Man hacked to death

An armed gang hacked a 35-year-old man to death in Sudamanagar on Monday afternoon.

          Mohan alias Ismail Sherief from Vinobanagar in Kalasipalyam was going on a two-wheeler when the gang which was lying in wait for him, attacked him with choppers. He tried to flee by abandoning his two-wheeler, but was chased by the gang. The gang soon overpowered him and hacked him to death, police said.

The assailants took to their heels soon after the incident, police said.

          A habitual offender and small-time money lender, Mohan was under police surveillance as several complaints, including murder and extortion, were registered against him. He was arrested on murder charges in 2003.

Ghanaian cons Mysorean of cash, arrested

           Central Crime Branch sleuths caught a Ghanaian for allegedly cheating a private company employee of Rs 3 lakh in cash, on the pretext of giving a business loan.

           David Zuma, 28, was caught inside a coffee shop on Vittal Mallya Road when he was talking to the victim, Mahesh Nayaka of Mysore. According to police, the accused sent an email to Mahesh, saying he could fund him up to Rs 2 crore to start a business concerning herbal products. "Mahesh believed him and deposited Rs 3 lakh for document clearance. Later, David said he needed Rs 20 lakh more to open the currency chest that contained Rs 2 crore," police said. Mahesh grew suspicious and brought the matter to the notice of a vernacular TV channel. "The TV crew along with CCB police set a trap. Mahesh called the accused, saying the cash was ready," police said. The unsuspecting David dropped into the coffee shop on Sunday, and police arrested him.

Feel free to pose queries to policemen

               'Eat up your vegetables, or I'll ask police uncle to take you away.' Such threats by mothers could be history, with cops working extra hard towards a people-friendly image.

               On Friday, Bangalore police, in association with Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, launched the booklet, '101 things you wanted to know about the police but were too afraid to ask'. It'll be distributed at police stations, bookstalls and NGOs.

                At the launch, R Ashoka, minister for home and transport, said, "The sight of police should create fear among criminals as much as relief among those in need of help."

               "Currently, police reform are an internal business and this is against the democratic process. Without public involvement, no accountability or reforms are possible in law enforcement," Maja Daruwala, director, CHRI said.

Can the police arrest me without giving a reason?

No. Police can make arrests only if there are good grounds for arrest. This happens when a person is caught red-handed for wrong-doing, or the investigation points a finger of suspicion towards that person. Any person found helping someone else to commit a crime could also be arrested.

Can police fire at will?

                Not at all. Deadly force is meant to be used in only the very rarest of cases when all other means of controlling a situation fails. Again, there must be an executive magistrate present who approves the action.

How are people arrested on Friday evening and kept in custody til Monday?

                 The excuse for continuing this illegal practice is for police to say there is no magistrate available over the weekend. In reality, there is always a magistrate on duty available 24/7. A person can be kept in custody before producing him before a judicial magistrate for 24 hours.

Can a police officer come unasked and search homes and take away belongings?

                  Only in very limited circumstances. If police enter any house for questioning, they may enter only on invitation. However, if police have reasonable grounds and believe a suspect is hiding, or there's stolen property or an illegal weapon, they can enter the house without a warrant from a court. If the suspect, criminal or object needs to be taken into custody and if there is apprehension that the suspect may escape, then police can enter the house without a warrant.

Online tricksters land in internet

Cyber crime got another innovative twist, with a gang of six running a fake online travel agency, www.smartrip.com, to cheat people. The Central Crime Branch (CCB) cracked down on the gang, and arrested three men on Wednesday, while three others are on the run.

The gang had been operating through the website for the past one year. They invited the public to enrol as members and introduce more people to their network. Each member was promised Rs 10,000, and those who introduced four members would get a free trip to Thailand. But there was a catch: those who enrolled would first have to pay up Rs 10,000.

Police arrested M Devaprakash, 22, of Hebbal, T Balachandra, 22, of Yelahanka, and K Prashanth, 31, of Kanakapura, and spread a dragnet to nab Mahesh Loknath, Santosh Sumo and Suresh Kumar, who are believed to be part of the racket.

According to police, these men had taken money from over 200 people using this business model. Some of the victims had complained to police.

Following the arrests, police recovered Rs 1.45 lakh from these men. However, as most of the transactions were online, police expect to recover more money from the fraudsters.

Special teams to nab tricksters in Bangalore

       After a lull, attention-diversion theft is back in the city. A day after miscreants robbed five elderly women of their gold jewellery in different areas, a special team was formed to nab these tricksters, commonly known as `Irani' gangs. They reportedly come from Hubli and Gadag in Karnataka, and Hindupur and its surrounding areas in Andhra Pradesh. Police are also looking for those arrested earlier for similar crimes. Last year, a jewellery shop owner caught one such thief when he and his accomplices tried to flee with gold. The gang had posed as customers. Police said some of these thieves had been released on bail recently.

      Joint commissioner of police (crime) Alok Kumar said police suspect these miscreants stun their victims by throwing a powder which causes hallucination. "On Monday, one victim claimed she felt she was losing consciousness for a short while after these miscreants approached her. We have registered robbery cases earlier in which victims said the same thing," he said.

