Latest news with #CriminalInvestigationsDepartment
BBC News
11-04-2025
- BBC News
Men jailed for violent Gloucestershire home invasion as baby slept
Two men have been jailed for breaking into a house and threatening the occupants with a knife while their baby slept upstairs. Colin Brown, 36, from Stanway Road in Coney Hill, and Craig Wood, 33, of Portreath Way in Kingsway, were sentenced at Gloucester Crown Court on 27 in balaclavas and armed with a crowbar and serrated knife, the pair forced their way into a property in the Mount Pleasant area of Stroud, was jailed for five years while Brown was handed an 11-year jail term due to previous convictions for burglary and a dangerous driving offence. The court heard how the men had arrived at the address shortly before 14:50 GMT on 8 January. Doorbell footage showed Brown and Wood attempting to force entry to the front door of the property and when confronted by a man who was inside, Wood threatened to shoot him. He was then heard telling Brown to "get the shooter".Brown used a crowbar to smash a window before the pair gained entry to the inside, Brown tackled the male occupant to the floor and held a knife to his neck while demanding to know "where the weed was". Meanwhile, a woman who was also in the property had locked herself in an upstairs bedroom with her child. She was on the phone to the police when one of the intruders came upstairs and forced the door pointed a knife at the woman, grabbed her phone and asked where the drugs were before going downstairs and Wood then assaulted the male victim, who sustained cuts and grazes to his hands, before leaving the address with the woman's phone. Gloucestershire Police were at the scene within five minutes and immediately spotted Wood near the property, still wearing a balaclava. He was arrested and charged with aggravated knife used to threaten the victims was found in the hallway of the property, while the crowbar and a quantity of cannabis was discovered in a neighbouring fled the scene but was located 10 days later. He was also arrested and charged with aggravated burglary. He was ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £228, and both men were given a 12-year restraining order. 'Terrifying ordeal' Det Con Mollie Grice, from the Criminal Investigations Department, said: "It was the middle of the afternoon when Brown and Wood committed this violent intrusion into a house where a child slept upstairs. It must have been a terrifying ordeal for the victims."I am pleased that Wood and Brown are now facing the consequences of their actions and I hope that their sentence demonstrates that we take incidents like this seriously and will always investigate them thoroughly and bring offenders to justice."No-one should feel unsafe in their own homes, and we will continue to actively pursue offenders who commit burglary within our communities."
CNN
04-04-2025
- CNN
US tourist arrested after allegedly attempting to contact ‘world's most isolated' tribe
An American tourist has been arrested after allegedly traveling to a remote island in the Bay of Bengal and attempting to contact one of the world's most isolated tribes. Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov, 24, made the illegal voyage to North Sentinel Island, home to the enigmatic Sentinelese tribe, on March 29, Indian police told CNN. North Sentinel Island is a land mass roughly the size of Manhattan in the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago, about 750 miles from the Indian mainland. Visiting the island is prohibited by Indian law to maintain the Sentinelese way of life and protect them from modern illnesses, from which they lack immunity. While Polyakov successfully reached the island, he does not appear to have made contact with the Sentinelese tribe, Jitendra Kumar Meena, head of the Andaman and Nicobar Police's Criminal Investigations Department told CNN. He was spotted by a local fisherman on his way back and arrested two days later, Meena said. Police seized an inflatable boat and motor from Polyakov. He has not yet been charged with any offenses. A spokesperson for the US State Department said 'we are aware of reports of the detention of a US citizen in India' in a statement to CNN but could not comment further on the case. It is not clear if Polyakov has retained a lawyer. The Sentinelese have only made contact with the modern world a handful of times and have been known to vigorously reject outsiders. Because the Sentinelese are so reclusive, it is difficult to know how many there are – estimates range from dozens to hundreds. Previous encounters with the tribe have proved fatal. In 2018, American missionary John Allen Chau was reportedly killed by tribespeople after he arrived on North Sentinel Island, hoping to convert the local people to Christianity. Polyakov is 'lucky he did not make contact otherwise he would have met the same fate,' Meena said. Caroline Pearce, Director of Survival International, a nonprofit dedicated to the protection of isolated tribal groups, called Polyakov's alleged actions 'reckless and idiotic.' 'This person's actions not only endangered his own life, they put the lives of the entire Sentinelese tribe at risk,' Pearce said in a statement. 'It's very well known by now that uncontacted peoples have no immunity to common outside diseases like flu or measles, which could completely wipe them out,' she added. Polyakov planned his trip well in advance, visiting the Andaman islands twice before traveling to North Sentinel on his third visit, allegedly setting off from a beach about 25 miles away in South Andaman, Meena said. 