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May 7, 2003, Chandigarh, India
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Farewell
to lathis, trishuls; welcome cannons! New Delhi, May 6 “If Laloo Yadav and Togadia were proud of distributing ‘lathis’ and ‘trishuls’, then we are not ashamed of providing ‘cannons’ to our voters. We are distributing ‘cannons’ and let the public now elect us,” said Bhatti while launching the rally. The satirist is in the process of collecting funds so that he could distribute lakhs of ‘cannons’ to the voters of different states. Bhatti while launching the model cannons was found singing jingles specially scripted for the occasion with his group. “We are mobilising people and funds for the purpose. We also offer consultancy to different political parties on how to divide the votes on communal and caste basis in the country,” he said. “Let these modern weapons like grenade, missile and cannons be freely available for 24 hours a day in the shops.” He said we have to fight terrorism and terrorists intruding our country. But the present situation leads to a communal divide and animosity among the voters as these weapons have been used to threaten our own countrymen. The politicians ignore developmental issues and are mostly engaged in fighting over the frivolous issues, which should be stopped immediately, Bhatti said. His ‘Nonsense Club’ would soon ask the Government to remove the requirement of licence to possess and flaunt guns, grenades and other arms. This was Bhatti’s second diksha after he organised one in Chandigarh on Sunday. Bhatti also asked the Election Commission to take back symbols allotted to various parties and give them new symbols of various weapons. |
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ASSEMBLY
POLLS New Delhi, May 6 Addressing newspersons here today, International Council of Punjabis [ICP] chief Manjit Singh said his council has roped in several BJP MLAs and Delhi’s prominent Akali leaders and announced plans to hold a mass signature campaign in support of the demand. He said a meeting held last evening by the ICP, Mr Ramakant Goswami, Parliamentary Secretary to the Delhi Chief Minister, promised full support of his Sanatan Dharam Pratinidhi Sabha for seeking early Central clearance to the Delhi Assembly-passed bill which has accorded second official language status to Punjabi in the Capital. Punjabi just does not belong to the Sikhs but is spoken by a large population of Hindus in India and Muslims in Pakistan, he remarked as he derided the BJP-led Central government for what he called its neglect of a widely-spoken language. Mr Goswami pledged that the Sanatan Dharmis would lead the Sikhs in their campaign for Punjabi’s second official language status. In order to offset the impression that the Punjabi language was primarily a religious issue, Mr Manjit Singh said, his council had excluded Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) chief Paramjit Singh Sarna from the ICP’s Signature Campaign Committee. “We have not included Mr Sarna as it would have otherwise meant holding language-related meetings at gurdwaras, sending out the impression that Punjabi belongs only to the Sikhs,” the ICP chief said. Mr Sarna had last week expressed the DSGMC’s move to lobby for securing the second language status to Punjabi. |
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Fresh rules to open a new chapter in Sonepat, May 6 The new rules have been made as stated in the gazette notification, to regulate education in all non-government schools to promote better organisation and development of school education, the manner of admissions to recognised schools, fee structure, a uniform code of service conditions for the employees, adequate infrastructural facilities to be provided to the pupils and also to follow an approved course of studies in Haryana. The rules begin with the regulation that ‘no school in the state can function, establish or start classes without or prior permission of the director’. After categorising the schools in five types—pre-primary schools, primary schools, middle schools, secondary schools and senior secondary schools, the rules make it mandatory that the three-language formula, as adopted by the government, shall be followed by the private schools. The director of education is empowered to specify the time at which all schools shall commence and conclude the daily school hours provided that the total school hours in a year for the middle, secondary and senior secondary stage of education should not be fewer than 1,000 hours and the total number of working days in a year shall not be fewer than 220. However, school hours and working days shall not apply in case of non-formal education. According to rules, every individual, association of individuals, society or trust, desirous of establishing a new school, shall apply along with a demand draft of Rs 1,000 for primary, Rs 2,500 for middle, Rs 5,000 for secondary and Rs 10,000 for senior secondary as processing fee along with other information like proposed salary of the staff, fees and funds to be levied and collected. Under the new rules, the government has enforced a number of conditions for the recognition of schools. All these conditions are 27 in number including prior approval from the Director for opening of new school, no admission beyond class-III, teachers suitably trained with minimum prescribed qualification besides other concerning with school buildings, management, facilities of various kinds. Minimum norms for land and buildings of the schools have also been fixed in the new rules. |
