Victim alleges he was hypnotised by the accused and looted

 
This Baba is not blessed with spiritual powers, but with hypnotising tricks to dupe people without letting them know how and why they gave him money. The Baba duped Uppal, the incharge of an old age home in Kanjhawala, of Rs 40,000 and also took money from the inmates of the establishment.

75-year-old Baba Sant Dass stayed at the home from June 25 to July 15. However, during his stay there he had gone to Karol bagh for a few days and duped a 19-year-old. A source claims that after the incident he had returned to the old age home.

The residents said that they saw his identity card which displayed an MBBS and an MD degree. Uppal said: "He had managed to extort Rs 40,000 from me and few thousand from others here. What is shocking to us is that no one remembers for what reason we had given the money to him.

Even if my son asks me for money I question him repeatedly before handing it over. How can I blindly give money to the Baba? We think he had hypnotised us to extract the money. I am ashamed of what had happened and as the place's incharge, take the entire responsibility for it. We have lost hope of getting the money back."

"The Baba is also one of the best doctors I have ever met. He told us that he is an MBBS and an MD. I don't have any doubts about that as he had treated many of the inmates. He is a very intelligent man, can speak fluent English and had very good relations with everyone in the home," he added

This is not the lone example of the Baba's deeds. He also took money from a young girl by assuring her of a job. The girl, Sunitha, said: "I met this man at Karol bagh Metro station. He had shown me his identity card which said that he was a co-producer at Information and Broadcasting Ministry in Mumbai.

He had promised me a good job and fixed an appointment at the Taj Palace near Patel Marg. I was told to give an audition of a beggar and was asked to remove my jewellery for the same. As I was about to start acting, he moved out saying that he would return 'in a minute.' I waited for a while, when he didn't come I went to the place where I had kept my jewellery and to my horror found all my valuables missing."

A senior police official said: "Baba Sant Dass is a very intelligent criminal. Many cases are lodged against him in other states as well. The investigation is going on and we'll track him very soon".

Deeds in disguise

Baba Sant Dass had hired a car (DL3caf7888) from South Indian Hotel in Karol Bagh in Delhi on July 4 to take him to his ashram. He had given an address in Mumbai. But soon after they started from the Hotel, he asked the driver to take him to Patel Nagar from where he picked up a 19-year-old girl. They went to Hotel Melfort in Gurgaon and spent five hours in room no 102 after which he dropped the girl in Delhi. On returning, the manager of the hotel and the Baba sat drinking beer till late at night. He served the driver a beer which was laced with sedatives and fled with his car.
He had stayed in the hotel on various occasions before the incident and the hotel staff was familiar to him.
In another case four months ago, a fake Baba in Sikandarpur had fled with the car of one of his disciples
 

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Civil Aviation Minister chose to fly private airline 70 % more than struggling national carrier during the last one year

This would definitely not be music to the ears of the cash-strapped Air India.
Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel, who had been making a strong case for reviving the national carrier, has been patronising the number one rival of the airlines instead.
Patel chose to fly Kingfisher Airlines about 70 per cent more than Air India for all domestic travels during the last one year, it has been learnt. 

The loss-making national carrier has been struggling to pay salary to its 31,000 staff.  It posted a net loss of Rs 5,200 crore in 2008-09 and is expected to lose another Rs 5,400 crore in the fiscal ended March 2010.
In fact, in July 2009, the Finance Ministry had ordered all central government employees to fly only on the state-owned flag carrier for their official travel -- both domestic and international.

The order was issued to shore up revenue streams for the cash-strapped Air India and to lend confidence to a clutch of lenders the airlines had planned to tap for medium term loans.

"For travel to stations not connected by AI, officials may travel by AI to the point closest to their eventual destination, beyond which they may utilise the services of another airline, which should also preferably be an alliance partner of the national carrier," the order stated. 

Patel, however, chose to fly the number one private airlines for most of his domestic travels undertaken during the period June 1, 2009 to July 2, 2010.

RTI reveals
The details were revealed by the Ministry of Civil Aviation in response to a Right to Information plea filed by Jagjit Singh, a central government employee himself.
Singh had sought to know the full details of the air travels undertaken by Patel--both domestic and international.

Out of the total 41 domestic flights between Delhi and Mumbai, Patel has flown Kingfisher 26 times.
"It is intriguing that the minister who stresses the need for revival of the national carrier himself chooses to ignore it," said Singh.

He pointed out that Patel incurred Rs 5.97 lakh on his travels by the airlines owned by Vijay Mallya's UB group. "Only Rs 2.36 lakh went to the Indian Airlines," he added.

Patel also undertook five international travels during the period for which information was sought. Out of the five flights that the minister took to Paris and London, Istanbul, Dubai, USA and UK and Germany and UK, he flew by Air India on two occasions. The details of the other three were not given by the ministry, stating bills for the same were yet to be cleared.

