Shah, both directors of RJ Shah &Company; Vishal Pravin Thakkar, Pravin Nathalal Thakkar, Jigar Pravin Thakkar, Arun Kumar Gupta and Ramesh Kumar Soni. The ACB filed a 4,500-page charge sheet against the accused last month, after which they moved the court seeking pre-arrest bail. As per the ACB, private contractors, in connivance with government officials, manipulated the tender process which resulted in a financial loss to the ...
Ex-serviceman allegedly killed by son in Ferozepur
A man was allegedly brutally killed by his son at village Peer Mohammad in Makhu block in this border district, police said. The deceased, Subeg Singh, was a retired army personnel, they said. Subeg Singh and his son Charanjit Singh exchanged heated arguments. Subeg Singh asked him to quit his alleged drug-addiction, police officials said. In a fit of rage, Charanjit allegedly hit his father with a sharp edged weapon and fled, they said. Subeg Singh was admitted to a hospital where he succumbed to injuries, they said. A case was registered at the Makhu police station and a hunt was on to nab the accused, they said.
Priyanka Chopra to terminate contract with Nirav Modi
Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra has been seeking a legal opinion with respect to terminating her contract with famous jewelry designer Nirav Modi's brand in light of allegations of financial fraud, her spokesperson Natasha Pal said on Thursday."There are speculative reports that Priyanka Chopra has sued Nirav Modi. This is not true. She is seeking a legal opinion with respect to terminating her contract," Pal said.The designer is entangled in controversy after 10 Punjab National Bank officials were suspended over financial fraud to the tune of $ 1.77 billion.According to the CBI, Nirav Modi left India on January 1, days before CBI issued lookout circulars against the celebrated designer and his wife Ami, an American citizen, who left India on January 6.The CBI issued the circulars on January 31.Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate on Thursday searched 17 premises of Nirav Modi Geetanjali Gems in relation to the PNB fraud case. Stocks of gold, diamond and precious stones worth Rs ..
Woman dies as MCD garbage dump wall collapses, husband and son injured
A 30-year-old rag-picker died while her husband and minor son injured today after the wall of a municipal corporation garbage dump collapsed on them in city's trans-Yamuna area, police said. The woman, Marjina, was picking plastic refuse from the garbage dump near the Family Court in Farsh Bazar area, along with her husband Ansar Ali, 32, and their four-year-old son. Around 5 pm, a loader, which was lifting the garbage nearby, suddenly hit the wall of the dump leading to its collapse, said Nupur Prasad, the deputy commissioner of police, Shahdara. The garbage dump and the loader belonged to East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC), the police said. The trio tried to escape when they saw the wall collapsing. But were unable to escape as the wall came crashing down very fast, the police said. They were later taken to a hospital where Marjina was declared dead. Her husband and son were undergoing treatment, they said. The police said they have impounded the loader but its driver managed ..
Security tightened in Bengaluru
Security has been tightened in Bengaluru as the supreme court is likely to pronounce tomorrow its verdict on the decades-old Cauvery water dispute between riparian south Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala. Speaking to reporters, Bengaluru police commissioner T Suneel Kumar said 15,000 police personnel would be deployed for duty. In addition to this, personnel of Karnataka State Reserved Police and other forces would be deployed. "Special attention will be given to the sensitive areas where riots had taken place in the past," the commissioner said. Karnataka has been claiming that the Krishnaraja Sagar dam is left with water only to cater to Bengaluru. A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud had on September 20 last year reserved the verdict on the appeals filed by Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala against the 2007 award of the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal on sharing of water.
ED, CBI turn up heat on Nirav Modi; jewellery worth Rs 5100 Cr seized
Central investigation agencies today turned up the heat on embattled jewellery designer Nirav Modi in a huge bank fraud case, by seizing diamond and gold jewellery worth Rs 5,100 crore in nationwide searches and initiating the process for revoking his passport, officials said. The CBI and the ED moved separate applications to the external affairs ministry seeking the revocation of passports of Modi and his maternal uncle Mehul Choksi, the promoter of Gitanjali jewellery chain, both accused in the 280-crore bank fraud case the officials said. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) completed the analysis of computers seized from premises linked to him and was going through the two fresh complaints received from Punjab National Bank (PNB) on Tuesday that it had been defrauded of Rs 11,400 crore to decide its future course of action. The day for companies and outlets owned or partnered by the 46-year-old diamond merchant, who has fled the country on January 1, began with the ...
