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Crime

Pak Hindu community outraged over illegal construction in KP

The Hindu community has moved the Abbottabad bench of the Peshawar High Court, which has admitted the case for hearing and issued notices to the authorities concerned….reports Asian Lite News

Illegal constructions at the site of a 3,000-year-old Shiv temple in Mansehra in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has irked the area’s Hindu community.

According to The News International, despite its religious, historical and architectural significance, the authenticity of the temple is at risk due to the unplanned constructions at the site by the department concerned.

It was reported that toilets are being constructed along the lower sacred cult object, leading many to believe that the temple’s sacredness, historical and architectural originality, and authenticity have been trampled.

The Hindu community has moved the Abbottabad bench of the Peshawar High Court, which has admitted the case for hearing and issued notices to the authorities concerned.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government’s technical team of the board will visit the area in a few days and the issue will be resolved in consultation with all the stakeholders, reported The News International.

All Pakistan Hindu Rights Movement chairman Haroon Sarab Diyal said that the community has brought the issue to the notice of the authorities concerned to stop these constructions at the site to ensure the sacredness and authenticity of this important temple. However, no authority has taken note of the seriousness of the matter.

He said that the Mansehra Shiv Temple is one of the oldest Hindu temples in Pakistan, better known as Chitti Gati, a name that is given due to the presence of the Shiva lingam made of white marble.

“The annual Shivaratri in the temple is visited by people all around Pakistan and from abroad… the temple has a great religious significance and has the potential to attract religious tourists/visitors from home and abroad,” he said.

Archaeology and Museum Director Abdul Samad said that any heritage building which is 100 years old comes under the antiquities definition of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Antiquities Act 2016 and that the recent intervention in the temple in Mansehra is illegal and against the law, The News International reported.

“…We have moved a comprehensive summary to hand overall 100 years and plus old buildings to the archaeology dept for conservation and uplifting. The historic and religious buildings need to be secured for which they should be handed over to the department,” said Samad. (ANI)

ALSO READ: Pakistan concerned over more demographic changes in Kashmir

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-Top News Crime UK News

Met cop pleads guilty to kidnap and rape of Sarah Everard

Everard, a 33-year-old marketing executive, was last seen on March 3 in the Clapham neighborhood of south London…reports Asian Lite News.

A London metropolitan police officer has pleaded guilty to the kidnapping and rape of Sarah Everard, a 33-year-old woman whose body was found in March, leading to a national reckoning in Britain over violence against women.

Wayne Couzens, 48, made the guilty plea at the Old Bailey, the central criminal court, in London on Tuesday, a clerk from the court told CNN.

Couzens also “accepts responsibility” for killing Everard but has not yet been asked to enter a plea on the charge of murder, the Crown Prosecution Service said on Tuesday. He will next appear in court on May 9.

Everard, a 33-year-old marketing executive, was last seen on March 3 in the Clapham neighborhood of south London.

The police said that human remains had been found as part of their investigation into her disappearance, prompting an outpouring of grief from lawmakers, community leaders and London residents.

Couzens, a police constable whose primary role at the time was uniformed patrol duties of diplomatic premises, was arrested and charged with Everard’s kidnap and murder, reported CNN.

Thousands of people gathered in South London on Saturday for a vigil to pay tribute to Everard despite police warnings that the event would defy coronavirus restrictions.

The crowd chanted “Shame on you!” and “How many more!” In what became a rally against gender violence, some clapped their hands and others held tea lights or signs that read “End Violence Against Women.”

Thousands of women in the UK and around the world came forward after Everard’s death to share their own experiences of intimidation or harassment while walking alone at night, CNN reported. (ANI)

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-Top News Crime India News

Antigua begins probe into Choksi’s ‘possible abduction’

Mehul Choksi

Choksi, who is wanted in India by the CBI and the ED in connection with the PNB fraud case, had gone missing on May 23 from Antigua…reports Asian Lite News

Antigua and Barbuda police have commenced an investigation into the possible abduction of Mehul Choksi from Antigua on May 23, 2021.

