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| Wednesday,
November 13, 2002, Chandigarh, India |
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DMRC to
buy power from BSES The DMRC will pay BSES at the rate of not less than Rs 4.50 per unit of electricity bought. (The BSES buys electricity from Transco, the Government of NCT of Delhi-owned transmission company, at Re 1.50 per unit and distributes it to the DMRC). The DERC was provoked into clarifying its position after the Delhi Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party accused the Congress-administered Government of NCT of Delhi of trying to create a monopoly for BSES and gift away crores of rupees to the company by not permitting the DMRC to buy electricity at a lower tariff directly from Transco. The controversy over who would supply electricity to the DMRC is a sequel to the row between the Government of NCT of Delhi and the Union Government over who would inaugurate it. The Delhi Metro is expected to begin ferrying passengers anytime after December 15. The DERC’s clarification notwithstanding, it is not certain if the Government of NCT of Delhi will bail DMRC out by offering to subsidise its electricity bill although the Council of Ministers has suggested the same on a number of occasions. The Chief Minister and Power Minister have said a subsidy could be considered for making the DMRC’s commercial services economically viable and keeping passenger fares reasonably low. In an election year, the success or otherwise of Delhi Metro will have a certain impact on the Congress’ fortunes. Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission Chairman V K Sood told media persons on Tuesday that the present arrangement would continue “till a view is taken on the grant of licence”. “The DMRC has applied for a licence to buy power directly from Transco but it has not yet been admitted,” he said. Mr Sood said the DERC had raised certain objections to the DMRC’s application for licence and sought clarifications. (The DERC received DMRC’s application some two months ago). He said the licence was likely to be processed in three or four months but that, again, was tentative. Tentative because even after the admission of the application, the DERC is required to give at least 90 days to stakeholders to give their responses on the grant of licence. This is to be followed up by a public hearing on the issue to elicit the views of the people on the issue. |
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Ex-cop kills brother
over property New Delhi, November 12 The victim, Pankaj has been admitted to GTB hospital where his condition is stated to be serious. He sustained bullet injury on his chest, police said. The suspect, Satpal (65), was reportedly in an inebriated state when he fired eight rounds at his brother, Satbir Singh, killing him on the spot and fired one shot at his son who is battling for life in the hospital. The deceased was Assistant Director (Horticulture) in Delhi Government. Both the brothers had houses in Durgapuri Extension in Mansarovar Park and they had property dispute for a long time. They had discussion on property in the house of Satbir and the talks later turned into an argument which had angered Satpal. The suspect had doubts that his brother had misused his official position and encroached upon his property. According to the police, Satpal went to his house and consumed lots of liquor. Armed with a gun, he came back to Satbir and shot at him eight rounds from a close range and one at his son. It was 11 pm when the incident occurred and the people in the neighbourhood thought that crackers were being burst. When they came back, they found Satbir and his son Pankaj sprawled on the ground. One of the neighbours informed the police. The police took them to GTB Hospital where Satbir was declared brought dead while Pankaj was admitted to the hospital. During
interrogation, Satbir disclosed that he was constable in the Delhi Police and in 1983, he took premature retirement and started his own business. |
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Six Dalit youths attacked, woman stripped Rohtak, November 12 The assailants also allegedly stripped a Dalit woman who tried to intervene. Moreover, when the affected youths reached the police station to register a complaint, the cops on duty allegedly scolded them and directed them to reach a compromise. Mr Tejvir Sen, general secretary of the state unit of the BSP, and Ms Kanta Alaria, state president of the Samajwadi Party, today threatened to launch a state-wide agitation if those responsible for the attack were not punished. Narrating the harrowing incident, a Dalit youth admitted in the civil hospital here, Raj Karan, said that a Dalit boy, Sajjan Kumar (16), was engaged as a labourer in the village. He said the boy had fastened the lower edges of his shirt as it was devoid of buttons and was going to fetch a ‘biri’ from a nearby shop. He was intercepted by two upper caste youths on the way who allegedly objected to his dress and used abusive language. They also beat him up when he opposed the humiliation on caste lines. Raj Karan said the Dalit boy challenged both the youths to beat him in his basti. After a few hours, both the assailants reached the Harijan basti along with their ten accomplices, armed with sticks and sharp-edged weapons in an inebriated condition. They reportedly dragged several Dalits out of their houses and beat them up for nearly three hours. During the scuffle, they also allegedly tore the clothes of a Dalit woman and beat another woman, Darshana, who came to the other woman’s rescue. He said Dariao Singh, Manoj, Sombir, Gaje Singh and Raj Karan (all Dalits) sustained injuries and were admitted to the civil hospital here. Meanwhile, a press release issued by the district police this afternoon said the incident was nothing but an outcome of children’s dispute over a trivial matter. The police said that no sharp-edged weapon was used in the scuffle and no woman was stripped in the incident. It also claimed that a compromise would soon be reached between both the parties. |