HC upholds CBI jurisdiction to file FIR in Pondy
The Madras High Court today upheld the CBI's jurisdiction to register a case against members of the Centralised Admission Committee of Puducherry in a case of illegal PG medical admissions in the Union Territory. The court dismissed a plea filed by committee members including Puducherry Health Secretary B R Babu for quashing the FIR against them, saying there is no necessity to put spokes in the wheel of investigation for "unsustainable reasons". The petitioners had claimed that the agency had not taken the consent of the Union Territory for filing the case. When the petition came up, Justice G Jayachandran said the FIR registered against the petitioners was for offences under IPC as well as Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act. "The PC Act extends to the whole of India except to the state of Jammu and Kashmir and applies to all citizens of India and outside India. "So in the light of the above, this court holds that CBI has territorial jurisdiction over the Union Territory of ...
Gang targeting rich houses in posh colonies busted, 5 held
An alleged gang of dacoits who targeted houses in posh colonies in the city has been busted with arrest of its five members, police said today. The gang used to send one of their members as a decoy domestic help in rich households to gather information before committing dacoity, they said. Three accused gang members - Digambar Mandal (35), Mohammd Jehangir (35), Rajesh (22) - were arrested from Dwarka Sector-23 on Sunday afternoon, said Alok Kumar, the Joint Commissioner (crime branch) of Police. Two others - Wasi-Ul (39) and Zulfikar Ansari (27) - were nabbed the same evening, he said. A sophisticated pistol of 7.65 bore, two magazines and five live cartridges were recovered from their possession, he said. During interrogation, the accused revealed their modus operandi. They said they first send a "young" gang member to work as a domestic help in houses and mansions in posh colonies in south and south east Delhi to gather information about the cash and valuables, said the ...
Attack on media persons: police remand for 4
A city court today remanded four activists of a right-wing group to two days' police custody in a case of assaulting media persons during a programme held here yesterday. Hindu Samhati Mancha president Tapan Ghosh and three others were booked under charges of attempt to murder, causing grievous injury with weapons among others, a Kolkata Police officer said. The journalists were attacked when they tried to talk to a family of 14 members that had apparently converted to Hinduism at the programme organised by the Mancha. Political parties including the BJP condemned the attack on media persons.
Woman given acid in place of water at pvt hospital dies
A woman died here today upon accidently swallowing acid kept in a bottle given to her by staff of a private hospital when she asked for water to consume medicines. Shyamali Devi (60), resident of a village in Goraul police station area of neighbouring district of Vaishali, underwent an eye surgery at a hospital situated in Brahmapura police station area of Muzaffarpur last evening. "After being operated upon, the woman was given some medicines. When she asked for water to swallow the tablets with, a paramedical staff handed over a bottle thinking it to be full of water", Brahmapura SHO Dharmendra Kumar said. "Shyamali Devi began retching loudly upon sipping the acid following which the staff called the doctor who had performed the surgery. The woman was immediately rushed to a nursing home situated nearby where she died this morning", the SHO said. The victim had experienced severe burn injuries in mouth and throat after swallowing acid by mistake. "We could not record ..
ED searches Nirav Modi's premises
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday conducted searches at 17 premises of businessman Nirav Modi and Geetanjali Gems across India in connection with Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case.The probe agency also seized stocks of gold, diamond and precious stones worth Rs 5100 crore.Meanwhile, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has questioned PNB bank officials in connection with case but has not arrested any person as of now.Earlier, the CBI has sealed the residence of Ami Modi, wife of Nirav Modi in Mumbai's Worli in connection with the case.The CBI sealed her residence after conducting a raid on February 3 and 4. The probe agency also seized 95 documents including import bills and applications.The Punjab National Bank detected a 1.77 billion dollars scam in which jeweller Nirav Modi acquired fraudulent letters of undertaking from one of its branches for overseas credit from other Indian lenders.The PNB has suspended 10 officers involved in this scam and referred the ...
