The Indian Panorama

Tag: crime

  • 60-year-old dies after man he met for rendezvous bashed him in the head with dumbbell

    60-year-old dies after man he met for rendezvous bashed him in the head with dumbbell

    Mohammed Jaffer

    NEW YORK CITY (TIP): A Brooklyn man was bludgeoned to death with a dumbbell Wednesday, March 14, by a man he tried to put the moves on, police said.

    Clifford Williams, 60, met the 21-year-old suspect on the street outside his apartment on Willoughby Ave. near Marcus Garvey Blvd. in Bedford-Stuyvesant shortly before 2 a.m., sources said.

    The pair went up to Williams’ fifth-story apartment, where Williams came on to the suspect, cops said.

    The younger man allegedly grabbed a dumbbell and smashed Williams in the head.

    Williams’ stepfather, who also lives there, called 911.

    The septuagenarian was rushed to Woodhull Hospital, where he died, according to authorities.

    The suspect remained in the apartment, where cops took him into custody pending charges.

  • Indian Origin Man Admits To Killing 3 Teens In London Under The Influence Of Alcohol

    Indian Origin Man Admits To Killing 3 Teens In London Under The Influence Of Alcohol

    LONDON (TIP): An Indian origin man has admitted killing three teenage boys as they walked to a birthday party while he was driving more than two and a half times over the alcohol limit in London last month.

    Jaynesh Chudasama appeared at the Old Bailey court in London on February 26th , where he pleaded guilty to charges of three counts of death by dangerous driving on January 26 evening when the fatal collision occurred near a bus stop at Hayes, West London.

    The court heard that traces of cannabis had also been found in the 28-year-old’s system.

    The London-based car hire worker was travelling at 71 mph on a 60 mph zone when he hit the teenagers, who died instantly.

    The Metropolitan Police had earlier named the victims of the crash as Harry Rice, 17, and 16-year-olds George Wilkinson and Josh McGuinness. The boys were part of a large group on their way to a friend’s birthday party when they were killed.

    Chudasama was attempting to overtake another car when he lost control and struck the boys head on, the court heard.

    The victims were propelled into the air and Chudasama’s Audi spun round.

    He and his passenger got out and ran off but were chased by two of the boys from the group, who dragged the driver back to where their friends lay.

    One of the boys later admitted that he had hit the driver over the head with a bottle to prevent him from getting away.

    The three victims were walking to a 16th birthday party at a local football club.

    Judge Wendy Joseph said the loss of life was “appalling”.

    Chudasama, who faces a maximum of 14 years imprisonment for causing death by dangerous driving, will be sentenced on March 9.

    Despite the efforts of paramedics, all three boys were pronounced dead at the scene. Hundreds of people had gathered at the site of the crash a day later to lay floral tributes and held a minute s silence and released balloons.

    A friend of the dead boys who narrowly missed being hurt said the accident was like a “blur”.

    “Five of us were walking to the party and the next moment three of my friends were dead on the ground. The car lost control,” he said.

    Photos from the scene showed the smashed wreckage of a car, including a caved-in fence.

     

     

  • Indian Origin Woman And Her Partner Arrested In South Africa For British Couple’s Kidnapping

    Indian Origin Woman And Her Partner Arrested In South Africa For British Couple’s Kidnapping

    JOHANNESBURG (TIP):  South African special police unit Hawks have arrested an Indian origin woman and her partner on charges of abducting a British couple. They both are allegedly linked to ISIS.

    Fatima Patel and Safydeen Aslam Del Vecchio also face charges of robbery and theft after they went on a spending spree using the couples’ credit cards, building up a stash of jewellery, camping equipment and electronic devices which were found at a remote location where an ISIS flag was being flown.

    The Hawks declined to provide any further information due to the sensitive nature of the case as the search continues for the couple whose vehicle was found abandoned more than 300 km away from where they were last seen on February 9.

    Patel and Del Vecchio also stand accused of contravening the Protection of Constitutional Democracy Against Terrorism and Related Activities Act by hoisting an ISIS flag at a modest homestead in a rural area.

    Del Vecchio also faces another terrorism-related charge for allegedly participating in “extremist web forums that support ISIS and offering to supply phone numbers and sim cards that are not traceable.”

    Yousha Tayob, the lawyer representing Patel and Del Vecchio, confirmed that the pair had appeared in the court and were remanded in custody at Westville Prison in KwaZulu-Natal province.

    The incident had prompted the British government to issue a travel advisory about possible terrorist attacks on foreign nationals in South Africa, but local Muslim organizations have dismissed this as an “overreaction”.

    Ebrahim Deen of the Afro-Middle East Centre told the weekly that South African Muslims posed no threat to travelers and that the incident was more related to crime than an ISIS attack.

