By S A Ishaqui
Hyderabad, July 27:The Special Investigation Cell (SIC) of the city police probing the Mecca Masjid blast is banking on narcoanalysis tests in its investigation into the unexploded bomb found near the site of the explosion.
The city police registered two cases after a bomb went off in the mosque on May 18 after the Friday prayers. While one bomb exploded, killing nine people and injuring 58, an unexploded bomb was found in the mosque premises.
The State government had handed over the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation. However, the unexploded bomb case is being investigated by the city police. The CBI got vital clues in the case and released the profiles of suspects in New Delhi. The SIC, however, is groping in the dark.
They have arrested seven suspects including Shaik Nayeem alias Sameer, a Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) operative, his associate Shoaib Jagirdar, a butcher from Jalna in Maharastra, Mohammed Abdul Sattar, Mohammed Abdul Kareem Qadri, Shaik Abdul Kaleem alias Rafi, brother of Abdul Khaja, the second in command of Harkat-ul-Jehad-e-Islami (Huji) and Mohammed Imran.
They are also suspects in the bomb blast case. But none have been linked to the case till date. The SIC has conducted narcoanalysis tests on Sameer and his associate Shoiab Jagirdar. Sources close to the SIC said the tests have not yielded any result.
Now the SIC has sought court permission to conduct similar tests on Shaik Abdul Kaleem alias Rafi and Mohammed Imran. The SIC filed petitions in the XII additional chief metropolitan magistrate’s court. The court heard arguments in Imran’s case on Friday.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
AP High Court : State cannot gift land
By S A Ishaqui
Hyderabad, July 27: A division bench comprising Chief Justice G.S. Singhvi and C.V. Nagarjuna Reddy said the State is only the trustee of the lands and that people were the real owners while hearing the arguments in IMG Bharata land issue.
Stating that the State has no right to gift away lands to firms according to its whims and fancies, the bench asked the advocate general who gave the State such powers. The case has been posted for hearing on Monday, July 30.
Hyderabad, July 27: A division bench comprising Chief Justice G.S. Singhvi and C.V. Nagarjuna Reddy said the State is only the trustee of the lands and that people were the real owners while hearing the arguments in IMG Bharata land issue.
Stating that the State has no right to gift away lands to firms according to its whims and fancies, the bench asked the advocate general who gave the State such powers. The case has been posted for hearing on Monday, July 30.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
State buys helicopter for police
By S A Ishaqui
Hyderabad, July 25:The Greyhounds, hitherto confined to combing operations in forests and other possible hideouts of the Maoists on ground, would here after get the facility to hip hop in a chopper to hunt down the maoists.
The police so far have been using army helicopter for the purpose of only shifting the injured greyhounds in encounters and land and claymore mine blasts. Now, the State government has sanctioned a helicopter exclusively to deal with Maoists to the police.
The helicopter is likely to be delivered to the police in less than a month, director general of police M.A. Basith said in an informal chat with media.
Hyderabad, July 25:The Greyhounds, hitherto confined to combing operations in forests and other possible hideouts of the Maoists on ground, would here after get the facility to hip hop in a chopper to hunt down the maoists.
The police so far have been using army helicopter for the purpose of only shifting the injured greyhounds in encounters and land and claymore mine blasts. Now, the State government has sanctioned a helicopter exclusively to deal with Maoists to the police.
The helicopter is likely to be delivered to the police in less than a month, director general of police M.A. Basith said in an informal chat with media.
Seniority list for promotions to avoid hassles
By S A Ishaqui
Hyderabad July 25: The home department has decided to prepare an integrated seniority list to prevent legal tangles in the promotion of deputy superintendents of police, sources said on Wednesday. The seniority issue has blocked filling up of 105 vacancies of DSPs, including in Intelligence, CID, City Central Crime Station and Special Branch. Nearly 300 circle inspectors belonging to the 1976 to 1985 batches are awaiting promotion.
Five inspectors of the 1976 batch approached the AP High Court over the abnormal delay in their promotions. The court directed the director-general of police and principal secretary, home, that the petitioners should be given promotion by the end of July. A senior police officer told this correspondent that is normal for ad hoc promotions to be given as per the list prepared by the department which was leading to legal tangles.
"We have decided to sort out the age old problem of challenging the seniority in the courts every time. Dozens of cases are pending in the court pertaining to seniority. This time we will prepare an integrated list. It will be completed in a month’s time," said a senior officer who is responsible for preparing the list.
Hyderabad July 25: The home department has decided to prepare an integrated seniority list to prevent legal tangles in the promotion of deputy superintendents of police, sources said on Wednesday. The seniority issue has blocked filling up of 105 vacancies of DSPs, including in Intelligence, CID, City Central Crime Station and Special Branch. Nearly 300 circle inspectors belonging to the 1976 to 1985 batches are awaiting promotion.