     A senior officer said miscreants normally pick their victims carefully and plan their attack. "In all five cases, they targeted women over 60 years of age. The culprits struck when victims were alone," he said.
On Monday, five women were robbed of their gold chains and bangles by tricksters who approached them on the pretext of seeking their blessings. After befriending victims, the gang gave them a 500-rupee note. The culprits told the victims they planned to start a business. Even as culprits sought their blessings, the victims lost consciousness for a brief spell. Taking advantage of this, the thieves fled with their gold jewellery.

Nomadic gangs
    Nomadic gangs from North Karnataka often camp near railway stations and other crowded areas. The members are related to each other and commit offences at different places before returning to their homes. Some even pose as policemen and have a distinctive modus operandi.

Chain snatchers will be booked under Goonda Act

To bring down crime rates in Bangalore, the city police are planning to detain chain-snatchers under the provision of the Karnataka Prevention of Dangerous Activities of Bootleggers, Drug Offenders, Gamblers, Goondas, Immoral Traffic Offenders and Slum Grabbers Act, 1985, widely known as the Goonda Act.
Joint commissioner of police (crime), Alok Kumar, said, “We will book chain snatchers and robbers under the Act.”
Manjunath alias Pulsar Manja, city’s notorious chain snatcher who has more than 30 cases against him, will soon be detained. Once detained, the arrested should spend a whole year in jail, and bail will not be granted for the entire year.

Mumbai Iskcon is the real thing, Bangalore body fake: Karnataka high court

The legal battle between Bangalore and Mumbai arms of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon) ended on Monday with the Karnataka high court ruling that the Mumbai Iskcon had rights over the properties of Iskcon, Bangalore.
Hearing the regular first appeal (RFA) filed by Iskcon, Mumbai challenging the April 17 verdict of IX additional civil and sessions court ruling that the property in Harekrishna Hills in Rajajinagar belonged to Iskcon, Bangalore, a special division bench of justices HN Nagamohan Das and Arali Nagraj on Monday observed that the Bangalore body had no right over the scheduled properties.
Iskcon, Bangalore then filed an application seeking a stay on the high court order until it could file an appeal against the verdict in the Supreme Court. The application will come up for hearing on Tuesday.
The bench observed that Iskcon, Bangalore was not a legally constituted body and it was a branch of the Mumbai outfit.
The society and office-bearers of Iskcon, Bangalore have no right to interfere with the functioning and managing of the properties in the city.
They had miserably failed to prove the legal existence of Iskcon, Bangalore as an independent autonomous body, it said.
The court also said that there was no evidence on record to show as to when Madhu Pandit Das, president of Iskcon, Bangalore enrolled as a member of the organisation.
It further observed that Iskcon, Bangalore was a defunct society and was taking advantage of the similarity in its name with that of Mumbai Iskcon.
It had fabricated documents and was falsely claiming its right over the properties. There was no evidence on record to show that the properties were built by Iskcon, Bangalore.
The bench further directed that Madhu Pandit Das and other full-time devotees were entitled to continue to function at the Iskcon, Bangalore in accordance with the byelaws and rules of the Mumbai Iskcon.
The Karnataka high court observed that Iskcon, Bangalore was to conduct its first general body within 18 months of its registration in 1978 and elect a governing body.
However, it had not done so which was a clear violation under the Section 1(2) of the Karnataka Societies Registration Act.
From 1978 till March 2002, the plaintiff society had not even filed its returns with the income tax department.
The society filed its income tax returns for the first time in March 2002, showing a fund of about Rs35.59 crore in its balance sheet, the court pointed out.
Iskcon, Bangalore failed to show that it was owner of the immovable property bearing survey nos 174 and 175 in Ketamaranahalli which is now Rajajinagar II stage and property measuring six acres and eight guntas at No 3, 1st cross, 3rd stage Gokula, Mysore.

Iskcons gird up their loins for battles off court too

The Karnataka high court’sorder that the Mumbai Iskcon is real title holder for the Bangalore Iskcon properties, sent the the two parties into a tizzy.
Within hours of the judgement, there was a flurry of activity at the West of Chord Road headquarters of Iskcon, Bangalore.
Local Iskcon authorities immediately sought the enhancement of police presence at their West of Chord Road complex. Additional police forces were rushed to the complex. Besides civil policemen, private security personnel too man the Iskcon complex.
Representatives of Mumbai Iskcon, meanwhile, petitioned GT Ajjappa, ACP, Malleswaram subdivision, alleging that the Bangalore outfit was plotting to smuggle out of the West of Chord Road premises computers with valuable data.
They urged the city police to prevent this as the high court had declared Mumbai Iskcon as the rightful owner of the Bangalore properties.
Over 200 devotees of Mumbai Iskcon said to be camping in Bangalore are believed to be working on taking physical control of the Iskcon complex on West of Chord Road, following the Karnataka high court delivering the judgment in their favour.
According to sources, devotees are staying in groups in Bangalore city and are likely to enter the Radha Krishna Temple to take physical posession of the property.
In view of the high court declining to grant temporary stay on its judgment and the Supreme Court being on vacation, any intervention by the Apex Court is expected to take at least three to four days.
The Mumbai Iskcon devotees’ plan is to take possession of the property before that, sources added.