    “Muslims are largely integrated in (South African) society, are not disillusioned and they face little discrimination like in Europe and elsewhere,” he said.

    Martin Ewi of the Institute for Security Studies said South Africa was regarded as a “logistics base” for terror cells in transit, and is not traditionally a target for attacks, although the arrests of Patel and Del Vecchio confirmed the presence of an active terror cell in South Africa.

    “We in the counter terror fraternity suspected that they were working as members of an active cell, and the kidnapping will confirm the presence of an active ISIS cell,” Mr Ewi said.

  • Indian Origin Woman Found Dead In Her Home in England

    Indian Origin Woman Found Dead In Her Home in England

    LONDON (TIP):  An Indian origin woman was found murdered in her Wolverhampton home, in the West Midlands region of England , after what is suspected to be a burglary gone wrong.

    Sarbjit Kaur’s body was discovered by her family members at their home in the town of Wolverhampton on February 16th .

    West Midlands Police said they are keeping an open mind on the motive of the 38-year-old’s murder as it released the victims name on February 19th as part of a public appeal for information.

    Kaur was attacked inside her own home. This is a shocking case, the likes of which are extremely rare, and we have a team of officers working on this murder inquiry to establish what happened and to finding the person or people responsible, said Detective Chief Inspector Chris Mallett, who is leading the West Midlands Police Homicide Teams murder investigation.

    He confirmed that early inquiries have revealed that some items were taken from the home but added that the motive so far remains unclear as his team continues to investigate several lines of inquiry, including whether this was a random burglary or if the address or Kaur were deliberately targeted.

    The interior was in an untidy state – which could indicate it had been searched – and we believe that some items are missing. We are working with the family to understand exactly what items were taken, Mallett added.

    Police have carried out CCTV and house-to-house inquiries as well as conducted an extensive forensic examination of the scene as they try and piece together Kaur’s movements throughout the day.

    Kaur was assaulted during the attack and pronounced dead at the scene. A post-mortem has proved inconclusive on the precise cause of her death, with further tests being carried out by pathologists.

     

  • Indian Origin Men Jailed In Singapore For Having Sex With Minor

    Indian Origin Men Jailed In Singapore For Having Sex With Minor

    Offenders convicted of having sexual intercourse with a minor below 14 years old can be jailed for up to 20 years and fined or caned.

    SINGAPORE (TIP):  Three Indian Origin men have been jailed in Singapore for their involvement in sexual acts with a 13-year-old girl in 2016, a media report said today.

    Gill Gurjant Singh, 25, and Surjeet Singh, 29, were each sentenced to 15 months in prison for the crime, The Straits Times reported.

    Jugraj Singh, 33, was jailed for eight months for committing an indecent act on the Singaporean minor.

    Offenders convicted of having sexual intercourse with a minor below 14 years old can be jailed for up to 20 years and fined or caned, according to the report.

    All the three men are Indian construction workers, the report said.

    They had met the girl in May 2016 in Little India, a precinct of shops, eateries, pubs, motels and hotels, where she was hanging out with her friends, Deputy Public Prosecutor Jesintha Veijayaratnam said.

    The girl’s mother approached the police after which a complaint was registered.

     

     

  • SC SLAMS MP FOR MERE RS 6,500 TO RAPE VICTIMS

    SC SLAMS MP FOR MERE RS 6,500 TO RAPE VICTIMS

    NEW DELHI (TIP): “You value a rape at Rs 6,500?” That was how a bench of Supreme Court justices reacted while reviewing an affidavit filed by the Madhya Pradesh government on utilisation of funds from the Nirbhaya scheme.

    A bench comprising Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta took the government to task and asked whether it was doing “charity” by paying a meagre amount to rape victims.

    “According to you (Madhya Pradesh) and your affidavit, on an average, you are paying Rs 6,000 to a rape victim. Are you doing a charity? How can you do so. … You value a rape at Rs 6,500?”

    “For Madhya Pradesh, the figures are fantastic. There are 1,951 rape victims in Madhya Pradesh and you are giving them Rs 6,000-Rs 6,500 each. Is that good, commendable? What is this,” the bench asked, adding, “this is total insensitiveness”.

    Despite getting the maximum amount of allocation under the Nirbhaya Fund, Madhya Pradesh had only spent around Rs one crore on 1,951 rape victims.

    The Nirbhaya Fund was set up by the Centre in 2013 after the December 16, 2012 gangrape and murder case in Delhi.

    In January, the apex court directed all states and union territories to submit an affidavit on the amount received by them under the Nirbhaya scheme and the amount disbursed to victims of sexual assault. As many as 24 states and UTs are yet to file their affidavits, PTI reported.

