India leading exporter of illicit party drug: US state dept

NEW DELHI: India has emerged as the biggest source of party drug Ketamine illicitly exported across the world, according to the 2012 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR), prepared by Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs under the US Department of State.

The report says India's strategic location — situated between Southwest Asia (the Golden Crescent) and Southeast Asia (the Golden Triangle) — makes it an attractive transshipment area for contraband bound for Europe, Africa, Southeast Asia and North America.

While much of the contraband like heroine, opium and cocaine come from abroad and use India as a transit point; Ketamine is largely sourced domestically.

The modus operandi, say Indian drug enforcement agencies sources, is illicit diversion of stocks engineered by licenced Ketamine manufacturers from states like Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Maharashtra. It is estimated that about four-five tonnes of ketamine go missing every year from legitimate production.

Significantly, only last month the Delhi zone of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) busted an international cartel, nabbing two Delhi exporters and seized over 650 kg of Ketamine. The duo was found to have exported large quantities of Ketamine to 11 countries in the past few years and their illicit trade is suspected to be worth close to Rs 500 crore.

The INCSR report notes: "India has become one of the main sources of Ketamine. Ketamine, a veterinary anesthesia, is not under international control, and the number of significant Ketamine seizures at major airports, in sea containers and in parcels continues to increase."

It adds, "India also manufactures organic and synthetic licit opiate/psychotropic pharmaceuticals (LOPPS). Destined for licit sales in markets around the world, these items (raw opium, chemical precursors, Ketamine, LOPPS) are vulnerable to diversion, including through illegally operating Internet pharmacies."

Sources in Indian drug enforcement agencies say the state machinery needs to closely monitor legitimate Ketamine production and stop illicit diversion. "The clandestine manufacture of Ketamine is a complex and costly process, therefore the main source of illicit Ketamine is through the diversion of legitimate pharmaceutical products," says a drug enforcement official.

The DRI officials say much of this diversion is taking place from Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Maharashtra. "Himachal in particular has an industry-favourable tax regime that has led to proliferation of Ketamine manufacturing companies. Several of these firms have been found to be unscrupulously diverting Ketamine to illicit markets," said a DRI official.

While Ketamine sells for Rs 35,000 a kg, illicit export can fetch up to Rs 10 lakh for the same quantity. The cartel's net spreads far and wide involving international drug mafia and people from Customs and Directorate General of Foreign Trade, say DRI sources.

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56-year-old woman molested in Manipur

A 56-year-old woman was allegedly molested by a neighbour at Kakching in Manipur on Saturday night. The complaint was lodged at the local police station on Sunday morning but police was reportedly reluctant to register FIR and arrest the culprit.

According to locals, the woman was sitting outside her house along with her daughter-in-law when neighbour Ibomcha, 54, grabbed and outraged her modesty.

"She fainted and had to be admitted at Kakching Community Health Centre," said Madhu Chandra, spokesperson of North East Support Centre and Helpline, an NGO that took up her case.

The woman's family members hired a lawyer and lodged a complaint at the Kakching police station but the police refused to register FIR until members of the NGO spoke to the officer in charge.

"The OC said the complaint could not be registered and action taken as it was a case between neighbours," Chandra said, adding he relented only after being told that the matter would be taken up with higher authorities.

"We are probing the case. If the man is found guilty, he will be dealt with strictly," a senior police officer said.

As per the National Crime Records Bureau, Manipur had in 2011 secured the fourth spot among Indian states vis-à-vis crime against women.

"Tendency of the police to ignore such cases encourages the perpetrators to make a mockery of the law," a rights activist said from state capital Imphal.

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CID arrests private security guard selling guns with fake licences

GUWAHATI: A CID sleuth succeeded in arresting Naoba Meitie, a private security guard of Manipur who was providing arms and duplicate licences to many in the region on Tuesday night. Meitie was arrested from the city's Lachit Nagar area where he was residing in a rented house. CID also found three SBBL guns and their duplicate licenses in his house.

"Two of the licenses were made in Senapati district of Manipur and one in Dimapur of Nagaland. Naoba was all set to sell these guns with the licences to three others from Dhudhnoi in Goalpara district. He was to sell each license and gun for Rs 40,000," said a CID official.

CID also arrested four others involved in the case. They were identified as Madhab Chandra Rabha, Biru Ram Rabha, Ajit Roy and Dipen Chandra Rabha. The three licences found with Meitie were issued in the name of Madhab, Biru and Ajit.

"Meiti was once arrested in a similar case in 2011. Later, he was released on bail. He started his illegal business of selling guns and fake licenses under the cover of his present job as a security guard. He used to sell these arms and licences to other security guards in the state. He might have other clients too. We are questioning him," added the official.

