Bhopal drug bust unveils exploitation network targeting girls at gym, colleges
While examining Yaseen's phone, police uncovered more than 20 disturbing videos showing sexual assaults on women and violent attacks on men, along with a series of threatening messages. Several of the women seen in the footage are believed to be college students.During interrogation, the accused confessed to targeting young women at gyms by offering so-called 'weight loss drugs' and approaching club-goers with claims the substances could help with 'depression.'The accused allegedly used MD drugs to induce addiction in their victims, then forced victims into sexual exploitation and abuse.Police are currently working to identify the victims seen in the recovered videos and have sought extended custody of the suspects for further interrogation.Furthermore, the police also seized a pistol and two vehicles, a Mahindra Scorpio from DJ Yaseen and a Mahindra BE-6 from real estate businessman Shavar, along with 1.05 grams and 2.052 grams of MD drugs from each, respectively.In the meantime, a political angle has emerged in the case. The Congress party has alleged that two of the accused have links to the ruling BJP. One reportedly the son of a BJP Minority Morcha committee member and another the brother of a BJP member.Congress leader Jeetu Patwari shared images of the accused with BJP leaders Vishwas Sarang, Prahlad Patel, Rameshwar Sharma and BD Sharma.Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar also posted a photo showing one of the accused with Minister Vishwas Sarang, claiming it indicates a close connection.Additionally, National Human Rights Commission member Priyank Kanoongo posted images of the accused with police officials and called for a thorough and impartial investigation.- Ends
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Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
‘Was stripped, kept in 5°C room, heard Pragya didi's screams': Shyam Sahu hails justice for entire Hindu community; says trauma still haunts him
INDORE: He says he was stripped, locked up in a chilled room, made to sit on shards of broken glass while he could hear Sadhvi Pragya Thakur scream in pain in the next room. For Shyam Sahu - one of the men who was arrested in connection with the Malegaon blast case , spent three years in jail and later discharged - the trauma he said he faced never ceased to haunt him. However, Thursday's verdict - acquitting seven accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case - came as a balm for Sahu, an Indore-based businessman, as he celebrated here, while reliving the torment. "It is a day of celebration of truth, but it reopens wounds that never healed," said Sahu, who was arrested on Oct 17, 2008, and spent over three years in jail before being discharged along with four others. "Truth was troubled, but never defeated. This is not just a personal victory, it's justice for the entire Hindu community that was vilified for political mileage," Sahu said. Sahu recalled the brutalities he faced in those early days of detention. "They kept us in illegal custody for 4 to 5 days. They stripped me, locked me in a chilled room at 5°C, beat me brutally on my soles, made me sit on broken glass bottles. We were reduced to crawling just to use the toilet," he said. "They hit us for several hours and then gave us a balm to rub on our wounds so that it was not visible in medical examination. We were hit on our palms and asked to press paper balls in our hands to increase blood circulation to hide the wounds," he said. But what haunts him the most is what he heard from the next room. "Pragya didi's (Sadhvi Pragya Thakur) screams shook us to the core. We realised what real horror was," Sahu said. At the time, Sahu was 38 - a father of three, his youngest barely a year old. He ran a mobile phone showroom and real estate business, lived in a joint family. "When I was brought to Mumbai four months later, my elder brother Mohan came to see me in court. He suffered a heart attack right in front of me. I was in custody, couldn't even go to the hospital where he died. I carry that pain in me every day," Sahu added, Sahu was later granted temporary bail to attend his brother's and grandmother's funerals. He spent time in Nashik jail, then Arthur Road after MCOCA charges were added. Just days later, the 26/11 attacks happened. "Ajmal Kasab was brought in and kept in a nearby cell. The govt shifted us to Taloja jail with hardened criminals like Dawood's men, Chhota Rajan's aides, Arun Gawli's gang. They feared an attack on Kasab - we were moved for his safety," he said. Sahu was among five accused discharged earlier - including Shivnarayan Kalsangra, Jagdeep Mahatre (Dombivli), Praveen Takalki (Karnataka), and Rakesh Dhawde (Pune). "But there was no real relief. Society didn't accept us. People avoided our families. Financially, emotionally, we were ruined," he said. Sahu lashed out at the political narrative that followed. "Congress, for the sake of a vote bank, gave us the tag of 'Hindu terrorism'. Congress leaders defamed an entire community. Innocent people suffered - and not one apology came." As the last of the accused walk free, Sahu remains clear: justice delayed has been justice denied. "We're free men now, but what about our lost years, lost loved ones, lost dignity? No verdict can give that back."
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
‘Terrorism has no religion ... ': What NIA court judge said in 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case
MUMBAI: Citing lack of 'cogent, reliable and acceptable evidence', a special NIA court acquitted on Thursday all seven accused in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case, including former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt Col Prasad Purohit. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now 'The court of law is not supposed to proceed on popular or predominant public perceptions… the more serious the offence, the higher the degree of proof needed for conviction,' special judge A K Lahoti said. 'Though there was strong suspicion of the accused, it cannot take place of legal proof.' What the judge said Prosecution has failed to provide cogent and reliable evidence Failed to establish guilt beyond reasonable doubt Terrorism has no religion No religion in the world preaches violence. Court of law is not supposed to proceed on popular or predominant public perceptions. The testimony of prosecution witnesses is riddled With material inconsistencies and contradictions (39 witnesses turned hostile) — A K Lahoti | Special judge Six of the seven had spent nine years in jail as undertrials till 2017 before getting bail in a case purportedly linked to a plot by right-wing extremists to terrorise the local Muslim population of Malegaon. Six people died in the 2008 blast and 101 were injured. The judgment, delivered after a legal process lasting 17 years, highlighted lapses in the probe conducted by the state's anti-terrorism squad before it was handed over to the National Investigation Agency. The judge pointed to retractions by numerous witnesses and shortcomings such as mishandling of the crime scene and planting of evidence. After the verdict, Thakur took a seat in the witness box. Addressing the judge, she said the verdict was a 'victory for Hindutva'. Breaking down, she said her life was destroyed by the humiliation and stigma of being labelled a terrorist for 17 years. ' Jinhone bhi humaare saath galat kiya, prabhu unko kabhi kshama nahi karega (God will punish those who wronged us).' Purohit, who arrived with military security, said the agencies are not wrong, but the people running them were.
Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
August 1, 1985, Forty Years Ago: Lalit Maken Killed
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