India

New Delhi, Nov 15 (IANS) An Investigation into the gruesome murder of Shraddha Walker has revealed that the accused Aftab Ameen Poonawalla used her Instagram account till June to give an impression of her being alive, said an official on Tuesday.

Poonawalla was arrested on Saturday for killing his live-in partner on May 18 in the Mehrauli area of the national capital and chopping the body into 35 pieces before dumping them at Mehrauli forest area over a period of 18 days. Investigators said that the police teams are scanning his phone to know more details.

"He was using her Instagram account to avoid any suspicion by her friends," said an official, adding that police teams are checking his mobile phone details.

The family of 26-year-old Shraddha claimed that sometimes, she used to inform her mother that Aftab beats her.

According to the FIR, the family of the victim disagreed with the relationship, following which she said that she was 25 and had the right to take her own decisions.

"Later, she left the house and was living with Aftab. Sometimes, she used to inform her mother that Aftab beats her. Around 15 to 20 days after her mother's death in 2020, she called her father and informed the same," the FIR stated.

"She met me and when I asked her to leave Poonawala and return home, Poonawalla apologised to her and she went back with him. She did not listen to my request due to which I stopped talking to her for several months, " the FIR stated.

The victim's parents have been separated since 2016. In 2018, Sharddha's father got to know that she was in a relationship with Poonawala.

Police said that after chopping the woman's body into pieces on May 18, the accused bought a brand new refrigerator with large storage capacity the next day and stored the body pieces in it. To counter the stench, he lit incense sticks at his home.

Aftab was reportedly inspired by the American crime show 'Dexter', which tells the story of a man with homicidal tendencies who lives a double life.

Being a trained chef, Aftab was adept at using the knife, said sources. However, the knife used in the crime is yet to be recovered. Aftab was taken to the Mehrauli forest area by the police on Monday to collect the body parts which he had disposed of there.

He had thrown the body pieces at various locations over a period of 18 days. To avoid suspicion, he used to leave his house with a body part in a polybag at around 2 a.m.

IANS ssh/

New Delhi, Nov 15 (IANS) The air quality in Delhi improved further on Tuesday, with the AQI recorded at 221 under the "poor" category, according to official figures.

The figures by the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) showed that the concentration of both PM 2.5 and PM 10 levels in the national capital stood at 221 (poor) and 160 (moderate), respectively,.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) between zero and 50 is considered "good"; 51 and 100 "satisfactory"; 101 and 200 "moderate"; 201 and 300 "poor"; 301 and 400 "very poor"; and 401 and 500 "severe".

AQI under the "moderate" category was also recorded in the city's Pusa area (186) and Lodhi Road (152), while Mathura Road recorded 232 under the "poor" category.

Meanwhile, Noida's AQI stood at 302 (very poor) and Gurugram recorded 162 (moderate).

--IANS
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By Venkatachari Jagannathan
Chennai, Nov 15 (IANS) The fee charged by the Indian space agency for the rocket launch and tracking services is nominal, said a top official of private rocket startup Skyroot Aerospace.



"The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) provides integration facility, launchpad, range communications and tracking support before and during our rocket launch," Pawan Kumar Chandana, CEO and Co-Founder told IANS.

"The fee is reasonable. However, we won't be able to share contractual details as we are bound by a non-disclosure agreement with ISRO and IN-SPACe (Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre -- the regulator for private sector space industry)," Chandana added.

Skyroot Aerospace's rocket Vikram-S with three small satellites is scheduled for launch on November 18 at 11.30 a.m.

"Launch is likely on 18th as the weather is predicted to be ideal. Due to inclement weather, we got an updated launch window of November 15-19, 2022," Chandana said.

According to him, the Vikram-S rocket is a scaled down version of Vikram-1 rocket. The former is a single stage rocket whereas the latter is a multi-stage vehicle.

"Almost all our systems flying in Vikram-S were designed in-house, except for few sensors which were imported," Chandana said.

The rocket will be powered by a single stage to help test and validate the majority of the technologies in the Vikram series of rockets.

The company plans to have three rocket variants: Vikram I - payload or carrying capacity 480 kg to 500 km low inclination orbit (LIO); 290 kg to 500 km sun synchronous and polar orbit (SSPO); Vikram II - 595 kg to 500 km LIO, 400 kg to 500 km SSPO and Vikram III - 815 kg to 500 km LIO, 560 kg to 500 km SSPO.

Skyroot Aerospace's rockets are named 'Vikram' as a tribute to the founder of the Indian Space programme and renowned scientist Dr Vikram Sarabhai.

Chandana said Vikram-1 is expected to fly during the third quarter of calendar year 2023.

(Venkatachari Jagannathan can be reached at v.jagannathan@ians.in)

--IANS
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New Delhi, Nov 15 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday underlined the need to ensure collective peace, harmony and security in the world.

Addressing the G20 summit in Bali, which got underway ealier in the day, Modi said, "The responsibility of creating a new world order for post-Covid lies on our shoulders. The need of the hour is to show concrete and collective resolve to ensure peace, harmony and security."

Referring to the next G20 meet which is scheduled to be held in India, the Prime Minister further said, "I am confident that when G20 meets in the holy land of Buddha and Gandhi, we'll agree to convey a strong message of peace to the world."

Referring to the Ukraine conflict, Modi emphasised that the world has to find a way to ensure ceasefire and return to diplomacy.

Citing the example of the second World War and the havoc created by it, the Prime Minister said that world leaders then had made serious efforts to ensure peace "and now it is our turn".

Global supply chains are in ruins, the Prime Minister noted due to the prevailing geopolitical situation, which has led to a crisis of essential goods globally.

"Today's fertilizer shortage is tomorrow's food crisis, for which the world will not have a solution. We should build a mutual agreement to maintain the supply chain of both manure and food grains," Modi said in his address in Bali.

"By 2030, half of our electricity will be generated from renewable sources. Therefore time-bound and affordable finance and sustainable supply of technology to developing countries is essential for inclusive energy transition," he noted further.

Highlighting the significance of India's energy-security, Modi said that it is important for global growth, since it's among the world's fastest growing economies.

"We must not allow any restrictions on supply of energy and therefore stability in the energy market should be ensured," he said, adding that India is committed to clean energy and environment.

--IANS
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Lucknow, Nov 15 (IANS) Gangsters lodged in Uttar Pradesh jails will now attend their court hearings through video conferencing.

The step is being viewed as a measure to check interaction of criminals with the "outside world".

Officials have been directed to ensure additional video conferencing facilities in 72 jails and 73 courts across the state. At present, only remand proceedings of criminals are carried out virtually.

With 100 per cent handling of remand and trial of prisoners through video conferencing, incidents of escape of undertrial prisoners would also be curbed.

Director-general (prisons), Anand Kumar, had sought permission from the state government to conduct a virtual trial of gangsters.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath stressed on the need for trial of criminals and gangsters from prison itself so that cops do not have to ferry them from prison to court during trial of cases.

This would also help check criminals issuing threats to witnesses and conspiring to carry out crimes with the help of their aides during their appearance in court for trial, emphasised Kumar.

According to Kumar, there are 72 operational jails in the state, out of which 62 are district jails, seven central jails apart from a Nari Bandi Niketan, an Adarsh Jail and a Kishore Sadan. Remand and trial proceedings of undertrial prisoners are held in 73 courts of the state.

All jails and courts have one room each to carry out remand proceedings through video conferencing. But due to a large number of prisoners, the entire day is spent hearing remand cases.

Therefore, a letter was written to the government, seeking construction of an additional video conferencing room in all jails and courts across the state for carrying out trials of criminals through video conferencing, stated Kumar.

Meanwhile, some well-known criminals lodged in UP jails include Mukhtar Ansari in Banda, Vijay Singh in Banda, Anil Dujana, Anoop Bhati in Ayodhya, Surendra Pandit in Kasganj, Sunder Bhati in Sonbhadra, Amarmani Tripathi in Gorakhpur, Gayatri Prajapati in Lucknow, Khan Mubarak in Hardoi, Yogesh Bhadauria in Meerut and Nahid Hasan in Chitrakoot.

--IANS
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Muzaffarnagar, Nov 15 (IANS) The breakaway faction of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) led by Harpal Singh Bilari, has extended support to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra.

The BKU (Bilari) said that they will participate in the yatra when it passes through western Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan in the coming days.

The yatra entered Maharashtra on November 7 and will pass through Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahrr.

A delegation of the organisation led by Bilari called on Congress leader and yatra's chairman Digvijay Singh in Delhi on Sunday and discussed how they could support the walkathon.

"After Mahatma Gandhi and JP Movement, the Bharat Jodo Yatra has turned into a public movement for protecting democratic values in the society. The yatra is seen as a ray of hope when the country is passing through political, social and economic crisis," Bilari told reporters.

Bilari expressed the hope that Rahul Gandhi would work for the welfare of farmers and reminded that he had a vital role in the new land acquisition policy, which paved way for farmers getting adequate compensation of their acquired land for development projects.

Bilari is a veteran farmer leader of western Uttar Pradeh who worked with BKU leader Mahendra Singh Tikait and actively participated in his various movements.

He formed his organisation with like-minded leaders after Tikait's demise in 2011.

His organisation has good support base in western Uttar Pradesh, especially in Moradabad and Bareilly divisions.

Bilari was also included in the 40-member committee of the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha during the 13-month-long farmers' movement against the three controversial farm bills.

--IANS
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Hyderabad, Nov 15 (IANS) Veteran Tollywood actor Krishna passed away at a hospital in Hyderabad early Tuesday while undergoing treatment after he suffered cardiac arrest. He was 79.

Superstar Krishna, one of the last legends of Telugu film industry, breathed his last at Continental Hospital, where he was admitted late Sunday night after he suffered cardiac arrest.

According to doctors he was brought to the hospitals in an unconscious state but was revived after 20 minutes of CPR. He was put on a ventilator and his condition was critical.

Krishna's son and popular actor Mahesh Babu and other family members were present at the hospital.