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University
education doesn’t cost a packet here! Rohtak, May 6 With 55 per cent dearness allowance, medical allowance and house rent allowance, the minimum salary of a professor comes out to be Rs 26,305 in Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU). On the same count, the maximum salary of a Professor comes out to be Rs 35,605. This amount keeps increasing every year on account of two dearness allowance instalments and one annual increment in the pay scale. The financial implications of this can be anybody’s guess when one finds that in the MDU, out of 199 teachers, 49 are Professors, 102 are Readers and 48 are Lecturers. Thanks to the UGC’s career advanced scheme, time is not far when all of them would be Professors. In the Maharshi Dayanand University, there are 26 teaching departments, a Post-Graduate Regional Centre at Rewari and a university college at Rohtak. Out of the 26 teaching departments, only five departments generate resources and have no amount of subsidy. In the Institute of Management Science and Research (IMSAR), the cost per student is Rs 13,427 and the average fee is Rs 24,213. The cost per student in the Department of Law is Rs 7,358 against the average fee of Rs 14,376. The cost per student in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences works out to be Rs 16,320 and the average fee is Rs 24,353. The fifth earning department is the physical education department in which the cost per student works out to be Rs 14,180 against the average fee of Rs 16,191. The other departments in the university provide highly subsidised education with the Department of Fine Arts topping the list with a cost of Rs 90,781 per student against the average fee of Rs 1,477 as per the budget estimates of the university for 2002-2003. The cost per student in the Department of English is Rs 24,508 against the average fee of Rs 4,813. |
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DAYLIGHT
ROBBERY Ghaziabad, May 6 When they resisted the robbers’ attempt, the employees were assaulted with revolver butts. The scooter rider sustained a serious injury near his left eye. After snatching the money bag, the criminals escaped in a green Santro Car No. DL-6G-6391. When the victims raised the alarm, a large crowd collected at the site of the crime. Some people tried to chase the assailants but they could not over take the car. The trading community is miffed about this daylight robbery in a busy market. An Indian Oil lubricant dealer, Shiv Charan Das, Ram Avatar has his premises opposite Punjab National Bank in Navyug Market. This is the main centre for supply of kerosene, mobile oil etc to the whole city. Rakesh Singhal had sent his two employees, Rahul and Jatinder with Rs 3.25 lakh to the PNB for getting a demand draft made. A little away from their firm, three criminals had stopped their scooter. Jatinder was driving it while Rahul was holding the money bag. Putting revolver on Rahul’s temple, the robbers demanded the bag. When he resisted, one of the criminals hit him with the revolver butt near his left eye. He sustained a serious injury there. After snatching the bag, the robber got into a Santro car which came from behind and sped away waving their weapons in the air. There is a police spot at Navyug Market and on other side is a police picket of Kotwali police station. A motorcycle squad has also been stationed lately in the nearby congested areas. In spite of all this, the criminals got away after committing crime. The control room telephone no 100 was found engaged for about for about half an hour by all those who tried to contact it. SO Kotwali Ram Vir Singh flashed a message in wireless about the Santro car with dark-tinted glasses. The district boundaries were sealed, but still there was no trace of the vehicle of the robbers. |
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Measures to check wastage of water in Sonepat Sonepat, May 6 According to official sources, it has identified about 1,000 public stand posts where the drinking water is wasted on account of the taps being left open by residents of the area. The department is contemplating closing down these public stand posts within two weeks as the summer season has commenced and the demand for drinking water has risen considerably. The public complaints about the low pressure are pouring in and this was the main cause for taking steps to check the wastage of water through the public stand posts. There are 50,000 water connections in different parts of the city and of these more than 2,000 water connections are unauthorised. At least 5,000 illegal water connections exist in the unauthorised residential