    During the hearing, when Haryana’s counsel said they would file their affidavit, the bench observed, “If you have not filed affidavit, it is a very clear indication of what you feel for safety of women in your state”.

    “You take your time and tell the women in your state that you do not care for them,” the bench said while observing that 24 states and UTs have not yet filed their affidavit as per the court’s direction.

    When the counsel representing one of the petitioners told the bench that they have so far received only one affidavit filed on behalf of Sikkim, the bench asked, “is this becoming a joke? If you are not interested in this case, tell us. On what basis you are saying that only one state has filed affidavit. You do not even see the office report?”.

    The counsel for Meghalaya told the bench that they have disbursed around Rs 30.55 lakh to 48 victims of sexual assault.

  • A ‘good guy’ with a gun against a ‘bad guy’ with a gun formula does not work, Mr. President

    A ‘good guy’ with a gun against a ‘bad guy’ with a gun formula does not work, Mr. President

    By Prof I.S.Saluja

    US needs to come out of its primitive view on guns

    Another carnage, followed by a spate of condolences and condemnations. President of USA tweets he was sorry for the “terrible” shooting.  ‘My prayers and condolences to the families of the victims of the terrible Florida shooting. …. No child, teacher or anyone else should ever feel unsafe in an American school.’  Easier said, Mr. President.

    But, Mr. President, it is precisely what is happening. Have a look at the sheer number of shootings -18 school shootings in 45 days.  Florida massacre is one of the many tragedies in 2018. Wednesday’s attack in Broward County which killed 17 and wounded 14 was the deadliest school shooting since the 2012 rampage that killed 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut.

    Obviously, Americans are worried. They want safety of their children, not the condolences of POTUS or other lawmakers. They are rightly accusing their President of being soft on gun control. They see their President on the side of NRA, not on the side of the helpless people. And they understand well why a lawmaker will be on the side of NRA.

    People want sensible gun laws in line with the 2nd Amendment. They do not want to see anybody and everybody carrying a gun which they believe and, rightly so, will be a weapon of offense, at any given point of time. They wonder why congress is not even talking about stepping up to prevent attacks like this.

    More than the border wall and the security from illegally entering aliens, Americans need security from their own people who can easily lay their hands-on guns because the law permits them to have them, which they may use to mow down innocent people.

    How long will the lawmakers remain silent spectators to the butchery by gun wielding madmen? They were elected to protect, not to be instruments of torture and death. Wake up friends in the Congress and know what for you are there at the Capitol.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Florida School Shooting: 17 gunned down, 14 wounded

    Florida School Shooting: 17 gunned down, 14 wounded

    White Supremacy Group Claims Nikolas Cruz as Member

    Indrajit S Saluja

    PARKLAND, FLA (TIP): It was a horrific sight at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School here on February 14, the day of love, with 17 young students shot dead and another fourteen wounded, five with life-threatening injuries, according to hospital officials, in the worst shooting in a school in 2018. The shooting suspect-Nikolas Cruz- is said to be an expelled student of the school. Cruz used a semiautomatic AR-15 rifle which, according to officials, he had bought legally to snuff out precious lives of students from the school he had been to. A pall of gloom descended on Parkland which once was described as the most peaceful place with a small community.

    The authorities said the AR-15 rifle that Cruz used in the attack was purchased legally, at Sunrise Tactical Supply in Florida, according to a federal law enforcement official. “No laws were violated in the procurement of this weapon,” said Peter J. Forcelli, the special agent in charge for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Miami. In Florida, an AR-15 is easier to buy than a handgun.

    The 19-year-old former student Nikolas Cruz, set off a fire alarm to draw students out of classrooms shortly before the day ended. The suspect was taken into custody without incident about a mile away from the school. He was charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder Thursday, February 15. He appeared before a judge in Broward County via video conference, clad in an orange jumpsuit and shackled around his hands, feet and waist.

    After Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings in 2012 in which 20 first graders and six adults were killed, more than 400 people have been shot in over 200 school shootings. Since then, there have been at least 239 school shootings nationwide. In those incidents, 438 people were shot, 138 of whom were killed.

    The data used here is from the Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit that began tracking school shootings in 2014, about a year after Sandy Hook.

    A white nationalist group claims the suspected gunman as a member.

    According to The Associated Press, Jordan Jereb, the leader of Republic of Florida, said that his group wants Florida to become its own white ethno-state. He said his group holds “spontaneous random demonstrations” and tries not to participate in the modern world.

     Jereb also said Cruz had “trouble with a girl” and he believed the timing of the attack, carried out on Valentine’s Day, wasn’t a coincidence.

    The latest tragedy has made many demand stricter gun control laws. They are convinced that President Trump’s argument that a good man with gun can tackle a bad man with gun is not a solution to the problem. It remains to be seen how the movement to have some kind of gun control gets the support of lawmakers, many of whom depend heavily on National Rifle association (NRA) money.

