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Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Nabha encounter: Plea for CBI probe argues it took place right before Col Bath's assault
1 2 Patiala: A fresh petition has been filed in the Punjab and Haryana high court to demand a CBI probe into the March 13 encounter of 22-year-old Jaspreet Singh, a youth who had returned from Vancouver, but was accused of kidnapping a child from Ludhiana. The petitioner, Gurtej Singh Dhillon, is the brother-in-law of Col Pushpinder Singh Bath, an army officer who was allegedly assaulted by a police team in Patiala. The petition alleges that the same police team involved in Jaspreet's killing previously assaulted Col Bath and his son outside Rajindra Hospital here. The CBI is already investigating that case following a high court order. Dhillon has demanded a time-bound Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the incident, alleging that Punjab Police staged a "fake encounter". He cited medical evidence indicating close-range gunshot wounds and claimed that police officials were promised promotions and Rs 10 lakh for the encounter. "Police claimed he died in an exchange of fire, but villagers told me that he surrendered before being taken to an isolated spot where shots were heard," said Dhillon. Dhillon said Punjab govt faced scrutiny amid reports of 20 encounters in six months. "We fear evidence destruction if Punjab Police investigates itself," he added. "The post-mortem proves execution-style killing. How can police claim it was crossfire?" said the counsel for Dhillon.
Indian Express
6 hours ago
- Indian Express
Fraudsters posing as cops force 2 women to strip during ‘digital arrest' in Bengaluru, threaten them with images
In yet another case involving 'digital arrest', fraudsters posing as police officers allegedly kept two women in Bengaluru on a video call for nine hours last week and forced them to strip naked for an 'online medical examination' to identify birthmarks and moles. The women were also allegedly threatened with the nude images and videos. The matter came to light after a 46-year-old woman, who resides in Bengaluru, approached the East CEN police station on Saturday and filed a complaint. A case was subsequently registered under the Information Technology Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). According to the police, the woman and her childhood friend, who works as an instructor in Thailand and was visiting the city, were targeted on July 17. As per the complaint, their ordeal began at 11 am when the instructor received a call from a person who claimed to be a police officer at Mumbai's Colaba police station. The 'officer' accused the instructor of involvement in money laundering connected to Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal, human trafficking, and even a murder case, the complaint said. When the woman denied the allegations, the fraudster allegedly shared specific details of her debit card, immediately establishing credibility and triggering fear in her. According to the First Information Report (FIR), the suspects provided official-looking documents, including forged arrest warrants and fake Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) identification cards. These materials were so convincing that both women believed they were genuinely dealing with law enforcement officials. The fraudsters then made video calls, claiming to connect the women directly with CBI officers, the complaint said. Under the guise of a 'digital arrest', they directed the women to remain under house surveillance for 24 hours via a continuous WhatsApp video call. The fraudsters said that Reserve Bank of India (RBI) regulations demanded the verification of the alleged transactions from their bank accounts. They instructed the victims to transfer money to a specified account, promising a full refund after verification if the funds were not determined to be 'black money'. Trusting this explanation, the instructor transferred Rs 58,447 to the criminals. The scammers further impersonated officials from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India and Delhi Police to add layers of supposed legitimacy, the complaint added. After securing the money, the fraudsters allegedly demanded 'medical 'clearance through an online examination. They claimed this was necessary to identify any 'bullet marks, moles, or tattoos' on the victims' bodies. Believing they were complying with official procedures, both women stripped naked and followed the criminals' instructions. Unknown to the women, the fraudsters were recording their naked videos and capturing images. Investigators said the accused also engaged in body shaming during the process. The police said that around 8 pm, the instructor – overwhelmed by the pressure and harassment – reached out to a friend via WhatsApp call. The friend immediately advised them to disconnect all calls and refuse further money transfers. When the accused failed to re-establish contact with the women, they allegedly sent the naked photos and videos to both women's phones, threatening to make them public. However, the women deleted the photos and videos before approaching the police.