colonies. It is alleged that water is being wasted as the shopkeepers and the residents are in the habit of sprinkling the water in front of their shops and houses not only in the summer season but during winter also. The authorities of the Public Health Department have maintained if the public stand posts are closed down at least 40 thousand gallons of water can be saved every day. The department has also drawn up a scheme to check the illegal water connections in the city. Under this scheme, a sum of Rs 2,000 will be charged from the residents to allow the opening of a public stand post. At least 10,000 public stand posts were installed in different parts of the city about three decades ago when the water supply system was under the control of the municipal committee. |
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Rs 2 crore spent
on Gohana vegetable market Sonepat, May 6 Giving this information, Mr Balwan Singh, Deputy Commissioner, told mediapersons here today the HSAMB had spent Rs 26.37 lakh on the construction of the road between the Sonepat foodgrain market and the Kakroi road. The HSAMB, he said, had also spent Rs 9 lakh on the construction of the road between Salarpur Majra and Pinana villages and Rs 15.59 lakh on the road between Kilorad and Shahzadpur villages. The DC also disclosed that the HSAMB had spent Rs 7.57 lakh on the construction of the road leading to the Sonepat foodgrain market and another Rs 2.13 crore on the development of the new vegetable market at Gohana in this district. The HSAMB, he said, had also spent Rs 4.96 lakh on the construction of a road between Katwal and Rewara villages. A sum of Rs 14.91 lakh had been spent on the repair of the mission road in this district and Rs 56.72 lakh on the construction of a road between Baroda and Kohla villages in the Gohana subdivision. According to the DC, a sum of Rs 15.42 lakh had been spent on the construction of Chhadia Yusufpur to the railway station, Ganaur and another Rs 30.93 lakh had been spent on the sidewalk of the road between Murthal and Maqimpur. The DC also disclosed that HUDA had spent Rs 16.21 lakh on the construction of a town park in Sector 14 and another Rs 39,000 on the completion of waterworks in Sector 23 in this city. An amount of Rs 1.33 crore is being spent on the construction of Chaudhary Devi Lal Park in Sector 7, Rs 2 crore on the construction of a higher secondary school in Sector 7, and Rs 37.20 lakh on the community centre and Rs 87.70 lakh on the construction of HUDA office in Sector 15. |
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Tihar Jail inmates to be computer literate New Delhi, May 6 The programme would be in Hindi, Tamil and Gujarati under NIIT’s Swift Jyoti initiative. NIIT had donated 10 computers for the purpose and had customised the basic computer training to provide the learners with functional literacy, keeping the inmates’ background in context, Mr Ajai Lal, Head (North), NIIT’s education business, said. The skills were expected to help the inmates in activities like accounting, creating legal petition templates and jail panchayat record keeping, he said. The programme would give them an opportunity to get initiated into the world of IT, providing them a platform to join the societal mainstream, Mr Ajay Agarwal, DG (Prisons), said. |
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DELHI
IN PARLIAMENT New Delhi, May 6 There are 182 commandos of Delhi Police deployed for security of protected persons, the Lok Sabha was told today. There was delay in the release of salary of 71 of the commandos for the months of February and March 2003 due to certain procedural constraints, the Union Minister of State for Home, Mr Harin Pathak, said in a written reply. The matter has since been settled and the commandos in question have been paid their salaries, he told the House. 63 high-rise buildings lacking fire safety facilities:
CISF inducted at Delhi Airport:
No proposal to
construct PM’s residence:
There is no proposal to construct Prime Minister’s residence at a particular place, Pon Radhakrishnan said in a written reply. The Delhi High Court, during the hearing of a writ petition, had requested the Additional Solicitor General to ascertain the views of the Union Government on the issue of permanent residence for the Prime Minister, he said. |
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SPECIAL FOCUS
