Tag: crime

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-Top News Crime UK News

UK pays tribute to much-loved MP

(Photo_Twitter@amessd_southend)

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Amess was one of the kindest, nicest, most gentle people in politics, reports Asian Lite News

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday expressed grief over the killing of UK Conservative MP Sir David Amess.

“All our hearts are full of shock and sadness at the death of Sir David Amess MP. He was one of the kindest, nicest, most gentle people in politics,” Boris Johnson tweeted.

Amess, 69, died after being stabbed multiple times while attending a constituency surgery at a church in Essex on Friday.

Essex Police have arrested a 25-year-old man at the scene on suspicion of murder after an incident at 12.05 pm (Local time), Sputnik reported citing Essex Police as saying.

A constituency surgery is a regular event at which MPs meet voters to help them with issues they have or to discuss things they want to be brought up in the Parliament.

A strong supporter of Brexit, Sir David has been the Tory MP for Southend West since 1997 and prior to that represent Basildon, also in Essex, since 1983, Sputnik reported.

Tributes poured in for the backbencher MP from across the political spectrum.

UK
(Photo_Twitter@amessd_southend)

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said he was “a great man, a great friend, and a great MP, killed while fulfilling his democratic role”.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak said: “The worst aspect of violence is its inhumanity. It steals joy from the world and can take from us that which we love the most.

“Today it took a father, a husband, and a respected colleague. All my thoughts and prayers are with Sir David’s loved ones.”

Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle said: “This is an incident that will send shockwaves across the parliamentary community and the whole country.”

He said he was shocked and deeply distressed by the killing of a “lovely man”, and said in the coming days they would need to examine MPs’ security.

Labour London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he was “deeply, deeply saddened” and described Sir David as “a great public servant”.

Father Jeff Woolnough, parish priest at nearby St Peter’s Catholic Church, described Sir David as “a great, great man, a good catholic and a friend to all”, the BBC reported.

“He’s died doing that, that’s the remarkable thing. He’s died serving the people,” BBC quoted Father Woolnough as saying.

He led a mass at the church on Friday evening in memory of Sir David, describing him as “Mr Southend”.

Southend councillor John Lamb said Sir David was “a very good, hard working constituency MP who worked for everyone”.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said it was a “dark and shocking day”, adding that the country had “been here before” with the death of Jo Cox.

Flags around Parliament and at 10 Downing Street are being flown at half-mast.

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-Top News Crime India News

Civilian killings haunt Kashmir again

Killing on mere suspicion has been the hallmark of terrorist killings in Kashmir….reports Asian Lite News

 Three civilian killings in less than three hours of each other in Kashmir on Tuesday cannot be dismissed as yet ‘another act of frustration by the terrorists’.

These are message killings whose import on the developing security and political situation in Jammu and Kashmir cannot be wished away.

Charity must begin at home. So must the safety of innocent citizens in Kashmir before we intend to bring back thousands of Kashmiri Pandits who were forced out of their homes nearly 31 years ago through terror acts like those of Tuesday.

Makhan Lal Bindroo was a respected and trusted man for all those who bought medicines from his shop, ‘Bindroo Medicate’ near the Iqbal Park in Srinagar city.

When the majority of Bindroo’s community including his relatives and friends migrated out of the valley in early 1990s, Bindroo stood his ground.

He continued to sell medicines at his shop which was then located at the top end of the Hari Singh High street in Srinagar.

There was a security force bunker some distance away from Bindroo’s shop. Militants hurled grenades and fired at the bunker more than a dozen times during militancy.

Bindroo remained undeterred. He was a common Kashmiri who was living a normal life without messing around with anything else.

Long years of having lived and survived normally, added to Bindroo’s confidence that he had nothing to fear.

He shifted his business to a bigger shop outside the Iqbal Park in Srinagar. His wife started assisting him during peak hours to dispense medicine to the needy.

His doctor son had also set up a clinic in the first floor of the same shop where he treated patients.

It was a rather dull, sleepy autumn Tuesday evening when Bindroo was behind his counter with hardly a customer around.

