Arthur Road jail chief’s wealth touches 2 croreS Ahmed Ali & Mateen Hafeez TNNApril 24,2014Mumbai: An Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) raid on Arthur Road jail superintendent Vasudev Barkule’s ancestral home in Nanded on Tuesday resulted in the recovery of assets and cash that added Rs 55 lakh to his wealth. The total haul from the ACB investigation into a bribery case against Barkule has been Rs 2 crore so far. Barkule has been kept in an isolated cell which was earlier used by the security guards of executed Pakistani gunman, Ajmal Kasab. The jail constables who used to be posted for security in different barracks on Barkule’s order are now monitoring him. ACB officials led by NV Deshmukh have been camping in Nanded since Barkule’s arrest in the corruption case last week, but could not conduct the search operations earlier as a result of the election in Nanded. In Barkule’s house at Tajnagar in Nanded alone, the police found Rs 2.31 lakh in cash, fixed deposits of Rs 25 lakh, a fixed deposit of Rs 10.50 lakh in his wife’s name and gold ornaments worth Rs 18 lakh. “We are still searching and are yet to calculate the value of properties spread elsewhere,” an officer said. The officer said a case of disproportionate assets had been registered against Barkule. Barkule and deputy superintendent Pradeep Pathrikar were caught accepting a bribe of Rs 35,000 from a candidate appearing for the jailor’s exam early this month. In the city, the police found Rs 40 lakh in cash from Barkule’s jail residence, besides gold, savings and FDs in banks amounting to more than Rs 1 crore. Now in jail, Barkule has refused to give an application for home-made food. “He is saying the jail food is healthy and hygienic and he would prefer having the same food which is prepared by the inmates for prisoners. Barkule’s official residence is just 100 metres from his cell,” an officer said. Barkule’s wife and children live at his residence. “Even if his family want to meet him, they will have to go and register themselves outside the prison and come in the queue like common people and meet him for a few minutes,” the officer said. 
The Arthur Road jail, where Vasudev Barkule is now kept after his arrest in a graft case
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Friday, April 25, 2014
Dawood’s rival Chhota Rajan very ill in Malaysia
S Ahmed Ali TNN
April 23,2014Mumbai: Fugitive gangster Chhota Rajan (59), arch rival of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, is ill with kidney problems, say sources in intelligence agencies here. Police officers tried to confirm the news by asking one of Rajan’s friends in Tilak Nagar to speak to the don. Sources said “things appeared to be normal’’ in Rajan’s den in Tilak Nagar.
Rajan reportedly told the hotelier friend that he would not die before killing Dawood, his sworn enemy since the 1993 blasts. Dawood orchestrated the serial bomb blasts to ‘avenge’ the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1991 and the bloody riots that followed in 1992.
On Tuesday, there were several stories regarding the health of Rajan, whose real name is Rajendra Sadashiv Nikhalje. Rajan— who grew up black-marketing cinema tickets in Chembur — has been admitted to a private hospital in Malaysia. Incidentally, he lost his mother, Laxmibai Nikhalje, two months ago.
Sources said Rajan has a kidney problem due to the infection caused by bullets fired by the Dawood gang in 2001. “He did not undergo proper treatment as he fled from hospital for fear of being deported to India by Thailand and due to which he has a recurring kidney problem. Rajan’s wife Sujata Nikhalje had recently taken the Bombay HC’s nod to visit Europe where her daughter Anita is studying.
Rajan aide Abu Sawant, who is also his manager, is taking care of his treatment as most of his men have been killed, either on his own orders or by rivals. Chhota Rajan aide caring for himMumbai: Fugitive gangster Chhota Rajan is being cared for in Malysia by his manager Abu Sawant.
Sawant, a builder, fled India in 2006 after his name cropped up in extortion and money-laundering cases registered by the Mumbai crime branch, in which the police arrested six persons, including Rajan’s wife Sujata.
The case is pending before the special Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act (MCOCA) court and Sawant is a wanted accused.
THE GREAT ESCAPE Chhota Rajan, Dawood Ibrahim, Bada Rajan, Arun Gawli start careers with petty thefts
Hired by gold smugglers Karim Lala, Vardharajan, Haji Mastan & Pathan gang
Graduate to smuggling on their own; form splinter groups
Dawood & Rajan join hands; Gawli & Pathans run own gangs
Chhota Rajan splits from Dawood after ‘93 blasts
Rajan flees to Bangkok; Dawood moves to Karachi
In 2001, Dawood aide, Chhota Shakeel plots Rajan killing
3 shooters sent to Bangkok
Rajan manages to escape with bullet injury
Dongri resident held with AK-47
S Ahmed Ali TNN
April 21,2014Mumbai: The city crime branch arrested a man with an AK-47 from Dongri in South Mumbai on Saturday. This comes as BJP leader Narendra Modi is to hold a rally at the Bandra-Kurla Complex on Monday.
Sources identified the man as Mohammed Illiyas, though senior police officials refused to comment as their operation was continuing. Officials said there were intelligence inputs on violence by anti-social elements before the polls in the city on April 24.
The crime branch had last week arrested Dinesh Mansari and recovered five countrymade pistols and guns with 30 live cartridges from P D’Mello Road, opposite Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus. It had transpired during the probe that he had smuggled the weapons from Burhanpur in Madhya Pradesh. Local gangster Uday Pathak’s aides were caught with four weapons last month.