    Here are some Republican politicians sorrowing the shootings, who took money from NRA.

    Marco Rubio: ‘Today is that terrible day you pray never comes’ – $3,303,355 reportedly accepted from NRA

    Cory Gardner: ‘I am heartbroken for the students… in this tragedy’ – $3,879,064

    Rob Portman: ‘Heartbreaking news out of Florida. Jane and I send our prayers’ – $3,061,941

    Bill Cassidy: ‘Praying for the students, teachers and first responders’ – $2,861,047

    Thom Tillis: ‘Tragic news out of Florida. Please keep the victims… in your thoughts and prayers’ – $4,418,012

    Ken Buck: ‘Praying today for the students and all those impacted’ – $800,544

    With lawmakers in the pocket of NRA, how do we expect a legislation which hurts NRA?

    Over to Americans and the lawmakers.

  • Indian American student injured during Florida High School shooting in US

    Indian American student injured during Florida High School shooting in US

    Florida (TIP) : 17 An Indian-American student has sustained injuries ,17 persons, including students , were killed at a Florida high school in the United States by a gun-toting former student, report says.

    Meanwhile, the perpetrator has been identified as Nicolas Cruz. He has been arrested and taken into custody. The incident took place at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

    US President Donald Trump has expressed condolences. It has been learnt that he spoke with the Florida Governor and was in touch with other top officials. Trump was tracking the tragic incident. First lady Melania Trump has also expressed grief over the incident. The mass shooting is reportedly 18th school shooting of the year and said to be one of the deadliest ones. The incident has once again raised the debate on the much-talked about gun control legislation in the US.

    Reports so far:

    • Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel has said, “Nicolas Cruz was the killer. He is in custody. We already began to dissect his websites and social media that he was on … some of the things that come to mind are very, very disturbing,”
    • 19-year-old Cruz is a former student of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Cruz got expelled from the school for disciplinary reasons, the Broward County Sheriff said. The suspect had countless magazines, he added.
    • Police said that apparently the former student was carrying one AR-15 rifle. However, they were trying ascertain whether he had other arms or not.
    • According to reports, of the 17 dead, 12 were inside the building, two were shot dead just outside the building, one was on a street outside the school, and two people lost their lives at a hospital. Israel, however, could not confirm the number of victim students.
    • It has been learnt that the school has quite a number of Indian American students. It is believed that at least one student from the community was injured in the incident, according to reports. The ninth grade student had sustained minor injures as he was hit by splinters. He was being treated at a hospital.
    • “This is a sad day for the country and the community. We all Indian Americans are praying for the victims,” Shekar Reddy, whose friend’s son was among those injured in the mass shooting, told PTI.
    • President Donald Trump in a tweet expressed condolences, “My prayers and condolences to the families of the victims of the terrible Florida shooting. No child, teacher or anyone else should ever feel unsafe in an American school.” He also said that he has spoken to Governor Rick Scott. “We are working closely with law enforcement on the terrible Florida school shooting,” Trump said.
    • First lady Melania Trump said, “My heart is heavy over the school shooting in Florida. Keeping all affected in my thoughts & prayers.”

    Developing Story……..

     

  • Indian Origin Man On Death Row For Drug Charges Wins Acquittal By Singapore’s Top Court

    Indian Origin Man On Death Row For Drug Charges Wins Acquittal By Singapore’s Top Court

    According to the judgement on February 12th , Gopu Jaya Raman successfully proved that he did not know that controlled drugs were hidden in the motorcycle he was riding.

    Singapore (TIP):An Indian origin Malaysian on death row in Singapore for possessing drugs has been acquitted by the country’ top court.

    According to the judgement on February 12th , Gopu Jaya Raman successfully proved that he did not know that controlled drugs were hidden in the motorcycle he was riding into Singapore.

    On March 24, 2014, Gopu was arrested after he entered Singapore through Woodlands Checkpoint on the north with three black bundles of diamorphine hidden in his motorcycle’s fender.

    Diamorphine, also known as Heroin, is an opioid most commonly used as a recreational drug for its euphoric effects.

    When immigration officers stopped him and found the drugs, he said he did not know the drugs were hidden in the motorcycle.

    Gopu also claimed the motorcycle was not his.

    Tay Yong Kwang, the sole dissenting judge in Monday’s judgement, noted that Gopu had trafficked drugs into Singapore on two other occasions before he was caught on March 24, 2014.

    He had been trying to repay a 4,000 Malaysian Ringgit loan.

    He was not convinced by Gopu’s reasons for entering Singapore or how he came to possess the motorcycle.