The Other Side
"I am the Union Civil Aviation Minister and not the minister in-charge for Air India. As a minister, it is not bounding upon me to fly only one particular airline. I fly according to my convenience," said Patel.  When MiD DAY asked him about his claims of reviving ailing AI, he said, "I'm not only minister for Indian Airlines, but for the entire Indian aviation industry. So I can fly any airlines depending on my schedule and availability of flight."
 
AI's crisis
The National Aviation Company of India Ltd (Nacil), which runs AI, is facing a financial crisis after its borrowings rose sharply to Rs 15,241 crore in June 2009 from Rs 6,550 crore in November 2007. A part of the borrowings was for buying new aircraft.

The merged company inherited an order placed in 2005 for 111 planes -- 68 Boeing and 43 Airbus --valued at nearly $15 billion at list prices.

The central government in February this year had approved an equity infusion of Rs 800 crore for the ailing carrier in two instalments to tide over the cash flow problem and finance fleet acquisition plans.

The airline was also waiting for a Cabinet nod to raise its working capital by Rs 1,000 crore. Currently, the airline's working capital is Rs 17,000 crore.
 

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It's a Herculean task before the Hulimavu police as they have stepped up to gather material evidence against Infosys HR Manager Satish Gupta, who killed his wife Priyanka in a cold-blooded manner over a domestic row last week.

Satish was picked up for questioning, but soon produced before a magistrate for custody as his parents had planned to file a habeas corpus at the court objecting their son's custody.

The police, who suspected his behaviour, took him soon after his wife's cremation and a detailed enquiry led him to confess that he had murdered Priyanka.

 
Priyanka Gupta with her husband Satish Gupta.
 

Satish told the police that Priyanka used to ill treat his parents.

For the same reason, they had started living separately from his parents for the past eight months.

Allegedly, Priyanka used to create a scene whenever his parents used to visit their house, and also humiliate them. She even used to fight with Satish over giving them money.

Fed up of all this, Satish decided to eliminate her and chalked out a murder plan. Last Tuesday, Satish strangulated Priyanka and slit her throat after tying her body to a chair. He then ransacked the house and took away some cash, to make it look like a murder for gain.

He insisted that his friend had come jogging with him, to create an alibi. While they were jogging, he pretended that he was getting a call from Priyanka.

During the initial questioning, Satish had told the police that Priyanka had called him saying that there were some magazine subscription executives at the door, and had later switched her phone off.

But the police traced both calls received and made from Satish's and Priyanka's phones, from a single mobile tower. This led them to suspect Satish's involvement.

"We have another six days to corroborate the material evidence as the accused is not cooperating with the police," Deputy Commissioner of Police BNS Reddy said adding that they have ruled out the possibility of others' involvement.
 

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Cornered by special staff sleuths gangster calls up local police to escape 'unhurt'

It's not just ordinary people in distress who are calling the cops. Even notorious criminals, who refuse to 'bite the bullet' have started dialling '100' to save their lives.

Sarvan Kumar, a wanted criminal from Delhi and Haryana, put the number to good use when he was cornered by a team of Delhi police special staff in Bawana area.

Kumar had gone to Bawana to meet one of his associates. The special staff of the outer district police got a tip-off and reached the spot where the notorious gangster was meeting his associates. A gun-battle soon erupted and when he could not find any escape, Kumar called up the police control room several times from his cell phone telling them that an encounter was on.

The police control room in turn informed the local police that reached the spot immediately and arrested Kumar and his two associates.

Top officials remain tight-lipped about the incident, some even refusing to acknowledge that any such encounter even occurred in Bawana. However, highly placed sources in the Delhi police confirmed the gun-battle and also how Kumar was able to save himself by calling up the local police.

"He was scared that the special staff sleuths would eliminate him. Shots were being fired from both sides and therefore Kumar called up the PCR. He knew that as soon as the local cops arrive on the spot, they will stop the special staff cops and take him into their custody," sources said.

They said police teams from the outer district and crime branch were on the tail of Kumar for the past few months.

Usually Kumar did not carry a cell phone for the fear of being traced by the police. However, incidentally he had his phone with him when he went to Bawana and got cornered by the police.
"We have arrested Sarvan Kumar along with his associates. We are investigating the cases against him and will proceed accordingly," said a top police official, requesting anonymity.
 

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Ferries school children free of cost to their destination, distributes sweets
 
In a time when autorickshaw drivers have been accused of their uncouth behaviour, Raja, an auto driver, celebrated  the 64th Independence Day in a unique style by providing free trips to school children to the Lalbagh flower show and distributing sweets to all.

His first free trip to Lalbagh was from Ramakrishna Ashram and later in the day from Bapujinagar, Vidyapeetha Circle, Binnypet, N R Colony and Hosakerehalli.

"A few high school students were waiting for the bus at Hosakerehalli. When I came to know that they wanted to go to Lalbagh, I dropped them," said Raja.

 
Autorickshaw driver Raja hopes children will also repay society by doing something similar.
 

"Maybe when these children grow up, they will remember my small service, and try to repay the society by doing something similar."

Raja had put up a poster on his rickshaw a day before, that read: 'Free drop to Lalbagh for school children'.
 
Until last year, Raja used to distribute sweets to whoever boarded his rickshaw on Independence Day, but this year he wanted to do something special for school kids.

Pradeep, Sunil Kumar, Divya, Ranjitha and Shweta were given the free drop. "We are thankful to Raja uncle for his services," said Sunil.

For this gesture, Raja was showered with tips from the public. "One person gave me Rs 150 and the other gave me Rs 500 after seeing the message displayed on my auto.

Prema P (18), who was travelling with her mother Susheela, said, "I boarded the rickshaw at Bhagavan Mahaveer Jain Hospital and wanted to go to Hosakerehalli. Instead of the Rs 90, I was asked to pay only Rs 50."

Raja carried around 40 school children in seven trips.

"In my hurry, I overloaded my rickshaw with five students, but the traffic police, instead of fining me, appreciated my efforts," beamed Raja.

Traffic Sub-Inspector G Nagabhushana at the Lalbagh gate said, "Other drivers should learn from him."
 

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Man held in Defence Colony for forging signatures to steal Rs 6 lakh

The next time a private bank makes you go through a whole host of verification processes while withdrawing money, don't lose your patience. It is for your own good.

A man was caught with two stolen cheques amounting to Rs 6 lakh bearing forged signatures when he went to en-cash them in a private bank in the Defence Colony area of south Delhi on August 12.

Jagdish Singh used to work with Indian Confectionery Manufacturers Association (ICMA) and he allegedly stole two cheques from the company and forged the signature of his senior P K Jaiswal, the secretary of the organisation.

"Jaiswal received a call from the bank that someone had produced two cheques of his company but the
signatures did not match. Jaiswal found two cheques missing and got Jagdish arrested. The accused has confessed to his involvement in the crime," said a senior police officer.
 

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While the state government managed to convince employees in government-owned hospitals to get inoculated with the injectable swine-flu vaccine, it seems to have had little success in getting employees of private hospitals to do the same.

According to the BMC, only four private hospitals in the city have come forward to procure the vaccine. "Out of the 80 doses given to the four hospitals, only 30 have been used. The vaccines were given only to those hospitals that have swine flu isolation centres," said Dr Mangala Gomare, head of BMC's immunisation department.

Lilavati Hospital, Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Hinduja Hospital and Sushrusha Hospital in Dadar were given 20 doses each. While Lilavati has used up all the doses, Hinduja and Sushrusha have not inoculated even a single doctor or paramedic.

"We have vaccinated 20 health personnel who work to tackle swine flu at the hospital. I have even asked the civic body to give us another 20 doses as other staffers are also ready to get vaccinated," said Dr Sheela Prasad, medical superintendent, Lilavati Hospital.

Poor response
Dr V M Kulkarni, assistant director and in-charge, immunisation, Directorate of Health Services, said,  "The overall response to the vaccination drive has not been satisfactory across the state. Eight districts -- including Nashik, Hingoli and Parbhani -- have not inoculated even one health professional. In our directives, we have asked the district level officers to motivate people to come forward to get vaccinated and send the unused doses to the Pune centre by August 20."

Mumbai, which had received 1,200 doses, has used only 602 whereas Pune has inoculated 4,445 health personnel. The state had received a total of 34,340 swine flu vaccines, of which 7,482 have been used.

When questioned about the tepid response, Dr Sanjay Oak, dean, KEM, said, "The immunity provided by the vaccine lasts only a year. Also, the doctors feel that opting for the vaccine is unnecessary if they can be cured by Tamiflu."
 
"Since August 2009, 612 people have died after contracting the H1N1 virus in the state, which has seen the highest mortality rate in the country. People are shying away from taking the vaccine because most deaths have been reported from the Pune circle only. While people in Pune are coming forward for the vaccine in droves out of fear, people in other districts are still casual about the disease," said a state health official.
 

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Around 1.30 am, a team of police officers from Mira Road arrested Nizamuddin Ansari, the suspect in the murder of his elder brother on Saturday.

According to officials, Nizamuddin was trailed and nabbed through his phone records. "We rushed to the spot after we received a call at 2.30 pm on Saturday and saw Mustafa Ansari's body lying in a pool of blood," said Senior Inspector Avinash Sawant.

Officials told MiD DAY that Mustafa had entered his store in Poonam Building to meet his younger brother around 11.30 am on Saturday.

Anand Gopal, who is one of the eyewitnesses, provided the police with a sketch of Nizamuddin, said API Ravi Adhane.

The police have run a background check and it has been exposed that Nizamuddin was having an illicit relationship.

The police also claim that the motive for the murder could be a love affair. The police are also questioning the family members. 
 

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Top model's rakhi brother provides fresh leads in the case; has shared her FB messages with Khar police

It appears that Viveka Babajee's demise may never die out from public memory. In a new twist to the story, a month-and-a-half after the supermodel was found dead in her Khar apartment on June 25, Jonaid Bin Tajuddin Mohammed, whom Viveka called her brother alleges that her boyfriend could somehow be involved in her death, or might know more than he was willing to reveal.

Jonaid Bin Tajuddin Mohammed  has opened a can of worms when he sent a letter to the Khar police last week about the emails and messages that he shared with Babajee about her life, Gautam Vora and work. In his letter, he alleges that Babajee was in depression because of Vora.

Jonaid told MiD DAY that he had met Babajee a year back at an event and became close friends. Jonaid said, she added me as a friend on Facebook. "We developed a brother-sister relationship."

When MiD DAY asked Jonaid about his allegations, he said, "Gautam Vora is the one who committed foul play. First he broke up saying that her family was not accepting him and then tried to patch things up. I have her messages and mails to prove it." Confirming the news of the breakthrough in the case, senior police inspector Mangesh Kote of the Khar Police station, said, "We have received Jonaid's letter. We are looking into the matter, but we cannot comment. He has provided us with details about their conversations on email."

Investigating sources believe that Jonaid's letter will be an important piece of evidence. However, when asked about the delay, they explained that Jonaid was unable to get in touch with Babajee's family resulting in the holdup.

Reacting to the new development in the case, Dale Bhagwagar, acting as the spokesperson for Viveka's family, said, "Jonaid, who considered Viveka his sister, had a few pointers to make about the case. Since these were pertaining to discussions, which he had with Viveka regarding her ex-boyfriend Gautam Vora, and a couple of new facts relating to the case, the family requested him to file the details with Khar Police Station. His office has informed us by email that he has duly filed these details through his lawyer here."

Timeline
In the letter that Jonaid has submitted to the police, he mentions the messages that he shared with Babajee a few months before her demise. MiD DAY provides you with a timeline of the incidents leading up to her demise. On May 27, Vora and Babajee had a fight, as her family did not approve of their relationship. Later on June 3, he sent her a message on Facebook to be friends and rekindled their romance.

On June 17, they had another fight and broke up for the second time. According to Jonaid, Vora kept saying that Babajee did not love him, which disturbed her. Jonaid claims that at this point of time, Babajee was receiving illicit messages and prank calls. 

Jonaid said that on June 18 at 2.30 pm he received a message on Facebook from Babajee. It read, "How can I not be moody Jonaid, I am getting mails with illicit language in it, crank calls and they are trying to ruin my reputation and I have a boyfriend who does not believe me. BULLCRAP I am sick and tired of this."

On June 24, a day before Babajee's demise, Babajee spoke to Jonaid about her work and nothing else. "I know something was troubling her but she did not say anything to me," he said. 
 

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Model who accused two senior citizens of rape in February says they want to murder her now; duo refutes charge

 
Six months after she accused two senior citizens of raping her, an aspiring actress has lodged a police complaint that her alleged rapists are threatening to kill her.

The model-cum-actress, Anara Sharma (name changed), had in February accused the two businessmen, Umesh Reshamwala (60) and Sayyed Alim (63), of raping her under the pretext of helping her in her career.

After Sharma lodged a complaint at Oshiwara police station in February, the two were arrested on charges of rape and released on bail three months ago. In her complaint, Sharma had alleged the two accused warned her from going to the police as they claimed to have a CD showing explicit pictures of her.

Death threat
Sharma, who hails from Kanpur, said she had met the duo in Mumbai where she wanted to try her luck at modelling and films. That's when they promised her a role in films, and allegedly exploited her sexually and filmed the act. Subsequently, Sharma shifted to Bangur Nagar in Goregaon (west).

 
"I was living peacefully until a few days ago when the two men landed at my door and threatened to kill me," said Sharma. "They said they would get back at me as I had implicated them falsely."

She claimed the two men often sent their goons to threaten her into taking back her complaint.

"Yesterday, I handed over a letter to the police, seeking security," said Sharma.

Senior Police Inspector of Bangur Nagar police station, Maruti Telang, confirmed having received the letter.

"The matter is being investigated. We may arrest them."

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