TWO BOUNCERS HELD
Carbine seizure: Was neta’s son the target?
— S Ahmed Ali
April 23,2014Mumbai: Two bouncers of a five star hotel in Juhu—Deepak Padwal (27) and Amul Sawant (29), allegedly linked to fugitive gangster Ravi Pujari— were arrested with two weapons, incuding a carbine.
A source said that it is being suspected that Pujari may have planned to target a politician’s
son who is contesting Lok Sabha polls from the suburbs.
The Anti Extortion Cell (AEC) of crime branch arrested the duo on Sunday night. A carbine and two magazines with eight live rounds, and a 7.65 mm country-made pistol and five magazines were seized from them. The police said that the accused have criminal records and that the hotel management too will be questioned.
“We arrested them while they were trying to transport the weapons. We are trying to find out the motive and the source of the weapons. The arms will be sent for ballistic tests to find out if they have been used,” said Sadanand Date, joint commissioner (crime).
Vinayak Vast, senior inspector said the accused are aides of two other bouncers, Kamal Rajput and Datta Vagre, who were arrested by the Mangalore police for a shootout in Urva. “The AEC with Mangalore police, had nabbed Rajput and Vagre. The weapons seized on Sunday were reportedly moved at the behest of Rajput, who is in Mangalore jail,” said officer Sudhir Dalvi.
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Arthur Rd jail chief, deputy held for graft
Mateen Hafeez & S Ahmed Ali TNN
April 19,2014Mumbai: The anti-corruption bureau on Wednesday night arrested Arthur Road jail superintendent Vasudev Burkule and his deputy, Pradip Pathrikar, for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 40,000 for clearing a candidate in an examination for jailors.
The police recovered Rs 40 lakh and gold ornaments from Barkule’s jail residence in Byculla, and found he had savings accounts and bank fixed deposits amounting to more than Rs 1 crore.
Cases of corruption within the state’s most sensitive jail have been reported earlier, but this is the first time the superintendent of the prison, where Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab was kept, has been found to be involved in a bribery case.
The complainant, a jail officer, had appeared for an examination for the post of jailor on March 25. The exam papers came to Burkule for assessment. The complainant approached Pathrikar for help to clear the exams. When the matter reached Burkule, he said the complainant’s performance in the exam was “weak” and demanded Rs 40,000 to clear him.ACB listened in on phone call with prison chief
The superintendent of Arthur Road Jail, Vasudev Burkule, and his deputy, Pradip Pathrikar, have been arrested in a case of bribery.
“The complainant (a jail officer) came to us at 11.30am on Wednesday and narrated his story. We went through his application and then set a trap,” said Vishwas Nangre-Patil, additional commissioner of police, Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).
Three police inspectors and 16 constables led by an assistant commissioner reached the jail at 7pm. T
he complainant went to Pathrikar’s residence, adjacent to the jail, and before handing him over the money, called up Burkule at 7.17pm. He spoke to him till 7.47pm, and later again for two minutes. The conversations included a demand for a bribe.
The ACB team entered the house soon after Pathrikar accepted the bribe on behalf of Burkule, and placed him under arrest. The team then headed to the jail, where Burkule stays in the barracks.
When the team knocked on his door and told him they were from the ACB, he tried to be aggressive.
“Burkule surrendered after hearing that Pathrikarhad already been arrested. We found Rs 70,000 in his pocket. The two sales tax officers, who acted as independent panchas, displayed their IDs too,” said additional CP, ACB, Vishwas Nangre-Patil.
The police team used wristwatch, pen and keychain cameras in the top-secret operation.
Burkule and Pathrikar, who have been suspended, have been remanded in police custody till April 19. JAILHOUSE ROCKED BY GRAFT
TOP SECRET OPERATION The anti-corruption bureau (ACB) on Wednesday night arrested Arthur Road jail superintendent Vasudev Burkule and his deputy, Pradip Pathrikar, for demanding and accepting a bribe of 40,000 for clearing a candidate in an exam for jailors
ACTION TAKEN The two have been suspended, and have been remanded to police custody till April 19
WHAT WAS RECOVERED A search of Arthur Road jail superintendent Vasudev Burkule resulted in the recovery of 40 lakh, a State Bank of India (Nanded) fixed deposit (FD) of 12.50 lakh, Bank of Maharashtra (Nanded) FD of 5 lakh, 5 lakh in a savings account, 75 tolas gold in a locker, and SBI (Agripada) 20 lakh in a savings account. Nothing incriminating was found at the residence of his deputy, Pradip Pathrikar
THE ROT INSIDE
Other sources of income in jail
Regular flow of money from inmates and relatives for facilities
Home food, cigarettes and cell phones regularly supplied inside
Two jail officials were suspended for negligence following attack on gangster Abu Salem inside Taloja jail
WHO STAYED THERE Gangsters Dawood Ibrahim, Chhota Rajan and Arun Gawli, all 1993 serial bomb blast accused, Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab and Indian Mujaheedin members TIMES VIEW: This is not only about corruption. It’s a serious security threat if people in charge of the state’s most sensitive prison are found to be compromised. The government needs to take more care when it comes to such sensitive appointments. It’s not any prison we are talking about; this concerns the Arthur Road jail, which hosts prisoners like Ajmal Kasab.