'As per what he has revealed in the investigation so far, he said he is keen on adventures. He said he had left some soft drink bottles there for the tribe but we haven't found anything so far,' Meena said. Police have seized Polyakov's phone and GoPro, as well as a bottle of sand he allegedly collected from the island. A special investigation team is carrying out a search of the island from afar, on boats using binoculars, despite choppy waters the last couple of days, Meena said. There are more than 100 uncontacted tribes around the world, mainly in the Amazon rainforest, but the Sentinelese are 'the most isolated Indigenous people in the world,' according to Survival International. Most of what is known about them comes from boats moored more than an arrow's distance from the shore and from rare past encounters with authorities. The Sentinelese hunt in the rainforest and fish in the coastal waters using spears, bows and arrows, as well as homemade narrow outrigger canoes, according to Survival International. They are thought to live in three groups in both large communal huts and more informal shelters on the beach. First contact with the Sentinelese tribe was made by the British in the late 1800s, when, despite their attempts to hide, six individuals from the tribe were captured and taken to the main island of the Andaman Island archipelago. An Indian law from 1956 bans outsiders from traveling to North Sentinel and other islands in the archipelago home to Indigenous groups. Except for a brief, friendly interaction in the early 1990s, the Sentinelese have fiercely resisted contact with outsiders, even after disaster. In 2004, following the Asian tsunami that devastated the Andaman chain, a member of the tribe was photographed on a beach on the island, firing arrows at a helicopter sent to check on their welfare. Two years later, members of the tribe killed two poachers who had been illegally fishing in the waters surrounding North Sentinel Island after their boat drifted ashore, according to Survival International. Pearce, of Survival International, said India – which has built up military infrastructure on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in recent years in case of a confrontation with China – has a 'legal responsibility' to protect the Sentinelese people from missionaries, social media influencers, illegal fishers or anyone else. There have been other encounters with uncontacted tribes in recent years. In February, a young man from an isolated Indigenous tribe in Brazil made brief contact with the outside world before returning to the Amazon rainforest. In 2024, Survival International published rare images of the uncontacted Mashco Piro tribe in the remote Peruvian Amazon, reporting that the tribe was trying to evade loggers.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Yahoo
US tourist arrested after allegedly attempting to contact ‘world's most isolated' tribe
An American tourist has been arrested after allegedly traveling to a remote island in the Bay of Bengal and attempting to contact one of the world's most isolated tribes. Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov, 24, made the illegal voyage to North Sentinel Island, home to the enigmatic Sentinelese tribe, on March 29, Indian police told CNN. North Sentinel Island is a land mass roughly the size of Manhattan in the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago, about 750 miles from the Indian mainland. Visiting the island is prohibited by Indian law to maintain the Sentinelese way of life and protect them from modern illnesses, from which they lack immunity. While Polyakov successfully reached the island, he does not appear to have made contact with the Sentinelese tribe, Jitendra Kumar Meena, head of the Andaman and Nicobar Police's Criminal Investigations Department told CNN. He was spotted by a local fisherman on his way back and arrested two days later, Meena said. Police seized an inflatable boat and motor from Polyakov. He has not yet been charged with any offenses. A spokesperson for the US State Department said 'we are aware of reports of the detention of a US citizen in India' in a statement to CNN but could not comment further on the case. It is not clear if Polyakov has retained a lawyer. The Sentinelese have only made contact with the modern world a handful of times and have been known to vigorously reject outsiders. Because the Sentinelese are so reclusive, it is difficult to know how many there are – estimates range from dozens to hundreds. Previous encounters with the tribe have proved fatal. In 2018, American missionary John Allen Chau was reportedly killed by tribespeople after he arrived on North Sentinel Island, hoping to convert the local people to Christianity. Polyakov is 'lucky he did not make contact otherwise he would have met the same fate,' Meena said. Caroline Pearce, Director of Survival International, a nonprofit dedicated to the protection of isolated tribal groups, called Polyakov's alleged actions 'reckless and idiotic.' 'This person's actions not only endangered his own life, they put the lives of the entire Sentinelese tribe at risk,' Pearce said in a statement. 'It's very well known by now that uncontacted peoples have no immunity to common outside diseases like flu or measles, which could completely wipe them out,' she added. Polyakov planned his trip well in advance, visiting the Andaman islands twice before traveling to North Sentinel on his third visit, allegedly setting off from a beach about 25 miles away in South Andaman, Meena said. 