Financial services secretary updates Jaitley on PNB case
The Rs 11,400 crore fraud in Punjab National Bank (PNB) came to light because of the government's pressure to clean up the banking system, Financial Services Secretary Rajiv Kumar said today after updating Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on the case. The country's second largest lender PNB has detected a USD 1.77 billion (about Rs 11,400 crore) scam where billionaire jeweller Nirav Modi allegedly acquired fraudulent letters of undertaking (LoUs) from a branch in Mumbai to secure overseas credit from other Indian lenders. The alleged fraud, which has been going on since 2011, came to light only in January this year. Talking to reporters after meeting Jaitley along with senior bank officials, Kumar said the fraud transaction came to light "because of the pressure" from the government. "If it (LoUs) was to get rolled over, it would have got rolled over this time also," he said, adding the next roll over came to notice on January 23. The secretary said the moment it came to notice that "it .
Couple arrested for committing 'human sacrifice' for curing
Recovery of severed head of a baby in Uppal area here on February 1 was a case of human sacrifice, Rachakonda police said today, after arresting a 40-year-old cab driver and his wife for the crime. K Rajashekar, the accused, had been advised by somebody to commit a human sacrifice for curing his wife's chronic illness, police said. He abducted an abandoned baby girl, around three months old, from the roadside in Boyaguda area on January 31, said Rachakonda police commissioner Mahesh M Bhagwat. Around midnight, he beheaded the girl, threw the torso and the knife into the Musi river, and performed 'Kshudra Pooja' (a black magic ritual) with his wife Srilatha (35) at their house in Chilukanagar with the severed head on the altar, Bhagwat said. Later the head was kept in the south-west corner on the terrace of the house, under "the lunar eclipse light and the (light of) rising sun around 4 am" (as he had been advised), the commissioner said. A total lunar eclipse had ...
Madras HC modifies prison term in corruption case
The Madras High Court has upheld the conviction of two wives of a former AIADMK MLA in a disproportionate wealth case, holding that they abetted the public servant in acquiring wealth through illegal means. Dismissing the appeal filed by the spouses of former AIADMK MLA, late V Panneerselvam, the judge, however, allowed their plea to modify the one-year jail term from rigorous to simple imprisonment, consideration their health. Panneerselvam, who represented Bodi constituency between 1991 and 1996, was convicted and sentenced to three years rigorous imprisonment by an additional sessions court judge in January 2007. His spouses were convicted to one year rigorous imprisonment. The three filed an appeal against the lower court order but Panneerselvam died in February 2012. He was charged by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) with amassing wealth to the tune of Rs 21.36 lakh by abusing his official position. The directorate also charged Panneerselvam's wives P ...
Woman discharged from hospital after HC intervention
A 63-year-old woman, who was allegedly prevented by a private hospital in the city from leaving the premises for not clearing her bills, was discharged today following the intervention of the Calcutta High Court Hearing a habeas corpus (writ seeking production of a person before court) petition moved by the husband of the woman, a division bench comprising justices Joymalyo Bagchi and R Bharadwaj directed the Bidhanagar Police to ensure the release of Bandana Bagchi and submit a compliance report. Acting on the court's order, officials from the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate in Salt Lake approached the hospital authorities and secured Bagchi's release. Public prosecutor Saswata Mukherjee submitted a compliance report before the court later. The patient's husband, Subir Bagchi, said that his wife was admitted in the Salt Lake hospital after she complained of chest pain on December 13. He contended that even after paying Rs 1.10 lakh to the hospital as charges for her treatment, the
HC sends tutor to 5 yrs in jail for trying to rape 7-yr-old student
The Delhi High Court has awarded five-year imprisonment to a private tutor for repeatedly attempting to rape a seven-year-old student, saying the emotional distress suffered by the child would not wean out from her system for long. Justice Indermeet Kaur upheld the conviction and jail term of Naresh Kumar and said there was no mitigating circumstances in his favour to give him a sentence lesser than what was awarded by the trial court. The high court said the man's conviction for the offence of attempting to rape does not suffer from any infirmity and his five-year rigorous jail term cannot be faulted with, noting the "nature of the crime". "The victim, a seven-year-old girl, has been attacked not only in body but also in mind, the psychological and emotional distress suffered by her would probably not wean out from her system for years together," it said. It said the courts have time and again held that a demand for justice and the award of punishment have to be in consonance with ..