Hans India
a day ago
- Hans India
CBI arrests Jharkhand Sub-Post Master for taking Rs 20,000 bribe
Ranchi: The CBI arrested a Sub-Post Master in Jharkhand for taking a bribe of Rs 20,000 from a commission agent who attracted investors to small savings schemes of the postal department, an official said on Tuesday. The complainant investment agent had got deposits worth lakhs of rupees, and the postal official wanted him to share the commission earned against them, a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) official said on Tuesday. The Sub-Post Master at Manoharpur, District West Singhbhum, was caught red-handed by the CBI while demanding and accepting the first instalment of a bribe amounting to Rs 20,000. The CBI registered the case on July 21 against the accused Sub Post Master on receipt of a complaint alleging that the accused demanded a bribe of Rs 1,18,000 (20 per cent of Recurring Deposit commission and 75 per cent of Standardised Agency System (SAS) commission) from the complainant. After negotiation, the accused agreed to accept an undue advantage of Rs 20,000 as the first instalment of the bribe amount. The CBI shared information about the case on a day when another postal department employee in Patna was sentenced to two years' imprisonment for wrongdoings. A Special CBI Court in Patna on Tuesday sentenced Lohra Bhagat, an accountant of India Post, to rigorous imprisonment (RI) for two years with a fine of Rs 1.10 lakh for drawing salary from another government department for three years. Lohra Bhagat worked as a Senior Accountant in the Department of Post and Deputy. Chairman, Bihar State Scheduled Tribe Commission, Patna, from July 2010 and July 2013. During these three years, he drew a salary of Rs 3,41,444 from the Government of India's postal department and Rs 14,87,591 and other miscellaneous expenses, like a leased vehicle of Rs 32,850 per month, from the Government of Bihar. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered the case on March 31, 2014, against Lohra Bhagat and others.
The Wire
a day ago
- The Wire
'Systematic Cover-Up': Supreme Court Order on J&K Police's Custodial Torture Bares Extent of Cruelty
Srinagar: A landmark judgement by the Supreme Court on July 21 marked the end of nearly 30-month long legal battle for the wife of a Jammu and Kashmir police constable who was allegedly tortured in custody at an interrogation centre in Kupwara in the winter of 2023. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta ordered a 90-day probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the incident while directing the CBI to arrest the accused police officials within a month. The court said that the probe by Kupwara district police into the torture allegations under its jurisdiction 'reveals a disturbing pattern of systematic cover-up' and 'abuse of authority'. The bench ordered the J&K administration to pay Rs 50 lakh as compensation to the victim to be recovered from the salaries of accused officials. 'The unprecedented gravity of this case involving brutal and inhuman custodial torture, characterised by the complete mutilation of the appellant's genitalia, represents one of the most barbaric instances of police atrocity which the state is trying to defend and cover up with all pervasive power,' the SC said on Monday. It added: "This is not merely a case of investigative error or overreach; it is a calculated effort to fabricate charges, distort the narrative, and shield the real perpetrators of crime of custodial torture. The use of State machinery to invert the roles of victim and offender represents a grave subversion of the criminal process and compels the intervention of this court to prevent the miscarriage of justice'. 'Suicide' The case dates back to February 20, 2023 when Khursheed Ahmad Chohan, who was posted as a constable in Baramulla district police lines, reported at the office of the senior superintendent of police (Kupwara) in connection with a narcotics case after being summoned by a deputy superintendent of police. Chohan's counsel told the apex court that he was held at the Joint Interrogation Centre (JIC) in Kupwara and allegedly tortured for six days due to which he slipped into a coma and the Kupwara police, instead of acting against the alleged perpetrators, booked him under section 309 (abetment to suicide) of Indian Penal Code on February 26, 2023. A First Information Report (FIR) filed on the same day by the Kupwara police stated that Chohan had suffered a self-inflicted wound when he 'tried to cut his vein with a blade'. Despite repeated pleas, authorities refused to share Chohan's medical examination report with his family, prompting a Right to Information Act (RTI) query by Rubina Akhtar, his wife. This RTI changed the course of the legal battle. Medical report changes case Chohan's medical report, obtained through the RTI, from Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Science (SKIMS) in Srinagar where he was treated, revealed significant details about the nature of his injuries. According to the report, Chohan had suffered 'laceration on the scrotum with both testicles surgically removed, bruises on the buttocks extending to the thighs, tenderness on the palms and soles indicative of blunt trauma, the presence of vegetative particles in the rectum and multiple fractures'. Punching holes in the police FIR, the apex court observed that it was 'foolhardy to suggest that a rational person would subject himself to complete genital mutilation and cause injuries at inaccessible body parts so as to avoid questioning in a drug case'. 'The medical evidence conclusively establishes that such injuries are impossible to be self-inflicted. The respondent's theory of suicide attempt crumbles under scrutiny when examined against the timeline and the medical evidence,' the SC bench observed. The dismembered genitalia were brought in a plastic bag to SKIMS along with the victim on February 26, 2023 by a sub-inspector of J&K Police which has 'shock(ed) our conscience', the court observed. 