Woman gangraped in moving rickshaw

By: Sayed Roshan
Date: 2011-09-28
Place: Mumbai
RCF police are on the lookout for three persons, accused of raping a 22-year-old for two hours after abducting her from RCF area in Chembur
A 22-year-old woman was abducted by three Chunabhatti residents and raped in a moving auto rickshaw for two hours last Sunday evening.
The woman, Anita (name changed), was abducted near Rashtriya Chemical and Fertilizers (RCF) company in Chembur and dumped at a spot four km away in Chunabhatti later in the night, where policemen from a beat chowkie found her.

Representation Pic
She was rushed to Sion hospital, where she is currently admitted in a ward.
According to the RCF police, they received a call from the Chunabhatti chowkie, informing them that they had brought a rape victim from RCF area to Sion hospital.
In her statement to the police, Anita stated that while she was returning home from an errand around 7 pm on Sunday, she was abducted by three men, who tortured and raped her in a moving rickshaw for two hours.
"She was kidnapped from the RCF area and after being raped in the rickshaw for two hours, she was found the same night in Chunabhatti. The accused have been identified but are absconding," said an officer of RCF police station, requesting anonymity.
The accused are known to her family, and live in the same locality as hers, preliminary investigations have revealed. The police believe that there might be more persons involved in the crime and are now waiting for Anita to recover, to get more details from her. Said one of Anita's family members, "The incident has left our daughter with no respect for society. The police should take action against the accused at the earliest."
Meanwhile, cops are awaiting Anita's medical reports. Said a doctor from Sion hospital, "We have done the medical tests on her and are waiting for the results."
"We have launched a manhunt to arrest the accused. We have registered a case under Sections 366 (Kidnapping) and 376 (II) (Punishment for gang rape) of the Indian Penal Code," said Inspector Prasad Dharia of RCF police station.

READ MORE - Woman gangraped in moving rickshaw

The man packing a dozen peckers in his pants: Traveller arrested smuggling live hummingbirds in his trousers

If you were sat next to this airline passenger, you might understand why he was fidgeting around so much.
This Dutch traveller was caught trying to smuggle more than a dozen live hummingbirds in special pouches sewn into the inside of his underwear at Rochambeau airport in Cayenne, French Guiana.
The birds were individually wrapped in cloth and taped up to prevent them from 'escaping' from their sweaty travel container.

Keep your pecker up: More than a dozen hummingbirds were found wrapped up in pouches sewn into the front of a Dutch traveller's pants in French Guiana

Lucrative? The live birds, which are not thought to have been sedated, were rapped in cloth and taped into the pouches

But fortunately for the unfortunate birds authorities noticed the passenger acting suspiciously and he was detained by French customs officers.
When his underwear was removed, officials discovered the haul of hummingbirds - who are not believed to have been sedated - lining the front.
The man, who reportedly has a previous conviction for trying to smuggle the tiny creatures, was arrested.
It is not clear if he has yet been charged.

Birds' eye view: The man was stopped by customs officials at Rochambeau airport in Cayenne after he was spotted acting suspiciously

The customs officers show off the puoches in Rochambeau airport, French Guiana

READ MORE - The man packing a dozen peckers in his pants: Traveller arrested smuggling live hummingbirds in his trousers

It's Safe To Go Barefoot Again -- Alleged Toe Sucker Arrested

'Toe Suck Fairy,' Michael Wyatt, Arrested For Recent Toe Sucking Threats In Arkansas

This isn't what they mean by playing footsie.
Police arrested a man known as the "Toe Suck Fairy" for allegedly harassing Arkansas women by talking about his attraction to their feet this month.
More than 10 years after he attained local infamy for sucking women's toes and threatening to amputate their feet, Michael Wyatt, 50 was behind bars again after two women claimed he asked to slurp on their digits, according to Conway Police Department Spokeswoman LaTresha Woodruff.
"The alleged Toe Sucker is now in custody," she said in an email to The Huffington Post. "Two women picked him from a photo line-up as the man who approached them in local stores commenting on their feet and asking to suck their toes."

Complaints from a third woman launched the hunt for a foot-fetish villain. While she sat outside her apartment, a stranger accosted her and forced her toes into his mouth, according to The Arkansas Democrat and Gazette. The two woman who eyeballed Wyatt came forward after hearing her account, Reuters reported.
The third woman didn't pick Wyatt out of the lineup, however, The Democrat and Gazette said.
Wyatt's racked up a lengthy rap sheet for foot-related crimes, news outlets reported. In 1990, he impersonated a podiatrist to fondle and suck a woman's foot in a department store. He was put on probation, fined and ordered to undergo therapy.
He struck again the following year. He served one year in prison for threatening a convenience store clerk that he'd chop off her foot and suck her toes while she bleeds to death.
He got in trouble again in 1999 for flashing photographs of women's feet to another woman and asking her if she'd him to cut off her feet.
Investigators considered Wyatt a suspect, because of his criminal past. It took them two weeks to track him down, however, Retuers said.

READ MORE - It's Safe To Go Barefoot Again -- Alleged Toe Sucker Arrested

America's most wanted paedophile, on the run for 17 years, is caught living in London

• Shawn Sullivan is fighting extradition to America

By Lucy Buckland


A convicted child molester who is one of America's most wanted sex criminals has been secretly living in London.
American Shawn Sullivan has been wanted in the U.S. since 1994 for allegedly molesting two 11-year-old girls and for having sex with an unconscious 14-year-old girl.
Sullivan, 42, was finally picked up by the Met Police last year in England. 
In December he was granted bail and must wear an electronic tag and abide by a strict curfew. He lives near Barnes in South-West London.

Wanted: Interpol's mug shots of Shawn Sullivan, who has been sought in America since 1994

Minnesota state wants Sullivan extradited to face charges and a spokeswoman for Dakota County Attorney's office said they had been working with the UK to ensure he is.
If found guilty Sullivan could face up to 75 years in prison, according to The Sun newspaper.


Sullivan had gone years without showing on the radar as a fugitive from the U.S. government. During this time he lived in Ireland and was given a suspended jail sentence there for sexually attacking two 12-year-old girls.
He married an Irish woman in 1996.

Fighting extradition: Shawn Sullivan dons his ankle-monitoring bracelet as he enjoys a bike ride in South-West London

It was not until 2007 that Interpol, the international police organisation, added him to its most wanted list.
Sullivan moved to England last year on an Irish passport and arrived undetected using the Gaelic spelling surname O'Suilleabhain.
U.S. Marshals Service investigators worked with authorities in Ireland, Spain, Switzerland and the UK to locate Sullivan, who is originally from Fort Benning, Georgia.
The Home Office confirmed Sullivan's extradition was ordered in February but it is being contested by the convicted paedophile.

Extradition: Home Secretary Theresa May has ordered Sullivan's extradition - he is appealing

A spokesman said: 'On Thursday 10 February the Secretary of State signed an order for Shawn Sullivan’s extradition to the United States of America.
'Mr Sullivan has appeal to the High Court against the decisions of the District Judge and the Secretary of State; this is therefore a matter for the courts.'

READ MORE - America's most wanted paedophile, on the run for 17 years, is caught living in London

That sinking feeling: Colombian drug cartel’s latest weapon is captured… a submarine that hasn't even been on its maiden voyage

A massive drug smuggling operation by rebels in Colombia has been sunk after authorities seized a submarine used to transport narcotics.
The vessel - which is capable of storing at least seven tonnes of drugs and has a sophisticated navigation system - belonged to the FARC terrorist organisation, which is financed through the drug trade.
But on Friday officers captured the sub near the Pacific port of Buenaventura just as it was about to embark on its first drug run.

Sunk: Officers guard the submarine seized from the FARC's 29th Front, in Mayorquin, Buenaventura. Authorities say that the sub could be used to carry seven tons of cocaine illegally to any port in Central America
Authorities believe the 52ft vessel cost around £1.3million and could travel submerged throughout the Central American region and Mexico with a crew of five.
'It was going to be used by the narco-terrorist 29th front of the FARC [Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia] in alliance with organisations of drug traffickers who operate in this southern area of the country,' drugs police chief Gene Luis Alberto Perez Alvarado said, adding that it 'has not yet done its first trip'.
Colombia is the centre of the cocaine industry and much of the supply is ferried to Mexico and then on to the U.S. and Canada. Colombia also provides the majority of cocaine consumed in Europe.

Heavy metal: The vessel was capable of shipping seven tonnes of cocaine
Initially FARC - a Marxist revolutionary group opposed to U.S. 'imperialism' in the region - earned millions of dollars in revenue through protection and taxation rackets with cocaine growers.
But since the 1990s, it has increasingly become directly involved in the production and trafficking of cocaine and the vast majority of its estimated £200million annual revenue now comes from the drugs industry.