Terrorists entered the shop and fired at him from close range.

Doctors at the hospital said he had sustained four critical bullet wounds and had died en route to the hospital.

Bindroo’s murder is no ordinary revenge killing.

This brazen act of terrorism has occurred at a time Awhen the government of India has announced an ambitious plan to retrieve the properties of Kashmiri Pandits who had sold these properties in distress while fleeing the Valley.

For the time during the last 30 years something tangible was being done to bring back the migrant Pandits to the Valley.

By murdering an innocent Kashmiri Pandit, who had neither migrated nor cast his lot with thousands of his community members, terrorists intended to send a powerful message to the community.

How the government restores an already shaken confidence of the migrant community will have to be watched.

The second civilian killing on Tuesday was of a street vendor belonging to Bihar. The poor fellow sold Bhelpuri by the roadside in the Lal Bazar area of Srinagar.

: Srinagar : My father was a fighter: Shraddha Bindroo.(photo:Umar Qadir)

He was killed by the terrorists to assert their nefarious design of not allowing outsiders to settle in Kashmir after the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A.

The third civilian killing happened in north Kashmir Bandipora district.

Muhammad Shafi Lone of Shah Mohalla was killed by the terrorists within less than three hours of Bindroo’s murder.

Lone was a taxi driver who had recently been chosen as the president of Sumo taxi drivers union.

Rumours in the area said some years back there had been an encounter at Lone’s home in which some terrorists were killed.

Rumours said the terrorists suspected Lone to have tipped off the security forces about the presence of the terrorists.

Whether the rumour is credible or not, there is hardly any doubt about why the terrorist killed Lone.

Killing on mere suspicion has been the hallmark of terrorist killings in Kashmir.

In the background of these message killings, it is clear that unless the security of those living in the Valley is ensured, trying to woo the Kashmiri Pandit migrants back would be asking for too much.

ALSO READ: ‘Well-connected’ Kashmir not too far

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-Top News Kerala

Fake Kerala antique dealer Monson’s custody extended

Mavunkal used to bring several VIPs to his palatial residence, a part of which was converted into museum to house his ‘precious’ antiques….reports Asian Lite News

A court here on Thursday extended the police custody of now arrested fake antique dealer, Monson Mavunkal till October 2.

The 54-year-old was arrested by the Crime Branch police from his home cum museum, here on Saturday after victims approached Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan with their complaints that they were swindled of Rs 10 crore by this master ‘fraud’, who even took the top most Kerala Police officials for a ride.

Such was his proverbial ‘gift of the gab’ that those who are now in trouble include former state police chief Loknath Behra, serving additional director general of police Manoj Abraham, State Congress president K. Sudhakaran, former Chief Secretary Jiji Thompson, among others, who are all facing the music for their proximity with him.

Mavunkal took all his high profile guests into his fold by showcasing antiques in his collection which he claimed included the “staff of Moses” and “two of the 30 silver coins that were taken by Judas to cheat Jesus Christ”.

Police said that he had showcased these “rare” items — a throne said to be used by Tipu Sultan, as well as a huge collection of old Qurans, Bibles (Old Testament and New Testament), and old handwritten copies of Bhagavad Gita.

Mavunkal used to bring several VIPs to his palatial residence, a part of which was converted into museum to house his ‘precious’ antiques.

Presently under the custody of the Crime Branch, on Thursday the chief of it S. Sreejith arrived here to question him directly and he said that three cheating cases against Mavunkal have already been registered.

Mavunkal also has numerous high value vehicles which are parked in his house here, while a few vehicles of his, which includes a 2007 model Porsche Boxster registered in the name of actress Kareena Kapoor, is presently parked in a local police station at his home district Alappuzha.

Meanwhile according to sources in the know of things after questioning by the Crime Branch, Mavunkal has told the probe team he is completely broke and has no money left with him as he led a luxurious life and he requires a massive sum of money every month for meeting his expenses.

In a related development the name of an Italian settled Malayalee lady has also surfaced and her links with the police officials and Mavunkal have started to appear in the media.

