Crime file: Man tries to eat another's heart over chess dispute; call center staff accuses owner, manager of rape, and more
Italian cuts open Irish man's chest, tries to eat his heart over chess dispute
London: In a gruesome incident, an Italian man allegedly cut open his Irish landlord's chest and tried to eat his heart after a fight over a chess match.
The mutilated body of Tom O'Gorman, a 39-year-old policy researcher for a Catholic thinktank, was found at his home in the Castleknock suburb north of Dublin early on Sunday.
Police have said Saverio Bellante, 34, admitted his guilt while under caution after he was arrested, the Independent reported.
They said Bellante had been the one to call police to report the incident, and that he claimed to officers that he had beaten O'Gorman, cut open his chest and tried to eat his heart after an argument over a move in a chess match between the pair.
A post mortem examination on the victim established that he had suffered 'dozens' of knife wounds to his head and chest, and that while a section of lung was missing the man's heart remained intact.
Bellante, from Palermo, Italy, appeared at a Dublin court today but offered no plea. He was without lawyers and told the judge he wanted to represent himself, adding that he would reject state-funded legal aid.
Detective Patrick Traynor testified in court on Monday that, when charged with murder in police custody earlier, Bellante replied: "I am guilty".
He will now be held without bail in Dublin's Cloverhill Prison, and Judge David McHugh ordered he receive a psychiatric evaluation ahead of his next court appearance on Friday. Bellante had worked in Dublin for the past two years at a pharmaceutical company, and rented a room from O'Gorman after the Irishman's mother passed away in 2012.
O'Gorman was a regular contributor to the Iona Institute, a conservative Catholic group which lobbies against same-sex marriage and abortion rights.
Next: Noida call center employee accuses owner, manager of rape
Noida call center employee accuses owner, manager of rape
Noida: A call center employee here has alleged her company owner and his associate of raping her after administering sedatives, police said on Monday.
On a district court order, the Noida Police has lodged a case of rape against one call center owner Shailendra Chauhan and his company manager Jagjivan. The woman was known to Chauhan, as they earlier worked at the same organization in Ghaziabad district.
Chauhan left the earlier company to start his own call center at Noida Sector-66 and invited the woman to work for him in May last. According to the complainant, in July 2013, Chauhan allegedly gave her a cold drink laced with sedatives and raped her when she fell unconscious. She further alleged that Jagjivan too raped her.
The woman did not report the incident earlier fearing to lose her job, police said.
She claimed that Chauhan had called her promising to marry her but refused to do so after a few days, they said.
The woman, however, alleged that when she went to lodge a FIR against Chauhan and his manager, the police refused to do so after which she moved the district court to lodge a FIR. On court orders a FIR has been lodged and matter is being probed, police said.
Next: Notorious AP gang that raped 19 held
Notorious AP gang that raped 19 held
Tirupati: Members of a notorious gang of rapists and thieves wanted in 19 registered cases across Chittoor district, and for several other unreported crimes, were caught by the Chittoor police on Sunday.
According to Chittoor additional SP Annapoorna Reddy, Velayan alias Manigandan, 27, Murugan alias Kasi, 29, Raghavan alias Venkatesh, 30, Govindasamy alias Krishna, and Bommi from Tamil Nadu and Ramireddy, Sake Rajender, Prathap and Vijay Kumar from Chittoor were nabbed by a special team constituted to investigate the spurt in crime in remote areas.
Chittoor police constituted a team of 150 men to nab the gang that was wanted for rapes and robberies in the remote areas of the district.
The modus operandi of the nine-member gang was to go after couples in secluded spots, rob them of their belongings, rape the girls and record the ghastly act. They threatened to make the recording public if the victims made a complaint.
There were 19 such incidents reported to the police across the district, but the gang members have reportedly confessed their involvement in an unimaginable 50 such cases. A majority of the crimes thus went unreported.
The additional SP said that the gang has also confessed to committing four murders, including the murer of Palamaner police constable and home guard. They had also killed two of their accomplices after differences cropped up.
Next: Man arrested for attacking daughter with stone for her determination to study
Man arrested for attacking daughter with stone for her determination to study
Betul (MP): Father of the 11-year-old girl from Maramjhiri village here, has been arrested for allegedly hitting her face and head with a stone for her determination to continue her education, police said on Monday.
The accused, Dinesh Uikey, was arrested last night, police said adding the man had first hit her face with a burning wood about a month back, which had left permanent scar on her face as she was determined to pursue her studies.
On January 10, he again assaulted her on her head with a stone over the same issue, they added. Uikey was arrested after a case was registered under sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means) of IPC against him on the basis of his daughter's statement, police said.
Meanwhile, after learning about the girl's condition her mother Chandrakala Bai and another relative reached the hospital. A number of social workers provided clothes, fruits and food to her. In a related development, Betul's Kotwali Police Station In-charge, Madan Mohan Choudhary announced to adopt the girl and took the responsibility of her further education.
The minor girl, a student of class V at a government school at Maramjhiri, had been admitted to Betul district hospital, where she is undergoing treatment for her injuries and is reported to be out of danger. Earlier, the distraught girl told reporters that her father was against her attending school and used to ill-treat her for continuing with her studies instead of selling wood.
She also alleged that many a time her father did not even give her food for the entire day.
Next: AP police arrest 23 gamblers to curb cockfight betting
AP police arrest 23 gamblers to curb cockfight betting
Machilipatnam (AP): In its effort to curb the betting on cockfights, the Andhra Pradesh police has arrested 23 people and recovered Rs 4.30 lakh from them, a senior police official said.