Ghattamaneni Siva Rama Krishna Murthy or Krishna, as he was popularly known, acted in more than 350 films in a career spanning five decades. He also produced and directed a few films.

Born on May 31, 1942 at Burripalem in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, Krishna entered the film industry in early 1960s with small roles. He debuted as the lead actor with the 1965 movie aThene Manasulu', which became a hit.

'Gudacchari 116' (1966), a spy film, proved to be a superhit, making Krishna one of the most sought after actors. With this success, he got offers for 20 films. He subsequently acted in at least six James Bond like movies.

'Sakshi' (1967) won critical acclaim at the Tashkent film festival. His 1972 movie 'Pandanti Kapuram' bagged the national film award for best feature film in Telugu for that year.

Krishna is known for many landmark movies like 'Alluri Seetharama Raju' (19767), which was the first cinemascope movie in Tollywood, 'Eenadu' (1982), first Eastman color film and 'Simhasanam' (1986), the first 70 mm film.

The superstar founded Padmalaya Studio in 1970 and produced some highly successful movies.

Krishna married Indira Devi in 1965. They had two sons including Mahesh Babu and three daughters. In 1969, he married actor Vijaya Nirmala and had one son from her. She died in 2019.

The superstar was reported to be depressed since the death of his wife Indira Devi in September. Early this year, he lost his elder son Ramesh Babu.

Krishna was considered close to former Prime Minister Rahiv Gandhi. He joined the Congress party in 1984 and was a critic of legendary actor N.T. Rama Rao and his Telugu Desam Party. Krishna had made few films criticising NTR and his government.

Krishna was elected to Lok sabha from Eluru in 1989 but lost the election in 1991 from the same constituency. After Rajiv Gandhi's assassination, Krishna distanced himself from politics

He received several awards including NTR national award in 2003. In 2009, he was honoured with the Padma Bhushan for his contributions to Indian cinema.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Nov 15 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday filed a chargesheet against seven accused in a case related to bank loan fraud, wherein the total NPA declared by the Bank of India was at Rs 91.50 crore.

The chargesheet was filed before before Principal Sessions Judge, Jammu, against three individuals - Raj Kumar Gupta, Radhika Mahajan and Rajat Mahajan; and four entities - Jhelum Industries, Jhelum Infra Projects India Private Limited, I.D Sood Ispat Private Limited and New Jammu Flour Mills Private Limited.

The ED initiated a money laundering investigation on the basis of four FIRs registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

"Investigation by ED revealed the commission of fraud, cheating, forgery, diversion and siphoning of funds and loans meant and allotted for business activity to company Jhelum Infra Projects Private Limited, I. D Sood Ispat Private Limited, New Jammu Flour Mills Private Limited and Jhelum Industries (Partnership Firm), all concerns related to or part of Raj Kumar Gupta Group," the ED said in the statement.

However, loans were not used for the intended purposes and were defaulted.

"Accused Gupta along with his family members has floated numerous concerns in the name of his family members and in the name of his employees to divert and siphon off the cash credit loan obtained in the name of the above-mentioned entities," the ED added.

Earlier, properties worth Rs 20.21 crore of the accused were attached by the ED.

Further investigation in this case is on.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Nov 15 (IANS) The BJP released a list of 12 candidates on Monday night for the upcoming Gujarat Assembly elections.

The party has fielded OBC community leader Alpesh Thakor from Gandhinagar South.

The other names in the list include Lavingji Thakor from Radhanpur, Rajulben Desai from Patan, V.D. Jhala (Himmatnagar), Ritaben Patel (Gandhinagar North), Bakaji Thakor (Kalol), Babu Singh Jadhav (Vatva), Kamlesh Patel (Petlad) and Arjun Singh Chauhan from Mehmedabad constituency.

The party has fielded Mahesh Bhuria from Jhalod, Jayantibhai Rathwa from Jaitpur and Keur Rokdia from Sayajiganj.

Voting on these 12 seats will be held on December 5 in the second phase of the election. The last date for nomination on these seats is November 17.

The state has a total of 182 assembly seats for which voting will be held in two phases on December 1 and December 5. The counting of votes will take place on December 8.

--IANS
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Ahmedabad, Nov 13 (IANS) Gujarat State Goods and Service Tax (GST) in a joint operation with the Anti-Terrorist Squad and Crime branch were on Sunday carrying out searches at more than 205 premises owned by 115 firms and were also questioning 91 people in an alleged Rs 1,200 crore credit scam.

The search has been going on since Saturday morning and some officers of the GST were also being questioned by the search teams for their alleged involvement.

According to the department's sources, searches were going on in 14 districts simultaneously. These companies were involved in scrap metal, chemicals and iron rods. These firms were creating fake bills of transactions and claiming huge credits from the state government. At least 91 people of various firms were being questioned and information was sought from them by the search teams.

Officers have seized documents, bill books, laptops, pen drives and have retrieved data from cloud facilities to track down the fake transactions and cash money movement. Primary information is that the scam was going on for the last six months in Ahmedabad, Surat, Bhavnagar, Vadodara, and search teams have apprehensions that without officers' involvement such a large-scale scam would not have lasted for so long.

--IANS
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