Preity in America, cops await her return before summoning Ness

S Ahmed Ali

June 16, 2014 TNN





Incident Not On First Set Of CCTV Footage

The Marine Drive police will question actor Preity Zinta, who has filed a molestation complaint against Ness Wadia, before summoning the industrialist. Zinta left for the US on Friday after lodging the complaint and could be in Los Angeles for about a month, sources said.The city's top cop, Rakesh Maria, said the police were yet to identify any witnesses in the case. The alleged incident occurred on May 30 at Wankhede stadium's Garware Pavilion during an IPL match.
“Zinta has given us her statement, but as she has not given us any names of witnesses, we are trying to find out who they could be. Our team has gone through CCTV footage from the stadium (initially submitted), but the incident wasn't found recorded,“ Maria told TOI. A police officer said about four hours of footage had been examined. On Sunday , the stadium's security officers provided another set of CCTV footage. “We are now examining footage from Garware Pavilion,“ Maria said.
Zinta (39) and Wadia (44) are co-owners of the IPL team Kings XI Punjab, which won against Chennai Super Kings on the day the incident is alleged to have taken place. The two had broken up, but continued to share a business relationship.
The police made it clear on Sunday that they would not summon Wadia before recording Zinta's statement. They said that as per Zinta's FIR, the charges applicable on Wadia are the IPC's sections 354, 504, 506 and 509 (meanings in graphic ). Section 354--assault or criminal force on woman with intent to outrage her modesty--is punishable with imprisonment of 1-5 years and entails a non-bailable offence. “Unless we are sure how the crime has taken place, how can we go ahead with the arrest?“ said a police officer.

Jun 16 2014 : The Times of India (Mumbai)

No more junkies, cry overcrowded jails

S Ahmed Ali

Mumbai TNN





The police crackdown on drug addicts has led to severe overcrowding in the three jails in and around Mumbai. With the Arthur Road, Thane and Taloja jails now holding five times their capacity, inspector general (prisons) Meeran Borwankar recently wrote to Mumbai police commissioner Rakesh Maria to stop sending drug addicts and peddlers to these prisons.Incidentally, the letter comes on the eve of the antidrugs week.
Sources said that the police chief is now in a dilemma over the campaign against drug peddlers and addicts.
Maria was unavailable for comment, but a senior officer said, “Many of these drug users and sellers come from very poor families and they don't have anyone to fight their cases. Most of them are sent to custody in jail and hence their numbers have increased.'' Sources said that the overcrowding is fairly recent as the Mumbai police have sent the maximum number of undertrials in the last four month.
After Maria took over as commissioner in February , he started a drive to clean up the city and directed all police stations and anti-narcotic cells to crack down hard on drugs. The police crackdown on the drugs trade came after citizens, particularly from Mahim, Colaba and the Sion-Matunga belt, complained about the menace of drug addicts.
“They create huge problems for local residents and indulge in stealing and defecating in the area,” said Irfan Macchi, a social worker from Mahim.
The police in the last four months registered 44,116 cases and arrested 5,657 persons—10 times more than what police had arrested last year. Last year, the police had registered 234 drug-related offences and arrested 936 persons. The anti-narcotics cell itself has arrested around 1,800, in
cluding 200 Nigerians under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act in the last four months, said a police officer.In May, the police had deported 10 Nigerians and one
Tanzanian caught for drug peddling and who were staying illegally in India.The lack of space and infighting among gangsters at Arthur Road and Thane jails had compelled state government in 2004 to build Taloja jail in Navi Mumbai but as it is quite distant, it becomes a difficult task for police to regular ferry the undertrials to various courts.





NEWS DIGEST

S Ahmed Ali

Mumbai

June 12,2014





Preity Zinta files case against Ness Wadia Actress Preity Zinta has lodged a case against former fiancé Ness Wadia, scion of the Wadia Group, at the Marine Drive police station. The IPL team Kings XI Punjab owner claimed the incident took place on May 30 during a match between her team and Chennai Super Kings.
She was at Wankhede stadium when Wadia allegedly pulled her hand and abused her in front of many people. She also claimed that after their break-up, Wadia used to often harass her. The police have registered a case under IPC sections 354 (outraging the modesty of a woman), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) and 506 (criminal intimidation).
“I am shocked and dismayed. The allegations are totally false and baseless,“ Wadia told TOI.
“It is disgusting that she would stoop to this level.“ Sources close to Zinta and Wadia said he started seeing someone two months ago and they got close when the IPL was being played in the UAE. “Zinta could not digest the fact that her former boyfriend, who is still her business partner, was involved in another relationship,“ said sources close to the Wadia camp.They added, “His mother had to undergo serious discomfort when attending a Kings XI Punjab match resulting in an argument between the two. Zinta has been trying to garner publicity out of whatever is left of her relationship with Wadia.“
Zinta gave an application to the Marine Drive police on Thursday , which was converted into an FIR on Friday . Her full statement could not be recorded, as she had to take a flight out of the city. “Zinta said she had to go out of the city and hence, could not approach the police earlier. As soon as she returned, she lodged a complaint,“ said an officer. TNN