Naoba used to purchase the guns with the help of his contacts in Manipur and Nagaland. He used to sell them to various private security service providers and security guards here.

CID said many private security agencies in the region are also involved in the racket and procuring such illegal arms, duplicate licences as guards with a gun license can draw a good salary. "We are keeping an eye on the activities of private security agencies," added the official.

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Wanted criminal nabbed by Special Cell of Delhi police

New Delhi: The Special Cell of Delhi Police has arrested a Manipur native, wanted in several criminal cases there.

The man named Nanua was arrested on Sunday from Kingsway Camp near Delhi University and is said to be a member of a banned outfit.

He was produced on Monday before the court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Smita Garg.

The court granted police his transit remand for five days and he will now be handed over to the Manipur police.

Sources said Nanua was staying at Kingsway camp for the last one year.

They said he used to make extortion calls from here to Manipur and is wanted in several criminal cases there including those under section 307 (attempt to murder) and section 326 (causing grievous hurt) of the Indian Penal Code.

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FBI Snags 24 Suspected Credit Card Hackers

Federal agents have been watching websites where hackers illegally distribute credit card data—and their work has paid off. Today, they arrested 11 people in the US and 13 overseas, reports Reuters.

Under the two-year sting, agents set up a fake online forum of their own where people could trade stolen account numbers.

The arrest foiled about $200 million in bogus purchases involving more than 400,000 compromised cards, authorities say. All of the suspects are males between the ages of 18 to 25, which might have been apparent by screen names like “JoshTheGod" and “IwearaMAGNUM.”

Some of those charged face 40 years in prison if convicted. Their arrests will cause a "significant disruption to the underground economy," an FBI spokeswoman tells the New York Times.

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Is this the worst way to hide 204kg of cocaine?

The more than 200kg cocaine that was seized by Bolivian drug police. Picture: AFP

BOLIVIAN drug-smugglers seem to be running low on ingenious ways to hide their masses of cocaine.

Disguising the stash as flour or washing-up powder appears to be a little too old school for South American drug-runners – with the new method of choice being to wrap their blocks in Swastikas.

A van carrying 204kg of cocaine in brick-type moulds plastered with the Nazi stamp is the latest bust, as authorities attempt to stamp down on the raging drug trade.

The branding destroyed all chances of the smugglers making it safely to a farm to have the drugs cut, with Special Counter-Narcotics Police Force (Fuerza Especial de Lucha Contra el Narcotrafico – FELCN) intercepting the van in the town of Warnes.

The driver was arrested by authorities at the scene.

The anti-narcotics chief confirmed it was the first time a shipment had been discovered with this symbol. If the mules plan on having future success with such deliveries, perhaps it should be the last.

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Prostitution rackets emerging in Goa

Business conferences and commercial events are serving as a new front for flesh trade with girls from various states being trafficked for these events in Goa, officials have said.

Police officers, who raided a few such events, said they were surprised to find during their investigations that a number of event management companies ran prostitution rackets under the guise of organising events in the state.

"The girls were found to have been brought with proper knowledge of what they have to do during the conference in the guise of event management," police inspector Gurudas Kadam, who busted a racket run by an Andhra Pradesh-based company, said at a consultation session here.

Kadam is among other officials who are participating in the two-day long consultation to formulate a strategy to check human trafficking for sexual exploitation in Goa.

Government and NGO representatives from Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, West Bengal, Assam, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram-considered as source states for trafficking-are participating in the programme, which began here today.

Speaking at the conference, Women and Child Development department Director Sanjiv Gadkar said the state government would network with the source states to verify whether the event management companies organising conferences in Goa have valid registrations.

"Consultations with the source states will help the state government in its efforts to ascertain the background of the girls who are usually employed by the event management companies during business conferences," Gadkar said.
 

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Burmese national, two others held with drugs

A Burmese national, along with his two accomplices allegedly carrying 161 kg of narcotics for smuggling to Burma and China, has been remanded to judicial custody for 11 days.
The alleged Burmese national identified as Thomas Nihmunga, Abhinav Singh Chauhan, a Delhi resident and a Mizo
woman named Lasangpuii are remanded to police custody till July 2 by the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Vinod Yadav.

 The trio was arrested by the special cell of Delhi police on June 21 on a tip-off that Chauhan would be carrying huge quantity of narcotics.

Chauhan was apprehended with 161 kg of ephedrine, a psychotropic substance concealed in layers of bed sheets, packed in seven plastic packets. Chauhan was travelling in a hired taxi and was on his way to Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh from where he had planned to take a train to Guwahati.From there,the consignment was to be sent to Burma and China through Mizoram .