READ MORE - That sinking feeling: Colombian drug cartel’s latest weapon is captured… a submarine that hasn't even been on its maiden voyage

'Love not crime', teen's lover freed

"The act of falling in love cannot be punished in the way other criminals are punished".

NEW DELHI: "The act of falling in love cannot be punished in the way other criminals are punished". With this observation, a trial court acquitted 22-year-old Sanjay of Jahangirpuri on charges of raping his 15-year-old girlfriend, although it held him guilty of kidnapping as he had not taken the consent of her parents.

The girl went missing on April 1, 2010, on which her father lodged a complaint that she had been kidnapped. She, however, returned home after a week. The teenager told the court that she had gone on an "outing" to Haridwar with her lover of her own will. The court also noted that the relationship between the two was later approved by both families.

Convicting Sanjay on charges of kidnapping, additional sessions judge Anju Bajaj Chandna sentenced him to three months in jail, but the term was set aside against the period of imprisonment he had already undergone in the course of the trial.

"It is clear that emotion of love and affection compelled the convict to take this step wherein he failed to acknowledge the presence and sanctity of consent of the parents of the girl," the court said. "Sanjay is a young man and is in the process of making his career and future. In my opinion, no purpose would be served by sending him behind bars where he would be living in the company of hardened criminals."

The judge added that the three months which Sanjay spent in jail was sufficient to teach him a lesson.

READ MORE - 'Love not crime', teen's lover freed

Gurgaon toll plaza murder case cracked

Gurgaon: Three days after a young toll plaza attendant was shot dead over payment of toll fee, police have arrested two persons in connection with the murder.

Gurgaon Police Commissioner SS Deswal said Vijay Veer, a resident of village Kho near the toll plaza had fired at 22-year-old Umesh Kumar Pandey from point-blank range after an argument over paying Rs 27 as toll fee.

Vijay Veer was drunk at the time of committing the crime, Deswal said.
The second arrested person has been identified as Vijay's friend Manjeet.
Vijay had sent Manjeet to the crime spot soon after the incident to find out if the toll collector had died or was injured.
Police have also seized Vijay's Bolero vehicle.
Pandey was shot dead on September 23 when he asked for the toll fee from the Bolero owner at Kheri Daula.
The car owners refused to pay and insisted that they be allowed to go. When Umesh insisted on the payment, an occupant in the car owner took out a revolver and fired at him from point blank range.
The bullet pierced his neck, resulting in his death on the spot.

READ MORE - Gurgaon toll plaza murder case cracked

18 arrested for running fake sex club in Delhi

The Delhi police arrested 16 girls and two men in connection with a friendship club on Saturday. The gang was active in Uttam Nagar and Dabri.
The gang made lakhs of rupees from hundreds of clients as they charged a hefty amount for phone friendship with girls.
Surender, 28, and Nitesh Kumar, 24, and 16 girls, all belonging to the age group of 18 to 28 years, were arrested on Saturday for allegedly duping clients from Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
“They gave advertisements in the daily newspapers. The racketeers exploited the human frailties for the successful operation of the racket,” Ashok Chand, deputy commissioner of police, crime and railways, said.
The fake friendship club was run in the name of “VIP Friendship Club’. Whenever they received a call they used to tell the caller that they would have to get themselves registered and the initial amount was `2500 to `4,000.
“These girls then continued fleecing the caller till he became suspicious. When the caller became suspicious they stopped picking up the phones,” Mr Chand said.
To induce the caller to join the fake massage parlour training centre, they told that they would not only teach him how to become a masseur but also provide him with a list of clients for him to earn money. Once all the money was deposited they would stop taking the calls of the caller.
The police also recovered a laptop, 30 mobile phones, 16 registers, 1 diary, 24 debit cards and 3 forged voter ID cards from their possession.
“The racketeers operated 24 bank accounts in nine banks. All the bank accounts have been opened on fake documents. The average earning per day was to the tune of `50,000,” Mr Chand said.

READ MORE - 18 arrested for running fake sex club in Delhi

Middle-aged woman jailed for having sex with dog

Place: London

A 45-year-old woman from Kent is facing a 16 month-imprisonment sentence after she was caught having sex with a dog.

Tracy Woolridge, from Canterbury, pleaded guilty to two charges of intercourse with an animal and sexual activity with a child after police found illegal images at a house in the town.

According to a local paper, her barrister Alex Rooke asked a judge at Canterbury Crown Court for a 'Goodyear' indication as to the probably length of sentence for a guilty plea, reports the Daily Mail.

When judge Adele Williams told her that she would face a maximum of 16 months in jail for all the offences, Woolridge changed her plea to guilty for the charge relating to child sex activity.

READ MORE - Middle-aged woman jailed for having sex with dog

Dance of death!

By: Sheetal Sukhija
Date: 2011-09-26
Place: Bangalore

As cops refuse to budge on blanket ban restricting women from working as bar dancers in the city, woman leading protest threatens to commit suicide outside police commissioner's office tomorrow
Young women with a knack for dancing and singing venture into the city with dreams of making it big, but their dreams have hit a stone wall following the ban implemented by the city police to deter women from working at dance bars.

The women claim that they have been left no choice, but to solicit clients and sell their bodies to survive and they blame the police commissioner for their plight.
The whole community of these women has voiced their protest and after attempts to sort the matter out amicably failed miserably, one of the women is now threatening to commit suicide outside the police commissioner's office tomorrow.
Revealing much!
Meena (22), who used to work as a bar dancer made a shocking revelation to this reporter, claiming that almost 80 per cent of the community has taken to prostitution to survive.
Unperturbed by the women's earlier threats to commit mass suicide, as reported by MiD DAY in its July 28 edition, the city police are refusing to budge from their stance.
Meena, who is spearheading the protest, said last time that she and the other women would commit mass suicide if the commissioner did not do something about their predicament. This time she said that she is resigned to her fate and will go ahead with her threat, come what may.
With the strict blanket ban on dance bars in the city from operating live bands women dressed in revealing clothing and dancing for entertainment purposes the business has suffered severely.
However, a bigger concern now is that around 4,500 unemployed women have entered the flesh trade in the last two months.
"We are about 5,000 women who have unceremoniously lost our jobs following this ban. Almost 80 per cent of our community has contacted agents for employment out of frustration.

Around 80 per cent of the bargirls who have been left with no income
source following the ban imposed on dance bars in July, have strayed
into the flesh trade to survive in the city
We used to make about Rs 5,000 per month at the dance bar, but those who have now turned to prostitution are making that much in just one day.
It is a bad trend, but it seems like the rest of us are left with no other option but to follow suit," said Meena.
Turned away
Other bar girls, when contacted also had a similar tale to tell.
"I was thrown out of a company I recently approached for a job after I told the interviewer about my earlier experience.
I was just being honest, but then verbally abused me and threw me out," said another bar girl, who wished to remain unnamed.
Furthermore, 23-year-old Lakshmi, who worked at a prominent dance bar in the Brigade Road area, alleged harassment at the hands of the cops after she approached a local bookstore for a job.
"I approached a prominent bookstore on MG Road seeking a job, but they literally spat in my face and informed the cops about me.
The cops then kept visiting my home demanding a bribe or they said they would have me locked up. I did not complain since the commissioner himself is to blame for us being in this situation," Lakshmi alleged.
While 20 per cent of these women hail from in and around the city, the rest are from Chandigarh, Delhi and Mumbai.
"My father sold me off to a broker who ensured that I would be suitably employed in the city. Now the broker is absconding and the best option available to me is to either beg on streets or sell my body. I currently make upto Rs 50,000 per month," said another bar girl on condition of anonymity.
Meanwhile, all the bar girls are planning to meet Commissioner of Police B G Jyothi Prakash Mirji tomorrow seeking a solution or will otherwise end their lives at his doorstep.
When MiD DAY tried to contact the commissioner, he was unavailable for comment.

READ MORE - Dance of death!

Maids drugged and robbed 65-year-old

The two accused spiked the senior citizen's tea, and looted her home of valuables worth Rs 16 lakh
More than a month after robbing a senior citizen of valuables worth Rs 16 lakh, two maids, identified as Hasina Dandu (22) and Sharifa Durio (21), were arrested at Kalyan yesterday.

They had absconded with the booty on August 15, but were traced with the help of Dandu's mobile number.

The maids, Hasina Dandu and Sharifa Durio, were arrested at Kalyan yesterday. They had absconded with the booty on August 15, but were traced with the help of Dandu's mobile number

According to the Versova police, 65-year-old Malvinder Singh Gulati and her husband paid a visit to the watchman's cabin at their Versova building on August 14, in order to enquire if he knew of a trustworthy maid they could hire.

Dandu, who overheard the conversation, approached Gulati, and introducing herself as Sheetal, offered her services as domestic help, claiming that she also worked at a nearby residence.