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Metropolitan
policing soon to check New Delhi, November 12 Accordingly, the meeting chaired by Lieutenant-Governor Vijai Kapoor was of the view that modalities with respect to additional men, material and methodology for metropolitan policing may be worked out and concretised in consultation with the respective states and also the NCR Planning Board. The meeting was called to devise strategies for containing trans-border crime and increasing co-ordination between the police agencies in tackling crime and terrorism in and around Delhi. Tuesday’s meeting was a sequel to the first such meeting held in September 2000 and the follow-up meetings that were hosted since then. Sources said the increasing pace of urbanisation taking place around Delhi demanded a switchover to metropolitan mode of policing. Also agreed upon, they said, was the sharing of all facilities available with the Delhi Police for disaster mitigation and counter-terrorism. They include the Hazmat (HAZardous MATerial) vans, mobile crime teams, data bank, fingerprint identification methodology, bomb detection squad, etc. “The Delhi Police has offered the use of all such facilities available with it to the neighbouring areas whenever they were needed. These facilities would also be built and developed in the neighbouring urbanised areas for which talks will be held with the NCR Planning Board and other appropriate levels,” the sources said. Also suggested was effective monitoring and control of arms licences, concerted action against possession of illegal weapons and sharing of information about theft of vehicles in order to overcome the problems of illegal migrants, illicit arms and validity of arms licences that plague Delhi and neighbouring states. |
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Two DCs to get supertime scale Sonepat, November 12 According to a report, at least six commissioner-rank IAS officers of 1974 batch would become the Financial Commissioners. Nowadays, some IAS officers are overworked with heavy assignments whereas some others are holding additional charge in the administration which is the main cause for the shake-up in the administration. Mr P R Kaushik, Mr K G Verma and Mr Virender Nath have been retired from service, whereas Mr L M Goel has been holding the charge as Secretary in the Ministry of Parliament Affairs. Mr S Y Quireshi has been made the Director General of Doordarshan and Mr Naseem Ahmad made the Vice-Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University, and this is the main cause for the promotion of six IAS officers to the rank of the Financial Commissioner. It is interesting to note that the IAS officers of 1974 batch had already been promoted in Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Uttaranchal whereas the IAS officers of 1977 batch had been made Financial Commissioners in HP. The IAS officers entitled to be made Financial Commissioners are Mr S P Sharma, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Women and Child Development, Mr Vivek Mehrota, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Fisheries Department, Ms Umesh Nanda, Commissioner, Institutional Finance and Credit Control, and Mr S K Maheshwari, Commissioner-cum-Secretary of Science and Technology Department. Two IAS officers Ms Feroza Mehrotra and Mr Kartar Singh Bhauria are serving outside Haryana. As many as eight IAS officers of 1987 batch would be liable to get supertime scale from January next year. They are: Mr S N Roy and Mr Devinder Singh, Deputy Commissioners of Sonepat and Karnal respectively; Mr Amit Jha, Director, Development and Panchayat; Mr S P Bidlan, Joint Secretary, Animal Husbandry Department; Mr Tirlok Gupta, Regional Manager, Food Corporation of India; Mr Avtar Singh, Director, Ministry of Defence; and Mr Rajiv Arora and Ms Jyoti Arora. |
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It’s the schoolchildren who adopt now! New Delhi, November 12 The programme is aimed at sensitising the young to the needs of the elderly and making them contribute something for those who have cared for them during their lifetime. The students will visit their adopted grandparents in their villages in Dasgahra and Todapur and ensure that they are well looked after. The beneficiaries were also provided with warm quilts for winters. To emphasise the issues related to old age a skit, ‘Buzurgo ki Kahani’ was enacted. The old beneficiaries too put up a performance, displaying their vigour and vitality. Singer Palash Sen was also present on the occasion. The beneficiaries and the students also shared their experiences and spoke of how their lives were affected by each other’s presence. HelpAge has been striving to bridge the gap between generations and seek support for the elderly who have no means of financial aid. |