ALSO READ: Kerala to distribute preventive tablets as schools reopen

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-Top News London News UK News

Two London teens knifed to death six hours apart

At least two knives and what appeared to be the umbrella could be seen lying in the street after police sealed off the crime scene…reports Asian Lite News.

Two teenagers were stabbed to death in London within a span of just six hours as the UK capital’s horrific wave of such killings continue unabated, local media reported.

The first victim, a 15-year-old was stabbed by at least five youths near a busy bus stop in Woolwich, southeast London at about 5.20 p.m. on Monday, Xinhua news agency quoted the Evening Standard newspaper as saying on Tuesday.

He was reported by one witness to have tried to use an umbrella to fight off his attackers but died at the scene despite efforts by members of the public and ambulance staff to save him, said the newspaper.

At least two knives and what appeared to be the umbrella could be seen lying in the street after police sealed off the crime scene.

The second killing happened just before midnight in Oval Place, Lambeth, in south London.

Police were called to reports of a stabbing of a 16-year-old boy.

Neighbours told the newspaper how two off-duty nurses battled in vain to save him after he was found slumped at the top of stairs in a block of flats.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan responded on Tuesday by saying he was “heartbroken and appalled” by the latest killings and was “determined to do everything in my power to put an end to these horrendous crimes”.

The killings, which follow the fatal stabbing of 16-year-old Camron Smith on his doorstep in Croydon on July 1, take the number of teenage homicides so far this year to 21, 19 of whom were stabbed.

The total is already well beyond the 15 teenage killings last year and puts the capital on course to possibly record its worst ever total for a calendar year.

The current peak of 29 teen homicides was recorded in 2008.

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-Top News Crime PAKISTAN

Terror financing: Doubts mount over Pakistani diplomats

One aspect that comes to mind that might thus far has been ignored by the FATF team is perhaps Pakistan terror financing operations involving their foreign missions….reports Amjad Ayub Mirza

A decision to maintain Pakistans status in the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force {ISI} was taken on June 25 in Paris. A dissatisfied panel comprising China, among other things questioned why there is a seemingly unnecessary delay in the court proceedings of the 1373 UN designated terrorists imprisoned in the country. Pakistan was told to do more with regards to tracking and cracking down money laundering which they believe is a means to supply dosh for carrying out acts of terror.

One aspect that comes to mind that might thus far has been ignored by the FATF team is perhaps Pakistan terror financing operations involving their foreign missions. It would be interesting to note that recent news articles published in international print media manifest Pakistani Diplomats not only of indulging in antisocial and but even criminal behaviour and acts that are of terrorist nature.

Is it not true that individuals chosen to serve their countries in alien lands are carefully selected and trained? As a matter of fact, two Pakistani diplomats were recently caught stealing a hat worth $10.70 and chocolate worth $1.7 in Yongsan, South Korea, this April.

One might give them the benefit of doubt and call it a one off incident.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan

However, during recent years’ irrefutable evidence has been mounting regarding the criminal behaviour of Pakistani diplomatic community which is of a worrying nature. An incident took place in Bangladesh and resulted in the expulsion of Farina Arshad, Second Secretary (Political) working at the Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka. She was accused of facilitating terror financing in 2015.2

Amir Zubair Siddiqui, a visa counsellor at the Pakistan High Commission in Colombo had been put on the terror watch list by the Indian National Investigation Agency for indulging in
espionage and terror activities, and then came the arrest and deportation of two employees of the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi in 2020 who were accused of espionage.

ALSO READ: Afghan leaders warned against blaming Pakistan during US visit

An isolated incident may reflect an individual act, but regular and repeated offences tell a different story about Pakistani diplomats.

It is common knowledge that Pakistan’s foreign policy is controlled by the army at GHQ in Rawalpindi. The Inter-Services Intelligence Agency (ISI) personnel are routinely deputed to Pakistani missions abroad. They have been caught red-handed on several occasions while pursuing terrorism-related and activities.

Logo of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence organization(wikipedia)



For instance, in 2001, Mohammad Arshad Cheema, First Secretary at the Pakistani high commission in Kathmandu, was arrested for possessing 16 kg of RDX.5 Few years back in 2014 Pakistani Defense Attache (and ISI representative) in Colombo, Colonel Shahryar Butt, was repatriated because he kept on ‘checking’ into the High Commission’s affairs.

The key to understanding the above phenomena lies in recognizing that ISI cells are present in almost all Pakistani Embassies. Perhaps, Pakistan has different standards for when it comes to diplomatic responsibilities. No wonder during the period between May 2018-19 the US had restricted the movement of Pakistani diplomats to a few square miles within Washington.

However, even more alarming is a spate of morally shameful acts that Pakistani diplomats have indulged into in the recent past. Allegations such as domestic abuse conducted against his spouse by Munir Akram, Pakistan’s current Permanent Representative to UN; arrest of Mazhar Khan, the Assistant Visa Officer at the Pakistani High Commission in Dhaka accused of dealing in fake currencies in 2015, abduction and rape charges brought against two Pakistani diplomats in the UK in 20146 and Waqas Ahmed, a Pakistani diplomat in Harare was arrested and imprisoned for human trafficking in May 2020.

These were crimes of such serious nature that Islamabad was forced to voluntarily surrendered their diplomatic immunity.

The murder of Baloch journalist Sajid Baloch in Sweden and that of human rights activist Karima Baloch are also attributed to the clandestine network of Pakistani ISI cells working from Pakistani missions abroad. In any future meeting of the FATF it would be wise to look into Pakistan’s involvement in global terrorism and to curb acts of terrorism that have made our world a less safe place.

(Amjad Ayub Mirza is an author and a human rights activist from Mirpur in PoJK. He currently lives in exile in the UK)

ALSO READ: FATF Retains Pakistan in Grey List

ALSO READ: Pakistan likely to stay in FATF grey list

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-Top News India News Uttar Pradesh

Fair probe urged into arrests over religious conversions

Maulana Kalbe Jawad.

The UP ATS arrested two clerics, accusing them of converting people under duress using “fear and temptation”….reports Asian Lite News

Renowned Shia cleric Maulana Kalbe Jawad has raised questions over the working of the ATS and has asked for a fair investigation into religious conversions case slapped on two men in Uttar Pradesh.

Following the arrest of Mufti Jahangir and Umar Gautam by UP ATS, the links of religious conversion are being probed all across the state.

Talking to reporters, Jawad said: “UP ATS should ensure a fair investigation of this whole matter. Also, it should be kept in mind that no innocent person is punished.”

Maulana Jawad said, “The statements of those who have been converted should be recorded. Were they really forced to convert to Islam or did they convert voluntarily? If a person voluntarily converts, then he cannot be held guilty in the Indian Constitution, because every religion has the right to promote its religion as per the Indian Constitution.

“Whether it is Hinduism, Muslim religion or Christianity, there is complete freedom in any religion to propagate its religion.”

He further explained that “Forced conversion cannot be done in Islam. Moreover, if a person is forced to convert, then that person is not considered to be included in Islam.”

On the issue of foreign funding, Jawad said that it is a failure on the part of agencies if funding was going on from foreign countries.

Umar Gautam and Jahangir

“If the agencies say that funding was being done from abroad and that is why religious conversion was being done, then they should prove this.

“They should also reveal from which countries the money was coming and how the money kept coming for so long and the investigating agencies did not even know about it. This is a big lapse in terms of security,” he pointed out.

The UP ATS arrested two clerics, accusing them of converting people under duress using “fear and temptation”.

During their interrogation, the police found that Gautam himself converted to Islam.

“He had disclosed that they have converted at least 1,000 people to Islam so far. The two men have also disclosed that they received funds from international organizations with the purpose of converting people into Islam,” UP ADG (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar had said.

The matter came to light when parents of a student of Noida Deaf Society reported that their son has been missing and was later found to have been forcefully converted to Islam.

Both accused have been booked for promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc, injuring or defiling place of worship with intent to insult the religion, criminal conspiracy and cheating.