Gulati agreed immediately, and took her up to her flat, without bothering to register her name and details with the security guard.

Sheetal completed the chores assigned to her and left the premises. An unsuspecting Gulati, satisfied with the quality of work, didn't bother to run a background check on her.

The following day, Sheetal phoned Gulati, enquiring if she could come to work. "Gulati answered the phone and asked her to come over," said Sharad Bodke, senior inspector of Versova police station.

When Sheetal arrived, Gulati was alone at home. "Sheetal brought a friend along, introducing her as Manisha.

When Gulati enquired why she had brought along company, she replied that her companion would help her with the housework, as she had chores pending at other houses as well. Gulati consented, and went to the bedroom to rest," said Bodke.

After a while, Sheetal asked if she could make herself some tea, and Gulati asked for a cup as well. As soon as she drank the tea, however, Gulati fell unconscious. It was then that the two accused robbed valuables worth Rs 16 lakh from the apartment and fled.

"When Gulati's husband came home and found his wife unconscious, he called up the police and informed them about the incident," added Bodke.

Nabbed
In course of investigations, cops recovered the mobile number from which Sheetal had called Gulati prior to the theft. They then traced the number to Kalyan, and arrested the two women.

Dandu and Durio have been remanded in police custody till September 26.

READ MORE - Maids drugged and robbed 65-year-old

Where are the young women disappearing?

By: Shiva Devnath
Date: 2011-09-23
Place: Mumbai


With the number of complaints lodged for missing women in the age group of 18-30 years having shot up from 113 to 232 this year, cops and social workers are examining the modus operandi of pimps and traffickers
With the number of missing complaints lodged for girls in the age-group 18-30 years having risen by an alarming 119 cases by August this year, cops and social workers are trying to diagnose the reasons behind the sudden escalation.
Studies have revealed that a majority of the girls in this age group that go missing are usually lured to distant locations on false pretexts after which they are pushed into prostitution rackets. Most of these girls are victimised when most vulnerable, on the brink of being forced into marriages that they aren't ready for. Others are gulled into believing that they will be living lives of luxury and glamour, if they abscond or elope with their partners, who take advantage of their naivete and end up prostituting them.
In a majority of cases, these investigations yield that the missing girls were duped by placement agencies, which they contacted in order to strike it rich.
Girl eloped
In other cases, sleuths discovered that the girl eloped with a partner of her choice, fearing the family's disapproval. In many cases, it is seen that the boyfriends, or the placement agents eventually thrust the girls into the flesh trade, sending them abroad with job visas on false pretexts.
According to a police officials who have been directly involved with a number of such investigations, "Whenever a family approaches us with a missing complaint, we first investigate if the girl has fled or not, especially in the absence of ransom calls. Most of these families belong to the lower-middle classes, which would not be targeted by kidnappers, normally. However, families are often reluctant to accept the truth, as a result of which we carry out parallel investigations."
Talking to MiD DAY on the condition of anonymity, an officer from the missing person's bureau revealed, "There have been a number of cases in which girls were trafficked to places like Netherlands, Dubai, Nepal, Europe and even USA. They are usually trafficked abroad on fake passports, and then absorbed into the flesh trade. They are gulled into believing that they will strike it rich abroad, and often go to great lengths to acquire fake marriage certificates and other sham documents. Once they land abroad, they have no option but to submit."
Expertspeak
Triveni Acharya of the Rescue Foundation, an organisation that works to rehabilitate victims of trafficking, said, "Most of the girls in the age group 18-30 years who go missing are victims of trafficking. Once trafficked, they find it impossible to return home, as their documents are fake. They often unsuspectingly marry their agents, without realising that they are being duped into joining the flesh trade."
She added, "There have been cases of girls in the same age group being taken to places like Goa and Bangalore, and forced into prostitution thereafter. Some victims, who succeed in breaking free from captivity, come to us for help, and we shelter them. Many of these girls are vulnerable and willingly run away
from home, as their parents want to force them into arranged marriages, against their wishes."
Shocking figures
Since 2008, the gradually escalating number of missing girls in the age group of 18-30 years tells a shocking story. In 2008, 78 girls went missing. The figure jumped to 162 in 2009. While matters seemed to have been reined in with 113 cases in 2010, they shot up to an alarming 232 by August this year.
Case studies
>> This August, a 25 year-old Sarita, (name changed) was working as a domestic help in a Malabar Hills apartment. She was befriended by another maid, who took her to Pune, promising her a lucrative job. The latter however sold her in Pune's red-light district. She was recently rescued by the Pune police, and handed over to the Rescue Foundation forrehabilitation.
>> Back in 2008, 19-year-old Manju (name changed) was desperate for a profitable job, and was referred to an agent by a friend. The agent arranged for her passport, and she was sent off to the Netherlands, where she was thrust into prostitution. She was rescued just two months back, and flown back to India last Saturday. She is presently undergoing counselling and rehabilitation.
>> A year back, Reay Road resident Sharmila (22) married a local, who sold her to a pimp in Pune. Workers of an NGO recently rescued her.

READ MORE - Where are the young women disappearing?

Hired hit man fell in love with his victim... then faked her death with tomato ketchup

A hired killer fell in love with his victim then faked her death with the help of some tomato ketchup.
Hitman Carlos Roberto de Jesus, from Brazil, was paid £345 to murder Iranildes Aguiar Araujo.
He was contracted by housewife Maria Nilza Simoes, who was convinced Iranildes was having an affair with her husband.

Covered in tomato sauce: The death of Iranildes Aguiar Araujo was faked by her new love Carlos Roberto de Jesus, a hitman sent to kill her, called
But when de Jesus saw his intended victim he fell head over heals in love with her and confessed the plot.
The pair then conjured up a plan to fool his employer into believing he had carried out the hit.
The new lovers bought two bottles of ketchup from a local supermarket.
De Jesus then got his supposed victim to rip her shirt and grip a machete under her armpit.
He then taped her mouth up, tied her hands, smothered her with ketchup and got her to lie still on the floor as if she were dead.
The ex-convict photographed Araujo and sent the picture to the 'cheated' wife saying he had killed her.

Bizarre: The hitman, from Bahia, Brazil, was paid £345 to murder Iranildes but couldn't go through with it
Araujo said: 'I tore my shirt, put the knife by my side here, then he tied me up and smothered me with ketchup.'
But the ruse was discovered three days later when Simoes saw the hired assassin kissing the very woman he was meant to have bumped off.
She then went to the police to complain he had stolen 1000 dollars from her.
'In eight years of policing I've never heard anything like it.'
Sheriff Lima
Detectives were amazed when de Jesus told the full story in a confession.
The murder was supposed to take place last July in the small town of Pidonbacu, in the state of Bahia, in eastern Brazil.
The three suspects were grilled by police chief Marconi Lima before being released on bail.
The hitman and his 'victim"' faces extortion charges and the woman who hired him charges of making threats to kill.
Sheriff Lima said: 'In eight years of policing I've never heard anything like it.'
While a local shopkeeper remarked: 'Could Maria not see that the knife was in the woman's armpit?'

READ MORE - Hired hit man fell in love with his victim... then faked her death with tomato ketchup

Nigeria Rape Video: Footage Of Brutal Attack On Woman Outrages Nation

By JON GAMBRELL

LAGOS, Nigeria -- In the grainy video, a Nigerian woman repeatedly asks her attackers to kill her as they take turns raping her at a university dormitory. The five men only promise to drive her home, pushing her back down each time she starts to stand up.
Local authorities have dismissed the 10-minute video, which has ricocheted around the Internet in recent days. But Nigeria's youth minister is calling for police to prosecute the men. Some Internet users disturbed by it are even offering rewards for information.
Activists in Nigeria say the video exposes an underreported epidemic of rape in Africa's most populous nation, and they plan to march in the coming days to draw attention to the case.
"The perpetrators go further to record it and circulate it. It shows for me that they're daring society to take action on it," said Josephine Effah-Chukwuma, the executive director of a Nigerian women's rights group called Project Alert. "It shows that there's a high level of impunity."
The video had circulated for weeks around the campus of Abia State University near Nigeria's southern oil-rich delta before being posted on the Internet. It appears to take place in a single-room dormitory or student hostel.
The men taking turns raping the woman who repeatedly asks to go home. "Please just kill me," the woman cries several times. The men laugh.
Nigeria's Youth Minister Bolaji Abdullahi has issued a statement calling for the university and police to arrest and prosecute the men shown in the video, as well as offering assistance to the woman.
"The attitude of these men, if indeed they are young Nigerians, does not represent the character and nature of the Nigerian youth," the minister said.
However, the university and state government officials have denied the video's authenticity and that it took place near or on school grounds, Effah-Chukwuma said.