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Sonepat
lawyer gets extortion threat Sonepat, November 12 According to a report, the caller of the telephone gave his name as Sheelu Lathia who is said to be involved in the infamous murder of Ms Joginder Kaur of Panipat. The police have already arrested him and he is in judicial remand. The parents and the relatives of Mr Mittal have informed the police authorities in this connection and the police have taken a series of steps to arrest the caller of the telephone. Mr Mittal is reported to be practising at Panipat and he commutes daily between Gohana and Panipat. The family of Mr Mittal have three telephones and the caller of telephone has used one of them the number of which is not known to the people. Hence, the caller is known to the lawyer. It is stated that the lawyer received the first call at 9.25 pm but he ignored it. Thereafter, the caller again rang up and used threatening language and said that he would again ring up for handing over the amount at a particular place. The parents and the relatives took a serious note of threatening calls and informed the police authorities consequently. There is a facility of ‘Caller ID’ on one of the three telephones and all the three telephones are now under ‘observations’ in a bid to trace the caller. The receipt of the threatening calls has caused panic among the residents of the town. Five lawyers of Sonepat city, it may be recalled, had already received such calls and the members of the District Bar Association have been on an indefinite strike in protest against the failure of the police to trace the culprits. |
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MAHENDRAGARH Mahendragarh, November 12 Several councillors of the local body had petitioned to the Deputy Commissioner, Mahendragarh, Mr O.P.Indora, in a joint memorandum for requisitioning a special meeting of the general House of the municipality. The tug-of-war among the elected members of the municipality for more than two years appears to have taken a toll of development projects in this town. The elected members have no time to take up the issue of the town and the officials of the body have become unaccountable as there is no one to check on their work profile. In response to the petition from a section of the elected members, the Deputy Commissioner had referred the matter to the Subdivisional Magistrate (SDM), Mr Sandeep Singh, to look into the issue and taken necessary action. Interestingly, the SDM has come in for flak from both the sides—Mrs Mittal and the members pressing for a no-trust motion against her—for behaving in a a ‘partisan’ manner. The administration had fixed October 25 for a full House meeting to take up the proposed no-trust motion. But when the rebels supporting the no-trust motion assembled at the office of the SDM, the venue of the official meeting, they were informed that he was indisposed and a new date would be fixed. The feeling among the rebels was that the administration was trying to shield Mrs Mittal. After the new date has been fixed, Mrs Mittal told the ‘NCR Tribune’ today that she suspected some foul play on the part of the SDM. |
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Sonepat-Jind rail line via Gohana in the offing Sonepat, November 12 According to official sources, a copy of the project has been sent to Mr Kishan Singh Sangwan, a BJP MP of Sonepat, by Mr Kanwarjit Singh, Chairman of the Railway Board. If the project is approved, this railway line will be linked with Delhi via Sonepat. The survey of the line was carried out during the year 2000-2001 but the project was shelved on account of the non-feasibility of this route, as the railways had to bear a loss of 32 per cent by carrying passengers alone, and not any goods. However, on the personal intervention of Mr Kishan Singh Sangwan, the Union Railway Minister has reportedly ordered a fresh survey of this railway line and the financial loss has been estimated to have come down to 15.64 per cent. The distance between Sonepat and Jind via Gohana is found at 88.9 km. The same via Delhi is 171 km and via Panipat is 116 km. Mr Sangwan is in touch with Mr Sompal Singh, Chairman of the Planning Commission, and the latter has reportedly agreed to grant sanction at the earliest so that funds for the project could be included in the Railway Budget for the year 2003-04. Official sources also revealed that after the approval of the Planning Commission, the scheme would be sent to the Union Cabinet for approval and after this, the construction work on the railway line would be started. With the completion of the scheme, Gohana town would be benefited more, as it will be linked with Delhi directly. At present, Gohana and Jind are linked with Delhi via Rohtak, which is a longer route. Skilled and non-skilled workers of Gohana and Jind in large numbers would commute daily between Gohana, Jind and Delhi for work after the commissioning of the new railway line. |