Five inspectors of the 1976 batch approached the AP High Court over the abnormal delay in their promotions. The court directed the director-general of police and principal secretary, home, that the petitioners should be given promotion by the end of July. A senior police officer told this correspondent that is normal for ad hoc promotions to be given as per the list prepared by the department which was leading to legal tangles.
"We have decided to sort out the age old problem of challenging the seniority in the courts every time. Dozens of cases are pending in the court pertaining to seniority. This time we will prepare an integrated list. It will be completed in a month’s time," said a senior officer who is responsible for preparing the list.
Monica Bedi : I will return a star
By S A Ishaqui
Hyderabad July 25: Monica Bedi, Bollywood starlet and girlfriend of mafia don Abu Salem, was released on bail from the Chanchalguda prison on Wednesday.
A relieved and cheerful Monica said she was looking forward to acting in Telugu films and promised to come back to Hyderabad "as an actress, and not as an accused".
She later flew to Hoshiyarpur in Punjab along with her father to spend time with her family. "I have got a couple of offers to act in Telugu films and will come back real soon," she told reporters at the airport.
Sources close to Monica said Hindi filmmaker Guddu Dhanoa offered her a role in one of his forthcoming movies. A Telugu producer also wants to make a film on her life starring Monica herself.
Her fans thronged the gates of the Chanchalguda prison from 6 am for a glimpse of the former actress. She came out at 7.40 am and immediately offered a thankful prayer to God.
As soon as Monica walked out, media teams surrounded her. She promised to speak to them and left within minutes. The media teams followed her to Begumpet airport where some news channels had even arranged a live telecast.
A beaming Monica thanked the judiciary, jail staff, prison inmates and others for her release. "Justice has been done," she said.
She said she hopes to restart her film career. "I missed acting. I have now got several offers from Bollywood and Tollywood," she said.
Monica said she had been a naïve girl and had trusted everyone. "I will plan my career carefully from now on," she said. "I have learnt a lot in prison."
She smiled when reporters asked about marriage plans. "Give me a break," she said. "I have just been freed and you want to marry me off right now. Marriage can wait. I want to make a successful career in films."
Monica had earlier acted in the Telugu film Taj Mahal starring Srikant. She also starred in several Hindi films, including Suraksha, Tirchi Topi Wale and Jodi No. 1 before abandoning her film career.
She was extradited to India from Portugal with her companion Abu Salem in 2005 and was sent to Chanchalguda prison in September 2005 in connection with a fake passport case. The actress said she kept herself occupied by teaching other women prisoners yoga, dancing and English in Chanchalguda and Bhopal prisons.
Hyderabad July 25: Monica Bedi, Bollywood starlet and girlfriend of mafia don Abu Salem, was released on bail from the Chanchalguda prison on Wednesday.
A relieved and cheerful Monica said she was looking forward to acting in Telugu films and promised to come back to Hyderabad "as an actress, and not as an accused".
She later flew to Hoshiyarpur in Punjab along with her father to spend time with her family. "I have got a couple of offers to act in Telugu films and will come back real soon," she told reporters at the airport.
Sources close to Monica said Hindi filmmaker Guddu Dhanoa offered her a role in one of his forthcoming movies. A Telugu producer also wants to make a film on her life starring Monica herself.
Her fans thronged the gates of the Chanchalguda prison from 6 am for a glimpse of the former actress. She came out at 7.40 am and immediately offered a thankful prayer to God.
As soon as Monica walked out, media teams surrounded her. She promised to speak to them and left within minutes. The media teams followed her to Begumpet airport where some news channels had even arranged a live telecast.
A beaming Monica thanked the judiciary, jail staff, prison inmates and others for her release. "Justice has been done," she said.
She said she hopes to restart her film career. "I missed acting. I have now got several offers from Bollywood and Tollywood," she said.
Monica said she had been a naïve girl and had trusted everyone. "I will plan my career carefully from now on," she said. "I have learnt a lot in prison."
She smiled when reporters asked about marriage plans. "Give me a break," she said. "I have just been freed and you want to marry me off right now. Marriage can wait. I want to make a successful career in films."
Monica had earlier acted in the Telugu film Taj Mahal starring Srikant. She also starred in several Hindi films, including Suraksha, Tirchi Topi Wale and Jodi No. 1 before abandoning her film career.
She was extradited to India from Portugal with her companion Abu Salem in 2005 and was sent to Chanchalguda prison in September 2005 in connection with a fake passport case. The actress said she kept herself occupied by teaching other women prisoners yoga, dancing and English in Chanchalguda and Bhopal prisons.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
CJ makes fun of ban on dance bars
Hyderabad:
Chief Justice G.S. Singhvi of the AP High Court on Tuesday commented that Indian mythology allowed dances for recreation. He made these remarks while hearing arguments on a petition filed by IMG Bharata.