Paedophile finally caught, admits to have abused 25 girls in 6 monthsS Ahmed Ali TNNApril 17,2014Mumbai: Two weeks of chase by around 60 policemen finally led to the arrest of a serial molester from Gilbert Hill in Andheri (W) on Wednesday. The accused, Aiyyaz Ali Ansari, has confessed to have sexually assaulted 25 minor girls from across the city in the past six months. He also had chain-snatching and mobile theft cases registered against him earlier. Though Ansari had reportedly been sexually abusing several girls—all of them in the age group of eight to 15 years—for long, it was only on April 7 that the police could finally identify him when his image was found on a CCTV camera at Vallabh Nagar in Sion where he was caught sexually abusing a Class VI student. The distinguished feature that gave Ansari away was his damaged left eye, a description provided by several victims from other places such as Wadala, Sion, Antop Hill, Sahar and D N Nagar in Andheri, as well as a CCTV image in a Sahar building. “Besides the 13 offences that have already been registered against him, Ansari has confessed to have sexually abused another 12 girls in Andheri, Juhu, Kandivli and Malad. We will also probe those cases about which we were not aware,” said Mumbai police commissioner Rakesh Maria. He added that Ansari was a smooth talker; on zeroing in on a target, he would befriend the girl and convince her that he was her father’s friend. Then he would lure them to a secluded spot where he would assault them, he said. “Different provisions of the stringent Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act will be invoked. We will also make him go through some tests to understand his mind. We will ensure his conviction,’’ he said. Maria told reporters that Ansari had fled to Pune on learning that the police have intensified their search and released his identity sketch. “But he was forced to return to the city on Wednesday after he ran out of money,” Maria said, adding that immediately after returning to the city, he stole an expensive mobile in Malad. After zeroing in on Ansari’s image from CCTV grabs, the police sifted through criminals’ records and identified him. They visited his home in aslum at Gilbert Hill. “Ansari’s mother and two brothers were detained but they told us Ansari had not visited them for six months. We remained in touch with his brothers,” said DCP Cherring Dorje. On Wednesday after he returned to the city, Ansari’s brother got a call from a landline in Khar. “It was Ansari, asking for money. His brother told him to stay put at Khar and promised to meet him. We went with him and arrested him,” said a cop from the D N Nagar police station. 7-year-old raped The Kurla GRP on Wednesday lodged a case against an unidentified man for allegedly raping 7-year-old girl outside Bhandup station. The incident took place on Monday when the girl, who had come to the station with her parents, strayed away. On spotting the lone girl, the accused lured her with a chocolate and took her to a desolate spot, where he allegedly raped her. On Wednesday, a social worker saw the girl roaming in Bhandup and brought her to the GRP, which is trying to trace her kin. TNN DAMAGED EYE HELPED COPS NAB HIM ACCUSED | A resident of a slum pocket at Gilbert Hill in Andheri (W), Aiyyaz Ali Ansari’s crime graph dates back to 2010 when he was first caught for chain-snatching. He was addicted to drugs and alcohol for which he took to thefts Ansari (32) was last arrested in Jan 2013 for chain-snatching and released in May that year. After that, he has reportedly been involved in 25 sexual abuse cases at Andheri, Juhu, Malad, Amboli, Kandivli, Wadala and Sion On learning that the police have released his ID sketch, Ansari fled to Pune but returned to Mumbai on Wednesday. He called his brother from Khar for money. The cops went along with his brother and nabbed Ansari ASSAULT ON YOUNGSTERSOn April 7, Ansari was caught on a CCTV camera in Sion when he abused a Class VI girl. He took her to a secluded place on the pretext that her father was searching for her and assaulted her On March 29, Ansari had similarly gained the confidence of a girl at Sahar in Andheri by posing as her father’s friend and sexually abused her. He was caught on CCTV cameras there as well CASES | Ansari was caught by an SIT and the D N Nagar police. He has been confessed to have assaulted 25 girls. He has been booked under the POCSO Act  |
Paedophile hunt leads to Versova
S Ahmed Ali TNN
April 16, 2014Mumbai:The crime branch is working on a tip that the suspect in the series of paedophilia cases in the city is from the slums in Versova, an area in Andheri where the first of the 13 offences lodged against the paedophile was committed.
A special investigation team (SIT) is working on another lead, combing Goregaon east and west as informers told the police the suspect was from these areas.
The hunt for the suspect involves two teams and a battery of informers armed with sketches of the suspect.
“We are showing the photographs to locals, various vendors and milkmen, hoping to get some clues,” an officer said.
The crime branch has also sought the help of the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) to get the CCTV picture of the suspect’s face enhanced.
The last time the crime branch had taken such kind of help from the ATS was when it wanted the picture of the suspect enhanced in the techie Esther Anuhya rape and murder case.
Even as the SIT comprising around three dozen police officers headed by deputy commissioner of police Ambadas Potte is on the job, source said policemen from all western zone police stations had been told to put in extra efforts to identify the suspect.
Amajority of the sexual offences against children took place in the western suburbs.
The police were also checking their records to see if any person fitting the paedophile’s profile had been arrested in the past. The police circulated the CCTV footage of the suspect from the recent Sion and the previous Sahar Road, Andheri, incidents.
There is also a reward for helping catch the suspect. “We have been promised a handsome cash reward if our tips get the molester arrested,” a police informer, Imran Khan, said.
A team of the crime branch is collecting data records from cellphone towers in Sion, Wadala, Antop Hill, RAK Marg, Amboli and DN Nagar in Andheri to find if a common number was active at all these places.