Abia state police spokesman Geoffrey Ogbonna told The Associated Press on Tuesday that no one reported the rape to university officials or to any of the state's police precincts. He said he searched for the video on the Internet only after hearing about it.
"From the look of things, I don't think such a thing happened," Ogbonna said. "All I know is that state command is not aware of such an incident."
Rape is rarely reported to authorities in Nigeria – only 1,952 cases in 2009, according to federal police statistics posted on a website called Nigeria Police Watch. However, a 2006 Amnesty International report said those numbers are believed to "be sporadic, piecemeal and inconsistent" in a nation of 150 million people.
Nigeria's federal police force also remains largely incapable of investigating crimes, as its officers routinely harass motorists for bribes at checkpoints and arrest citizens randomly to collect so-called "bail money."
Activists say they fear for the woman shown being attacked in the video, who now may be shunned by those who can identify her face.
"Why should I come out and speak of my victimization when I'm going to receive secondary victimization?" Effah-Chukwuma asked. "The whole society blames (the victim)."

READ MORE - Nigeria Rape Video: Footage Of Brutal Attack On Woman Outrages Nation

Chain-gulping thief lands cops on potty duty

By: Vinay Dalvi
Date: 2011-09-22
Place: Mumbai

18-yr-old had cops feeding him bananas and scrutinising his toilet breaks for 6 days, until he discharged the chain he had consumed to get rid of evidence
If you can't dispose of it, devour it, thought the young chain snatcher in a bid to get rid of the spoils of his misadventure, as he was cornered by a crowd of people after he grabbed a gold chain from a woman's neck.
And he did. But for the six days that followed, his swallowing brought him down on his, well, haunches, and put cops in a tight spot.

For, all his calls to nature were scrutinised by the watchful eyes of cops, who were waiting for him to discharge what he gobbled.
The incident happened on September 18, when pedestrians caught 18-year-old Ajay Tribhuvandas Soni, after he seized the gold chain of Sangeeta Chavan, owner of a milk centre, at Lake Road in Bhandup.
A desperate Soni tried to destroy the evidence by ingesting it, even as he was hauled to the Bhandup police station where he was booked on the charges of chain snatching.
At the station, he kept cops busy for hours, frantically searching for the gold chain on him, instead of in him.
Then, on a hunch, they got him X-rayed. The reports only validated their suspicion. He had gulped the gold.
Retrieving it was going to be tricky, but it had to be done.
Senior Inspector Shrirang Nadgauda said, "Evidence is the most important aspect in any case. Though, there were eyewitness, we had to make sure that we recover the chain from the accused, as it helps make a strong case. Also, had the chain got stuck inside him, it would have caused damage to his body."
Added another official, "So we admitted him in a hospital, and posted two constables to ensure that he does not try to destroy the evidence by crapping it out and flushing it in the toilet."
As per information provided by eyewitnesses, Soni was escorted to the Mulund general hospital. After examining him, doctors informed the policemen that the gold chain had got wedged somewhere on the right side of Soni's chest. They advised that the accused be shifted to Sion hospital.
To keep Soni under constant surveillance, two constables were stationed close to his bed to keep a watch on him each time he went to the washroom. Meanwhile, cops offered Soni a good diet of bananas and rice, which aids in trouble-free passage of indigestible elements.
"We had to get X-rays of his chest before and after every time he went to the toilet, just to make sure he had not flushed the gold chain. After almost six days of his custody, Soni ejected the gold chain," said Sub-inspector Santosh Gaikwad.
As the exuded property was returned to its rightful owner, cops have detained Soni in their custody.

READ MORE - Chain-gulping thief lands cops on potty duty

Student Ruth Jeffery stalked for three years by her 'twisted' boyfriend

• Shane Webber posted explicit pics of girlfriend
• She became so ill she had to take anti-depressants
• He was jealous of her life at university

Ultimate betrayal: Shane Webber and Ruth Jeffery had known each other since they were 11. Picture: Supplied
A MAN secretly stalked and harassed his girlfriend online for more than three years, impersonating her and posting sexually explicit photos on adult websites.
Shane Webber's hate campaign against Ruth Jeffery left her so ill she had to take anti-depressant medication.
He sent naked photos of the 22-year-old student to her friends and family and posted explicit images of her on adult websites, some of which she is still trying to get removed.
Webber also contacted people online pretending to be Ms Jeffery and even wrote to her from fake email addresses pretending to be former school friends and bombarded her with sexually-explicit photos and videos.
Ms Jeffery said she wanted Webber jailed as he had "wrecked" the past three and a half years of her life.
"There were times when I phoned up my mum and said, 'I don't want to be alive anymore'. I just didn't want to do anything. I've been worried about going out. I've been worried about sending emails. I've been worried to drive."
Webber, from Nottingham, central England, was caught in June when he used Ms Jeffery's email account to send explicit pictures of her to her entire contact list, including her father. Police traced him through the internet protocol (IP) address of the computer.
Webber and Ms Jeffery met at school when they were 11 and were teenage sweethearts. They split up but reunited in 2007.
Webber had dropped out of school at 14 and Ms Jeffery believes he began his twisted campaign because he was jealous of her life at Loughborough University and wanted to stop her getting a degree.
Webber pleaded guilty at Southampton Magistrates' Court to a charge of causing harassment, alarm or distress and will be sentenced next month.
Read more at The Sun.

READ MORE - Student Ruth Jeffery stalked for three years by her 'twisted' boyfriend

Excuse me, what's that in your belly? Woman busted with 130 heroin pellets

ABOUT 130 heroin pellets have allegedly been found in the intestines of a Malaysian woman after she got off a flight at Sydney Airport.

A 25-year-old Nigerian man, who was waiting to collect the drugs, was then arrested outside a restaurant in Kings Cross, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) said in a statement.

The 27-year-old woman was stopped for questioning when she arrived at Sydney International Airport on a flight from Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday morning.

During questioning, Customs and Border Protection officers became suspicious that she may have been concealing drugs internally.

The AFP was contacted and the woman was transferred to hospital for examination, where scans revealed about 130 pellets in her intestines.

After arresting the Nigerian man, police said they searched his home and uncovered a small amount of white powder and scales.

The Nigerian has been charged with attempting to possess a marketable quantity of a border controlled drug, which carries a maximum penalty 25 years imprisonment and/or a $550,000 fine.
He is due to appear at Sydney Central Local Court today.

The woman remains in hospital and has passed a number of pellets, which will be forensically tested to confirm the presence and purity of illicit drugs.

READ MORE - Excuse me, what's that in your belly? Woman busted with 130 heroin pellets

Kiran Bedi's website in email fraud row

By: Mohit Sharma
Date: 2011-09-21
Place: Delhi

Cheat sends out mails from domain indiapolice.in demanding money from receivers and threatening to 'expose' them if they didn't comply. Agency probing case says former top cop's foundation isn't cooperating.
Call it the improvisation of the culprits or vulnerability of email service providers. A Delhi-based investigating agency is probing a case wherein email fraud has been committed using a mail id from the domain indiapolice.in, which is owned by former top cop and now Team Anna member, Kiran Bedi. Sources in the agency say that in the past few months they have received two complaints in which the senders of the mail have demanded money to from the receivers to claim a prize won by lottery.

Currency exchange
"I received a complaint in September through an email ID from the domain indiapolice.in demanding money from me in exchange of several pounds, which the mail claimed had been won by me," the complainant, who didn't wish to be named, said. Investigating officers said that when they began inquiring into the matter they found a similar service provider used in another complaint.
"The website http://www.indiapolice.in/ is the official site of India Vision Foundation (IVF), which is chaired by Kiran Bedi. After receiving such complaints we contacted the office of this website. However, despite repeated attempts they have not been able to furnish the desired information," investigating officers said.
When contacted by MiD DAY, Kiran Bedi said, "Sure. I recall our webmaster telling me about this."
'No clue'
"We don't have any records of any such instance. And if the investigating agency asks for any help we will provide it. We are also planning to stop the mechanism of people getting mail ids from our site," said Anup Sinha, webmaster, indiapolice.in. Investigating officers said that they are asking for the records to decipher who created the mail accounts using the service provider, from which these malicious emails were sent to the complainants.
Agency sources said that in reply to queries sent by them to indiapolice.in representatives, they were told: "In this website, police personnel can create mail ids. Investigators said that the sender of these mails is even using names of senior officers and official logos of the probe agency to authenticate their claims and if the receivers refuse to accept their offers the senders would threaten them of dire consequences.
Deeper problem
"This case is important for us as creation of such email accounts can be used for other purposes too. We are investigating this case from all possible angles and are waiting for the reply of indiapolice.in to go further
in identifying the culprits. If they provide us the details as to who created these accounts we will have a clearer idea," the investigating officials said.
Change of plans
The investigators suggest that the perpetrators of the scam have gone beyond their previous modus operandi. "Initially they would send emails on random ids using fake random accounts. But with emergence of such complaints we know that they have improvised and are now using service providers to certain government or government aided organisations to make a different impression on the receivers," sources said. They are also using identities of major agencies in Delhi and other areas in a bid to authenticate their claims of lottery prizes. "They had to look for other ways as the police had launched awareness programmes so that people avoid lottery related mails," sources said.