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-Top News Asia News USA

Anti-Asian hate crime bill gets senate nod

A demonstrator takes part in a protest against Asian hate in New York, the United States

The Senate approved the bill in a 94-1 vote and sent it to the House on Thursday, which will soon take up their version of the legislation…reports Asian Lite News

The US Senate voted overwhelmingly to pass a bill combating surging hate crimes against Asian Americans during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Senate approved the bill in a 94-1 vote and sent it to the House on Thursday, which will soon take up their version of the legislation. The lone nay vote was cast by Missouri GOP senator Josh Hawley, Xinhua news agency reported.

“By passing this bill we say to the Asian American community that the government is paying attention to them, has heard their concerns and will respond to protect them,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Democrat from New York, where anti-Asian violence has especially been running high.

People take part in a rally against anti-Asian hate crimes in San Mateo, California, the United States, on Feb. 27, 2021. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling)

Sponsored by Hawaii’s Democratic senator Mazie Hirono and New York’s Democratic congresswoman Grace Meng, the bill requires the Department of Justice (DOJ) to designate an official to review coronavirus-related hate crimes. Hirono and Meng are both Asian Americans.

The bill also directs the DOJ and the Department of Health and Human Services to issue guidance raising awareness of hate crimes amid the pandemic, and work with other agencies to establish an online platform for reporting those crimes.

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Hirono said that the bill’s passage “sends a clear and unmistakable message of solidarity” to the Asian American and Pacific Islander community.

The bill gained momentum after six women of Asian descent were killed in mass shootings in the Atlanta area in March.

People take part in a rally against anti-Asian hate crimes in San Mateo, California, the United States, on Feb. 27, 2021. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling)

Senators locked in a final deal on the bill late Wednesday night, allowing for several GOP-proposed amendments to get a vote. All of those changes would need 60 votes in favour in the now evenly-divided Senate, and it turned out none of them got added.

Susan Collins, GOP senator from Maine who managed to work with Hirono to change the language of the bill over the administration’s guidance, said that with the passage of the bill, “we can send an unmistakably strong signal that crimes targeting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in our country will not be tolerated.”

Also read:India, US join hands on climate

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-Top News UK News

Protests in England, Wales against crime bill

The latest demonstrations came a month after several protests against the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill turned violent in Bristol…reports Asian Lite News

Protests were staged in London and in 24 other towns and cities across England and Wales against the UK government’s new crime bill, local media reported.

Police in London had warned people against joining the protests on Saturday, saying in an open letter that anyone who attends a gathering that breaches coronavirus restrictions may be committing an offence, reports Xinhua news agency.

In a statement, Deputy Assistant Commissioner , who is leading the Metropolitan Police’s strategic response to Covid-19, said: “While we welcome the limited relaxation of rules, we don’t want to become complacent. We are hugely grateful to the vast majority of Londoners who have played a vital part in controlling the spread of the virus up to now.

“After a long and difficult few months, let’s not undo all of that hard work now.

“Wherever possible, we should continue to be vigilant, minimise our contact as much as possible, wear a face covering where required and keep ourselves safe. That means avoiding any large gathering.”

The latest demonstrations came a month after several protests against the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill turned violent in Bristol.

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Officers in riot gear and dogs were sent in to clear the streets while 10 people were arrested during the “Kill the Bill” demonstration late March.

The bill would give the police in England and Wales more power to impose conditions on non-violent protests, including those deemed to be too noisy or a nuisance.

Those convicted under the bill could face a fine or jail.

Covid regulations have since been relaxed and protests are now lawful in England and Wales.

However, protest organisers must submit a risk assessment and take steps to limit the potential transmission of coronavirus, according to The Guardian newspaper.

Last month, police in Bristol were criticised for crackdowns on three protests against the bill, with officers in riot gear and dogs sent in to clear the streets three times in the city in the space of a week.

Protesters have attacked police in Bristol after thousands of people turned up to a demonstration that officers had “strongly advised” against attending.

Officers suffered broken bones and police vans were set alight as angry scenes unfolded in downtown Bristol, according to media reports.

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