In the latest case from Sion, a Class VI girl was lured to an isolated spot by the paedophile while she was playing near her home and sexually assaulted.
Rakesh or Irfan? Cops zero in on paedophile
—S Ahmed Ali
April 14, 2014Mumbai: The special investigating teams formed to trace the serial child molester suspect him to be a man called Rakesh. The cops said that in most of the 13 cases, he had identified himself as Rakesh; in Sahar Road (Andheri) case, he changed his name to Irfan.
“There must be some connection with these names. This could be his real name. He may be using different names according to hisconvenience, which needs to be probed further,” said an officer.
Meanwhile, the police have released a sketch of the accused. They have sought help of informers and unofficially announced handsome reward for providing any clues leading to his arrest. Police have even contacted eye specialists to help them identify the accused who has some defect in one of his eyes. Till Saturday eight of 13 victims confirmed that the perpetrator was the same person caught in CCTV footages.
Sketch of the suspect
Cops on paedophile hunt pore over voter recordsS Ahmed Ali TNNApril 12, 2104Mumbai: The special investigating teams (SIT), formed to trace the paedophile who recently targeted a 13-year-old girl in Sion, are leaving no stone unturned to track him down. A police team is taking help of the election officials to filter out a suspect with a damaged eye. “There are only two offices—one is the passport office and another is the election office. We are scrutinizing the list of respective areas in the hope of getting some clue,” said an officer. The police are focusing on the western suburbs as a majority of cases involving the paedophile have taken place in those areas. The police feel the accused could also be from the same area. They are also checking their records to ascertain if any such person has been arrested earlier. Cops have circulated the two video footages of the suspect obtained from Sion and Sahar road in Andheri. What has surprised the police is that in both cases, the victim is seen happily following the accused. The crime branch, which had detained two suspects, released them after finding them innocent. |
HC: Form SIT to probe Lahoria case allegationsApril 11, 2014Mumbai: The HC on Wednesday asked the Mumbai crime branch to form a special investigating team, headed by a senior officer not less than assistant commissioner of police (ACP), to probe into the allegations of involvement of a senior cop and aminister’s kin in the murder of builder Sunil Lahoria. The allegations have been leveled by former journalist Ketan Tirodkar. A crime branch source said investigating officer Santosh Bagwe will assist the ACP in the case. “We are yet to get the probe orders,” said Sadanand Date, joint commissioner of police. TNN |
CHARGESHEET FILED
Bandra acid attacker had confessed to cousin: Cops
S Ahmed Ali & Rebecca Samervel TNN
April 10, 2014Mumbai: “Maine Bambai me ek ladki par acid feka kar jala diya hai. (I threw acid and burnt a girl in Mumbai)”, Ankur Panwar (23), the accused in the Preeti Rathi acid attack case, reportedly told his cousin Ravi.
Ravi, who runs a garage in Gurgaon, told the police that after throwing acid at Preeti on May 2, 2013, Ankur returned to Delhi, but instead to going to his house, he came to meet him. Ravi claimed that after confessing to the crime, Ankur kept quiet for a long time. When Ravi questioned Ankur further, he told him he had lied and started laughing.
Ravi’s statement is part of the 1,322-page
chargesheet filed before the 37th metropolitan magistrate on Wednesday. In the chargesheet, the police said Ankur threw acid at Preeti, his neighbour from Narela near Delhi, because of jealousy and unrequited love.
The police have also annexed Ankur’s mobile phone records and Preeti’s medical reports, including the post-mortem, and the forensic report of the acid used in the crime.
The Mumbai crime branch has made Ravi a key witness in the case, and booked Ankur under IPC sections 302 (murder), 326-A (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by use of acid), 326-B (voluntarily throwing or attempting to throw acid). On May 2, 2013, as Preeti, her father, uncle and aunt got off at Bandra Terminus, a masked man threw acid at her. Preeti was to join the Army Medical College in Colaba as a nurse.
On January 17, 2014, the crime branch arrested Ankur. Ankur’s mother, Kailashrani had said, “When the police brought him home on January 21, Ankur told me that he had thrown the acid on Preeti.”
Preeti’s aunt and uncle —Sunita and Vinod Dahiya—are also witnesses in the case.
PREETI RATHI CASE
MAY 2, 2013 | Preeti Rathi (25) alights from Garib Rath Express at Bandra Terminus with her father Amarsingh, aunt and uncle. Moments later a man, his face covered with a cloth, throws acid at her. The incident is caught on CCTV cameras
Preeti is taken to Masina Hospital. Her right eye, food pipe and windpipe are damaged. She develops fistula that infects her lungs and gives way to pneumonitis
MAY 18, 2013 | She is shifted to Bombay Hospital; she develops complications and dies on June 1
JAN 17, 2014 | Crime branch arrests Ankur Panwar (23), Preeti’s neighbour in Narela near Delhi
Principal, students grilled over paper leak
‘Nabbed College Staffers Sacked’
S Ahmed Ali TNN
April 9,2014Mumbai: The police probing the April 4 TYBCom Marketing and Human Resources paper leak questioned KM Agrawal College principal Anita Manna and
15 students on Tuesday.
The 15 collegians reportedly received the paper 45 minutes before the exam. The grilling took place at the crime branch office in Andheri.