READ MORE - Kiran Bedi's website in email fraud row

Dumped on Facebook, IIM Bangalore student commits suicide

The 22-year-old MBA student from IIM Bangalore left a suicide note on her laptop, saying her boyfriend had left her and she was killing herself over it.

BANGALORE: An MBA student hanged herself in her hostel room in the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, on Monday evening. Malini Murmu, 22, was a first-year MBA student and a native of Jamshedpur in Jharkhand.

Investigation officers said she found out from Facebook on Sunday that her boyfriend had dumped her. Depressed, she did not attend classes. When her classmates noticed her absence, they went to her room, No. 421 in the college hostel, and called out to her. Malini did not open the door so they called the security guard and broke open the door. They found her hanging from the ceiling fan.

She had left a suicide note on her laptop, saying her boyfriend had left her and she was killing herself over it. She'd also scribbled 'He ditched me' on a board in her room. She had no roommates, police said.

Police said her boyfriend was in town and the couple had had an argument, which resulted in the breakup. Later, her boyfriend had left a post on Facebook saying, "Feeling super cool today. Dumped my new ex-girlfriend. Happy independence day."

Malini's body was shifted to a mortuary. Police are waiting for her parents to reach Bangalore before carrying out an autopsy.

IIM-B officials refused to comment.

READ MORE - Dumped on Facebook, IIM Bangalore student commits suicide

Brazilian teenager used as sex slave at prison

Rio de Janeiro: A 14-year-old Brazilian girl says she was raped by multiple men at a prison in the Amazonian state of Para.

Para's governor suspended the warden and 20 guards at the Santa Izabel Penal Colony pending an investigation of the charges, authorities said Monday.
The prison, located about 50 km from Belem, the state capital, currently holds around 350 male inmates.
The teenage girl went to police last Saturday to report the crime and alert authorities that two other girls were still being held at the penal colony.
"She said she lost count of the number of men who raped her," Benilson Silva, a children's services official in the city of Santa Izabel, told the media.
The alleged victim said a woman approached her on the beach last week in Belem with an offer of domestic employment in Santa Izabel.
When she and two other girls recruited by the same woman arrived in Santa Izabel, they were driven to the prison farm, forced to consume drugs and alcohol and then sexually assaulted by various men, the alleged victim said.
The girl went to police after escaping from the penal colony in the early hours of Saturday.
"We are investigating who that woman (the recruiter) is. The entire investigation is under judicial seal because we want to establish everything that happened, who took her (the alleged victim), who abused her and who allowed the minor to enter the prison," police inspector Fabiano Amazonas said.
This kind of thing is not unprecedented in Para, where in 2007 a 16-year-old girl was repeatedly raped during a 26-day stay in a police lock-up.
Police in that case said they put the girl in a cell with men because the jail lacked separate women-only facilities.

READ MORE - Brazilian teenager used as sex slave at prison

7 year-old girl raped and killed by tutor

TURA, Sept 14 – A seven year- old baby girl was brutally raped and murdered by a 21 year-old college student.
The chilling crime occurred in New Bansamgre village, a few hundred metres from Rongsak bazaar on the road connecting Tura to Williamnagar.
Shock and anger has taken over the idle village of Rongsak and New Bansamgre following Saturday night’s barbaric rape and murder of the little girl by a college drop out who had given the child tuition classes.
The criminal lured the young girl away on the pretext of collecting his waist belt from their house. He strangulated the young girl after raping her and stabbed her with a pair of scissors.
Villagers caught him red handed as he tried to remove the body of the girl which was kept concealed with tree leaves in a dense undergrowth not far from his house.

READ MORE - 7 year-old girl raped and killed by tutor

Raped for 34 years!

German 'Fritzl' charged with 497 rapes, fathering 3 kids with daughter

Date: 2011-09-14
Place: London

A German man has been charged with 497 counts of rape and is said to have had "three children with his own daughter"

The 69-year-old man has been charged by local prosecutors with 497 counts of rape for sexually abusing his daughter for 34 years and fathering three sons by her, the Daily Mail reported.

According to the prosecutor, the case came to light only recently when the 46-year-old victim confided in her probation officer after being sentenced to probation for an unrelated crime.

The abuse is said to have started when the victim was 12 years of age and the attacks took place mainly in the family home near Nuremberg or a car, but the accused, who is in custody since March, admits having consensual sex with his daughter.

The incestuous case is similar to the Fritzl case, which emerged in 2008 when a 42-year-old woman, Elisabeth Fritsl claimed that she had been held captive for 24 years in a concealed corridor part of the basement area of her family home where her father, Josef Fritzl had physically assaulted, sexually abused and raped her numerous times, resulting in the birth of seven children and one miscarriage.

READ MORE - Raped for 34 years!

Sexual exploitation!

For Rs 50,000, man tries to sell nurse to brothel

By: Shiva Devnath
Date: 2011-09-14
Place: Mumbai

Man had lured the girl with the promise of marriage; exploited her sexually and then attempted to pawn her off to a brothel in Kamathipura.

Overhearing a suspicious conversation that her boyfriend was having with a stranger at Kamathipura helped save the life of a 19-year-old girl.

Flesh trade: Sameer Mohammed Ali Shaikh was arrested on charges of
kidnapping and rape. Cops are investigating if Shaikh had conned other
women into the flesh trade as well

The girl, a nurse, had accompanied her boyfriend Sameer Mohammed Ali Shaikh, on Monday to meet Shaikh's parents and seek their approval for marriage. But to her horror she discovered that Shaikh had conned her into accompanying him to a brothel, and was brokering a deal to sell her off into the flesh trade.

The girl fled the spot and reported the incident to the police. "In her statement, the girl said that when she was waiting for Shaikh she overheard him speaking to a pimp. She said that Shaikh was trying to sell her off to the pimp for Rs 50,000," said Rajendra Thakur, senior police inspector of Kasturba Marg police station.

She fled from the brothel and reported the matter to the DB Marg police station.

The DB Marg police then nabbed the man and handed him over the Kasturba Marg police station.

"We have registered a case of kidnapping and rape against the man," said Thakur.

After his arrest, the police are now investigating if Shaikh had lured more girls and sold them off by promising wedlock.

How they met
The girl, a resident of Bhiwandi, said that she had received a wrong number on her mobile phone about three months ago.

However, the man (Shaikh) began calling persistently and soon began flirting with her over the phone.

The two began chatting regularly, and met frequently at a bus stop in Borivli. Soon, Shaikh began to take her to hotels and guesthouses near Aksa Beach and exploited her. He had promised to marry her, and the girl did not suspect any foul play.

On Monday, Shaikh asked the girl to accompany him to Grant Road to meet his parents. When she reached the place, she realised to her horror that her boyfriend was cracking a deal to sell her into the flesh trade.

READ MORE - Sexual exploitation!

Man lured mom with liquor, raped 16-yr-old daughter

By: Shiva Devnath
Date: 2011-09-14
Place: Mumbai
Sexual predators often come up with some of the most innovative ideas and methods to satisfy their inner monster.
One such monster, identified as Ram Rajesh Verma, has been arrested by the Borivli police on charges of raping a 16-year-old girl over a period of four months.
According to the police, Verma (28), a manager in a catering firm, would buy a bottle of liquor for the victim's mother every night, who was his neighbour.

Behind bars: Ram Verma has been arrested by the Borivli police on
charges of raping a 16-year-old girl over a period of four months
Once the intoxicated woman passed out, Verma would rape the 16-year-old in her house. He threatened the girl and managed to procure her silence for nearly four months.
The unsuspecting mother did not have a clue of what was going on in her house. It was only when her daughter became pregnant that the woman realised her folly. She called Verma on his cellphone and confronted him.
"The girl's mother was not aware of the rape. But last week she discovered that the girl was pregnant. When she confronted Verma he promised the woman that he would get the child aborted. The mother of the girl agreed and did not approach the police," said Bhagwan Chate, senior police inspector of Borivali police station.
"However, yesterday when Verma did not answer his phone, the girl's mother assumed that he had fled. She then approached the police and filed a complaint against Verma," said Chate.
The police have arrested Verma on charges of rape and will produce him before the court on Wednesday.

READ MORE - Man lured mom with liquor, raped 16-yr-old daughter

IAF group captain held over suicide of sacked woman officer

Bhopal, Sep 12 (IANS) Indian Air Force Group Captain Amit Gupta was taken into custody Monday for questioning in the suicide of Anjali Gupta, the first woman flying officer to be court martialled, police said Monday. Police said she committed suicide due to alleged failure of a live-in relationship with Amit Gupta.