ON GURGAON Gurgaon, May 6 The society is the Gurgaon chapter of the Association of Surgeons of Haryana. Incidentally, Gurgaon is the first district to have a local chapter of Association of Surgeons of Haryana. Dr Vasistha informed the Association of Surgeons of Haryana had decided to organise a one-day conference on May 11. Faculty members from across the country would join the conference for lectures and orations. The conference would, among other things, focus on trauma related issues. The central theme of the conference would be on how to provide affordable and quality care to needy and poor patients. According to Dr Vasistha, the surgeons practising in Gurgaon were second to none in Haryana and could compete with those functioning in Delhi. The only difference was in the advantage of infrastructure enjoyed by the practitioners in the national headquarters. However, he was confident that after the setting up of the proposed medi-city Gurgaon would emerge as a major centre for healthcare in the country. In his opinion the concept of accomplishing surgery in Gurgaon took roots late in the day but it was gaining momentum. He attributed this to the lack of hospital culture in the city. It was only in the past few years that hospitals had come up. Some of them had already created a niche for themselves, he added. He did agree that the relationship between doctors and patients, which was based on trust and selfless dedication, was getting distorted in the present consumerist society. He said with growing urbanisation and increase in vehicular movement in Haryana, especially cities like Gurgaon, there was urgent need to strengthen trauma care and trauma centres. Many a life was lost on account of lack of trauma care. A number of trauma patients could be saved if they got prompt attention from even a general practitioner. Trauma centres were all the more important in Haryana on account of the national highways coursing through a number of its cities and towns. He lamented that there was no provision for cardiac related surgery in Gurgaon. He urged for removal of the anomaly given the large-scale urbanisation and the concomitant change in the lifestyle of the people, increase in population and the large-scale influx of corporate executives and high-heeled members of society. |
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Haryana
to have new industrial policy Gurgaon, May 6 He said the government would take complete care of the industries in Haryana and works towards maximising customer satisfaction. Dr Singh said that the 1999 Haryana Industrial Policy was due for amendment and the process had already been initiated. A policy should respond to emerging needs, he added. Dr Singh mentioned that all new industrial estates in Haryana had a provision for solid waste disposal. For existing estates, the HSIDC was in the process of working with the MCD to provide these provisions. He would take personal interest and not allow existing estates to be littered with garbage, he added. Addressing the concerns raised by some members about incentives being given to attract industry to Jammu and Kashmir, Uttaranchal and Himachal Pradesh, Dr Singh said that industry must understand and appreciate the need for such incentives in these states. Haryana did not need such incentives to prosper, he added. Answering a query raised by a CII member from Yamuna Nagar, Dr Singh said that land bifurcation had been banned to avoid speculative sales and purchases of land. If it benefited industry, he was willing to permit the bifurcation of land at Yamuna Nagar. Among other issues raised during the interaction were external development charges (EDC), decentralisation of power, change of land use (CLU) and formation of a joint task force. Dr Singh assured them of an early resolution. Welcoming the guests, Mr Ashok Kapur, Chairman, CII Haryana State Council, and CMD, Krishna Maruti Ltd, requested the Haryana Government to take a fresh look at a few policy decisions which, if amended, would go a long way towards creating an enabling environment for enhancing competitiveness of industries. Mr S. K. Arya, Vice-Chairman, CII Haryana State Council, and Managing Director, Jay Bharat Maruti Ltd, delivered the vote of thanks.
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Panipat
refinery expansion scheduled for completion by next year Panipat, May 6 The project is scheduled to be completed by next year, said Mr Rohit Bhardwaj, Executive Director, Panipat Refinery. Speaking to the mediapersons, Mr Bhardwaj said the IOC has undertaken the expansion project keeping in view the future demands of petroleum products. The expansion will not only double the capacity of the refinery but will also improve the quality of diesel to international standards. On the environment front, Mr Bhardwaj said that care is being taken to meet high standards of environment management. Latest technologies from renowned licensers across the globe have been selected for the secondary processing units, such as ABB Lummus, UOP, Black and Veatch from USA, Haldor Topsoe Denmark and IFP France. Engineers’ India Ltd. (EIL) has been selected for designing the crude and vacuum distillation unit. After completion of the expansion of the Panipat Refinery, it would produce about 4.50 lakh tonnes of LPG, 9 lakh tonnes of petrol, 61.20 lakh tonnes of diesel, 8.50 lakh tonnes of Naphtha, 16 lakh tonnes of superior kerosene, ATF/MTO, 1.60 lakh tonnes of sulphur and 7.00 lakh tonnes of petroleum coke, Mr Bhardwaj added. The two mega projects of refinery expansion and petrochemical complex, at an estimated cost of nearly 10,000 crore, is the highest ever investment made by any industry at a single time in Haryana. These projects will provide job opportunities to nearly 10,000 contract labourers at the peak construction period. Further, Panipat will emerge as a major industrial hub and boost the socio-economic development of Haryana.