Manna denied her role but admitted that there was “negligence to check the process”. She told cops that senior clerk Rajendra Borade (43) and IT coordinator Rajkumar Mishra (35) have been sacked for their alleged involvement in the malpractice. On Monday, Mishra, Borade and two students, Vishal More (Agrawal College) and Pratik Mehta (Birla College) were arrested.
All the accused have been booked under IPC sections for criminal breach of trust, stealing and the Maharashtra Prevention of Malpractices at University and Board. They were remanded in police custody till April 11. “Most of the students said since they had received a photocopy of the exam paper on a cellphone messaging service, they forwarded it assuming it would be helpful to their peers. We are scrutinizing whether or not any of them received any monetary benefit,” said a police officer.
Several students have told the police that Borade, who has put in around 12 years of service in Kalyan’s Agrawal College, was popular because he passed on “confidential information”. “Students have claimed that he used to charge money to reveal scores before they were announced,” said another officer.
“Mishra joined Agarwal College two years ago. It appears that Borade convinced Mishra to be part of the racket and promised him Rs 2,000 for each paper,” he added.
Police are quizzing Borade to ascertain whether or not he had leaked other exam papers in the past. Under university rules, the principal and IT coordinator of each college are the two nodal officers appointed by the board to coordinate the distribution of exam papers. “The university sends the paper in encrypted format and separately sends passwords to these two coordinators,” said an official.
One month on, engg pupils yet to get revised marksheets
Mumbai: Some of the seventh semester engineering students, who were erroneously marked absent for the exam, are yet to get their revised results. Nearly a month ago, these students got their original marksheets in which they were erroneously marked absent. The students, who are yet to get their revised marksheets, have managed to get good scores in GATE and claim that they need to submit their seventh-semester scores for admissions to postgraduate courses. “If I submit my current score card, which marks me absent, it will show that I have a live allowed to keep term (ATKT) and I might lose out on a seat,” a chemical engineering student said. A principal of an engineering college said the university was prompt in correcting the results of the first semester students. “Several first semester students, who failed initially, passed with good scores. Some of the results in the seventh semester are still pending,” said the principal. Dean of technology S K Ukrande said all the results were revised and released by the university. “I will check with the examination house to see if anyone’s result is still pending,” Ukrande said. The outgoing controller of examination, Padma Deshmukh, said, “All the results were revised and uploaded on the website in two lots. These might be stray cases. They should approach the university through their respective colleges.”—Yogita Rao MU takes steps T he paper leak episode at KM Agrawal College in Kalyan has forced the University of Mumbai to depute an observer and an IT officer to oversee the examination on Wednesday. The board of examinations will decide whether the college should remain an exam centre. There was no clarity on the action to be taken on SPDT Lions Juhu College and Indira Gandhi College, where about 700 students wrote the paper that had leaked. TNN
R Mishra; (top) R Borade
Kalyan college clerk, official held for Apr 4 leak
Varsity Observers To Attend Apr 9 Exam In College
S Ahmed Ali, Hemali Chhapia-Shah & Pradeep Gupta TNN
April 8,2014Mumbai: A senior information technology coordinator and a senior clerk of KM Agrawal College, Kalyan, and two final-year BCom students were arrested on Monday for leaking the TYBCom Marketing and Human Resources paper on April 4. The city crime branch arrested IT coordinator Rajkumar Mishra (35), clerk Rajendra Borade (43), students Vishal More (21) of Agrawal College and Pratik Mehta (21) of Birla College, Kalyan.
All accused were booked under IPC sections for criminal breach of trust, stealing and the Maharashtra Prevention of Malpractices at University and Board and other specified Act of 1982 and remanded to police custody April 11.
The University will also send an IT officer and exam observer to Agrawal college for the April 9 exam. The board of examinations will meet on April 10 to decide if the college should continue as a centre for the TYBCom exam. It will also decide what action to initiate against two colleges in Andheri and Vikhroli which went ahead and issued the leaked question papers.
On Monday, a crime branch team visited Agrawal college informing the management about the arrests of Borade, who worked with the college’s unaided section and Mishra, the co-ordinator for the exam. The management decided to terminate their services. The crime branch team also seized CCTV footage from the college.
Principal Anita Manna said the college received had the password for the question paper at 9.04am on Friday and Borade entered the computer centre at 10am, according to CCTV grabs. “We are co-operating with the police to find if anybody else was involved in the incident,” she said.
However, sources said the Agrawal College principal may have been negligent. Under Mumbai University rules, the principal and IT coordinator of each college are the two nodal officers appointed by the exam board to co-ordinate the distribution of exam papers. “The university sends the paper in encrypted format and separately sends passwords to these two coordinators. The principal should have supervised the process when Mishra was entering the password and printed copies,’’ said an official. “We give instructions on the manner in which the paper must be downloaded and the infrastructure that must be available for printing. It is also emphasised that the principal must oversee all these exercises which does not seem to have happened in this case,” said a senior university official.
Police had registered a case on the complaint of Mumbai University’s controller of examinations and crime branch unit-8 and the cyber police began probing it. “We went from one student to another and reached Borade who in turned said the paper was leaked by Mishra. On the other hand, Borade gave it to More, in turn gave it to his friend Mehta. It was forwarded by Mehta for monetary consideration to others,’’ said Sadanand Date, joint commissioner (crime).
“More said he recently met with an accident and was not prepared for the exams, so he approached Borade for the papers,” said investigating officer Raju Kasbe. “We identified other students who circulated the paper among themselves. We even have messages where they have confirmed the deals,” said senior inspector Deepak Patangre.