The body of Anjali was found hanging from the ceiling fan in the house of Amit Gupta, 51, Sunday night in the state capital.

'We have taken Amit Gupta into custody for interrogation,' Rajesh Bhadoria, the City Superintendent of Police told IANS.

Bhadoria said that they were to file a case against Amit Gupta under section 306 of the Indian penal code.

A resident of Delhi, Anjali was working in a private firm in Bangalore. On way to Banglore, she had stopped over at Bhopal to meet Amit Gupta Sep 7.

'The parents of Anjali Gupta have alleged that Amit had promised Anjali marriage since long and on his refusal, she committed suicide,' Bhadoria said.

Bhadoria added: 'The family alleged that Amit had always convinced Anjali that he would divorce his wife and marry her. According to them, Anjali had visited Amit's home several times.'

The official said that Anjali's mother, Uma Gupta, had also written several times to the IAF authorities about Amit Gupta denying that he promised to marry her daughter.

Meanwhile, the post-mortem of Anjali's body was done late in the afternoon and her body cremated at Subhash Nagar area in Bhopal.

Anjali, a former Flying Officer with the IAF, was 29 when she was dismissed after a general court martial found her guilty of charges including embezzling funds and insubordination and recommended in December 2005 that she be 'cashiered' -- stripped of her rank and discharged.

After a petition by her, then Air Chief Marshal S.P. Tyagi diluted the sentence to 'dismissal'.

She was accused of embezzling funds, throwing food at a superior, insubordination, indiscipline and having demonstrated 'conduct unbecoming of an officer'.

READ MORE - IAF group captain held over suicide of sacked woman officer

City doctor's video on child sex abuse gets global appreciation

By: Alifiya Khan
Date: 2011-09-13
Place: Pune

11-min video uploaded on YouTube elaborates on difference between good and bad touch and encourages parents, children to be alert and report abuse; in just 2 months, over 33,000 people from more than 25 countries see clip
It was in June this year that child psychiatrist Dr Bhushan Shukla, with the help of some friends and students from Symbiosis Institute of Mass Communication (SIMC), shot and uploaded a video on the Internet to raise awareness on child sex abuse (CSA).

Talk to them: A grab from the video on YouTube that explains how to
sensitise young children about sexual abuse
Two months and a few days later, the video has been viewed by more than 33,000 people from over 25 countries and has helped change the lives of many children. The video, which teaches parents and caregivers to encourage children to recognise sex abuse by teaching them the basic difference between good and bad touch and asking them to confide in parents, has a simple technique to draw out children.
The idea, according to Dr Shukla, is to explain to parents and caregivers like teachers that they do not need professional help to educate and empower people about symptoms of abuse and how to deal with it. "This is to help people overcome the typical mentality that CSA is not something that can happen with our children. The video is about the simple art of talking and the mine of information it can draw out of children. The safety of children, be it resisting CSA or simple tasks like crossing the road or not playing with fire, is a parent's responsibility and not of professional," said Shukla.
Posting the video online has not only won him praise, but also brought in a variety of responses right from parents queries to even stories on how children came out with the truth."It is gratifying to know that the idea is helping people. Many parents mailed me with queries that their children came up with or which they had after they watched the video and spoke to their children about it.
At other times, parents have even written to me stating that their children identified with the situations and reported being a victim of some sort of abuse. Parents were able to block out or report these people who victimised the children and prevent them from further harm," said Shukla.

Besides the 11-minute video that teaches a basic three-step approach to breaking the ice with children, Shukla said more information can be sought on his website www.childpsychiatrypune.com.

READ MORE - City doctor's video on child sex abuse gets global appreciation

Man fined Rs 200 for molesting 16-yr-old

By: Kranti Vibhute
Date: 2011-09-13
Place: Mumbai

28-year-old walks away after paying a meagre penalty for behaving indecently with a 16-year-old girl, on the Nagpur-Mumbai Duronto Express
A 28-year-old software engineer was made to spend a few hours in the railway lock-up for molesting a 16-year-old in the wee hours aboard the Nagpur-Mumbai Duronto Express on September 7.
Prasad Chande, a Bhandup resident, was booked for indecent behaviour by the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus police for behaving indecently with Sujata Gaikwad (name changed) in the train at Igatpuri, while she was fast asleep. Gaikwad was travelling from Nagpur to Mumbai with her mother to meet some relatives. The duo could only get the reservation for one side berth and they were sharing it. Chande's berth was above and opposite theirs.

Caught in the crude act: In the wee hours of Sept 7, 28-year-old Prasad
Chande feels up 16-yr-old Sujata as she is sleeping on her shared berth.
Drowsy, she ignores and brushes off the touch, thinking it is an insect

Cruel intentions: But Chande continues his indecent pursuit, putting his
middle finger in Sujata's mouth. This is when she jolts out of her sleep,
shocked, and bites on the man's finger

Booked: Sujata's mother wakes up, grabs a fleeing Chande, and holds
on to him until the next morning, to take him to the CST police station,
where he is booked with charges of indecent behaviour.
Said Sujata, "I was fast asleep with my mother. Between 2 am and 3 am, I felt something moving over my dress. I realised that Chande was trying to touch me. He had been trying to do that for quite some time while getting off and on his berth. He even tried putting his hand inside my clothes. Shocked and scared, I moved a little. But when he tried to put his middle finger in my mouth, I gathered the courage to bite his finger. Angry with his indecent behaviour, I then slapped him."
Sujata's mother said, "I asked the man not to leave the train, but he started running away. I chased him to the next compartment, dragged him back to our seats and did not let go of him. He begged me not to register a police complaint, saying that he was going to get married. But I was appalled that someone going to be married can indulge in such indecency."
She added, "Upon reaching CST the next morning, the police told us that an FIR against him would require us to come down to Mumbai several times. So we asked them to charge and fine him, so he would not repeat the act again."
According to police officials, a non-cognisable offence was registered against Chande at the CST police station.
Chande was booked under LAC (Local Act Charges) Sections 110 and 117 for indecent behaviour. He was taken to railway court number 35 where he was fined Rs 200 and sent to police custody for a few hours.
Ashok Jadhav, senior police inspector, said, "The girl and her mother came to us, complaining against the indecent behaviour of the man, after which we booked him under LAC Act and sent him to the railway court where he was fined."
The other side
Accused Prasad Chande said, "I didn't do much with the girl. She was sleeping with her mother on one berth. As I was taking my shoes off from below her berth my hand touched her body unintentionally. I admit that I touched her intentionally the second time, as I was attracted to her. But she bit my finger. I regret what I did. I have faced the punishment meted out by the police and the court for my act."
Penalties
>> In cases where the accused molests or insults the modesty of a woman by way of obscene acts or by means of words, gesture, or acts that are intended to insult the modesty and dignity of a woman, he shall be punished under the following sections.
>> Under Section 294 the obscene act must cause annoyance. The annoyance should be done in a public place and cause mental harassment. A person shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term, which may extend to three months, or with fine, or with both.
>> Section 509 of IPC, comes into effect when there is an intention to insult the modesty of any woman by the offender by uttering any word, making any sound or gesture or by exhibiting any object, with the intention that such word or such sound be heard, or that such gesture or object be seen by such a woman, or by intruding upon the privacy of such a woman. The punishment can be simple imprisonment for a year, or fine, or both.
>> Section 354 of IPC intensifies the punishment up to three years, if the guilty has touched the victim's body.
>> Under the local charges, the guilty are sent to the railway court and fined up to Rs 1,200.