Petrochemical project to be integrated with Refinery:
Addressing the mediapersons, Mr Bhardwaj maintained that Indian Oil had earlier planned to set up the petrochemical complex at the southern part of village Baljatan, adjacent to the refinery. However, in view of the emerging competitive scenario and to improve the ‘robustness’ of the project, the petrochemical plants have been now located within the refinery campus. This has reduced the overall cost of the project by more than Rs 200 crore. The acquired place in village Baljatan will be utilised for off-site facilities for the refinery and green belt, he added. The well-known technology licensors M/s UOP, USA, has been selected for the Para-xylene plant, while M/s Dupoint, USA, has been selected for the PTA plant. Construction work on PTA plant has already commenced. Para-xylene is required to produce PTA, which is the basic raw material for producing Polyester Staple Fibre (PSF), Polyester Filament Yarn (PFY) and other resins. Referring to the impact and benefits of the project, Mr Bhardwaj disclosed that the petrochemical project would give opportunities for setting up of ancillary industries, such as PET bottles for soft drinks, audio and videotapes etc. It will usher a new era for industrial growth and development not only in the district but all over Haryana. |
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Sheila
protecting graft-tainted MLA: BJP New Delhi, May 6 The Delhi Pradesh BJP president, Mr Madan Lal Khurana, told reporters today that the Congress MLA had, in 2001, been named in FIRs of the police and the CBI along with several others for allegedly grabbing government land in the Tughlaqabad area of South Delhi. |
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‘Gaadi Bula Rahi Hai’ New Delhi, May 6 Metro commuters now will be entitled to a McValue Card on purchase of the Delhi Metro smart card. This McValue Card entitles commuters to some interesting bargain menu options at the McDonald’s family restaurant at ISBT. The special menu offer provides commuters with the option of a McSwirl (chocolate-topped soft serve cone) on the purchase of a Value Meal or a soft serve cone on the purchase of an Economeal or buy one, get one free offer on a soft drink. Madhuresh Kumar, GM, Operations, DMRC and Vikram Bakshi, MD, McDonald’s North India unveiled a special package for children, ‘Gaadi Bula Rahi Hai’. This combination package of Rs 99 provides children with the pleasure of joyride on the Metro accompanied by a Metro rail executive followed by a McDonald’s happy meal, a soft serve cone and a complete McDonald’s restaurant tour.
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NCR BRIEFS Rohtak, May 6 Announcing this here today, Dr Vazir Nehra, convenor, HFUCTO, said the federation had tried to encourage the exchange of ideas so as to promote high quality of education and governance. A meeting of the HFUCTO, consisting of organisations of universities as well as government and private college teachers, was hosted by the Guru Jambheshwar University Teachers’ Association in Hisar on March 30, which deliberated on these issues and decided to organise the event. The three-member panel consists of Dr V. K. Tewari, national secretary of the AIFUCTO, Mr D. R. Chaudhary, former Chairperson of the Haryana Public Service Commission and Dr Shaswati Mazumdar, president, Delhi University Teachers’ Association.
Inquiry demanded into fire incident The Maharshi Dayanand University Teachers’ Association (MDUTA) has described the recent incident of fire in the Council Hall in the administrative block of the university as ‘strange’, and demanded an inquiry into the incident. In a letter faxed to the Chancellor-cum-Governor today, the leaders of MDUTA expressed serious concern over the incident and said it had raised eyebrows on the campus. They said the repeated incidents of fire, especially in the administrative block, has put the ‘focus’ on the functioning of the university administration. They claimed the university administration had already been in the ‘limelight’ due to a large number of court cases filed by the teachers as well as students and large-scale irregularities in different matters. The MDUTA functionaries appealed to the Chancellor to order an inquiry into the incident so that the facts could be established.