    He said Gopu’s admission to trafficking drugs into Singapore on the same motorcycle on two other occasions did not bolster his credibility.

    After the authorities found the drugs, they got Gopu’s help to try to nab others in the ring who might turn up to collect the drugs, the judgement stated. The operation, however, was called off when no one turned up.

    Authorities monitored his conversation with the man who had helped to get him the motorcycle.

    After listening to a number of exchanges, officers told Gopu to send a message, indicating that he had no knowledge of the drugs.

    In the judgement, Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon and Judge of Appeal Judith Prakash found that Gopu would have missed the drugs when he was checking for them, given the bundles’ “size and dark colour”.

     

     

  • Indian Origin Man Jailed For Threatening To Kill His Wife

    Indian Origin Man Jailed For Threatening To Kill His Wife

    Saying that Mr. Ramachandran was “totally incorrigible”, Community Court Judge Eddy Tham said it was really disturbing that the moment he came out from prison, he started terrorizing his family members.

    SINGAPORE (TIP):  An Indian origin man, who had threatened to kill his wife irrespective of the consequences, was  jailed on February 14th for over an year.

    Ramachandran Maniam, 48, will be spending more than one year and two months behind bars, after admitting to criminal intimidation by threatening to harm his estranged wife, reported The Straits Times.
    As he had committed the offence in breach of his remission order for an earlier conviction, he was sentenced today to an enhanced punishment of 372 days in jail on top of two months’ jail for criminal intimidation.

    Mr. Ramachandran was placed on the mandatory aftercare scheme from October 16-27 last year.

    He was housed at halfway house under the scheme for inmates released under the conditional remission system and deemed to be at higher risk of recidivism.

    The court heard that on October 19, Mr. Ramachandran went to look for his wife. He called out to his son, 21, in a garden near a public housing estate apartment block, and said he wanted to speak to his wife.

    When told that she was at work, he insisted on speaking to her and uttered, “I am going to beat your mother one good one and if I will go prison, I don’t mind”.

    In a separate incident on October 28, Mr Ramachandran was given time off to go out of the halfway house but had to return by 10pm. But he stayed away for more than 24 hours and returned only at 1.25am on October 30.

    Deputy Public Prosecutor Selene Yap said that by failing to remain indoors as required for an accumulative period of more than 24 hours, he had committed a serious breach of his mandatory aftercare conditions.

    Saying that Mr. Ramachandran was “totally incorrigible”, Community Court Judge Eddy Tham said it was really disturbing that the moment he came out from prison, he started terrorizing his family members.

    Mr. Ramachandran added that his divorce is ongoing and he wanted to spend time with his ailing 75-year-old father.

     

  • Indian Origin Man in UK Jailed for 18 years for Killing Ex- Wife

    Indian Origin Man in UK Jailed for 18 years for Killing Ex- Wife

    LONDON (TIp): An Indian origin man in UK on trial for killing his ex-wife and then stuffing her body into a suitcase was sentenced on Friday, February 2, to at least 18 years in jail for murder.

    Ashwin Daudia, 51, had denied the murder charge, claiming he lost his temper during an argument with Kiran Daudia at their home in Leicester last January and did not attack her deliberately. The prosecution, however, claimed that Mr Daudia, who followed the court proceedings through a Gujarati interpreter, had continued to lie about the circumstances surrounding the killing and had committed the murder after growing increasingly resentful of his ex-wife, who had joined a dating agency to meet other men.

    “I was angry, I lost control,” he told the Leicester Crown Court, adding that Kiran Daudia had initially assaulted him and to silence her, he put his hand over her mouth and then forcefully squeezed her neck.

    However, the jury did not accept his version of events and found him guilty of killing his 46-year-old ex-wife.

    He admitted in court that he had lied to his two sons, relatives and the police and told them that his ex-wife did not return home from a morning shift at the call center she worked at and hid her body in a suitcase to prevent his younger son from seeing it. The suitcase, along with the dead body, was discovered by the local police a day after the murder.

    The accused was caught on CCTV dragging his ex-wife’s body in a suitcase before dumping it in an alleyway.

    The couple, who had an arranged marriage in India in 1988, were divorced in 2014 but continued living separate lives under the same roof.

    The factory worker husband was to move out of the family home on January 16, 2017, when the attack occurred, the Leicester Mercury reported.

    The victim’s sister had bought the couple’s family home in Leicester to ensure that Ms Daudia could continue living there without her ex-husband after the divorce.

    Their two sons chose to “side” with their mother and had relatively little to do with their father.

    During the two-week murder trial which concluded on Friday, Ashwin Daudia claimed he lost his temper when his ex-wife shouted at him because he had not packed his bags or moved out. He claimed she swore at him and told him to go and die in India.