LEAKED PAPER FOR 200
THE PAPER LEAK On April 4, the TYBCom Marketing and Human Resources paper was leaked just about 45 minutes before the exam
With nearly 64,000 students taking the test across 223 centres, when Mumbai University was alerted about the leak, it electronically sent a new question paper to all the centres
ACTION TAKEN BY THE COLLEGE KM Agrawal College of Arts, Commerce and Science, Kalyan, was established in 1994
The college has sacked a clerk, Rajendra Borade, and computer technician Rajkumar Mishra
THE ACCUSED Raju Borade worked as a clerk with Agrawal College since 2001. He lives in Thane with his wife, a policewoman
Computer technician Rajkumar Mishra, was employed with the college for a little over a year
THE PROBE
Police traced messages from one student’s cell to another until they reached Kalyan’s KM Agrawal College, where it was tracked to IT coordinator Rajkumar Mishra and senior clerk Rajendra Borade. Two TYBCom students from Kalyan, Vishal More of Agrawal College and Pratik Mehta of Birla College, were also arrested
Agarwal College received the password for the paper at 9.04 am. According to CCTV grabs, Borade entered the computer centre at 10am. Mishra was scheduled to download the paper and made a photocopy of the paper
Borade gave a copy to More, who passed it on to his friend Mehta, who forwarded it to others for as little as 200-500
Police have identified another 17-18 students who circulated the paper among themselves Varsity appoints new exam head T he Mumbai University appointed a new controller of examinations, Dinesh Bhonde, currently exam controller of Yashwantrao Chavan Open University. Bhonde will soon resign from the Nagpur-based university and join the exam house on the Kalina campus. TNN
Matka king murder convict jumps parole
April 6, 2014Mumbai: Suhash Roge, a key convict in the murder of matka king, Suresh Bhagat, has jumped parole. Roge, a close associate of gangster-turned-politician Arun Gawli, got parole from Kolhapur jail in December on grounds that his wife was suffering from cancer.
The HC had granted parole for three months. Sources said HC Roge was supposed to surrender on March 28. “Yes, he has not reported back to jail. We are looking for him,” said additional director general (prisons) Meeran Borwankar. — S Ahmed Ali
BOOST FOR PROBE
IPL betting: 7 bookies voice samples match
S Ahmed Ali TNN
April 5, 2014Mumbai: The city crime branch’s claim about the IPL betting scandal involving Chennai Super King’s team principal and several bookies was further strengthened on Wednesday when the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) submitted the voice sample reports confirming the voices of seven alleged accused—main bookie Ramesh Vyas, Pankaj Shah alias Lotus, Rakesh Jaipur, Ramlal Johar alias Nauka, Badri Narayan alias Modi, Kishore alias Keshav Pune, and Devendra Kothari.
The police will add the voice sample reports in the supplementary chargesheet which they will file by month-end.
This is second such report the FSL has sent to the crime branch. In March, the FSL had sent reports confirming the voice samples of seven other accused, including Gurunath Meiyappan, Virendra Dara Singh alias Vindoo, Pawan Jaipur, Sanjay Chabra and Chandresh Jupiter.
“There were around 80 conversations between the bookies,
punters and CSK. In the first reports, the voices of Gurunath and Vindoo have matched,” said an officer. He added that the credit also goes to the FSL, which used the same mode of communication to record the voices as the accused had used.
Crime branch officials said that this is a major boost to their probe as the SC-appointed Mudgal Committee report, too, has approved their investigations.
In May 2013, the the property cell of the city crime branch busted the betting racket when acting on tip-off, it officials raided a place in Kalbadevi and caught Vyas allegedly accepting bets and arranging conference facilities with bookies in Pakistan through international mobile numbers. Later, the police arrested 21 bookies, including Meiyappan and Vindoo, under the Gambling Act.
The officer claimed that Vindoo allegedly discussed the possible outcome of cricket matches, toss, team composition, pitch condition, weather and betting activities, and used to collect match-related information from Meiyappan and share it with bookies.