Five killed in road mishaps Ghaziabad: Five persons were killed and many more injured in various accidents in Ghaziabad and Hapur in the past 30 hours. A motorcyclist, Kapil Tyagi, was seriously injured when a mini-bus hit him near Dasna Police Post under Mussori Police Station area. The bus driver reportedly fled after the accident. One man was run over by a vehicle near the new bus stand, Ghaziabad, on Monday. His dead body was sent for post-mortem examination. In Lal Kuan area, one person was killed yesterday when a canter turned turtle. Mukesh Yadav and Anil Kumr were seriously injured in the same accident. Mukesh Yadav died in the hospital later. One person was killed on the spot and another grievously injured when an Indica car was hit by a gas tanker in Hapur yesterday. The tanker had turned turtle while the car was badly smashed. In another accident, an aged person was killed while he was travelling from Delhi to Garh. Anil Tekwani (38), a resident of West Patel Nagar, died on the spot while Kamal Tekwani was seriously injured.
Fodder gutted Sonepat: Fodder worth several lakhs of rupees, lying in the field of a farmer, was burnt in a fire at Nadipur Majra village, about 15 km from here last night. According to a report, the cause of the fire was not immediately known. However, the fire was brought under control by the municipal fire brigade with the help of the village people. |
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Two sentenced to life imprisonment for murder Sonepat, May 6 Police raids conducted:
According to a report, the injured youth was immediately hospitalised and stated to be out of danger. The police have registered the case and further investigations were in progress. Efforts at
pollution control:
The state government has decided to provide pollution free chulhas to the people living in the villages of the state to check the air pollution in the rural areas. Meanwhile, it is reported that a large number of children were suffering from various diseases, including asthma on account of increasing pollution in the villages. Woman among three acquitted:
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6 peacocks found dead
in farmhouse Meerut, May 6 A mango orchard is also inside the farmhouse. However, neither the local police nor any official from the administration took note of the killing of the peacocks. The Divisional Forest Officer of the Meerut region has not bothered to take cognisance of the killing of the six birds. The contractor of the mango orchard, Naushad Ali, said that the carcasses of the peacocks were lying in the orchard since morning. Another gardner said that three more peacocks were found dead some months back. |
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Murder accused arrested in Welcome Colony New Delhi, May 6 In another case, the police arrested Sikandar, who along with his associates, had stabbed to death Mohammad Shahid, a resident of Chitli Qabar. He along with Anis and Rizwan had stabbed Shahid on Sunday. The victim was taken to the RML Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. Other suspects are absconding, the police said. 1 killed, 2 injured in accident:
The police said that the victims were travelling towards Shantivan when their vehicle was hit by a speeding truck near Raj Ghat. A case of causing death due to rash and negligent driving has been registered, the police said. Constable killed:
A constable, Anwar Hussain, was killed when he was hit by a vehicle while he was returning home from duty on his motor cycle in Nariana last night. A case of causing death due to rash and negligent driving has been registered, the police said. Criminal arrested:
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Chain snatchers’ gang busted New Delhi, May 6 The police received a secret information that he along with his associates would reach Mangolpuri bus stand on a scooter to plan out a crime. A raid was conducted and they were arrested. The scooter of Sikadar has also been seized. The suspects were identified as Shakeel Abrar alias Rahul, Ravinder Kumar, Arvind Pandey, Mohammad Idris and Maqsood. They were involved in a number of snatching cases, he said. During interrogation, Sikadar disclosed that he had nine members in the gang and mainly operated in South and South-West districts. Recently, they had snatched the purse of a lady containing a diamond set, four pairs of diamond earring, three pairs of gold earrings, a pendant and a wristwatch from the C-Block in Vasant Vihar. The victim chased the chain snatchers but they decamped with the booty, leaving the motorcycle on the spot. The police have recovered the snatched property from their possession. |
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