Facebook posts: Police say leads did not pan out, trail gone cold

S Ahmed Ali

June 11, 2014 Mumbai: TNN





A day after home minister R R Patil announced that the police have identified the persons responsible for posting morphed pictures of Bal Thackeray and Maratha warrior Shivaji on social media, the trail has gone cold.
Police officers said the team sent out to follow leads did not find anything incriminating.Sources said a team of cyber crime investigation cell went to a town in a north Indian state on Monday to quiz two suspects. But the interrogations and the investigations of their computers suggested they were innocent. “Nothing was discovered that could indicate their involvement in the posting of the offensive pictures. They are innocent,“ said a police officer on condition of anonymity on Tuesday . On Monday , Patil had said that the culprits who uploaded the derogatory posts containing morphed pictures of Shivaji and Bal Thackeray on social networking websites have been identified and will be ar rested soon. He added that the Maharashtra government is considering action against not only those who uploaded the posts but also those who “liked” and forwarded them.
“Social media is used all
over the world. It is used for good purposes, but anti-social elements are using it for evil purposes as seen from recent incidents in Maharashtra,“ Patil said. Riots broke out in several parts of Maharashtra after the objectionable posts appeared online. Earlier this month, an IT professional, Mohsin Shaikh, was beaten to death, allegedly by members of a radical Hindu outfit, as he was returning home during one such riot in Pune.The police say they are still waiting for a response from Facebook to their request for assistance in identifying the IP address and server from which the morphed images were uploaded. They have been informed by cyber experts that the posts may have been uploaded using proxy servers in three countries, including Russia and Georgia. Four new cyber crime cells to be set up Mumbai:
The Maharashtra police have sought the Union home ministry's help to close in on those involved in uploading objectionable photos of Shivaji and Bal Thackeray on Facebook. State home minister R R Patil told the legislative council on Tuesday that he had discussions in this regard with Union home minister Rajnath Singh after the recent killing of a Pune-based IT professional. “We have sought the help of cyber experts. If need arises, we will sound out foreign experts too.“ He had said on Monday that the culprits had been identified. Patil announced on Tuesday that cyber crime investigation cells will be set up in Nagpur, Aurangabad, Kolhapur (city) and Kolhapur (rural); nine cells are already active in the state.
He said the police have made arrests in connection with the Pune techie's murder and arrested the youths involved in violence. These cases will not be withdrawn, he declared. -Ambarish Mishra

Khosla ka Ghosla? Woman ‘locked out’ of Andheri flat Possessions Cleared While She Was In Bangalore: Cop Complaint S Ahmed Ali TNN  May 1, 2014     A46-year old woman has filed a complaint with the Amboli police, alleging that her apartment in Andheri (West) was broken into and taken over while she was away attending a relative’s funeral in Bangalore.     Tanveer Shariff, an Arabic teacher and a divorcee, said she left for Bangalore on March 29. On April 16, according to the police complaint, she got a call from her domestic help, informing that “somebody had forcibly entered her one-room-kitchen flat” in Sai Chaya Cooperative Housing Society at Azad Nagar. The help said “all of Shariff ’s possessions had been loaded into a tempo”.     Shariff said she flew to Mumbai the same day. “I consulted my lawyer and called up the police control room. By the time Amboli police arrived, my furniture, electronics and ornaments worth Rs 14 lakh had been hauled away. One Vijay Patil, whom I had bought the house from, had taken its possession, claiming he was the flat owner,” Shariff said. She added that she slept in the veranda for two days and is now shuffling from one friend’s house to another. Patil refuted Shariff ’s version. “I don’t know who Tanveer is. I had given my flat on rent to Sudhir Pothari for the last five years. On April 16, Pothari took away his goods in a tempo and I took back the apartment’s possession,” claimed Patil. Shariff ’s advocate Vijay Thakur contended that Sudhir Pothari, a builder, owed Shariff Rs 7 lakh in 2006 and asked her to move into the Sai Chaya apartment. “A few months later, Pothari offered to sell her the 190-sq-ft flat if she gave another Rs 2 lakh. Once the amount was paid, Pothari made a sale agreement between my client and Vijay Patil. He promised to register the agreement, but never did,” said Thakur. Pothari could not be reached for comment on the allegation.     Sai Chaya society secretary Anand Sawant said, “Since 2007, neither Tanveer nor Patil have paid maintenance dues, although Tanveer was staying in the flat for years. On that day, her goods were taken away in a tempo. Neighbours noted down the vehicle’s licence number.” Madhuben, a Sai Chaya resident, added: “Tanveer has been staying in this building for the past several years.”     Shariff claimed that several of her documents, including Aadhar and ration cards, are registered on the address of the Sai Chaya flat. Also, she claimed, the flat’s electricity and telephone bills are sent in her name.     Investigating officer Prakash Sawant said, “Acting on Shariff ’s complaint, we have registered an FIR of trespassing and theft. We have traced the tempo driver and he has shown us the place in Dahanu where the goods were left. Both parties claim right over the flat. The case is being probed.” Shariff alleged that the police have “unofficially asked her to settle the case”.  WHILE BUYING PROPERTY… Speaking generally and without commenting on any specific case, legal experts stress that a few essential documents should be obtained during the purchase of an apartment:      A sale deed between the buyer and the seller establishes the contract between them for the sale     For it to be a valid document proving ownership, the agreement should be registered with the subregistrar of assurances after the payment of stamp duty     A copy of the agreement should be provided to the housing society, which issues a share certificate to the purchaser once a fee as per its bylaw has been paid     The sale deed records the flow of the title of the property to the buyer     The primary document required in law to prove ownership is the registered sale deed. A share certificate alone does not demonstrate ownership; if it is not issued, it does not necessarily mean that the buyer is not the legal owner Tanveer Shariff (inset) says she had been staying in a flat in Sai Chaya society (above) at Azad Nagar for years