READ MORE - Man fined Rs 200 for molesting 16-yr-old

Richard Pratt allegedly ordered mistress Madison Ashton to have sex with ex bodyguard in $5bn estate battle

• Mistress "gave up" work as escort
• Claims she was promised more than $5million
• Was 'ordered to sleep with ex-bodyguard'

Escort eyes slice of cardboard kingdom

The former lover of billionaire cardboard king Richard Pratt fronts up to court claiming he promised her millions


Madison Ashton pictured arriving at the Supreme Court in Sydney today. Picture: John Grainger
CARDBOARD King Richard Pratt allegedly ordered a mistress to continue sleeping with his former bodyguard amid fears of a possible blackmail plot by the ex-employee who "knew things" the billionaire didn't want to get out, a court has heard.
That is among a string of claims made by former Penthouse Pet Madison Ashton, who is suing the Pratt estate for a slice of his fortune.
As a hearing began in the Supreme Court today, Ms Ashton's barrister revealed the fresh allegations as part of his client's claim to money promised to her by the late billionaire.
Francis Douglas QC told the court Pratt instructed Ms Ashton that she must continue sleeping with his bodyguard Sean Bowman - who she had met during her liaison with the Visy founder - to "keep him happy".
Pratt had told Ms Ashton that Mr Bowman was a former member of the New Zealand special forces who "knew things about him" that he didn't want to get out, the court heard.
Mr Douglas told the court the billionaire didn't trust Bowman, and Pratt told Ms Ashton: "You can best serve me by servicing him."
Bowman allegedly became abusive toward Ms Ashton during their relationship, but she maintained the relationship because Pratt asked her to, Mr Douglas said.
A model and escort, Ms Ashton is seeking a slice of Pratt's estate, suing Pratt's widow Jeanne who is the executrix and major beneficiary of his fortune.
Ms Ashton, who is in the Supreme Court for the first day of the case, claims Pratt "made certain promises" to her, asking her to stop being an escort and become his mistress in 2003.
She says Pratt agreed to pay her an annual retainer of $500,000, buy her a Mercedes Benz worth not less than $100,000, cover her $36,000 annual rent bill and set up trust funds for her children worth $2.5 million each.
However he reneged on the deal, and a previous court hearing has heard that the Pratt family will argue Ms Ashton agreed to "settle all her claims" for $100,000 and the transfer of a car into her name.
It has also been counter-claimed that Ms Ashton promised in a later, 2005, agreement not to contact Pratt or any of his family, and to settle any current or future claims for $50,000.
Ms Ashton has begun giving evidence, denying claims by Pratt estate's counsel Robert Richter QC, that she was broke and addicted to cocaine when she first contacted her former lover about money in 2005.
Earlier, Pratt's longtime mistress, Shari-lea Hitchcock, failed in an attempt to have Ms Ashton's case against the late billionaire held in closed court, despite arguing the case was detrimental to her and the couple's daughter.
Ms Hitchcock, who is not a party to the proceedings, instructed lawyers to this morning claim that "scandalous" allegations have been made about her and if publicly ventilated would be "detrimental" to her daughter with the mogul, Paula.
However Justice Paul Brereton said he felt many of the allegations leveled by Ms Ashton against Ms Hitchcock were "gratuitous in the sense that they have practically nothing to do with the plaintiff's case" against Pratt.
"In my view the proper administration of justice will mot be prejudiced by the absence of a suppression or non-publication order," Justice Brereton said.
He refused the application, with additional assurances from Ms Ashton's barrister that many of the allegations relating to Ms Hitchcock were no longer pressed.
The case continues.

READ MORE - Richard Pratt allegedly ordered mistress Madison Ashton to have sex with ex bodyguard in $5bn estate battle

Paola Caputo dies in sex game gone wrong in Rome

A 42-year-old man has been charged with killing a female student who suffocated during a sex-game gone wrong.
Italian prosecutors believe Soter Mule tied Paola Caputo, 24, to another woman while performing a Japanese sado-masochist technique known as "shibari".
The engineer was originally held for murder but authorities in Rome believe Ms Caputo and her friend consented to the game.
Investigators have so far established that the three spent the night drinking and using drugs at a club before Ms Caputo, said to be Mr Soter's long-term girlfriend, suggested going to the car park of the building in a Rome suburb where she worked as a caretaker.
It is alleged the two women were tied tightly together with the same rope. When the unnamed woman fainted, Ms Caputo was suffocated.
Mr Mule tried to save her by cutting the cord before calling for help. He reportedly told investigators: "No one forced anyone. Paola and her friend consented. It's a horrible accident."
Ms Caputo's 23-year-old friend was taken to hospital in a serious, but not life-threatening condition.
Nicknamed Kinbaku, Mr Mule was known online for practising bondage and was a member of the BDSM association, standing for bondage, discipline, sadism and masochism.
"He was considered one of the experts," a person familiar with the scene told the Ansa news agency.
"Practicing this kind of extreme sex, everything has to be controlled, but he knew that completely. We don't understand what happened."

READ MORE - Paola Caputo dies in sex game gone wrong in Rome

After Manipur, Malaysian Mlm Firm Exposed In Bangalore

By P. Vijian

CHENNAI, Sept 11 -- A Malaysian-based multi-level marketing company's dirty trail has been traced to Bangalore, after city police exposed the financial scam web, with the arrest of three local agents.

The police in India's IT capital believed it was the same Selangor-registered company which duped nearly 70,000 poor investors in the far-flung Manipur, India's north eastern state, which was also involved in Bangalore.

"No doubt about that, it was the same company with many branches.

"They were also operating in Manipur. We think, at least 500 to 1,000 people could have invested here in the company based in Malaysia," a senior police officer familiar with the investigations told Bernama in an interview today.

Last week, the police arrested a general manager and an accountant, linked to the parent company in Malaysia, which offered lucrative returns to investors, as high as 20 per cent or more.

The so-called wealth-creation company was alleged to have introduced other fancy investment schemes in 2009, operators vanishing after the company went bust, leaving many in financial limbo.

According to police investigations, the company had been operating in Bangalore for almost a year with dozens of local agents promoting the fake investment model.

"We are expecting more people to lodge complaints after the arrest. This case has been transferred to the CID (criminal investigation department) as it involves a foreign company and they will use official channels to investigate the Malaysian company," said the officer.

READ MORE - After Manipur, Malaysian Mlm Firm Exposed In Bangalore

Diamond-studded haul at airport

Mumbai-based jeweller's nervous demeanour raise doubts, customs officials find jewellery worth crores hidden on his person
Nihar Mehta, a Mumbai-based jeweller, thought declaring part of the jewellery he was carrying would help him get away with diamonds worth crores stashed away in his blazer pockets.
But he was grossly mistaken. For Mehta had not reckoned that by now the Mumbai Customs officials were quite adept in discerning suspicious body language.

Nihar Mehta, who was detained by the Customs for
carrying undeclared jewellery at the airport, was produced
at the Esplanade court in Azad Maidan yesterday
Mehta, who was a passenger on the Frankfurt-Mumbai Lufthansa flight, had entered the Customs zone at 1.20 am yesterday.
While attempting to make a safe exit he was intercepted by the Deputy Commissioner of Customs Sameer Wankhade.
"After reaching the Customs screening point he produced the document for his declared jewellery worth $44,000, which he had carried from India.
Nervousness was clearly reflected on his face. After declaring the items and the declared jewellery, he walked in a very suspicious manner.
The official on duty asked him to stop and carried out a detailed search. Large amount of diamond jewellery running into crores was found hidden inside his blazer," said an Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) official of Mumbai Airport Customs.
During interrogation Mehta told officials that he wanted to save the duty on the diamonds and hence he did not declare them. "He accepted he did it deliberately. He also revealed that he declared some jewellery, so that no one would suspect him," said the AIU official.
Mehta was booked under different sections of the Customs Act, including section 111 of illegal importation of goods. He was produced at the Colaba-based Esplanade Court last afternoon.
"Diamond jewellery was concealed in the pockets of his jacket and trousers. He has been booked under different provisions of the Customs Act. We have done the provisional valuation of the jewellery and will conduct a final valuation soon," said R P Khandelwal, additional commissioner of Customs.
Past incident
Customs officials at the Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, have intercepted top cine stars, politicians and businessmen with large amounts of undeclared jewellery and cash.
In a similar case, the Customs arrested a share broker from Rajkot on July 20. Ketan Marwadi was not only carrying undeclared goods worth more than Rs 8 lakh, but had also hid some of the bills for the items in his socks.

READ MORE - Diamond-studded haul at airport

25-yr-old killed by chat friend

By: Vinay Dalvi
Date: 2011-09-10
Place: Mumbai

Accused, who was arrested by Chembur police for chain snatching, confesses to crime saying he strangulated her after a fight
A 25-year-old woman paid a heavy price for falling in love and eloping with a chain snatcher. Her strangulated body was found in the jungles of Mumbra, two days after she eloped with her lover.

Farah Farid Lokhapali's strangulated body was found in the jungles of Mumbra
The woman, identified as Farah Farid Lokhapali, a Vidhan Bhavan employee, had reportedly gone missing from her Kurla residence on August 3, after she eloped with the accused.
On verifying her phone records, the police found that the woman was in touch with the chain snatcher, who is currently lodged in RCF police lock-up. Lokhapali was a resident of Suleman Building, CST Road, Kurla West.
"She had told her parents that she was going for a haldi ceremony at her friend Seema's house. On August 5, the victim's family approached the Kurla police and lodged a missing complaint with them," said an officer from RCF police station.
The Kurla police started searching for Lokhapali. With the help of her mobile number, the police checked some of her call details and learnt that the accused had called her on August 3.
"We then traced the number and found that the accused identified as Ashraf Ali Shaikh was arrested by the RCF police for a robbery attempt," said a police officer.
"Both became friends after Shaikh had mistakenly given a missed call on Lokhapali's cell.
They used to meet each other once in a while, and on August 3, Lokhapali met Shaikh, who took her to Mumbra and allegedly murdered her in the jungle.
The Mumbra police found Lokhapali's body on August 5 in the jungle, but were unable to identify it as there was no identity card on it," said an officer from the Kurla police station.
The police have now informed the family members of Lokhapali and asked them to identify her clothes that are in the Mumbra police station.
"We will also carry a DNA test of the body. Preliminarily, Shaikh has confessed to the crime. He said they had a fight after which he strangulated her.
Shaikh is a criminal on record and the Mumbra police will soon seek his custody from the RCF police. The description of the clothes that the family has given matches with those found on the body," said the officer.
ACP Prabhakar Sawant of Kurla Division confirmed the incident, but he refused to provide any further information.

