Aspiring gangsters held in Najafgarh

NEW DELHI: A 22-year-old former computer science student of Delhi University and his associate were arrested for being allegedly involved in several cases of murder, robbery and extortion, police said on Monday.

The alleged inter-state criminals were trying to set up their base in southwest Delhi since several ganglords who operated out of the area are now lodged in jail.

The arrested persons had been identified as Jitender alias Jitu and Ranbir alias Mohit, 30, son of a retired Indian Air Force employee. Police said Jitu was the leader of the gang.

DCP (southwest) RA Sanjeev said Jitu came out on bail 3-4 months ago. After his release from jail, Jitu noticed that notorious gangsters such as Vikas Lagarpuria, Vicky Dagar, Dheerpal Kana, Neeraj Bawana had been arrested and many others were on the run.

“Jitu thought it was an opportunity for him to establish himself as the new gangster in areas like Najafgarh, Baba Haridas Nagar and Uttam Nagar. He constituted his own gang with his associate Ranbir, who is a life convict out on parole,” said Sanjeev.

The gang committed more than half a dozen crimes in less than two months. Their criminal activities and attempt to gain control over the crime scene in the area attracted police attention. The gang members were further planning to enter in the realty business by taking over disputed properties, a modus operandi which most of ganglords of these areas had adopted.

The two, Sanjeev said, were nabbed on Sunday following information that they will meet near a private school in Najafgarh. Two pistols, six cartridges, and a stolen motorcycle were recovered from their possession, he said.

Ashraf came back with his sons and other family members.

Jaleel, who studied at New India School with Riyad, worked for a bank when he was deported. The UAE has strict anti-terror laws and links to IS — however tenuous — can invite severe punishment.

Aromal Sadanandan and Riyad, too, met in New India School. Riyad was not only his classmate but also his best friend, the 23-year-old told the Kerala Police.

“Riyad left school without completing 10th standard. He came back (from Kozhikode in Kerala) after a year and joined the school again but as my junior,” counter-terror officials quoted Sadanandan as saying.

“After his arrival from Kerala I noticed a beard on his face,” Sadanandan told his interrogators. Born and brought up in Ras Al Khaimah, Riyad was a regular at a mosque where the imam was a Pakistani. Perhaps that is where his radicalisation began, the counter-terror official said.

“Riyad told me about Prophet Muhammad’s teachings and asked me to compare them with the Gita and decide which was better,” Sadanandan said.

Riyad, whose father moved

to RAK in 1986, talked to his friends about joining IS sometime last year. “After months of discussion, four of them were ready to join ISIS but only two — Riyad and a Bangladeshi school friend, Mujahid— left,” the official said.

Their departure sent alarm bells ringing. “Once Riyad went missing in April, all his Facebook friends were picked up and after questioning asked to leave,” said a Kerala Police officer on condition of anonymity.

An FIR was registered against Riyad while all his friends were let off after a round of questioning, as none of them were found to be involved with IS, the officer said.

The men can’t wait to go back. “I was told to go to my native place with an assurance that I would be able to come back in six months,” said Anas Hamza. “I won’t be able to say anything more.”

“Normal to above normal rainfall is likely during the 2015 northeast monsoon season (October–December) over southern parts of South Asia including southeast peninsular India, Sri Lanka and Maldives. During the season, normal to above normal temperatures are likely, over most parts of the region,” the consensus forecast says.

Farm output is expected to dip nearly 5% in the 2014-15 crop year because of a stormy spring followed by a parched summer, according the government’s quarterly projections. Households are reeling under high pulses and onion prices, which rose by 38.6% and 113.7% in September.

Authorities in Ludhiana also arrested a woman, identified as Balwinder Kaur (45) and ‘granthi’ Sikandar Singh (46) in connection with a desecration case in Ghawaddi village.

The protests have left the Badal government facing the heat of popular discontent with opposition parties coming together to demand President’s Rule.

In Amritsar, hundreds of protesters brandishing swords took to the streets on Monday and forced shops and commercial establishments to shut down. Areas around the Golden Temple, Katra Ahluwalia, Pink Plaza and the entire walled city saw a complete shutdown.

In Tarn Taran, hundreds of shopkeepers staged a protest against the police.

Sikh outfits also staged dharnas at several places in Punjab and pressed for the arrest of police officials involved in the firing at Behbal Kalan village that killed two persons.

Commuters were also in for a harrowing time as protesters blocked many highways for hours, triggering lengthy snarls and traffic diversions, police said.

In Jalandhar, Sikh activists and shopkeepers clashed. Protest marches were also taken out at various places, including Faridkot, Moga, Mansa, Tarn Taran, Sangrur and Bathinda.

All educational institutions remained closed for the sixth day in Moga city while state-owned transport were off the roads. At Bargari village in Faridkot district, where the first incident of sacrilege was reported, SGPC members held prayers at the Sikh shrine.

the base for the cabinet to push an amendment bill in the next assembly session.

Kejriwal questioned the Prime Minister and lieutenantgovernor about steps taken for women’s safety in the Capital and blamed the Delhi Police for “failing to create a sense of security”. The AAP government has been pushing for control over Delhi Police which reports to the Union home ministry.

The proposal to prosecute juveniles as adults came as two teenagers were taken into custody for the rape of a toddler in Nangloi last week.

Kejriwal’s remarks came amid the Union government’s push to bring the much-delayed and debated juvenile justice bill in Parliament, although a provision to try children between 16 and 18 years as adults for henious crimes has faced opposition from several sections.

“The world is seeing what is happening to India. People have a right to eat what they want. Are we living in Hindustan of Mohan Bhagwat or Sakshi Maharaj?” Rashid asked, a reference to the swirling controversy around cow slaughter following the mob lynching of Mohammad Ikhlaq in Uttar Pradesh over beef consumption rumours.

The ink smearing was roundly condemned, with J&K chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed calling the “unpleasant incident” most disturbing.

Monday’s Sena attack left bilateral cricketing ties severely bruised with Thakur virtually ruling out early resumption of cricketing ties, saying the two governments needed to talk to each other first.

The two sides are expected to play in a highly-anticipated series in December, possibly at a neutral venue, a first after cricketing ties were scrapped following the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

“If you are talking about the December series, in today’s atmosphere and situation, for me to say that it will happen is not easy. Until talks happen with the central government and between the two countries, it is not possible,” Thakur said.

Though several media reports said the talks had been rescheduled for Monday in Delhi, Thakur said no such formal talks were on the anvil.

Shiv Sena has a history of violent protests tied to cricket and has repeatedly insisted cultural or sporting ties could be renewed only when Islamabad stopped sponsoring terrorism.

It vandalised the BCCI office in 1999 to protest a Pakistan tour, damaging the World Cup and other trophies. The same year, Sena members dug up the pitch at Delhi’s Ferozshah Kotla stadium in an unsuccessful bid to stop a Test match.

The BJP strongly condemned the attack with state chief Raosaheb Danve saying the party was in favour of cricketing and cultural ties with Pakistan. “If any India-Pakistan tie is held in Mumbai, we will give it all the security it needs,” he said.

But despite the criticism, the Sena praised its workers.

“The nation doesn’t want any ties with Pakistan. There is nothing wrong in the protest because our workers just went and spoke to Manohar, didn’t attack him,” said party MP Sanjay Raut.

See more obituary advertisement on page no: 11.