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Ajay Chautala pooh-poohs Bhajan’s job offer Rewari, November 12 Addressing a youth rally here on Monday, he said that Mr Bansi Lal, whose government had earlier booked about 1.50 lakh youths in heinous criminal cases during its drive against transgression of its total prohibition policy, was now offering sops like unemployment allowance to jobless youths as well as the constitution of a separate ministry of youth affairs. He asked what guarantee was there that these too would not prove a mirage like his previous electoral promises of providing petrol stations, cooking gas agencies and other lucrative avenues to youths. Mr Chautala sarcastically remarked that Mr Bhajan Lal had virtually made a wondrous improvement over all his previous tall assurances by announcing that if voted to power, he would provide employment to one member each of all families in Haryana. He said that if a five-member norm was taken into consideration, there were over 40 lakh families and it was Bhajan Lal’s magic wand alone that could generate jobs for so many persons. Turning to the achievements of the present state government, Mr Chautala claimed that it had made big and rapid strides in various spheres of development, leaving not a single village untouched throughout the state. Besides, activists of the Yuva INLD too were also manning important posts and positions at various levels in the government. Describing the Yuva INLD as one of the most disciplined, strong and active youth wings of various political parties in the country, he made a specific mention of eye donation made by two lakh activists of the Yuva INLD on the birth anniversary of Tau Devi Lal recently. He claimed that not only in India but in the world as a whole, it was the biggest voluntary eye donation event, which would bring cheer to two lakh blind persons in the years to come. He called upon the activists of the Yuva INLD to propagate the achievements of the Om Prakash Chautala-led government among the masses and also to caution them against the misleading tactics of Mr Bansi Lal and Mr Bhajan Lal. The rally was also addressed among others by Haryana Health Minister M. L. Ranga and Haryana Vidhan Sabha Deputy Speaker Gopi Chand Gehlot. Earlier, a silver crown was presented to Mr Ajay Singh Chautala by the Rewari District Yuva INLD president Virender Singh Dagar, who was the main organiser of the rally. |
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Rabi crops’ sowing hit badly due to Sonepat, November 12 According to a report, the farmers of the villages falling under the jurisdiction, by and large, are not satisfied with the supply of canal water which is inadequate and erratic. They pointed out that the sowing of the rabi crops has been hit badly on account of non-availability of canal water even during the rotation period. Theft of canal water by some influential and unscrupulous farmers has added to the woes of poor farmers as their tail-end fields have starved of canal water. The officials of this division have failed to check such cases and take stern action against the erring farmers. Instead, most of these cases are hushed up on political ground. Representatives of various farmers organisations including the Bharatiya Kisan Union today urged the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, to order a high-level probe into the inefficient and unsatisfactory working of this division and suspension of the executive engineer, the SDO and other subordinate officials who are found guilty of the inadequate and erratic supply of canal water for irrigation purpose. Such an inquiry is likely to expose the misdeeds of the officials and the financial loss suffered by the department, they added. The representatives of these organisations also alleged that the executive engineer and the SDO as well as the JEs always remain out of their offices and the farmers have to visit them frequently for petty works. In this way, they have to spend more money on their transportation and food etc. They threatened to launch an agitation and gherao the officials if no steps are taken against the erring officials of this division by the state government and the district authorities. They demanded stern action against the influential and unscrupulous farmers who are involved in the cases of canal water theft. |
Noida
gets modern telephone exchange Noida, November 12 With this, the department has started internet telephony and made bill counters online. A bill counter was later opened at Kakode also. New exchanges at Laharu and Bisarak will be inaugurated shortly. Speaking at the occasion, Mr Ashok Pradhan, Union Minister of State for Labour, said that it was the result of the telecom revolution that now we could get new connections on demand. Two crore new telephone connections had been provided in the country in the last two years. The NDA government at the Centre had provided impetus to telecom, software and IT revolution sweeping the country, he claimed. From Rs 10,000 crore worth of exports in software two years ago, the country had registered Rs 40,000 crore worth of software exports this year and the
country was expected to register Rs 2.5 lakh crore worth of exports by 2009, Mr Pradhan said. The GM Telephone, Mr A. K. Garg, said that the building complex had been so designed that it would suffice for department’s needs for the next 30 years. Wireless in local loop (WLL) services, the GMT, said would be opened in Noida, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad by March next year. The setting up of rural exchanges was also making good progress. All telephone lines were on WLL system, he added.