READ MORE - 25-yr-old killed by chat friend

Child trafficking scam: 550 kids disappear into thin air

By: Vinod Kumar Menon
Date: 2011-09-10
Place: Mumbai

Acting on a tip-off, 400 cops rushed to Bandra and Borivili stations hoping to nab the traffickers, but found the train empty
Friday left the Mumbai police in an eddy of disorientation.
An army of 400 officials from the city and railway police had stationed themselves at Borivli and Bandra railway terminuses for a mammoth rescue operation.

Thwarted operation: Around 550 male children board the Patna-Mumbai BDTS Express train No 19050 at Patna around Thursday afternoon, as per the railway reservation chart.
They were waiting for a train from Patna to receive around 550 children of a minority community who were reportedly victims of human trafficking.
The Government Railway Police (GRP) of Mumbai had received a tip-off earlier that children in the age group of 7-17 years, students of a religious school, were being brought to Mumbai, aboard the Patna-Mumbai BDTS Express Train No 19050, to work as labourers in hotels and other establishments.

Around 11.30 pm on Thursday night, they are made to alight at Dondaicha station, 40 km off Nandurbar. The schedule of the train doesn't mention an official halt at Dondaicha. Illustrations/Jishu Dev Malakar
So there they were, men in uniform waiting with packets of biscuits and bottles of water, to come to the aid of kids rescued from the clutches of child labour.
The train finally arrived, at Borivli at 8.20 am, and later at Bandra at 9.45 am yesterday, the waiting officials got aboard to take charge.
But, the train was practically empty. Officials found none of the children they were informed about; there were no more than 10 passengers on the train.

On Friday morning, the 400 police officials, waiting at Bandra and Borivli stations to rescue the kids, who were allegedly being transported to Mumbai for child labour, find the train empty but for 10 passengers.
Mumbai Railway Police Commissioner (GRP) Prabhat Kumar confirmed to MiD DAY that they did receive information on Thursday about juveniles being brought to the city to be forced into child labour, and the subsequent operation that was planned for Friday morning.
It was passed on to Bandra and other police stations. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central Zone, GRP) GM Bhandari was present at the station to supervise the entire operation.
Fly-by-night?
As frantic officials probed the children's whereabouts, their preliminary inquires made some disturbing revelations. They found out that over 500 children were offloaded from the train at Dondaicha railway station, 40 km before Nandurbar district in north-west Maharashtra on Thursday around 11.30 pm.
Oddly enough, the express train does not have an official halt at Dondaicha. Yet it was made to stop there for three minutes.
A panicked team attached to the Bandra railway police left for Nandurbar on Friday evening, hoping to glean information about the juveniles, and the purpose of their visit to the city.
Said Kumar, "We are awaiting reports from our counterparts in Nandurbar and the future course of action, if any, would be decided accordingly."
DCP Bhandari said, "Our inquiries have revealed that all the juveniles are male, and as per the reservation chart, they were travelling in different coaches in groups, between Patna Junction and Nandurbar, which was the final destination. Their further travel plan is not known."
The Bandra railway police have mentioned the operation details in the railway police station diary; as no child was found in the train, no case was registered.
According to Senior Inspector Vijay Dhopaokar, "We had sought additional help from city police stations like Nirmal Nagar, Kherwadi etc.
Arrangements were made with stall vendors at Bandra Terminus, so that the kids could be given biscuit and mineral water. Five to six police vans were stationed outside the station to transport them to the Dongri children's home.
But when the train arrived at 9.45 am, we found only 10 passengers in it. We searched all 21 coaches but none of the kids were there."
He added, "Since we had specific information, we did not want to give up. The train guard was questioned, and he revealed that most of the passengers alight from the train before Vapi station, and only a few continue their journey till Borivli and Bandra Terminus."
"I have instructed Inspector Eknath Gaikwad to go to Nandurbar for inquiry and submit a detailed report," he said.
Whisked away
Sub-inspector Yogesh Patil of Nandurbar railway police station admitted that some 500 juveniles were made to alight at Dondaicha station from the train on Thursday night, while a few, who wanted to travel further, were assisted in boarding trains for Surat in Gujarat and Dhuliya, from Dondaicha.
Patil explained they received a message that around 550 juveniles from a local religious school in Akkalkuva in Nandurbar were returning from their hometown after a month-long vacation, and due to a curfew in Nandurbar, their religious teachers sought the police's help to transport the juveniles safely to their school.
"The request was conveyed to both the GRP and RPF and the express train halted at Dondaicha, where the leaders had arranged for two luxury buses, truck and a tempo to transport the kids.
Those who wanted to continue their journey were made to stay back," Patil said. "None of the juveniles were carrying any money with them, nor were they accompanied by any family members; the only luggage they had was some clothes; they were escorted by 10-12 men, who claimed to be their teachers," Patil continued.
Incidentally, the GRP or the RPF did not record the statement of the children, nor did they ask for their contact details.
The men who escorted the kids were not questioned, nor were they asked to furnish identity proof. The official justified the lapse. "Our only concern was to ensure that the juveniles reach their destination (school) safely. Since we did not suspect anything, we assisted the religious teachers."
But the Mumbai GRP is keen to get to the root of the matter; they are waiting for its team to return with a detailed report.
Expertspeak
uSandhya Bajaj, former member of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, New Delhi, said, "It is a clear-cut case of violation of child rights.
If the local railway police had assisted in alighting the children, they should have verified the credentials of the men who were escorting them.
The details of the children should have been obtained. A proper report has to be submitted to the local child welfare office.
u"The norms under the Protection of Child Rights Act clearly state that if children are transported in large numbers, they should be divided in groups of 12 to 15, and each group should have an escort.
It is impossible for 12 people to man 550 children. How would the police track the relatives had their been any untoward incident en route?
This is clearly a shoddy work done by the law enforcing agency. A detailed probe should be carried out by the Maharashtra Commission for Protection of Child Rights."
uIPS officer-turned-lawyer YP Singh said, "The railway police should have made proper entries and recorded the statement of those escorting the juveniles.
Also, details of the same should be mentioned in the station diary, and a special report should have been sent to the local police headquarters. The matter should be seriously looked into."
7-17
The age group of the juveniles

READ MORE - Child trafficking scam: 550 kids disappear into thin air

Woman kidnapped, tried to sell baby for Rs 5,000

By: Vinay Dalvi
Date: 2011-09-07
Place: Mumbai

A three-and-a-half month old boy was kidnapped by Sheetal Chauhan from a migrant last Monday and sold off to Kamathipura resident Reena Bheeda; police are investigating the possibility of a child-trafficking racket
GRP officers at CST arrested two women yesterday on charges of trafficking a three-and-a-half-month old male infant.
The infant was allegedly kidnapped by Sheetal Chauhan (25) and sold to Reena Bheeda (38), for a paltry sum of Rs 5,000. Both the arrested accused are residents of Kamathipura, Nagpada.

A railway cop holds the infant that was stolen from CST last Monday
The infant was stolen from Sushila, a Jhansi resident, who had arrived in the city last Monday morning, in search of an employment opportunity.
"On Monday, our officers found the infant's mother Sushila frantically searching for something within the CST premises.
When we asked her, she told us that she hailed from Jhansi. Her husband had died two months back, and she had come to Mumbai in search of a job," said Ashok Kumar Jadhav, senior inspector of police, CST GRP.
"When Sushila alighted the train at CST, she met Chauhan, who promised her a job. Soon however, she whisked away the infant and disappeared.
Sushila started wandering about the station premises, scanning every corner for the abductor and her child. We spotted her at this point.
When she told us what had happened, we immediately accessed the CCTV footage of the station, and corroborated Sushila's allegation."
Receiving a tip-off about Chauhan's Kamathipura residence, cops tracked her down and nabbed her last morning. "We learnt that Chauhan had sold the infant to Bheeda for the paltry sum of Rs 5,000.
We then arrested Bheeda as well. We are trying to ascertain the motive behind Bheeda's purchase, as she already has three children," said Jadhav.
Cops are interrogating Bheeda, who insists that she bought the infant because she loves children. It is suspected that Bheeda is involved in a child-trafficking racket.

READ MORE - Woman kidnapped, tried to sell baby for Rs 5,000