    He denied the prosecution’s suggestion that he had waited for his ex-wife to return home from work to deliberately kill her.

    “I didn’t do it deliberately, at that time my mind wasn’t working,” he told the court.

     

     

  • Indian American Woman & Son Found Shot Dead in Virginia Home

    Indian American Woman & Son Found Shot Dead in Virginia Home

    The police were notified by a caller on Wednesday, February 1st, that a co-worker who lives in the 25000 block of Tomey Court had not come to work this week.

    WASHINGTON (TIP):  An Indian American woman and her son have been found dead at their home in a Virginia suburb of Washington, local police said.

    The police have launched a manhunt to arrest the alleged killers who shot Mala Manwani, 65, and her son Rishi Manwani, 32.

    The police were notified by a caller on Wednesday, February 1, that a co-worker who lives in the 25000 block of Tomey Court had not come to work this week.

    “Deputies checked the residence and the adult in question and another adult were found deceased inside. Both appear to have died from gunshot wounds,” said the Loudoun County Sheriff Office.

    COMMENTS

    “The case does not appear to be a random act and there is no indication of any threat to the public,” police said.

    The mother and son were the only ones living at the location.

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Four students injured in classroom shooting at L.A. middle school; 12-year-old girl in custody

    Four students injured in classroom shooting at L.A. middle school; 12-year-old girl in custody

    Washington (TIP): Parents receive information on children and officials discuss the Salvador Castro Middle School shooting in which two students were injured by gunfire, one critically.

    A 12-year-old girl was in police custody Thursday after a shooting at Sal Castro Middle School injured four students.
    The gunfire erupted in a classroom at the school in the Westlake neighborhood shortly after the opening bell and caused numerous students to run from the area, according to Los Angeles police Officer Drake Madison.
    At least one student told a reporter they were in the classroom at the time of the shooting and said it was unintentional.
    “Someone decided to bring a gun, I guess someone was accidentally playing around with it,” said Benjamin, a 13-year-old 7th grader, whose guardian asked that his last name not be used. “They thought it was a fake gun.”
    When authorities responded around 8:55 a.m., they found a 15-year-old boy with a gunshot wound to the head and a 15-year-old girl shot in the wrist and three others with minor injuries.
    The boy, who was shot in the temple, was in stable condition Thursday afternoon, and was expected to fully recover, according to Dr. Carl Chudnofsky, of L.A. County-USC Medical Center. The girl, who was shot in the left wrist, was in fair condition.
    Three others — a 30-year-old woman, an 11-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl — also suffered minor injuries, including two from gunshots, health officials said.
    At a news conference outside the hospital on Thursday, Dr. Aaron Strumwasser said the 15-year-old boy was extremely lucky because the bullet wound failed to cause serious damage. “I think he will do fine,” Strumwasser said.
    The suspected shooter was taken into custody and a firearm was recovered, officials said. Helicopter news footage showed two officers leading a handcuffed girl with long hair, jeans and a sweatshirt to a waiting squad car. Robert Arcos, a deputy chief with the Los Angeles Police Department, said it was too early to determine a motive in the shooting.
    Investigators were still conducting interviews to determine whether the shooting was intentional or a “terrible accident,” he said.
    In a morning news conference, Los Angeles School Police Chief Steve Zipperman said he did not know how a young person got access to a gun and brought it to campus, but warned gun owners to keep their weapons secure and away from children.
    “Los Angeles has a law about the safe storage of weapons,” L.A. City Atty. Mike Feuer added. “Every responsible gun owner needs to take heed.”
    There was no longer any danger at the school, Zipperman said, but the campus remained on lockdown. School officials directed parents to an information center at Belmont Avenue and Beverly Boulevard, or asked them to call (213) 241-1000 for information.
    Students are to be dismissed on the school’s regular schedule, but parents can pick up their children earlier if they wish.
    Throughout the morning and early afternoon Thursday, scores of parents anxiously awaited word on their children.
    Tyresha McNair got to the school Thursday morning with her young niece. She had seen news of the shooting on TV and came to get her daughter, who is a student at the middle school.
    “I saw it on the news and I came here to get my baby,” she said.
    At the front gate of the school, McNair said she was directed to the back, which was blocked off. She said she had been texting her daughter, but hadn’t heard back.
    “Any other time my baby would respond and she’s not responding,” McNair said. “I just want my daughter. I want my daughter.”
    It was sometime after 9 a.m. when Rosario Hernandez, 41, got a phone call from her 16-year-son, Jimmy Romero, telling her a shooting had occurred at his brother’s school. Jimmy attends Belmont High School, which is across the street.
    Hernandez left work and sped to the school campus.
    She texted her 14-year-old son, Johnny Romero, whose number was listed under “Johnny baby,” and asked him if was OK.
    When he finally responded, he told her they were still on lockdown and said the shooting had happened inside a seventh-grade classroom.
    “She shot a girl and a boy,” he wrote.
    “OMG,” Hernandez responded. “But why mijo.”
    “I don’t know. Mom go home, I will tell you when we are not in lockdown.”
    Hernandez said there are problems at the school, including bullying and gangs. She sat waiting with worried parents at a baseball field. Nearby, Laura Gonzalez waited to get Information from police and school district officials.
    Read full story on www.theindianpanorama.news
  • Justice for Sreejith: Indian ends protest after 782 days