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Escaped undertrial threatens jail official Sonepat: The Civil Lines police have registered a case against seven policemen, including a Sub-Inspector, on the charges of dereliction in duty resulting in the escape of a dreaded criminal, Devinder, from custody on Sunday evening. According to a report, the policemen are Sub-Inspector Hem Chander, Dilbagh, Ram Mehar, Rajesh, Hardayal, Babulal and Luxmi Narain. Further investigations are in progress. Meanwhile, the police have also registered a case against the culprit on the charge of giving threats on telephone to the Jail Deputy Superintendent saying that he would be taken to task by him. The culprit is still at large and a massive hunt is on to apprehend him. The culprit who belonged to Jatheri village is said to be involved in a number of criminal cases, including thefts and murders. OC
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Councillor
opposes proposal to impose parking tax New Delhi, November 12 Mr Gupta said that most of the vehicles were owned by the lower middle class people, either to earn their livelihood or for reaching their workplace like shop or office. This decision, if approved, would affect their livelihood badly, especially that of autorickshaw drivers, RTV owners and two-wheeler owners. Mr Vijender further said that it had been proposed that this tax would be collected through the Delhi Government, which itself proved that the officials in the MCD were corrupt, inefficient and incapable to collect taxes. Mr Vijender Gupta demanded that the proposal to impose such a parking tax on private and commercial vehicles would put extra burden on the citizens of Delhi and would adversely affect the education of children. It would certainly create chaos in Delhi. He demanded that the proposal scheduled to be on agenda of the Standing Committee to be held tomorrow should be withdrawn in public interest.
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Samagam
ends with message of humanism New Delhi, November 12 This was stated here late last evening by Baba Hardev Singh Ji Maharaj, head of the Sant Nirankari Mission, while addressing the concluding session of the three-day 55th Annual Nirankari Sant Samagam. The session was marked by a poetry symposium on the theme, ‘If we want to save religion, let us adopt the path of humanism’. Dwelling on the theme, His Holiness said true religion could be known only from the quality of humanism. Unfortunately, what religion seemed to be teaching today was not humanism. Even young boys and girls were being inspired to kill others in the name of religion. Baba Ji said that true religion did not identify itself with buildings, dress or any other outer symbols. He explained that all our spiritual masters and great devotees of God preached a religion based on humanism only. It was only their followers who created confusion. To them, religion was like the fresh milk of a cow that lost its purity when it fell into the hands of its traders: they put water into it and treated it in many different ways. |
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DELHI DIGEST Jhajjar, November 12 According to information, Ram Kumar complained to the police that when he was going to Delhi, three persons asked for a lift near Huda canal outside Jargadpur village. When he stopped the vehicle, the trio beat him up and snatched the mobike, TVS Victor, which he had bought recently. In the meantime, some villagers gathered there and succeeded in overpowering one of the desperadoes, while the other two fled with the motorcycle. The nabbed criminal was identified as Bhupinder of Kheri Jasour village. He was handed over to the police. He also disclosed the names of his accomplices as Neer and Anoop. A case has been registered in this regard. In another incident, the Chhara chowki police seized eight bottles of liquor from Kaptan of Bhaproda village. He was arrested along with the liquor from Asanda village here.