Cop held in SSC paper leak caseS Ahmed Ali TNNApril 4, 2014Mumbai: The city crime branch arrested police constable Uday Kadam, the father of a student caught with an original copy of the SSC Algebra paper on Thursday. Kadam, who has been booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and Maharashtra Prevention of Malpractices at University, Board and Other Specified Examinations Act, 1982, will be produced before court on Friday. Kadam, who has put in 20 years of service, is attached to the Charkop police station. Investigations have suggested that a school teacher where he was posted on bandobast duty gave him the question paper. The Maharashtra State Board in Pune had written to the crime branch seeking its intervention last month. Senior board officials had told TOI that they had doubts that the Kandivli police had been trying to cover up the leak due to the involvement of a colleague. Joint commissioner of police Sadanand Date confirmed the arrest and said further investigations were on. The 16-year-old student was caught with the original copy of the question paper at an exam centre in Kandivli on March 11. He first claimed that he got the question paper from his father, but later said he got it from two youths outside Borivli station. He was arrested and sent to the Dongri remand home, but was later released on bail. The state board will take separate action against him too. |
Defunct scanners at cop HQ endanger securityVisitors Too Inconvenienced By Long QueuesS Ahmed Ali TNNMumbai: All the scanning machines—an X-ray device to scan vehicles, a bag screener and hand-held metal detectors—at the entrance of the Mumbai police headquarters at Crawford Market have broken down, making the premises vulnerable. Visitors also have to face a harrowing time as they have to wait inordinately long to be checked before being allowed inside. With the vehicle scanner-—which is fitted underground and connected to a computer that monitors every car entering the premises—not working for six months, personnel check vehicles with a hand-held mirror, which can hardly be called a foolproof procedure, said a source. In the absence of the bag screener, cops have to rummage through every visitor’s bag, but that again is not an absolute deterrent to unscrupulous elements carrying in explosives, the source added. This, the source said, when the Mumbai police headquarters is under constant terror threat. In fact, the premises and the anti-terrorism squad (ATS) headquarters in Nagpada were among the top targets of IM founder Riyaz Bhatkal, outfit member Yasin Bhatkal had revealed during interrogation. Visitors are also upset with the slow process that builds up a long queue at the entrance. “Policemen physically check every person as a result of which there is always a long queue. I was carrying a gift for my friend and wanted to meet an officer. I showed the bill but the personnel forced me to open the gift wrap to check inside,” said Madhumati Shinde, a visitor. The frisking of visitors often leads to altercations as well. Even policemen have to go through the same procedure. “I was carrying my lunch box. The box was almost transparent and I said it contained nothing but food. But they made me open it. It slipped from my hand and the food fell to the ground,” said a cop. After police commissioner Rakesh Maria directed additional commissioner (security & protection) Kiran Shelar to look into the lapse, he carried out a surprise check on Tuesday when he caught a few cops sitting casually at the gate. “There is some technical problem with the equipment. We are repairing them and they should be functional in a week,” said Shelar. VULNERABLE FOR 6 MONTHS A car scanner is fitted underground and connected to a computer monitor, which checks for any suspicious object from under vehicles. This device has not been working for 6 months The second device is a bag-screener, through which visitors have to pass their bags. The machine has been out of order for three months Lastly, cops check individuals with handheld metal-detectors. None of them works SAFETY BREACH In the absence of the vehicle-scanner, cops check cars with hand-held mirrors, which is hardly a foolproof procedure Cops frisk visitors and rummage through their bags, again not a watertight safety measure Unconfirmed reports say the maintenance contract for the devices has expired and so the delay in repairing them  |
Monday, April 14, 2014
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Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Matka king murder convict jumps parole
April 6, 2014Mumbai: Suhash Roge, a key convict in the murder of matka king, Suresh Bhagat, has jumped parole. Roge, a close associate of gangster-turned-politician Arun Gawli, got parole from Kolhapur jail in December on grounds that his wife was suffering from cancer.
The HC had granted parole for three months. Sources said HC Roge was supposed to surrender on March 28. “Yes, he has not reported back to jail. We are looking for him,” said additional director general (prisons) Meeran Borwankar. — S Ahmed Ali
Kalyan college clerk, official held for Apr 4 leak
Varsity Observers To Attend Apr 9 Exam In College
S Ahmed Ali, Hemali Chhapia-Shah & Pradeep Gupta TNN
Mumbai: A senior information technology coordinator and a senior clerk of KM Agrawal College, Kalyan, and two final-year BCom students were arrested on Monday for leaking the TYBCom Marketing and Human Resources paper on April 4. The city crime branch arrested IT coordinator Rajkumar Mishra (35), clerk Rajendra Borade (43), students Vishal More (21) of Agrawal College and Pratik Mehta (21) of Birla College, Kalyan.
All accused were booked under IPC sections for criminal breach of trust, stealing and the Maharashtra Prevention of Malpractices at University and Board and other specified Act of 1982 and remanded to police custody April 11.
The University will also send an IT officer and exam observer to Agrawal college for the April 9 exam. The board of examinations will meet on April 10 to decide if the college should continue as a centre for the TYBCom exam. It will also decide what action to initiate against two colleges in Andheri and Vikhroli which went ahead and issued the leaked question papers.
On Monday, a crime branch team visited Agrawal college informing the management about the arrests of Borade, who worked with the college’s unaided section and Mishra, the co-ordinator for the exam. The management decided to terminate their services. The crime branch team also seized CCTV footage from the college.
Principal Anita Manna said the college received had the password for the question paper at 9.04am on Friday and Borade entered the computer centre at 10am, according to CCTV grabs. “We are co-operating with the police to find if anybody else was involved in the incident,” she said.
However, sources said the Agrawal College principal may have been negligent. Under Mumbai University rules, the principal and IT coordinator of each college are the two nodal officers appointed by the exam board to co-ordinate the distribution of exam papers. “The university sends the paper in encrypted format and separately sends passwords to these two coordinators. The principal should have supervised the process when Mishra was entering the password and printed copies,’’ said an official. “We give instructions on the manner in which the paper must be downloaded and the infrastructure that must be available for printing. It is also emphasised that the principal must oversee all these exercises which does not seem to have happened in this case,” said a senior university official.
Police had registered a case on the complaint of Mumbai University’s controller of examinations and crime branch unit-8 and the cyber police began probing it. “We went from one student to another and reached Borade who in turned said the paper was leaked by Mishra. On the other hand, Borade gave it to More, in turn gave it to his friend Mehta. It was forwarded by Mehta for monetary consideration to others,’’ said Sadanand Date, joint commissioner (crime).