The police said Chauhan had disclosed that the consignment belonged to Lasangpuii, who was living at Masjid Moth here, and he was only a carrier. The police subsequently arrested Lasangpuii and then Thomas, from whom they recovered 2 kg of ephedrine.

It was also revealed that the consignment was procured from Dehradun in a form of medicine strips and upon reaching Delhi, Thomas would peel off the strips and convert the consignment into packets, which were then collected by Chauhan to be sent to Guwahati.

The police have now sought the custody of Chauhan and Lasangpuii to interrogate them to nab others in the drug smuggling syndicate.

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Police bust nude party in Hyderabad, arrest 14

Cyberabad police late on Friday night swooped down on a holiday resort on the outskirts of the city and raided a party.

HYDERABAD: Cyberabad police late on Friday night swooped down on a holiday resort on the outskirts of the city and raided a party. More than 50 people were present at the do, including call girls. Many of them fled during the raid leaving behind their expensive cars. Fourteen persons were arrested and booked under the Immoral Trafficking (Prevention) Act.

According to the police, Vijayawada-based cement businessman Devireddy Veera Narayana Reddy (32) hosted a birthday party at Swagruha Resorts at Pilgipuram village in Hayatnagar on Friday night. The party kicked off around 9.30 pm and based on a tip-off, the police raided the premises at 11 pm.

On reaching the spot, cops found the party on with loud music. "Half-naked girls were dancing around, most of the people were drunk while some others were sleeping with women in rooms. The girls said they were brought for the party from Delhi, Mumbai, Sikkim and Andhra Pradesh," said a police officer.

Several of Reddy's wealthy friends, who were having fun with the call girls, fled the premises leaving behind their swanky cars, including BMW, two Volkswagen cars, Laura and a Toyota Fortuner. Police seized 11 cars from the resort.

Of the 16 accused, resort owner PS Reddy and party orgainser Akhtar Mamu were absconding. Police arrested 14 others from the party, including Veera Narayana Reddy. The number of the accused could increase after police zero in on those who fled.

"Akthar Mamu had arranged the girls with the help of resort owner PS Reddy, '' said Hayathnagar inspector G Srinivas Kumar. Drugs were not found on the premises.

Police suspect similar parties might have been organised at Swagruha resort earlier.

READ MORE - Police bust nude party in Hyderabad, arrest 14

Every fifth murder in Delhi sexually motivated: Police

Every fifth murder in the capital is sexually motivated, Police Commissioner B.K. Gupta said on Friday.
Addressing the annual press conference of the Delhi Police, Gupta said: "According to the latest data, 18 percent of murders in Delhi are sex-related. Other prominent reasons for murders are sudden provocation and crime-related."
According to Gupta, family disputes were found to be behind only nine percent of murders. Enmity and disputes were the other chief motives during 2011.
"A worrying fact is that in 95 per cent cases, the perpetrators were found to have no previous criminal records," he added.
"That sex-related murders were such a big chunk of all such incidents in the capital, is just another pointer at the imminent need for sexual education and awareness in society," added Gupta.

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Cannabis seized in Assam

Guwahati : A total of 31 kg of ganja (cannabis) was seized from a New Delhi-bound train in Assam's Kokrajhar district Monday and two people were arrested, police said.
The drug was being smuggled from Dimapur in Nagaland to Delhi.
"We searched Rajdhani Express following a tip off. The ganjas were hidden in one suitcase and two travel bags," a police official said.
Police refused to name the arrested people.
The search was carried out jointly by the Government Railway Police (GRP) and Assam Police.

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Couple arrested for trying to bury their baby girl alive

The parents of a 2-month-old baby girl have been arrested for allegedly trying to bury her alive in a town in Uttar Pradesh.

The incident, which happened in a town in the state of Uttar Pradesh, has once again highlighted the fact that crimes committed against the girl child is on the rise in our country. 

 

 

 

According to a news report, one of the caretakers at a burial ground heard a baby cry and sensing something is suspicious, he alerted the police. The cops reached the spot and arrested the parents just as they were about to bury the infant girl child.

 

On being questioned, the child's father reportedly said that he had been advised by a spiritual godman to bury the baby, which would help protect his other children from illnesses.

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6th graders made porn video at Mexican school

Mexico City: Authorities in Mexico's Gulf coast state of Campeche have said that they are investigating how a porn video was made by sixth-graders inside their school. State Education Department spokesman Omar Kantun said the video was apparently made in an empty classroom during recess in late April.
"It is real, the case is real, the video exists," Kantun said. "The Education Department is very concerned." He said an investigation is being conducted by his department and the teachers union to determine whether any adults were involved.
Kantun said the teacher who uses the classroom did not appear to have been present when the video was made. He said no disciplinary action has been taken against any students or teachers yet. He said the students involved are being given psychological counselling.