Sarpanch removed Faridabad: The district authorities have removed the sarpanch of Beda Patti village, Mr Rajender Singh, on charges of having more than two children, under the provisions of the Haryana Panchayati Raj Act. It followed an enquiry into a case by the office of the Additional Deputy Commissioner. At least six sarpanches have lost their post on this account in the district in the past about a year.
Couple consume poison A young couple consumed some poisonous substance at Chandhat village of the district recently. While the woman died, the husband is reported to be in a serious condition. It is reported that the couple, identified as Jal Singh and Sunita, married four months ago. While the parents of the girl have alleged it as a case of dowry death, the kin of the husband have refuted the charges.
Minor raped A nine-year-old girl was allegedly raped in the Bhadkhal area of the NIT area here. In his complaint, a truck driver of the village alleged that one of his neighbours, identified as Munsarif, raped his daughter yesterday when she was alone in the house. A case has been registered.
Bid to rape minor Sonepat: Ranjit Kumar, a youth, is reported to have made an attempt to rape a two-year-old girl in Gobind Nagar here last evening. The police have registered a case against the youth and launched a hunt to arrest him. The culprit managed to escape when the mother of the girl arrived there and pushed out the youth. |
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NCR BRIEFS New Delhi, November 12 The power cut is being initiated by NDPL to conduct maintenance work of 11 KV substation at Rohini Sector 23 and the 66 KV grid substation.
Hunt for singers For those waiting to exhibit their vocal prowess outside the confines of their bathrooms, a singing show that provides a platform to all the wannabe singers is soon going to launch a hunt in the city. Sa Re Ga Ma..., the musical show currently aired on Zee Television, has announced the dates for an inter-collegiate competition, the auditions for which will be held on the November 14 and November 15 at the Arya Samaj Temple in GK Part I. School and college students between the 16 and 25 years of age are eligible to participate. The singer selected from regional auditions will go for the regional rounds. “Winners in the programme are generally acknowledged in Indian music circle as singers with exceptional talent and potential for a successful play back singing career. Some of the winners have gone on to become a part of the Hindi film music industry,” said Gajendra Singh, the programme director.
Claim on market share Mr Pranab Datta, CEO, Health Care Division of Marico Industries, today said that Saffola Nutri Blend, the latest addition to the Saffola stable of the company, has added 25 per cent to the market share of Saffola franchise. “The ORG Retail Audit Data has shown that the all India market share of Nutri Blend, which was launched four months ago, in the refined oil consumer packs category was 1.68 per cent in September this year and the sales have substantially increased after that,” he said in a press release. He said the company was also contemplating a 360 degree marketing strategy, encompassing press and television apart from direct marketing and alternative channels. |
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Two inter-state criminals held New Delhi, November 12 Anwar, who is the contact man of the underworld don, was involved in more than 12 cases of murder, dacoity and robbery, while Ibrahim was involved in more than 30 cases of murder, dacoity and robbery. The Special Cell sleuths received a tip-off that Ibrahim had been visiting Delhi frequently to meet his associates here. The police on November 7 arrested him when he came to Delhi from Meerut by bus, and Anwar was arrested from Kabir Nagar, who was staying in a rented room. Anwar, during interrogation, revealed that he met Aslam alias Bachda, Baddu and Bhure in Meerut jail and starting committing crimes like dacoities, robberies and murders in both Delhi and UP. Further, he disclosed that he was arrested in a murder case of an informer, Khalil, in Sadar Bazar. He was granted parole in the case, and after parole he started evading arrest from the police. His brother, Ashraf, also committed a number of crimes in his absence. Anwar along with Ashraf and Chagez later shifted their base to Mumbai and started working for Fazal-ur-Rehman, based in Dubai. They even started extorting money from businessmen in Mumbai on behalf of Fazal-ur-Rehman, and threatened Raju, an owner of Topaz Bear Bar to pay Rs 5 lakh. When Asraf and Abdul Samad went to collect the money on the eve of Independence Day near Hanging Gardens, they were killed by the Mumbai police in an encounter. Ibrahim disclosed that he along with his associates looted Rs 17.35 lakh from Khari Baoli and was declared proclaimed offender in the case and also in a case in Chankyapuri. Three nabbed for running visa racket:
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New
Delhi, November 12