“More said he recently met with an accident and was not prepared for the exams, so he approached Borade for the papers,” said investigating officer Raju Kasbe. “We identified other students who circulated the paper among themselves. We even have messages where they have confirmed the deals,” said senior inspector Deepak Patangre.
LEAKED PAPER FOR 200
THE PAPER LEAK On April 4, the TYBCom Marketing and Human Resources paper was leaked just about 45 minutes before the exam
With nearly 64,000 students taking the test across 223 centres, when Mumbai University was alerted about the leak, it electronically sent a new question paper to all the centres
ACTION TAKEN BY THE COLLEGE KM Agrawal College of Arts, Commerce and Science, Kalyan, was established in 1994
The college has sacked a clerk, Rajendra Borade, and computer technician Rajkumar Mishra
THE ACCUSED Raju Borade worked as a clerk with Agrawal College since 2001. He lives in Thane with his wife, a policewoman
Computer technician Rajkumar Mishra, was employed with the college for a little over a year
THE PROBE
Police traced messages from one student’s cell to another until they reached Kalyan’s KM Agrawal College, where it was tracked to IT coordinator Rajkumar Mishra and senior clerk Rajendra Borade. Two TYBCom students from Kalyan, Vishal More of Agrawal College and Pratik Mehta of Birla College, were also arrested
Agarwal College received the password for the paper at 9.04 am. According to CCTV grabs, Borade entered the computer centre at 10am. Mishra was scheduled to download the paper and made a photocopy of the paper
Borade gave a copy to More, who passed it on to his friend Mehta, who forwarded it to others for as little as 200-500
Police have identified another 17-18 students who circulated the paper among themselves Varsity appoints new exam head T he Mumbai University appointed a new controller of examinations, Dinesh Bhonde, currently exam controller of Yashwantrao Chavan Open University. Bhonde will soon resign from the Nagpur-based university and join the exam house on the Kalina campus. TNN
C: Form SIT to probe Lahoria case allegations
Mumbai: The HC on Wednesday asked the Mumbai crime branch to form a special investigating team, headed by a senior officer not less than assistant commissioner of police (ACP), to probe into the allegations of involvement of a senior cop and aminister’s kin in the murder of builder Sunil Lahoria. The allegations have been leveled by former journalist Ketan Tirodkar.
A crime branch source said investigating officer Santosh Bagwe will assist the ACP in the case. “We are yet to get the probe orders,” said Sadanand Date, joint commissioner of police. TNN
TYBCom paper leak: Cops seize hard disks, mobiles
—S Ahmed Ali
Mumbai: The city crime branch, probing the TYBCom paper leak, on Wednesday seized two hard computer disks of KM Agarwal College in Kalyan. Sources said the crime branch unit 8 officers visited the college and recovered the CCTV footage as well the two hard disks through which the accused IT coordinator Rajkumar Mishra had issued prints of exam papers that he handed over to his associate Rajendra Borade.
Police have also seized cellphones of the 15 students who had received photocopies of the human resources and marketing paper over whatsapp. “Their phones will be sent to the forensic laboratory for examination to find out the source of the paper leak,” said an officer.
“Most of the students said that as they had received the exam paper’s photocopy on their mobile through whatsapp and they just forwarded it as they thought it will help other students. We are trying to ascertain if any of them made any monetary gains,” said an officer.
Both Mishra and Borade were sacked for their alleged involvement in the scam. On Monday, the crime branch had arrested Mishra, Borade and two students—Vishal More (21) of KM Agarwal College and Pratik Mehta (21) of Birla College, Kalyan. The accused have been remanded in police custody tillApril 11. 2 key links traced in SSC algebra leak T he crime branch, probing the SSC Algebra paper leak, has traced the two persons who had helped the constable’s son to solve a few sums. Sources said one is a girl and the other a boy (both in their 20s). Cops are likely to send their handwriting samples to experts to match with the chit found from the constable’s son last month. “We will make them witnesses in the case,” said JCP Sadanand Date. Last week, the police had arrested constable Uday Kadam and school principal Mangesh Lad in the case. TNN
pl team set up to nab paedophile in 10 days
S Ahmed Ali TNN
Mumbai: Police commissioner Rakesh Maria has set up a special investigating team to track down a paedophile, who has 13 offences registered against him at six police stations in the last six months. The crime branch has detained two suspects on suspicion and is interrogating them.
“I have asked the crime branch to nab the child molestor within 10 days. We will release his sketch and photograph hoping that someone from the public will help us nab him,” said Maria.
The directive comes two days after a 13-year-old girl from Sion said that a man, who has “a white spot in the eye”, took her to an isolated spot near her house and sexually abused her. Her parents lodged a complaint with the police, who got an image of the offender from a CCTV camera.
On Wednesday, the SIT officials visited the Antop Hill, Wadala, Amboli, RAK Marg, Andheri and Dahisar police to verify if the description of the offender in the Sion case matches those in the cases registered there. The police have circulated the CCTV image among informers. “We are taking the help of mohalla committees, milk vendors, bar owners and waiters to get some leads,” said an officer.
In a related development, the Bandra police produced Inayatali Sajan (39), a call centre staffer who had allegedly tried to sexually assault the eight-year-old great grandson of a yesteryear villain inside a lift in a Bandra building last year, before a court on Wednesday. He has been remanded in police custody till April 14.
Sajan told the police that he had sexually assaulted another boy known to him. The police requested the family to file a case, but they refused.
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