The incident occurred in late April at a grade school in the town of Calkini, which is in a relatively conservative and heavily Indian area. Three boys are seen in the video engaging in oral and anal sex recorded on a cellphone by a fourth person, apparently another student.
The mother of one of the boys saw the video on the Internet and notified authorities, Kantun said. He said the video had since been taken down.
Authorities didn't announce the students' ages, but sixth-graders in Mexico are generally 12 or younger.

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Girls sexually abused, paraded naked, forced to work at kids’ shelter

The girls recounted tales of horror during the raid on May 8, 2012 at the shelter run by NGO Bharat Vikas Sangh, which won a Haryana state award for women’s empowerment in March 2012.

ROHTAK: Children living at a shelter run by an NGO here were sexually abused, beaten, molested and made to work as labourers on farms and construction sites, a raid by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights has uncovered.

The girls recounted tales of horror during the raid on Wednesday night at the shelter run by NGO Bharat Vikas Sangh, which won a Haryana state award for women's empowerment in March this year.

Around 12 girls in their teens, alleged they were exploited by the owner, Jaswanti, to earn money; one of them said she was forced to sleep with a man. "We were molested by various people. If any girl protested, she would be paraded naked and beaten. Jaswanti forced us to work as labourers and snatched our wages," they said.

Jaswanti Devi, who has been running the Rohtak children shelter, and her son-in-law, Jai Bhagwan, have been arrested for exploiting children. Jai Bhagwan has been booked for sexual harassment and molestation of the inmates.

"Inmates were locked up for 3-4 days without food or any other facility if they protested. She (Jaswanti) forced us to earn money for her," said one.

The raid came on a tip from three girls who had escaped to Delhi and told their families of their sufferings at the shelter. The girls had, in fact, been shifted to the Rohtak home from an "orphanage" in Gurgaon following allegations of sexual abuse there.

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Tired of being raped, 20-year-old killed uncle at Gorai beach

After being violated by 35-yr-old man and his friends, the woman lured him to the spot, where her boyfriend and friend stabbed him, smashed his head with a rock

May 9, 2012

Mumbai

Shiva Devnath

MiD DAY had reported yesterday that the 35-year-old man, whose dead body had been recovered on Sunday morning at the Gorai beach, had been called to the spot by an unidentified woman (‘Murder victim was called to beach by mystery woman’, May 8).

Beach murder: The accused Mohsin Shaikh and his friend Deepak Bhosle (in veil) stabbed Ramesh Dedhia (35) and smashed his head with a stone

The Crime Branch has promptly traced the woman, who was none other than the man’s own niece-in-law, and had been repeatedly raped and pimped out by him. The 20-year-old woman allegedly conspired with her boyfriend and another friend to kill him, as she wanted to put an end to the repeated rape he had been subjecting her to, over the past year.
The trio was arrested yesterday on charges of the murder of share broker and alleged pimp Ramesh Dedhia (35). After the arrests, Crime Branch officers revealed that the woman had been raped repeatedly by her uncle, who had also sold her services to many of his friends. The woman, who was Dedhia’s sister-in-law daughter, had only shared the information with her boyfriend, but kept it a secret from her aunt or her mother, who works in a bar as a dancer, and stays apart from her.
Accompanied by her boyfriend, 25-year-old Mohsin Shaikh, the woman left Malwani on Saturday evening for Manori beach. Mohsin’s friend Deepak Bhosle was also present. The woman then made a phone call to Dedhia, luring him to Manori beach with the promise of a good time. Eager, Dedhia called his wife up and told her that he wouldn’t be coming home that night. Raghunath Delvi, senior police inspector of Crime Branch unit XI, said that Dedhia was upset when he saw that Mohsin and Bhosle accompanied his niece, and kicked up a fuss.
“Mohsin who was ready with a knife, stabbed Dedhia to death, while Bhosle held him down,” said a police officer from the Crime Branch. To make sure that he did not survive the attack, the two young men smashed Dedhia’s head with a rock and fled the spot. They made one deadly mistake, however, by not bothering to take his mobile phone with them.
For cops who later recovered the phone from near the body, the task was as simple as tracing the number from which Dedhia had received his last phone call before being killed. One of Dedhia’s friends had earlier revealed in his statement that it was that phone call which spurred Dedhia to abandon a game of cards and take a trip to the beach. “With the help of Dedhia’s mobile phone, we traced the number from which the last phone call had been made, and were led to his niece. Our informers tipped us off that that Mohsin and Bhosle would be found at a location in Malwani, and we arrested the two from there,”added the officer. The police have booked all the three for murder and will be handing them over to the Gorai police station.

READ MORE - Tired of being raped, 20-year-old killed uncle at Gorai beach