    Justice for Sreejith: Indian ends protest after 782 days

    THIRUVANANTHPURAM (TIP): A man from the south Indian state of Kerala has ended a 782-day protest after a federal agency began investigating his brother’s death.

    SR Sreejith alleges his brother was murdered by police who arrested him on the charge of stealing a mobile phone.

    His demand for an independent inquiry into his brother’s death picked up in recent months through the social media movement #JusticeforSreejith.

    He ended the protest after federal investigators recorded his statement.

    In the face of mounting public pressure, state lawmakers ordered an internal police investigation into his brother’s death. But Mr Sreejith refused, insisting that the case be transferred to India’s federal investigation agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

    Police had said Sreejeev, 26, committed suicide in custody after he was arrested, but his family says he was killed because he was in love with a woman who happened to be related to one of the police officers.

    He was arrested one day before she was scheduled to get married to someone else. He died in hospital the following day where he was admitted as a result of the “suicide attempt”.

    Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in an August report on India that suicide and illness are common causes listed by authorities to cover up deaths likely caused by police torture.

    In a country only too familiar with police brutality and custodial deaths – India’s National Crime Records Bureau says 591 people died in police custody between 2010 and 2015 – his protest generated particular resonance.

    In the past few weeks and months, pictures of him and his protest have been shared widely on Facebook and Twitter along with messages of solidarity, including from some very high profile figures in the state.

    (Source: BBC)

  • Indian Origin Techie Found Dead in Apartment in Dallas

    Indian Origin Techie Found Dead in Apartment in Dallas

    Venkannagari Krishna Chaitanya, who came to the US three years ago, was working on a project with a well-known multinational software company, according to reports. He was staying as a paying guest in Arlington.

    ARLINGTON, DALLAS (TIP): An Indian Origin software engineer from Telangana was found dead at his apartment in Dallas, on the weekend. Venkannagari Krishna Chaitanya, 30, did not come out of his room on Friday, January 26.  The next day, his landlord called the police, who broke into the room and found him dead on his bed.

    Chaitanya, who came to the US from Telangana’s Siddipet three years ago, was working on a project with a well-known multinational software company, according to reports. He was staying as a paying guest in Arlington.

    His family has been informed about his death; the police are yet to establish how he died. Chaitanya’s father, Srinivasulu, is a senior bank officer in India.

    The family met with Siddipet lawmaker T Harish Rao, who is a state minister, asking for help to bring the body back. The Telangana government has reportedly written to the Indian Consul General in Houston and also requested the central government to facilitate faster return of Chaitanya’s body.

     

  • Indian American NUMC surgeon tried to strangle nurse with elastic cord – Court documents

    Indian American NUMC surgeon tried to strangle nurse with elastic cord – Court documents

    EAST MEADOW, NY (TIP): A Nassau University Medical Center surgeon was charged with felony strangulation and assault Tuesday, January 23 after allegedly threatening the life of a nurse.

    According to a criminal complaint, Venkatesh Sasthakonar – a weight loss surgeon and the head of the bariatric surgery department at NUMC – was upset at a 51-year-old nurse for administering an injection into one of his patients at the wrong time.

    According to court documents, Sasthakonar then came up behind the nurse, took out an elastic cord from his sweatshirt and wrapped it around her neck. The complaint said this caused the nurse to gasp for air and caused substantial pain. It goes on to say that Sasthakonar said, “I could kill you for this.”

    Sasthakonar’s attorney Melvyn Roth says the whole situation was blown out of proportion and that the two had been friends for 10 years.

    “This shouldn’t be a criminal case. There was no intent to harm this nurse,” Roth told News 12.

    Roth says that his client did put the cord around the nurse’s neck but did so in joking manner.

    “It didn’t even touch the skin. That’s our version of events. He, in no way, meant to harm her. She was not hurt at all,” said Roth.

    NUMC says no patient was ever at risk at the time of the alleged incident.

    Sasthakonar has been suspended until further notice. He was released on bail on Tuesday, January 23.

    The nurse says she suffered pain in her neck because of the incident.