According to Antigua Ness Room, a news outlet in Carribean island, Prime Minister Gaston Browne has said that Choksi’s lawyers wrote to the police commissioner providing the names of the people he believes abducted him.

Browne said both the police and the government are taking the allegations seriously.

While speaking to a radio, Browne said that he has learnt that Choksi has filed a complaint with Antigua and Barbuda police that he was abducted and taken to Dominica.

“Choksi has filed a complaint with the Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda to the extant that he was abducted. He made a formal claim through his attorneys that he was abducted from Antigua and taken to Dominica so it is a report that police is taking seriously and they are currently investigating the abduction,” Browne said.

A Dominican High Court will hear Choksi’s bail plea later in the day.

Meanwhile another report in the Associates Times found out fault in the theory of Dominica opposition leader Lennox Linton, who had reportedly claimed that Choksi was brought to Dominica in the Yacht Calliope of Arne around 10 p.m. on May 23.

Choksi, who is wanted in India by the CBI and the ED in connection with the PNB fraud case, had gone missing on May 23 from Antigua sparking a massive manhunt. He was captured in Dominica on May 26.

ALSO READ: Choksi alleges abduction by Indian agents

Choksi and his lawyers had claimed that he was forced on a vessel and was abducted.

On June 2, Choksi pleaded not guilty to illegal entry before the court and was denied bail.

He appeared before the magistrate on a wheelchair in a blue T-shirt and black trousers.

According to Dominica News Online, the magistrate’s court denied bail to Choksi after the government prosecutor argued that he was facing 11 offences in India and extradition proceedings in Antigua and could be a flight risk.

The 62-year-old left India in January 2018, days before the CBI registered a case.

On May 27, first pictures of Choksi emerged online, showing several signs of bruises on his arms and a swollen eye.

ALSO READ: Mehul Choksi captured in Dominica

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Africa News Crime

Bandits kill 88 in Nigeria

A man stands by a burnt bicycle in Gwaska village, Nigeria's northwest state of Kaduna, on May 8, 2018. The death toll of an attack on Gwaska village in Kaduna has risen to 73. (Xinhua/Olatunji Saliu/IANS)

The bandits launched attacks on eight different communities in the Danko-Wasagu local government area of the state…reports Asian Lite News

At least 88 people were killed and several others injured following attacks by bandits in Nigeria’s northwestern state of Kebbi, police confirmed.

The bandits launched attacks on eight different communities in the Danko-Wasagu local government area of the state, Nafi’u Abubakar, the state police spokesperson told reporters on Saturday.

“Initially, the bodies recovered were 66 but as I am talking to you now, about 88 bodies have been recovered,” Xinhua news agency quoted Abubakar as saying.

Security operatives were deployed to the communities to forestall further attacks, he said.

In April, nine policemen and two members of a civilian defence group in Kebbi were killed while repelling an attack.

ALSO READ: India needs to make fast moves in Africa

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Crime UK News

Christian Michel’s kin urge UK intervention

Christian Michel James

Addressing a virtual press conference, Michel’s sons Alaric and Alois Michel said that they have been more and more concerned for their father’s well-being…reports Asian Lite News

The family of alleged AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal middleman Christian Michel on Thursday expressed concern for his well-being amid the continuing Covid-19 pandemic in India and urged the British authorities to intervene on behalf of the accused being held in Delhi’s Tihar Jail.

Addressing a virtual press conference, Michel’s sons Alaric and Alois Michel said that they have been more and more concerned for their father’s well-being amid the continuing Covid-19 pandemic within the nation’s prisons and his medical situation involving kidney stones.

Alaric said that his father was rotting in jail amid fears about rising Covid-19 cases in India. “We want his trial to take place despite fears that such a trial won’t be free and fair… We are imploring the UK government to do what is right, which is protecting one of its citizens who is being treated badly,” he said.

His younger brother Alois said that his family has been waiting for more than three years for developments in Michel’s case amid fears about a trial ever happening.

Alaric said: “It has been extraordinarily onerous on us, particularly our 17-year-old sister. We’re involved for our father’s well-being given the Covid-19 pandemic and his medical situation.”

Michel was extradited to India on December 5, 2018 from the United Arab Emirates. On his arrival in India, he was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and days later, arrested by financial probe agency, the Enforcement Directorate.

An Italian Navy AW101 which is the same model purchased under this deal(wikipedia)

Since then, he has been lodged in judicial custody at Tihar Jail.

The press conference was organised by Guernica 37 Worldwide Justice Chambers in London.

Besides Michel’s sons, his lawyers Francois Zimeray and Toby Cadman, who are working with his Indian counsel Aljo Joseph, also said that they feared he would not get a free and fair trial in India.

Michel had recently sought bail in connection with the cases registered against him by the CBI and the ED on the grounds that the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) concluded his detention was arbitrary.

His layers said that they planned to petition the UN to take further action following India’s failure to act on WGAD recommendation in March this year that Michel should be immediately freed.

The lawyers also said that they will also submit a report to the UK government and the European Union on Michel’s case.

Zimeray said he had rarely seen “such a lack of respect for basic human rights and indifference”.

He said that the UN panel’s recommendations did not amount to a political decision as WGAD’s findings were technical in nature and based on whether India’s position was in line with international treaties and conventions it has signed.

He noted that it is up to the UK government to raise its voice and raise the issue (with India) as Michel has been jailed for political reasons.

Indian courts have rejected the bail pertition of Michel on number of occasions.

On September 19 last year, the CBI filed a supplementary charge sheet against 15 accused, including Michel and accused-turned-approver Rajiv Saxena, in connection with the alleged corruption in the Rs 3,600 crore AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal.

The CBI had earlier filed a charge sheet in this case on September 1, 2017 against then IAF chief S.P. Tyagi and 11 other accused.

On January 1, 2014, India cancelled the contract with Finmeccanica’s British subsidiary AgustaWestland for supplying 12 AW-101 VVIP choppers to the IAF over alleged breach of contractual obligations and on charges of paying kickbacks amounting to Rs 423 crore.

ALSO READ: Over half of UK adults fully vaccinated

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-Top News Crime India News

Gambhir’s foundation found guilty of illegal stocking of Covid drug

Gautam Gambhir. (File Photo: IANS)

The drug controller informed that action will be taken against Gambhir’s foundation, drug dealers, as well as other such cases…reports Asian Lite News

The Delhi government drug controller on Thursday informed the high court that Gautam Gambhir’s foundation has been found guilty of non-authorised stocking, procuring and distributing Fabiflu medicine used for Covid-19 patients.

The drug controller informed the Delhi High Court that action will be taken against Gambhir’s foundation, drug dealers, as well as other such cases which were brought to its notice.

The drug controller also informed the court that MLA Praveen Kumar has also been found guilty of similar offences under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.

The court asked the drug controller to submit a status report on progress made in these cases within six weeks. The court has posted the matter for further hearing on July 29.

Gautam Gambhir Foundation(Twitter)

On May 31, the Delhi High Court had said it cannot be taken for a ride, as it pulled up the drug controller, for not properly probing the issues involved with procurement of huge quantity of Fabiflu, used in the treatment of Covid-19 patients, by BJP MP Gautam Gambhir.

A bench comprising Justices Vipin Sanghi and Jasmeet Singh had said: “You can’t take us for a ride. If you think we are so naive, we are not.”

Slamming the drug controller, the bench added, “You better do your job. If you can’t do your job, tell us, we will have you suspended and let someone else do your job.”

Rejecting the status report filed by the drug controller, the court said its confidence in the drug controller was shaken. The report was filed in connection with its probe into procurement of the medicine by cricketer-turned-politician Gambhir.

The court noted it was well-known that the essential Covid drug was in short supply.

ALSO READ: Choksi alleges abduction by Indian agents

However, Gambhir purchased several strips of the medicine; and others, who needed it, could not get it, the bench added. “You (drug controller) are wrong to say it was not in short supply. You want us to shut our eyes. You think you would get away with this,” said the bench.

The high court did not mince words in criticizing recent statement by Gambhir stating that he will continue to do such work.

The bench said: “We have already said it is a malpractice. This tendency of people trying to take advantage and then trying to appear as a saviour when they themselves created the problem, has to be denounced.”

The court also examined the report in connection with the allegations against AAP MLAs Priti Tomar and Praveen Kumar for hoarding of medical oxygen.

The report in connection with allegations against Tomar was accepted by the court, however, it trashed the reports in connection with Gambhir and Kumar. The court gave three days to the drug controller of the Delhi government to file better reports.

The court was hearing a PIL seeking registration of a case on the allegations that politicians are able to procure in huge quantities and distribute Covid-19 medicines even as patients were running from pillar to post to get them amid a brutal second wave of the pandemic.

ALSO READ: India shifts focus on doers not talkers to boost post-Covid economy

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Crime India News

Choksi moved to quarantine facility in Dominica

Mehul Choksi in prison

On Saturday, pictures of Choksi released by Antigua Newsroom showed him behind bars and with injuries on his hands and a swollen and bruised left eye…reports Asian Lite News

Fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi has been moved to the government quarantine facility in Dominica, according to sources on Sunday.

On Saturday, pictures of Choksi released by Antigua Newsroom showed him behind bars and with injuries on his hands and a swollen and bruised left eye.

These were the first public pictures of Choksi, who had reportedly gone missing on Sunday (May 23) evening. He was later apprehended by Dominica Police on Wednesday and had been in their custody since then.

On Friday, the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court allowed Choksi to be transported to a hospital for medical attention and for the administration of a COVID-19 test.

Efforts have been scaled up to bring back the fugitive businessman to India. ANI has learnt that multiple agencies are in touch with the government of Dominica on the issue which has been told that Choksi is originally an Indian citizen and had taken on new citizenship to escape the law in India after having committed a fraud of almost two billion US dollars.

It is reliably gathered that India through back-channel and diplomatic route has clearly told Dominica that Choksi should be treated as a fugitive Indian citizen who has an Interpol Red Corner notice against him and he should be handed over to Indian authorities for deportation and to face the law in India for his alleged deeds which have robbed the Indian public of billions of dollars.

A Dominican court has extended till June 2 its order restraining the extradition of Choksi from Dominica. The High Court will also hear the Indian fugitive’s habeas corpus plea on that date.

Choksi and his nephew Nirav Modi are wanted in India for allegedly siphoning off Rs 13,500 crore of public money from the state-run Punjab National Bank (PNB) using letters of undertaking. (ANI)

ALSO READ: Mehul Choksi captured in Dominica

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China Crime

China rejects calls for release of scholar held for alleged spying

Yuan Keqin, a former professor at the Hokkaido University of Education in Japan, was detained in May 2019, when he was in China for a temporary return home…reports Asian Lite News

China’s foreign ministry on Wednesday dismissed calls for the release of a Chinese scholar who is being held on suspicion of spying for Japan.

Yuan Keqin, a former professor at the Hokkaido University of Education in Japan, was detained in May 2019, when he was in China for a temporary return home, reported NHK World.

However, Yuan’s family and fellow researchers have claimed that he is innocent and called for his immediate release.

Reacting to this, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told reporters on Wednesday that Yuan is a Chinese citizen but was long involved in spying at the request of Japan’s intelligence agency.

He also claimed Yuan has admitted to committing such a crime and there is hard evidence. Zho also informed that the imprisoned scholar has already been indicted and is currently on trial.

Yuan is one of the many academic detained recently by China under its anti-espionage law, reported NHK World.

The Chinese government initially stayed silent on Yuan’s whereabouts. But in late March, about 10 months after his disappearance, the authorities admitted officially that they had detained him.

China’s current anti-espionage law came into effect in 2014 as President Xi Jinping’s leadership began increasing censorship, which can amount to the death penalty if the law deems anyone harming national security.

A report on human rights issued by the US State Department in March claims that Chinese authorities have arbitrarily detained citizens and foreigners, citing national security, and argues that the scope of the law is broad and ambiguous.

Meanwhile, the Japanese government says 15 of its nationals have been detained in the past five years, reported NHK World. (ANI)]

ALSO READ: EU-India ties grow amid tensions with China

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Crime India News

Mehul Choksi captured in Dominica

Mehul Choksi

The Antigua Observer reported that Choksi is in the custody of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Dominica…reports Asin Lite News

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCovLHOooaU

Fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi, who is wanted by the CBI and the ED in connection with the Rs 13,500 crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) loan fraud case, has reportedly been taken into custody in Dominica, media reports said.

The Antigua Observer reported that Choksi is in the custody of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Dominica.

Choksi was reported missing on Sunday from Antigua and Barbuda, where he had taken citizenship, sparking a manhunt for the fugitive businessman.

On Sunday, the Commissioner of the Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda, Atlee Rodney, had said the force is currently following up on the whereabouts of Choksi, who is reportedly missing, local media Antigua News Room had reported.

CBI sources here said that he was captured on the basis of the red corner notice issued by Interpol earlier.

However, another CBI source said that the agency is yet to get an official confirmation about the capture of Choksi.

Choksi, an accused in the over Rs 13,500 crore PNB fraud case along with his nephew Nirav Modi, has been residing in Antigua and Berbuda since January 4, 2018.

The CBI and ED, which have filed separate chargesheets in the case, are trying for the extradition of Choksi.

Choksi’s lawyer, Vijay Agarwal, had told IANS that reports of the businessman going missing were true.

ALSO READ: EU-India ties grow amid tensions with China

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Asia News Crime

Pakistan remains dangerous country for journalists

The deadly attack on Alam attracted condemnation from journalists and politicians alike…reports Asian Lite News.

Pakistan continues to remain as one of the most unsafe countries for journalists, as targeted attacks, abductions, killings and assassination attempts on senior scribes continue unabated.

In the latest tragic incident in the capital Islamabad, senior journalist and former chairman of Pakistan Electronic Media Authority (PEMRA), Absar Alam, was shot in broad daylight by unknown attackers.

In a video message shared on social media, Absar Alam could be seen stating that he was shot outside his house.

“I have been shot in my ribs,” said Absar Alam while being taken to the hospital after being shot at.

“My message to those who did this is that I am not going to be scared by such tactics,” he added.

Alam was rushed to the hospital immediately where his condition has stabilised.

The incident prompted immediate response from the Islamabad Police, which stated that the capital police chief has constituted a special team under the command of the SSP (investigation) to probe the attack.

Federal Minister for Interior, Sheikh Rasheed, also took notice of the attack and ordered the Islamabad IG to investigate the matter with immediate effect.

“Those involved in the firing should be arrested as soon as possible,” he said.

“Those who fired at Absar Alam will not be able to escape the law. Very soon they will be within the ambit of the law,” he added.

Lahore HC removes PEMRA chairman (ANI)

The deadly attack on Alam attracted condemnation from journalists and politicians alike.

“Silencing the voice of dissent is cancer that has plagued this country for many years. Absar Alam Sahab is the latest victim of this cruel & barbaric crime. May Allah SWT heal his wounds and the wounds of this country. Ameen,” tweeted Maryam Nawaz, the Vice President of opposition party, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) also lashed out at the government, stating that it seems like the deep state is at large against the journalist community.

Absar Alam (ANI)

“It seems that the deep state is at large against the journalist community who are victims of rising crime and terrorism in the country,” PFUJ said in a statement.

“Such incidents cannot deter the journalist community from raising the voices against lawlessness and for freedom of press in the country,” it added.

The PFUJ has demanded that a judicial commission be set up to investigate the attack on Alam and crimes committed against other journalists, calling on parliamentarians and politicians to raise their voices for the protection of journalists.

Media persons in Pakistan continue to become targets of threats, abductions, torture, arrests, and murders. In 2020, at least 10 journalists were murdered while several others were threatened, kidnapped, tortured and arrested, while performing their professional duties.

As per the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) Media Freedom Report 2020, “No action has so far been taken against those responsible for torturing and killing journalists and it seems that such persons enjoy impunity.”

“It is a matter of grave concern that the legal system of the country has become useless in protecting and providing justice to journalists,” the report stated.

Also Read-US report highlights arbitrary killings, kidnappings in Pakistan

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