Justice Singhvi while referring to the Maharashtra government decision to ban dance bars said that it should have instead enforced some entertainment tax which would have benefited the exchequer.
Chief Justice G.S. Singhvi of the AP High Court on Tuesday commented that Indian mythology allowed dances for recreation. He made these remarks while hearing arguments on a petition filed by IMG Bharata.
Justice Singhvi while referring to the Maharashtra government decision to ban dance bars said that it should have instead enforced some entertainment tax which would have benefited the exchequer.
State: Chandana wrote draft for IMG land dea
By S A Ishaqui
Hyderabad, July 24:The State government on Tuesday informed the AP High Court that IMG Bharata was in no way connected to US-based IMG World Wide or IMG Academies.
A bench comprising Chief Justice G.S. Singhvi and Justice C.V. Nagarjuna Reddy heard the arguments in a writ filed by IMG Bharata Academy challenging the government’s decision to cancel allotment of 450 acres made in its favour by the then TD government.
Advocate-general C.V. Mohan Reddy informed the court that inquiries revealed that IMG Bharata had misled the government by stating that it was a subsidiary of IMG Academies of East which is a part of IMG World Wide.
At this juncture, Chief Justice Singhvi asked the advocate-general as to who had prepared the draft to finalise the deal. Mr Mohan Reddy replied that Ms Chandana Khan was principal secretary tourism at that time. The court has asked what action was initiated against the officer.
The Chief Justice asked the advocate-general about the policy of the government in allotting land to companies and individuals. The advocate-general replied that there were different policies and the main objective of the government was to create wealth and job opportunities.
Justice Singhvi commented that the East India Company had also entered the country by saying this and added, "We should never forget the history." The bench directed the government to submit details of duties, responsibilities and powers of the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh in the next hearing.
Hyderabad, July 24:The State government on Tuesday informed the AP High Court that IMG Bharata was in no way connected to US-based IMG World Wide or IMG Academies.
A bench comprising Chief Justice G.S. Singhvi and Justice C.V. Nagarjuna Reddy heard the arguments in a writ filed by IMG Bharata Academy challenging the government’s decision to cancel allotment of 450 acres made in its favour by the then TD government.
Advocate-general C.V. Mohan Reddy informed the court that inquiries revealed that IMG Bharata had misled the government by stating that it was a subsidiary of IMG Academies of East which is a part of IMG World Wide.
At this juncture, Chief Justice Singhvi asked the advocate-general as to who had prepared the draft to finalise the deal. Mr Mohan Reddy replied that Ms Chandana Khan was principal secretary tourism at that time. The court has asked what action was initiated against the officer.
The Chief Justice asked the advocate-general about the policy of the government in allotting land to companies and individuals. The advocate-general replied that there were different policies and the main objective of the government was to create wealth and job opportunities.
Justice Singhvi commented that the East India Company had also entered the country by saying this and added, "We should never forget the history." The bench directed the government to submit details of duties, responsibilities and powers of the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh in the next hearing.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
RTA office under ACB scanner
Hyderabad, July 23: Sleuths of the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Monday conducted surprise checks at the office of the joint commissioner, Road Transport Authority, Khairatabad. According to ACB deputy superintendent of police Yohan, the detectives found unaccounted cash totalling Rs 48,920 in the possession of two RTA employees, three transport constables and 15 agents.
Staff at the RTA central zone office were collecting money from applicants through agents for the issuing of driving licenses and registration certificates. They seized 52 RC books, 40 registration receipts, seven driving licenses and 39 agent cards. The DSP said that the bureau will make a report on the raid to the government.
Hyderabad, July 23: Sleuths of the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Monday conducted surprise checks at the office of the joint commissioner, Road Transport Authority, Khairatabad. According to ACB deputy superintendent of police Yohan, the detectives found unaccounted cash totalling Rs 48,920 in the possession of two RTA employees, three transport constables and 15 agents.
Staff at the RTA central zone office were collecting money from applicants through agents for the issuing of driving licenses and registration certificates. They seized 52 RC books, 40 registration receipts, seven driving licenses and 39 agent cards. The DSP said that the bureau will make a report on the raid to the government.
Trafficking probe held up
Hyderabad, July 23: Even though the investigation into the human smuggling racket was completed a month ago, the city police continues to face hurdles in filing the chargesheet. According to sources, the reason for the delay is that the regional passport authority has not handed over to the police the original application forms of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) legislator Kasipet Lingaiah, the prime accused in the case, and a woman he allegedly attempted to pass off as his wife.
The passport authority has informed the city’s Central Crime Station (CCS) that they cannot hand over the originals without getting permission from the Ministry of External Affairs. The CCS officials have sent a letter to the ministry and are awaiting the go-ahead they need to get the applications. Sources said that the investigations proved beyond doubt the involvement of Lingaiah in the racket.
The city police have booked several cases against Mr Lingaiah, kingpin broker Mohammed Mazahruddin alias Rasheed, an unidentified woman, former TD corporator Muzaffer, Sangeetha Ben of Ahmedabad, bookie Raju Pitti and others under Sections 419, 420, 468, 471 of the IPC and Section 12 (b) of the Passports Act.
Sources said Mr Lingaiah faces a prison term of at least seven years if found guilty of the charges filed against him. "We have collected documentary evidence against Mr Lingaiah. His visit to the US Consulate along with a woman whom he tried to pass off as his wife clearly shows his complicity in the racket," the sources added.
Hyderabad, July 23: Even though the investigation into the human smuggling racket was completed a month ago, the city police continues to face hurdles in filing the chargesheet. According to sources, the reason for the delay is that the regional passport authority has not handed over to the police the original application forms of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) legislator Kasipet Lingaiah, the prime accused in the case, and a woman he allegedly attempted to pass off as his wife.
The passport authority has informed the city’s Central Crime Station (CCS) that they cannot hand over the originals without getting permission from the Ministry of External Affairs. The CCS officials have sent a letter to the ministry and are awaiting the go-ahead they need to get the applications. Sources said that the investigations proved beyond doubt the involvement of Lingaiah in the racket.
The city police have booked several cases against Mr Lingaiah, kingpin broker Mohammed Mazahruddin alias Rasheed, an unidentified woman, former TD corporator Muzaffer, Sangeetha Ben of Ahmedabad, bookie Raju Pitti and others under Sections 419, 420, 468, 471 of the IPC and Section 12 (b) of the Passports Act.
Sources said Mr Lingaiah faces a prison term of at least seven years if found guilty of the charges filed against him. "We have collected documentary evidence against Mr Lingaiah. His visit to the US Consulate along with a woman whom he tried to pass off as his wife clearly shows his complicity in the racket," the sources added.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Top cops get HC notice for firing
By S A Ishaqui
Hyderabad July 20: The AP High Court on Friday issued notices to the director-general of police, principal secretary (home), and city police Among others to be served the notices are the Greyhounds inspector-general and the Hyderabad district collector.
A division bench of the High Court comprising Chief Justice G. S Singhvi and Justice C.V. Nagarjuna Reddy issued the notices to the officials while admitting a petition filed by Civil Liberties Monitoring Committee of India president Lateef Mohammed Khan.
He told the court that the city police had turned down seven times, his complaint against the police officers involved in the firing. He alleged that the city police did not take minimum precautions while opening fire. The petitioner said that the police had fired with self-loading rifles (SLRs) and urged the court to direct the State government to order a CBI probe into the police firing.
The court asked the petitioner’s counsel Bojja Tarakam to withdraw a request for post-mortem and inquest reports and the case dairy. The court observed that those records were not necessary at this juncture and posted the case for hearing to August 24. Director-general of police M.A. Basith told this correspondent, “We will send our replies to the High Court as soon as we receive the notices.”
The State Human Rights Commission had earlier issued notices to the city police and sought a detailed report on the police firing. The Hyderabad revenue divisional officer is also conducting an inquiry into episode. The State government has already transferred additional commissioner of police, crimes, Rajiv Trivedi and south zone deputy police commissioner Kantha Rao after a row over the police firing. Earlier Falaknuma inspector P. Sudhakar and Moghulpura inspector Ramachandra Reddy were transferred.
Hyderabad July 20: The AP High Court on Friday issued notices to the director-general of police, principal secretary (home), and city police Among others to be served the notices are the Greyhounds inspector-general and the Hyderabad district collector.
A division bench of the High Court comprising Chief Justice G. S Singhvi and Justice C.V. Nagarjuna Reddy issued the notices to the officials while admitting a petition filed by Civil Liberties Monitoring Committee of India president Lateef Mohammed Khan.
He told the court that the city police had turned down seven times, his complaint against the police officers involved in the firing. He alleged that the city police did not take minimum precautions while opening fire. The petitioner said that the police had fired with self-loading rifles (SLRs) and urged the court to direct the State government to order a CBI probe into the police firing.
The court asked the petitioner’s counsel Bojja Tarakam to withdraw a request for post-mortem and inquest reports and the case dairy. The court observed that those records were not necessary at this juncture and posted the case for hearing to August 24. Director-general of police M.A. Basith told this correspondent, “We will send our replies to the High Court as soon as we receive the notices.”
The State Human Rights Commission had earlier issued notices to the city police and sought a detailed report on the police firing. The Hyderabad revenue divisional officer is also conducting an inquiry into episode. The State government has already transferred additional commissioner of police, crimes, Rajiv Trivedi and south zone deputy police commissioner Kantha Rao after a row over the police firing. Earlier Falaknuma inspector P. Sudhakar and Moghulpura inspector Ramachandra Reddy were transferred.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Factionists move to cities
By S A Ishaqui
Hyderabad. July 18: A survey conducted by the State police has revealed that hundreds of faction leaders had moved away from villages of Rayalaseema region to cities in the State and outside.
The exodus has been going on the last six years and police realised this while collecting data to formulate a long term strategy to curtail faction killings in the region.
However, police are not letting down their guard and are focusing on collecting information on faction leaders, their sources of funds, legal assistance and those who provide shelter to them.
“We have also decided to conduct checks in faction-prone villages to find out the reasons for absence of factionists,” said the senior police officer. “We have to find out whether they are indulging in offences in other parts of the State too.”
Factionist leaders travel in convoys of jeeps or cars with their henchmen and weapons. “Police will check on such convoys moving in highways leading to Rayalaseema to control faction killings,” the officer said.
Hyderabad. July 18: A survey conducted by the State police has revealed that hundreds of faction leaders had moved away from villages of Rayalaseema region to cities in the State and outside.
The exodus has been going on the last six years and police realised this while collecting data to formulate a long term strategy to curtail faction killings in the region.
However, police are not letting down their guard and are focusing on collecting information on faction leaders, their sources of funds, legal assistance and those who provide shelter to them.
“We have also decided to conduct checks in faction-prone villages to find out the reasons for absence of factionists,” said the senior police officer. “We have to find out whether they are indulging in offences in other parts of the State too.”
Factionist leaders travel in convoys of jeeps or cars with their henchmen and weapons. “Police will check on such convoys moving in highways leading to Rayalaseema to control faction killings,” the officer said.
Cops to get boot for road mishaps
By S A Ishaqui
Hyderabad July 18: The director-general of police has decided to take stringent action on police officers who cause road accidents through oversight and negligence. In an evident attempt to curtail road mishaps, the DGP’s office has issued a circular asking district superintendents of police to “fix responsibility” for road mishaps on sub-divisional police officers and take action against them.
The responsibility of enforcing road safety rules such as preventing overcrowding in vehicles and rash driving has been vested with SDPOs and they will be held responsible if rules are violated.
Police officers can even lose their jobs if it was found that their negligence had caused a fatal accident in their jurisdiction.
“They can no longer escape by saying that it is just an accident,” said a police source. “Even age-old explanations of brake failure, low visibility and or bad road conditions may land them in trouble.” For instance, a police officer on duty in the area would also have to explain why preventive measures were not taken and why cases were not booked against those who violated traffic rules.
“They will also to be held responsible if they fail to enforce Motor Vehicle rules regarding the number of persons allowed in a vehicle,” said a senior police officer. For instance, if more than two people are found to have been in the cabin of a lorry which meets with an accident, the police officer on duty will be in trouble. A list of accident-prone roads in the State has been drawn up by the DGP’s office for special focus.
Hyderabad July 18: The director-general of police has decided to take stringent action on police officers who cause road accidents through oversight and negligence. In an evident attempt to curtail road mishaps, the DGP’s office has issued a circular asking district superintendents of police to “fix responsibility” for road mishaps on sub-divisional police officers and take action against them.
The responsibility of enforcing road safety rules such as preventing overcrowding in vehicles and rash driving has been vested with SDPOs and they will be held responsible if rules are violated.
Police officers can even lose their jobs if it was found that their negligence had caused a fatal accident in their jurisdiction.
“They can no longer escape by saying that it is just an accident,” said a police source. “Even age-old explanations of brake failure, low visibility and or bad road conditions may land them in trouble.” For instance, a police officer on duty in the area would also have to explain why preventive measures were not taken and why cases were not booked against those who violated traffic rules.
“They will also to be held responsible if they fail to enforce Motor Vehicle rules regarding the number of persons allowed in a vehicle,” said a senior police officer. For instance, if more than two people are found to have been in the cabin of a lorry which meets with an accident, the police officer on duty will be in trouble. A list of accident-prone roads in the State has been drawn up by the DGP’s office for special focus.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Police Act splits cops, revenue wing
By S A Ishaqui
Hyderabad July 16: The State government is not likely to table the new AP Police Act in the Monsoon Session because of the conflict between the police and revenue departments on certain key provisions.
The preparation of the draft bill itself got delayed following the attempt by the IAS officers to incorporate clauses which would make the police accountable to revenue officials even in their day to day duties.
They even wanted to give revenue officials the power to write annual credential reports of the police and make surprise visits to police stations. Needless to say, all this angered the police top brass who informed the Chief Minister that the above clauses would put the police in difficult situation and deprive it of the powers to act independently.
It would also lead to confrontation with revenue department, they said. Sources told this newspaper that senior police officers including DGP M.A. Basith and Additional director General of Police (Intelligence) K. Arvinda Rao informed the Chief Minister of the consequences of such clauses.
The police officers were also believed to have cautioned the government that the new Act would run into legal tangle if the provisions were not in accordance with the SC guidelines. A compliance report has to be submitted to the Supreme Court after enacting the new law. “The SC wanted the police department to be insulated from all sorts of influences,” said a senior cop.
Hyderabad July 16: The State government is not likely to table the new AP Police Act in the Monsoon Session because of the conflict between the police and revenue departments on certain key provisions.
The preparation of the draft bill itself got delayed following the attempt by the IAS officers to incorporate clauses which would make the police accountable to revenue officials even in their day to day duties.
They even wanted to give revenue officials the power to write annual credential reports of the police and make surprise visits to police stations. Needless to say, all this angered the police top brass who informed the Chief Minister that the above clauses would put the police in difficult situation and deprive it of the powers to act independently.
It would also lead to confrontation with revenue department, they said. Sources told this newspaper that senior police officers including DGP M.A. Basith and Additional director General of Police (Intelligence) K. Arvinda Rao informed the Chief Minister of the consequences of such clauses.
The police officers were also believed to have cautioned the government that the new Act would run into legal tangle if the provisions were not in accordance with the SC guidelines. A compliance report has to be submitted to the Supreme Court after enacting the new law. “The SC wanted the police department to be insulated from all sorts of influences,” said a senior cop.
Monday, July 16, 2007
"Grass Is Bomb, Shaadi Is Target"
By S.A. Ishaqui
Hyderabad, June 15 - When a terrorist tells his comrade that a shaadi (marriage) has been fixed, he means that a target has been selected. And when he says that there is no ghaas (grass) on this side of the fence, he means he has not got the explosives he needs.
These nuggets of jargon used by militants were decoded by the police after a careful study of communications between terror groups and their handlers in Pakistan. The police first came across shaadi and ghaas in communications of ISI agents. Later they were puzzled at finding the same words in documents seized from terrorists and records of Internet chats, e-mails and mobile phone conversations. ISI [Inter Services Intelligence] agent [name omitted] used these terms liberally while speaking to his counterparts in Pakistan and Bangladesh. It was he who told investigators the deadly meanings of these innocuous words when he was subjected to a narco-analysis test. Apart from "shaadi fix ho gayi (the marriage has been fixed)" and "pan mandi main ghaas nahi mil raha hai (there's no grass in the market)," the police has also found constant references to "chacha" and "mama" in the communications. They are not sure what they mean. For all they know, the "uncles" might be on the other side of the border waiting for the "marriage" to go off well.
Terrorists and their agents alert associates when the police increases security by saying, "Hyderabad mein mausam garam hai (Hyderabad is getting hot)". Policemen are called "tax officials". The police recently came to know that a terror agent was trying to recruit a young man through the Internet. After some time, the young man replied: "Aap ki bimari mujhe bhi ho gaya. Dawa bhejiye (I have caught your disease. Send me medicine)." "We did not understand it at first," said a senior police officer, adding, "After one terrorist was caught he told us that they were talking about jihadi operations."
Terrorists never use words such as terror, jihad, bomb and explosives in their communications. Sometimes, during telephonic conversations, they use codes like PAG-1 for weapons and ammunition, PAG-2 for radio-controlled devices and PAG-3 for chemicals used for making bombs.
Hyderabad, June 15 - When a terrorist tells his comrade that a shaadi (marriage) has been fixed, he means that a target has been selected. And when he says that there is no ghaas (grass) on this side of the fence, he means he has not got the explosives he needs.
These nuggets of jargon used by militants were decoded by the police after a careful study of communications between terror groups and their handlers in Pakistan. The police first came across shaadi and ghaas in communications of ISI agents. Later they were puzzled at finding the same words in documents seized from terrorists and records of Internet chats, e-mails and mobile phone conversations. ISI [Inter Services Intelligence] agent [name omitted] used these terms liberally while speaking to his counterparts in Pakistan and Bangladesh. It was he who told investigators the deadly meanings of these innocuous words when he was subjected to a narco-analysis test. Apart from "shaadi fix ho gayi (the marriage has been fixed)" and "pan mandi main ghaas nahi mil raha hai (there's no grass in the market)," the police has also found constant references to "chacha" and "mama" in the communications. They are not sure what they mean. For all they know, the "uncles" might be on the other side of the border waiting for the "marriage" to go off well.
Terrorists and their agents alert associates when the police increases security by saying, "Hyderabad mein mausam garam hai (Hyderabad is getting hot)". Policemen are called "tax officials". The police recently came to know that a terror agent was trying to recruit a young man through the Internet. After some time, the young man replied: "Aap ki bimari mujhe bhi ho gaya. Dawa bhejiye (I have caught your disease. Send me medicine)." "We did not understand it at first," said a senior police officer, adding, "After one terrorist was caught he told us that they were talking about jihadi operations."