'As per what he has revealed in the investigation so far, he said he is keen on adventures. He said he had left some soft drink bottles there for the tribe but we haven't found anything so far,' Meena said. Police have seized Polyakov's phone and GoPro, as well as a bottle of sand he allegedly collected from the island. A special investigation team is carrying out a search of the island from afar, on boats using binoculars, despite choppy waters the last couple of days, Meena said. There are more than 100 uncontacted tribes around the world, mainly in the Amazon rainforest, but the Sentinelese are 'the most isolated Indigenous people in the world,' according to Survival International. Most of what is known about them comes from boats moored more than an arrow's distance from the shore and from rare past encounters with authorities. The Sentinelese hunt in the rainforest and fish in the coastal waters using spears, bows and arrows, as well as homemade narrow outrigger canoes, according to Survival International. They are thought to live in three groups in both large communal huts and more informal shelters on the beach. First contact with the Sentinelese tribe was made by the British in the late 1800s, when, despite their attempts to hide, six individuals from the tribe were captured and taken to the main island of the Andaman Island archipelago. An Indian law from 1956 bans outsiders from traveling to North Sentinel and other islands in the archipelago home to Indigenous groups. Except for a brief, friendly interaction in the early 1990s, the Sentinelese have fiercely resisted contact with outsiders, even after disaster. In 2004, following the Asian tsunami that devastated the Andaman chain, a member of the tribe was photographed on a beach on the island, firing arrows at a helicopter sent to check on their welfare. Two years later, members of the tribe killed two poachers who had been illegally fishing in the waters surrounding North Sentinel Island after their boat drifted ashore, according to Survival International. Pearce, of Survival International, said India – which has built up military infrastructure on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in recent years in case of a confrontation with China – has a 'legal responsibility' to protect the Sentinelese people from missionaries, social media influencers, illegal fishers or anyone else. There have been other encounters with uncontacted tribes in recent years. In February, a young man from an isolated Indigenous tribe in Brazil made brief contact with the outside world before returning to the Amazon rainforest. In 2024, Survival International published rare images of the uncontacted Mashco Piro tribe in the remote Peruvian Amazon, reporting that the tribe was trying to evade loggers.
CNN
04-04-2025
- CNN
US tourist arrested after allegedly attempting to contact ‘world's most isolated' tribe
An American tourist has been arrested after allegedly traveling to a remote island in the Bay of Bengal and attempting to contact one of the world's most isolated tribes. Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov, 24, made the illegal voyage to North Sentinel Island, home to the enigmatic Sentinelese tribe, on March 29, Indian police told CNN. North Sentinel Island is a land mass roughly the size of Manhattan in the Adaman and Nicobar archipelago, about 750 miles from the Indian mainland. Visiting the island is prohibited by Indian law to maintain the Sentinelese way of life and protect them from modern illnesses, from which they lack immunity. While Polyakov successfully reached the island, he does not appear to have made contact with the Sentinelese tribe, Jitendra Kumar Meena, head of the Adaman and Nicobar Police's Criminal Investigations Department told CNN. He was spotted by a local fisherman on his way back and arrested two days later, Meena said. Police seized an inflatable boat and motor from Polyakov. He has not yet been charged with any offenses. A spokesperson for the US State Department said 'we are aware of reports of the detention of a US citizen in India' in a statement to CNN but could not comment further on the case. It is not clear if Polyakov has retained a lawyer. The Sentinelese have only made contact with the modern world a handful of times and have been known to vigorously reject outsiders. Because the Sentinelese are so reclusive, it is difficult to know how many there are – estimates range from dozens to hundreds. Previous encounters with the tribe have proved fatal. In 2018, American missionary John Allen Chau was reportedly killed by tribespeople after he arrived on North Sentinel Island, hoping to convert the local people to Christianity. Polyakov is 'lucky he did not make contact otherwise he would have met the same fate,' Meena said. Caroline Pearce, Director of Survival International, a nonprofit dedicated to the protection of isolated tribal groups, called Polyakov's alleged actions 'reckless and idiotic.' 'This person's actions not only endangered his own life, they put the lives of the entire Sentinelese tribe at risk,' Pearce said in a statement. 'It's very well known by now that uncontacted peoples have no immunity to common outside diseases like flu or measles, which could completely wipe them out,' she added. Polyakov planned his trip well in advance, visiting the Adaman islands twice before traveling to North Sentinel on his third visit, allegedly setting off from a beach about 25 miles away in South Adaman, Meena said. 'As per what he has revealed in the investigation so far, he said he is keen on adventures. He said he had left some soft drink bottles there for the tribe but we haven't found anything so far,' Meena said. Police have seized Polyakov's phone and GoPro, as well as a bottle of sand he allegedly collected from the island. A special investigation team is carrying out a search of the island from afar, on boats using binoculars, despite choppy waters the last couple of days, Meena said. There are more than 100 uncontacted tribes around the world, mainly in the Amazon rainforest, but the Sentinelese are 'the most isolated Indigenous people in the world,' according to Survival International. Most of what is known about them comes from boats moored more than an arrow's distance from the shore and from rare past encounters with authorities. The Sentinelese hunt in the rainforest and fish in the coastal waters using spears, bows and arrows, as well as homemade narrow outrigger canoes, according to Survival International. They are thought to live in three groups in both large communal huts and more informal shelters on the beach. First contact with the Sentinelese tribe was made by the British in the late 1800s, when, despite their attempts to hide, six individuals from the tribe were captured and taken to the main island of the Andaman Island archipelago. An Indian law from 1956 bans outsiders from traveling to North Sentinel and other islands in the archipelago home to Indigenous groups. Except for a brief, friendly interaction in the early 1990s, the Sentinelese have fiercely resisted contact with outsiders, even after disaster. In 2004, following the Asian tsunami that devastated the Andaman chain, a member of the tribe was photographed on a beach on the island, firing arrows at a helicopter sent to check on their welfare. Two years later, members of the tribe killed two poachers who had been illegally fishing in the waters surrounding North Sentinel Island after their boat drifted ashore, according to Survival International. Pearce, of Survival International, said India – which has built up military infrastructure on the Adaman and Nicobar Islands in recent years in case of a confrontation with China – has a 'legal responsibility' to protect the Sentinelese people from missionaries, social media influencers, illegal fishers or anyone else. There have been other encounters with uncontacted tribes in recent years. In February, a young man from an isolated Indigenous tribe in Brazil made brief contact with the outside world before returning to the Amazon rainforest. In 2024, Survival International published rare images of the uncontacted Mashco Piro tribe in the remote Peruvian Amazon, reporting that the tribe was trying to evade loggers.
Arab Times
27-03-2025
- Arab Times
Raffle Rigging Scandal: 58 Under Investigation, Airport Arrests Continue
KUWAIT CITY, March 28: A security source informed that the number of individuals under investigation in the recent Ya Hala raffle fraud case has risen to 58, including 25 expatriates of various nationalities. The source revealed that the primary suspect in the case was presented before the Public Prosecution the day before yesterday. During the hearing, he was confronted with the evidence gathered by detectives, and a decision was issued to extend his detention pending further investigation. According to the source, all individuals linked to the case—whether Kuwaiti citizens or expatriates, including those under suspicion or those who won prizes multiple times in previous years—have been placed on travel ban or arrest lists. The source described the case as complex, noting that some individuals have already been summoned for questioning, while others will face the same procedure in due course. Attempts to Flee Thwarted The source added that anyone implicated in the raffle scam who attempts to leave the country will be intercepted at the airport and transferred to the Criminal Investigations Department. Notably, three suspects were recently arrested at the airport while trying to flee. In the past few hours, joint task forces from the Ministries of Interior and Commerce have been formed to identify and place all suspects—citizens and expatriates alike—on travel ban lists. Confessions and Key Findings During interrogation, the main suspect admitted that his association with the accused woman and her husband began in 2021. He disclosed that he facilitated her first prize win of 20,000 dinars and five additional prizes, including luxury vehicles. He also enabled her husband to win cash and in-kind rewards. The suspect further revealed that his initial connection to the couple was through an expatriate who has since fled to his home country. Forensic analysis of the main suspect's and the accused's phones uncovered communications with individuals from two other countries. Investigators found that the accused had received prizes from these countries, with most of the prize money being funneled back to her. Ongoing Manhunt and Further Investigations The source confirmed that other key suspects remain at large, and legal measures have been taken to authorize detectives—armed with prosecution orders and initial investigation reports—to locate and interrogate them. In the coming days, investigation teams will pursue fugitive suspects, including the main suspect's accomplice, an employee who escaped last Sunday morning. While his identity is known, authorities have declined to disclose his current whereabouts. Scrutiny of Past Winners All past winners of major raffle prizes will be summoned for questioning to determine how much money was withdrawn from their accounts immediately or shortly after their wins—and where those funds were directed. Assurances to the Public The source reassured Kuwaiti citizens and expats that the case is being handled with utmost diligence, emphasizing that all involved parties—inside or outside Kuwait—will be pursued. Strict measures are in place to prevent suspects from leaving the country, as all ports have been provided with updated travel ban lists. Additional Revelations Detainees have provided statements implicating others, including an expatriate of a different nationality, whom the main accused allegedly helped win four prizes. This individual has since been arrested. When asked whether the main suspect acted alone, the source replied, 'At this stage, it appears so, but the fugitive expatriate's testimony may reveal additional accomplices.' The total value of the cash and in-kind prizes uncovered is estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands of dinars. Investigators also discovered software on the main suspect's computer capable of rigging raffle outcomes, allowing him to predetermine winners even among tens of thousands of participants.