'These facts, standing alone and uncontroverted, establish a prima facie case of the most heinous form of custodial torture and the total apathy of the local police officials in taking action against the perpetrators of custodial violence,' the court said, citing various constitution bench and other SC judgements. 'Cavalier dismissal' The bench was told that the Kupwara police refused to act on a written complaint by Akhtar on 1 March, 2023 and a legal notice on 2 March, which had sought registration of FIR against the perpetrators under Sections 307, 330, 331, 326 and other provisions of the Indian Penal Code. 'This cavalier dismissal of serious allegations of custodial torture demonstrates the institutional bias and predetermined mindset to protect the accused police officers,' the court observed. Chohan's family had later approached the J&K high court seeking registration of the FIR, a CBI probe and quashing of the FIR filed against him. However, his petition was turned down by the court. Instead of ordering the police to file an FIR, the court called for a preliminary inquiry into the matter, prompting Chohan to knock on the door of the apex court last year. Chohan's wife also filed the RTI query to obtain her husband's medical reports while authorities repeatedly denied her '(even the) basic medical records … to suppress evidence of the brutal custodial torture,' Chohan's counsel told the court. The apex court observed that the failure of J&K police to file an FIR 'despite clear disclosure of cognizable offences' constituted a direct violation of the fundamental rights under Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution of India. 'The High Court grossly erred in failing to exercise its constitutional obligation of protecting the fundamental rights of a citizen, his dignity and right to life. It failed to consider the gravity of offences committed as well as the influence that could be exerted by accused persons being police officials,' the court observed. 'Stark disparity' In its 58-page judgement, the apex court observed that Chohan's medical examination report has shown that his 'injuries are much graver and more extensive than what is depicted in this manifestly fabricated narrative' by the Kupwara police. 'The stark disparity between the trivial description of 'cutting his vein' in the FIR and the barbaric reality of complete castration and systematic torture exposes the mala fide intent behind the FIR,' the apex court observed. Citing the discharge summary (2 March 2023) of Chohan issued by the SKIMS, the court observed that it 'provides unequivocal medical evidence that the appellant underwent an extensive surgical procedure, including 'exploration and repair of corporal bodies with end-to-end anastomosis of urethra, ligation of spermatic cord, repair of scrotal laceration, and debridement of necrotic tissue' for the treatment of his injuries. Citing the Latin maxim ' nemo judex in causa sua ' (no one should be a judge in his own cause), the apex court said that the high court's order of probe by J&K police into the case 'constitutes a flagrant violation of the fundamental principles of natural justice'. 'If the investigation is by an agency which is allegedly privy to the dispute, the credibility of the investigation will be doubted and that will be contrary to the public interest as well as the interest of justice', the SC bench observed. 'Considering the unprecedented gravity of this custodial torture case, the systematic cover-up orchestrated by local police machinery, the institutional bias demonstrated in the handling of the complaint, and the complete failure of local authorities to conduct a fair investigation and the unrelenting stand taken by the respondent State, we are constrained to direct transfer of investigation to the CBI,' the court ruled while ordering quashing of the FIR filed by Kupwara district police against Chohan.
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
Tamil Nadu custodial death case: Madras HC orders Rs 25 lakh interim compensation to temple guard Ajith Kumar's family; directs witness protection steps
CHENNAI: the Madras high court on Tuesday directed the Tamil Nadu government to pay an additional Rs 25 lakh as interim compensation to the family of Ajith Kumar , the 28-year-old temple guard who allegedly died due to police torture during interrogation in Sivaganga district. This is in addition to the Rs 7.5 lakh already disbursed by the state. The court passed the order while hearing a batch of petitions demanding an impartial probe and accountability in the custodial death incident that has sparked widespread outrage across the state. You Can Also Check: Chennai AQI | Weather in Chennai | Bank Holidays in Chennai | Public Holidays in Chennai The high court also directed the principal district judge of Sivaganga to consider and pass appropriate orders on applications submitted by key witnesses in the case, seeking security under the Witness Protection Scheme. The directive comes amid concerns about witness intimidation in custodial violence cases. Ajith Kumar, who was working as a security guard at the Madapuram Kaliamman Temple, was picked up by the police for questioning in connection with a theft complaint filed by two women — Sivakami and her daughter Nikitha — who alleged the loss of 10 sovereigns of gold jewellery from their vehicle. Soon after, Ajith's family alleged he had been subjected to custodial torture, leading to his death. They contested the police version that the death was natural, triggering widespread public and media attention. Following public pressure and legal interventions, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a case on July 12 against unnamed personnel of the Sivaganga crime branch unit in connection with the death. Six policemen involved in Ajith's interrogation were suspended, and a departmental probe was initiated.