Terrorists never use words such as terror, jihad, bomb and explosives in their communications. Sometimes, during telephonic conversations, they use codes like PAG-1 for weapons and ammunition, PAG-2 for radio-controlled devices and PAG-3 for chemicals used for making bombs.
Beauticians altered faces, says Rasheed
By S.A. Ishaqui
Hyderabad, May 15: Human trafficking rackets used beauticians to alter their clients' looks so that they more or less resembled the photographs affixed to original passports.
Several clients were "touched up" by beauticians before they appeared for interviews at the diplomatic missions of various countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom.Arrested travel agent Rasheed told interrogators that racketeers usually picked passports that matched the facial features of those who wanted to be smuggled out.
"Once this was ensured, we sent them to a beautician for the finishing touches," he told the police. "Later they attended interviews at the consulates. We mostly used Mumbai-based beauticians."He disclosed that some times the racketeers used to "purchase" passports of lookalikes. But, in most cases, the clients managed quite well with the help of beauticians.
The rackets also occasionally made use of beauticians in Ahmedabad and Hyderabad. They were paid Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000, depending on the degree of alteration needed.Meanwhile, sleuths of the city's Central Crime Station produced Rasheed before the XIIth additional chief metropolitan court on Tuesday and the judge directed that he be remanded to judicial custody till May 18.
The court rejected the bail petitions of TRS MLA Lingaiah and Rasheed and granted conditional bail to Muzaffar Ali Khan, a former TD corporator. The police informed the court that they had seized eight passports, a computer hard disk, telephone dairy and photographs and ration cards of Jagdish Patel and Sangeetha Ben Patel from Rasheed.
Hyderabad, May 15: Human trafficking rackets used beauticians to alter their clients' looks so that they more or less resembled the photographs affixed to original passports.
Several clients were "touched up" by beauticians before they appeared for interviews at the diplomatic missions of various countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom.Arrested travel agent Rasheed told interrogators that racketeers usually picked passports that matched the facial features of those who wanted to be smuggled out.
"Once this was ensured, we sent them to a beautician for the finishing touches," he told the police. "Later they attended interviews at the consulates. We mostly used Mumbai-based beauticians."He disclosed that some times the racketeers used to "purchase" passports of lookalikes. But, in most cases, the clients managed quite well with the help of beauticians.
The rackets also occasionally made use of beauticians in Ahmedabad and Hyderabad. They were paid Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000, depending on the degree of alteration needed.Meanwhile, sleuths of the city's Central Crime Station produced Rasheed before the XIIth additional chief metropolitan court on Tuesday and the judge directed that he be remanded to judicial custody till May 18.
The court rejected the bail petitions of TRS MLA Lingaiah and Rasheed and granted conditional bail to Muzaffar Ali Khan, a former TD corporator. The police informed the court that they had seized eight passports, a computer hard disk, telephone dairy and photographs and ration cards of Jagdish Patel and Sangeetha Ben Patel from Rasheed.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
I’ve a soft spot for ghazals’Balwinder Singh, City Police Commissioner
Hyderabad :
I enjoy music, particularly A. R. Rahman’s songs. Woh kagaz ki kashti, woh barish ka pani, a ghazal rendered by ghazal king Jagjit Singh is one of my all-time favourites. I become nostalgic when I listen to this ghazal, as it brings back memories of my childhood. One track that can instantly pep me up is ‘Yeh desh hai veer jawano ka...’ from Dilip Kumar’s film Naya Daur. Chupke chupke, raat din an enchanting ghazal of Badshah-E-Ghazal Ghulam Ali is among my non-film favourites.I also enjoy the latest hits. The music score in Rang de Basanti stands out among the current younger generation films and I love its music. Other songs that I really like are Yeh jo mohabbat hain, Zindagi ke Safar mein and Dil aaj shayer hain — all by Kishore Kumar, and Tum ko dekha to yeh qhayal aaya by Jagjit Singh, Hum tere shehar mein by Ghulam Ali and Chhuu lene do naazuk by Mohd Rafi.
(As told to S. A. Ishaqui ) Date 14-07-2007
I enjoy music, particularly A. R. Rahman’s songs. Woh kagaz ki kashti, woh barish ka pani, a ghazal rendered by ghazal king Jagjit Singh is one of my all-time favourites. I become nostalgic when I listen to this ghazal, as it brings back memories of my childhood. One track that can instantly pep me up is ‘Yeh desh hai veer jawano ka...’ from Dilip Kumar’s film Naya Daur. Chupke chupke, raat din an enchanting ghazal of Badshah-E-Ghazal Ghulam Ali is among my non-film favourites.I also enjoy the latest hits. The music score in Rang de Basanti stands out among the current younger generation films and I love its music. Other songs that I really like are Yeh jo mohabbat hain, Zindagi ke Safar mein and Dil aaj shayer hain — all by Kishore Kumar, and Tum ko dekha to yeh qhayal aaya by Jagjit Singh, Hum tere shehar mein by Ghulam Ali and Chhuu lene do naazuk by Mohd Rafi.