  • Indian Origin Woman Accused of Child Murder Faces Extradition to India

    Indian Origin Woman Accused of Child Murder Faces Extradition to India

    LONDON (TIP):  A London-based Indian origin woman faces extradition to India for her involvement in the murder of a 12-year-old orphan from Gujarat.

    Arti Dhir was arrested last year after an Interpol alert over the murder of the 12-year-old boy in February 2017.

    The 52-year-old appeared before Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London today for a hearing on her bail application, which remains pending as her family members put together nearly 50,000 pounds as security.

    “This should be sorted out in a week,” Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot told Dhir, who remains in custody until the security is deposited with the court.

    An investigation by the Gujarat police has claimed that Dhir and two other accused – Nitish Mund and Kanwaljit Raizada – had hatched a plot to adopt 12-year-old and then insure him for around Rs.1.3 crores before staging his kidnapping and murder in India to split the life insurance payout three ways.

    Dhir, who worked at Heathrow Airport, allegedly met Mund and Raizada while they were students in London and had plotted the murder by hiring contract killers since 2015.

    The 12-year-old and his brother-in-law, Harsukh Patel, were stabbed to death on a road outside Rajkot in February 2017.

    Interpol issued a “red notice” for Dhir in April last year and she was arrested by Scotland Yard in June 2017.

    Dhir’s extradition hearing is scheduled at Westminster Magistrates’ Court for April 30.

     

  • Murdered Indian techie’s widow gets US work visa

    Murdered Indian techie’s widow gets US work visa

    WASHINGTON (TIP): An Indian woman, who lost her residency rights in the US following the murder of her techie husband in a suspected hate crime, can stay in the country for now after an influential lawmaker helped her get a temporary work visa.

    Sunayana Dumala, whose 32-year-old husband Srinivas Kuchibhotla was killed at a Kansas bar in February, fell out of status because her permission to reside in the US was tied to Kuchibhotla through marriage, Congressman Kevin Yoder was quoted as saying by NBC News, September 14.

    “We’re not going to let this happen to Sunayana,” Yoder said on Twitter. Dumala managed to regain her residency status as she lost it after the killing of her husband.

    Kuchibhotla, an aviation system engineer and programs manager at GPS maker Garmin, was in the US on a temporary non-immigrant H-1B visa.

    “When Sunayana lost her status, to me it really added insult to injury,” Yoder said. He later helped her get a temporary work visa of her own.

    “It would have been a real tragedy, on top of the initial tragedy she suffered, to attend her husband’s funeral in India and then be locked out of the US because of it,” Yoder was quoted as saying.

    Dumala was part of a group of Indian immigrants who came to support the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act, according to Yoder, the Bill’s lead sponsor. The legislation seeks to eliminate the per-country cap for employment-based immigrants, allowing Green Cards to instead be given on a first-come, first-serve basis.

    (Source: PTI)

  • Indian American cab driver stabbed to death

    Indian American cab driver stabbed to death

    SPOKANE, IDAHO (TIP): On August 28 an Indian American cab driver in Idaho, Gagandeep Singh, 22, was stabbed to death by 19 years old passenger, Jacob Coleman who was arrested the next day on a first-degree murder charge. Singh was attacked by Jacob Coleman whom he picked up from Spokane International Airport.  According to reports, Coleman was upset over not getting admission into his choice of university. Singh, a final year student of software engineering, hailed from Jalandhar in Punjab.  He settled in Spokane, some 100 km from Bonner County, in Washington State in 2003 with his family.

    According to Bonner County, Coleman flew from Seattle to Spokane on Monday to apparently begin a new semester at Gonzaga. When he reached the school, he contacted members of the Housing and Residence Life Office, who told him that he was not enrolled and had to leave. He became angry and began to have homicidal thoughts. As his anger festered, he hailed Singh’s cab from the Spokane Airport and asked to be driven to a fictitious friend’s home in eastern Bonner County.

    Once reaching Bonner County, Coleman asked the Gagandeep Singh, of Spokane Valley, Wash., to stop at a Kootenai store, where he purchased a knife. Singh was directed to keep driving and look for the friend. When it became apparent Coleman had no particular destination, the sheriff’s office said Singh stopped the cab and was stabbed by Coleman.

    “Gonzaga University has no record of an application for admission from Jacob Coleman of Puyallup, WA. An individual matching his description was reported to have approached housing officials on campus Monday. As Mr. Coleman was not enrolled as a student, he was never assigned to campus housing and was informed of this fact by the Housing and Residence Life Office,” spokeswoman Mary Joan Hahn said in a statement. “We continue to gather information and work with law enforcement to support their investigation. Our hearts go out to the victim of this tragic crime and his family.”

    Coleman surrendered without incident and told officials he was upset as he didn’t get admission to Spokane-based Gonzaga University where he wanted to study. He has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder.