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Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
Murder accused on the run for 10 years nabbed near Pakistan border
Surat: A murder accused who had been on the run for a decade was arrested near the Pakistan border in Rajasthan by the Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) of Surat police. The accused, Habibulla Sama (40), was wanted in a 2015 murder case involving the killing and dismemberment of a man in Rander. According to details, Sama lived at the construction site of the 'Elite Enclave' scheme in Rander with Barkat Sindhi, a fellow villager who had helped him get the job in 2015. Sindhi was acquainted with a woman named Rehana, who complained that her husband, Yusuf Ansari (30), abused her. Sindhi asked her to lure Ansari to the construction site, where he killed him by striking him with an axe. To prevent identification of the body, Sindhi enlisted Sama, Imran Mori, and Indrajit Yadav to help dismember the body into five parts — two arms, two legs, and the torso — and further mutilated the face. The remains were packed in plastic and jute bags to be disposed of in the Tapi River. However, while Sindhi and Yadav were transporting the body parts, two bags accidentally fell off their vehicle near the house of local resident Salim Barafwala on Causeway Road. Panicked, the duo fled the scene, and all accused went underground. For the past 10 years, Sama had been living under the disguise as a farmer at Tamaliyar village of Ramsar block in Barmer district — a desert region close to the India-Pakistan border in Rajasthan. Acting on human and technical intelligence, Surat DCB tracked him down and, with help from local police, arrested him during a raid.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
27 duped in visa fraud, DCB probing bank account misuse
Ahmedabad: The Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) in Ahmedabad is working on unravelling a case in which 27 people have allegedly been duped in an overseas work visa scam. The complainant from Odhav stated in the FIR that a Dubai-based agent cheated him and 26 others of Rs 21 lakh after falsely promising to get them work permits for Europe and Canada. According to the FIR, the complainant and his friends were introduced to the agent by a mutual contact in Oct 2024. "A common friend gave me the agent's mobile number saying he had helped many people get visas earlier. On his assurance, I began dealing with the agent for work permits to Canada and Europe," the complainant stated in the FIR. The agent allegedly took Rs 50,000 per person as an advance and assured them that he would first send them to Dubai to work in his company. You Can Also Check: Ahmedabad AQI | Weather in Ahmedabad | Bank Holidays in Ahmedabad | Public Holidays in Ahmedabad After working for six to 12 months, he promised to arrange Canadian or European visas, deducting the remaining charges from their Dubai salaries. The FIR said, "The agent told victims that since their passports had no prior travel stamps, they would need to show high bank balances and financial transactions. The agent promised to deposit money in their accounts and later take it back through withdrawals made by victims." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like New Container Houses Portugal (Prices May Surprise You) Container House Search Now Undo The complainant and others allowed their and their family members' bank accounts to be used for this purpose. According to the complaint, "About Rs 4 crore was routed through our accounts and handed over to an angadia firm in Bapunagar and the agent's contact." The complainant and other victims were later told by Vadodara Cyber Crime police that these were fraudulent funds. Only a few applicants were briefly sent to Dubai, but no proper employment was arranged. "They were made to visit different offices for interviews and returned home within weeks," the FIR states, adding that the agent allegedly stopped answering calls after a few months. "He gave repeated excuses and assured us the money would be returned, but we have received nothing so far," he added. The FIR also states that the complainant travelled to Dubai in May 2025 to meet the agent, who again avoided repayment. "Following unscrupulous transactions by the agent, Cyber Crime police froze some of our accounts, it damaged our reputation and caused mental distress," the complainant told DCB officers. Police have launched a probe against the agent, said to hold a golden visa in Dubai since 2021. The FIR includes documents such as job offer letters, bank transaction details, and identity proofs submitted by the complainant.
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Indian Express
How 19-year-old Bhuj boy's Goa ‘escapade' uncovered family friend's bid to hide a crime
A case of two teenagers allegedly escaping from their house in Bhuj to Goa — only to get caught by the Ahmedabad Crime Branch while trying to board a flight to Kolkata later — saw an interesting twist after a complaint by the mother of one of the boys and the subsequent arrest of two men. Arrested accused Rahul Solanki and Ravi Maheswari were allegedly blackmailing 19-year-old Ishan Singh Rajput and forcing him to flee to Goa with friends. While co-accused Ravi's role is still under investigation, Rahul, who allegedly took away cash and jewellery from the teenager's house, wanted a cover-up for the crime. As Ishan's mother, Twinkle Singh Rajput, was already not in the city when Rahul committed the crime, the accused wanted to make it look like a theft had taken place after Ishan had left for Goa and there was nobody at the house, police said. A day after Ishan and another 17-year-old were 'rescued' by the Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad and handed over to their families who had accompanied the police from Kutch, the Bhuj 'A' Division police filed an FIR based on the complaint of Twinkle. They are now investigating a case of blackmail and extortion. As per the FIR, seen by The Indian Express, complainant Twinkle, a 50-year-old whose husband passed away in January, stated that while she lives in Bhuj with her 19-year-old son (Ishan) who studies in Class 12, her 27-year-old daughter studies in a college in Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow. The complainant said that on July 16, she had gone to Lucknow and that she had kept all her jewellery and other valuables in the locker of their house before leaving. Five days later, on July 21 morning, her daughter told her that she had received a call from her brother Ishan who said he had left for Goa and that they should not follow him if they did not want him to take an 'adverse step', the FIR states. Soon after, the complainant received a call from her 'family friend' Rahul, who is in his 20s, and she informed him that she was returning to Bhuj and asked him to pick her up at the airport. Around 3.15 pm on July 21, the complainant landed in Bhuj where she was picked up by Rahul. She said she sat in an SUV and Rahul drove her home. Rahul allegedly also told her that he had spoken to Ishan around 10 pm on July 20 and that Ishan told him that he was in Goa, but refused to share further details. After Rahul dropped her home, Twinkle went to her room only to find her cupboard and locker open, allegedly with valuables worth around Rs 32.30 lakh missing. In her complaint, Twinkle also said that she initially thought that her son Ishan had fled with the valuables. She then went with Rahul to Bhuj 'A' Division police station where she informed the police about her missing son. The police launched a probe. Soon, they found out that Ishan and another minor were in Ahmedabad and were likely on their way to Goa. Inspector A M Patel of Bhuj 'A' Division police called his batchmate, Inspector Mahendra Salhunke of Ahmedabad DCB, and sought help. The Crime Branch, with the help of technical surveillance, traced the two teens to a hotel in Ahmedabad. Inspector Salhunke told The Indian Express, 'After we received information about the boys from Bhuj police on Monday evening, we launched a technical surveillance and found that they were staying at a hotel. By the time we reached the hotel, they had checked out. However, we learnt that they were headed to the airport and were going to fly out of the city.' The Crime Branch then informed the airport police and staffers about the boys and requested them not to allow the boys to board a flight. When Crime Branch officials and the airport police spotted the youths, they had already completed their luggage check-in process, but were eventually stopped from boarding a flight to Kolkata and handed over to the Bhuj police. It was then that the complainant asked her son Ishan as to why he had run away from home. Twinkle told the police, 'Ishan told me that two months ago, he had consumed liquor and smoked cigarettes with Rahul and that the latter had thereafter shown him videos that he had taken of Ishan engaging in these vices. Ishan said Rahul had asked him to steal Rs 15 lakh from our house and give it to him threatening to share the video with me (Twinkle).' As per the FIR, Ishan told his mother that on July 18, Rahul had visited Ishan at his house, threatened him with the videos again and obtained the location of the locker where the valuables were kept. He then allegedly tried to break open the locker, but failed. Rahul left after Ishan started crying, it stated. Ishan further told his mother that on July 19 night, while he was playing video games with his two minor friends, Rahul arrived to threaten him again. After Rahul allegedly failed to break open the locker again, Rahul allegedly took Ishan to a key-maker near a mall to get a duplicate key made for the locker. To allay the key-maker's suspicion, Rahul allegedly told him that Ishan was an officer at the Air Force base in Naliya and that he needed to submit some documents early in the morning, but those were inside a locker and they needed to access it immediately. The FIR further stated that they got the key made around 12.15 am on July 20. Rahul then took the valuables from the house and left. The next day, Rahul met Ishan again and asked him to leave for Goa and stay there for a few days, promising that after the matter of theft subsides, he would call Ishan back, the FIR also stated. Ishan said Rahul allegedly gave him and the two friends Rs 70,000 and booked a Goa package for them. However one of his minor friends refused to go, and thus only Ishan left with the other friend for Ahmedabad. They, however, missed their flight to Goa and stayed in a hotel in Ahmedabad, as instructed by Rahul, who also asked them to book another flight to Kolkata. Rahul also allegedly informed them that the police were looking for the two and asked them not to give away their location. Before they could board the flight to Kolkata, they were caught.. Police Inspector Patel said, 'Rahul Bhagwanji Solanki and Ravi Mohan Maheshwari were booked under BNS sections 308(5) (extortion), 351 (criminal intimidation), 61 (criminal conspiracy), and 46 (abettor present).' Further investigation is underway.
Indian Express
17-07-2025
- Indian Express
How surveying dirt paths helped police crack the theft of artefact stolen from dome of 15th-century monument in Ahmedabad
On July 1, a caretaker of Sarkhej Roza, a 15th-century tomb and mosque complex in Makarba area of Ahmedabad, noticed that an artefact on the dome of a mausoleum of Sheikh Ahmad Khattu Ganj Bakhsh Sahib was missing. Built around 1445 AD, the mausoleum of Sheikh Sahib, who was the spiritual guide of Ahmedabad's founder Sultan Ahmad Shah, is a Class-I National Protected Monument and was instrumental in helping the city get the title of World Heritage City by UNESCO in 2017. Given the significance, police made multiple teams to track the thieves. And after two weeks of efforts, four of the accused were nabbed in Kadi, Mehsana – over 75 kms away in Mehsana. The artefact, a gold-coloured finial, though, was found in a shattered state. Police said the accused had stolen the artefact as they thought it was made of gold. On discovering that it was made of copper and brass, they were planning to sell it in scrap, the Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) of Ahmedabad City Police, which made the arrest, said on Thursday. Police said the stolen item is a 150-year-old religious 'Panjtan Pak' Kalash (urn made of five metals – Panch dhatu). Panjtan Pak refers to the Five Holy Members of Prophet Muhammad's family, said an official of the Crime Branch. According to a statement by the Crime Branch, 'Stealing such a sacred and historic symbol is not merely a criminal offence but a serious cultural attack. The Ahmedabad Crime Branch, responding with sensitivity and efficiency, successfully solved the case and recovered the artefact of historical and religious significance.' To nab the accused, police teams began with examining several CCTV cameras and using drones to conduct an extensive aerial survey of nearby lakes and isolated areas. Police Inspector Mahendra Salhunke said, 'Since there is only one road leading in and out of the Sarkhej Roza complex, which is surrounded by empty land, we first carried out an aerial survey of the entire area with our drones to locate 'pagdandi' (dirt paths created by constant human movement). After locating all the possible paths through which the thieves may have exited the complex, we conducted a check of CCTV camera footage in a 1.5 to 2 km radius, which gave us an idea of their identity.' Another clinching evidence for the police was the ping from mobile phones of the accused, which were found at the site during the time of the robbery. 'Then, through local intelligence, the Crime Branch learnt that the thieves were in Kadi, Mehsana,' said police. The arrested accused have been identified as Suresh Dharmshi Dantani (40), Gopal Dharmshi Dantani (30), Munna Jayanti Dantani (23), and Vishnu Chuna Dantani (22), all from Patan district. Police said efforts are on to locate four other accused. On the stolen artefact, Inspector Salhunke said, 'The thieves believed that the kalash was made of gold. However, this was not the case. They shattered the kalash and on discovering that it contained no precious metal, they decided to sell it in scrap. We apprehended them before this could happen.'
Time of India
16-07-2025
- Time of India
Notorious burglary gang caught
Vadodara: The Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) busted a gang of burglars and arrested three men from the city who had been targeting homes and stealing vehicles over the past two months. According to police, a patrolling team received a tip-off about a group of suspicious men loitering on Vishwamitri Road. When the team reached the spot, the trio tried to flee but were caught and questioned. During the frisk, the police recovered gold jewellery and burglary tools from them. The arrested accused were identified as Shamsher Sikligar, Bacchusingh Sikligar, and Mahendrasingh Sikligar. They confessed to being involved in five offences, including house break-ins and vehicle theft. The trio stole motorcycles, which they used to roam the city and conduct recces of potential targets. The accused typically broke into locked houses at night by forcing open the main doors. The police have recovered gold ornaments worth Rs 3.65 lakh, Rs 1.65 lakh in cash, wristwatches worth Rs 15,000, and several stolen motorcycles. They committed burglaries in the Gorwa, Gotri, Manjalpur, and Raopura areas. Shamsher has 19 prior offences registered across various city police stations, Bacchusingh is accused in 10 cases of burglary and vehicle theft, while Mahendrasingh has four burglary cases against him.