(As told to S. A. Ishaqui ) Date 14-07-2007
CID seeks nod to test Ramoji firm hard disc
By Our Correspondent
Hyderabad, March 26: The Crime Investigation Department (CID) on Monday filed a petition in the first additional chief metropolitan magistrate court seeking permission to scrutinise documents seized from Margadarsi Financiers. The CID also requested the court to allow it to send a hard disc seized from the main server of Margadarsi Financiers for forensic examination. The CID said it needed assistance from technical, finance and forensic experts to access and scrutinise documents.
First additional chief metropolitan magistrate Prameela Reddy admitted the petition and posted the hearing to March 30. The court said it will also hear a petition filed by Margadarsi Financiers seeking documents from CID on the same day. Sources in the CID told this correspondent that certificates issued by Margadarsi Financiers carried a code word besides the amount of money deposited. The code, which is numerical or alpha-numerical, triggered suspicion, forcing them to seek the court’s permission to send the certificates to the State Forensic Laboratory for decoding.Sources told this correspondent that the CID suspected that the company had maintained fake deposits. Sources said that the company had allegedly "undervalued" the deposited money. Officials have alleged that though a certificate is issued for a face value of Rs 1 lakh, the actual money deposited could be more. The CID has sought the permission from the court to decipher the code used by the company
By Our Correspondent
Hyderabad, March 26: The Crime Investigation Department (CID) on Monday filed a petition in the first additional chief metropolitan magistrate court seeking permission to scrutinise documents seized from Margadarsi Financiers. The CID also requested the court to allow it to send a hard disc seized from the main server of Margadarsi Financiers for forensic examination. The CID said it needed assistance from technical, finance and forensic experts to access and scrutinise documents.
First additional chief metropolitan magistrate Prameela Reddy admitted the petition and posted the hearing to March 30. The court said it will also hear a petition filed by Margadarsi Financiers seeking documents from CID on the same day. Sources in the CID told this correspondent that certificates issued by Margadarsi Financiers carried a code word besides the amount of money deposited. The code, which is numerical or alpha-numerical, triggered suspicion, forcing them to seek the court’s permission to send the certificates to the State Forensic Laboratory for decoding.Sources told this correspondent that the CID suspected that the company had maintained fake deposits. Sources said that the company had allegedly "undervalued" the deposited money. Officials have alleged that though a certificate is issued for a face value of Rs 1 lakh, the actual money deposited could be more. The CID has sought the permission from the court to decipher the code used by the company
Intelligence sleuths tap mobiles
By S. A Ishaqui
Hyderabad July 14: Intelligence sleuths are eavesdropping on the mobile phone conversations of persons suspected to have links with terror groups. They are also conducting random snooping of mobile phone conversations among the general public citing internal security reasons. Sources said that hundreds of mobile users including advocates, high profile persons and known sympathisers of terror networks were being snooped upon.
The State intelligence has procured equipment to record the conversations. A special provision in law enables intelligence agencies to keep tab on mobile conversations of individuals who may pose threats to internal security.
Technology is available which will help police and mobile service providers to listen and even record conversations. "There is no provision in the Constitution which enables us to tap phone conversations of individuals on mere suspicion," said a senior police officer.
"But it is done by intelligence agencies when the issue is one of national security." "It has helped solve some complicated cases," said a top intelligence official. "We are working closely with private telephone companies."
A software expert, Mohammed Ali, said that sometimes service providers also listen to private conversations of their subscribers.
They do this mostly to track the defaulters (customers) with the help of network coverage antennas. "If you notice an echo effect, a low long beep and wind noise while talking, there is a possibility that someone is listening," said a software expert.
Hyderabad July 14: Intelligence sleuths are eavesdropping on the mobile phone conversations of persons suspected to have links with terror groups. They are also conducting random snooping of mobile phone conversations among the general public citing internal security reasons. Sources said that hundreds of mobile users including advocates, high profile persons and known sympathisers of terror networks were being snooped upon.
The State intelligence has procured equipment to record the conversations. A special provision in law enables intelligence agencies to keep tab on mobile conversations of individuals who may pose threats to internal security.
Technology is available which will help police and mobile service providers to listen and even record conversations. "There is no provision in the Constitution which enables us to tap phone conversations of individuals on mere suspicion," said a senior police officer.
"But it is done by intelligence agencies when the issue is one of national security." "It has helped solve some complicated cases," said a top intelligence official. "We are working closely with private telephone companies."
A software expert, Mohammed Ali, said that sometimes service providers also listen to private conversations of their subscribers.
They do this mostly to track the defaulters (customers) with the help of network coverage antennas. "If you notice an echo effect, a low long beep and wind noise while talking, there is a possibility that someone is listening," said a software expert.
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