The Krishna district police has also formed special team to detect cockfights, on which gambling bets worth lakhs of rupees are placed, and is conducting intensive searches at all entry points.
Krishna district Superintendent of Police J Prabhakara Rao said that the police arrested 23 people at Kaikaluru check post and seized Rs 4.30 lakh from them, after conducting intensive searches at all entry points and deploying seven special teams to detect cockfights.
The police suspected that they were going to participate in cockfight gambling. Also 19 cocks, which were being taken to the arenas for blood gambling, have been seized from them, he said. Warning gamblers of stern action, Rao said that raids would be conducted wherever cockfights are organised.
Next: Unemployed man attempts suicide near Karnataka CM’s house
Unemployed man attempts suicide near Karnataka CM’s house
Bangalore: High drama prevailed outside Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s residence, Cauvery, on Sunday afternoon after a 23-year-old unemployed man attempted suicide by consuming sleeping pills.
The victim, identified as Basavaraju, reportedly hails from Molakalmuru in Chitradurga district. Police said Basavaraju came to the city four days ago and met the Chief Minister during the ‘Janata darshan’ on Tuesday, seeking monetary help for his health complications, which have not yet been disclosed.
However, he was asked to bring medical documents, bills, and proof pertaining to his supposed illness, before he could be provided any financial help. Around midday on Sunday, Basavaraju reportedly first went to Krishna — the chief minister’s residence — to seek an appointment with the CM, but guards turned him away as Siddaramaiah was reportedly not at home.
Read more: 2 girls held down Florida teenager as she was raped
The victim then walked toward the CM’s other residence, Cauvery, where he was not allowed past the barricades put up on the road. Frustrated about this, Basavaraju reportedly sat down on the footpath near the barricades around 2pm and consumed 20 sleeping tablets.
He also called up some media outlets and informed them of what he had done. Meanwhile, a few traffic policemen, who noticed Basavaraju unconscious on the footpath, informed the High Grounds police.
The victim was shifted to Mallige nursing home to get his stomach pumped. The doctors said that they have put him under observation for 24 hours and only after that they will be able to tell whether his condition is stable or not.
A letter that the victim had written was also found in his pocket. In it, Basavaraju claimed that he had been suffering from an illness since childhood. He claimed that his family had spent a few lakhs on treatment and had been unable to repay the loans they had taken.
The letter, dated December 12, 2013, was not addressed to anyone in particular. Following the incident, the police got in touch with the victim’s brother, Mallikarjun, who reportedly left for the city immediately.
The High Grounds police have registered a case and are conducting a thorough investigation. “Even the doctors have not been able to come to a conclusion regarding the victim’s illness.
They have kept him under observation for another day, after which we will question him. There are certain security protocols that guards at the chief minister’s residence are expected to follow.
They cannot just let somebody inside to meet him. When we questioned the guards, they said none of them had seen Basavaraju taking the pills,” said a senior police officer.
Next: Woman dies at witchcraft ritual in Madurai, 2 held
Woman dies at witchcraft ritual in Madurai, 2 held
Chennai: A 31-year-old woman was allegedly killed during witchcraft rituals at a temple at Madurai on Sunday, the police said.
Madurai superintendent of police V. Balakrishnan said a 39-year-old casual workers, Agni, and his friend Alagar, have been taken into custody following a report that they indulged in a gruesome ritual claiming to exorcise the demon possessing the woman, Kalaivani, 31.
They beat up the woman claiming that they were exorcising her of an evil spirit. The woman died, he said.
The woman had earlier been diagnosed by a medical doctor as suffering from anemia and prescribed medicins but instead of getting her the proper treatment, the two men resorted to the ‘exorcising’ ritual, the SP said in a phone interview.
Assistant SP V. Sasi Mohan said preliminary investigation showed that the victim had an affair with Agni for sometime.
Her husband had gone to Malaysia for work and she had a 15-year-old son living with her. The boy’s head was tonsured during the exorcism ritual and he was beaten up when he pleaded with Agni not to hurt his mother under the pretext of driving the demon out of her, the ASP said.
He said the woman died on Sunday and her body was sent for post-mortem. A case of suspicious death has been registered. The two men have been arrested under sections 342 (wrongful confinement), 307 (attempt to murder) and 174 (suspicious death). They have been remanded to custody.
The tonsured boy has been left in the care of Kalaivani’s mother Pandiammal. Depending on the post-mortem report, the charges against the two arrested men could be changed to include murder, the police said.
“It is so sad that even in this modern era, when the TV and Internet have permeated to the remote rural areas, we still get such barbaric incidents inspired by superstition,” said SP Balakrishnan.
Next: Hospital owner, 6 doctors booked for 'wrong' medical report
Hospital owner, 6 doctors booked for 'wrong' medical report
Gurgaon: An owner of a prominent hospital here and six doctors have been booked for cheating, causing grievous hurt to a four-year-old girl and other charges following a court order after her parents complained that it had given a wrong test report of the child.
Siddharth Punia, a DLF resident, said he approached the court as the 'wrong' medical report of their daughter Rutvi indicating that she was suffering from some serious disease had caused the family immense trauma and also alleged harassment by doctors.
Sushant Lok Police Station lodged an FIR against Malvinder Mohan Singh, the head of the Fortis hospital in Sector 44 on Delhi's outskirts, and doctors Sanjeev K Choudhary, Neeraj Parkash, Ritu Chadha, Nandini Vasdev, Vineet Pant and Abhinav Singhal. They have been charged under Sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating), 465 (forgery), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating) and 328 (causing hurt by means of poison, etc. with intent to commit an offence) of IPC.
They have also been booked under sections 336 (act endangering life or personal safety of others), 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC.
Recalling his ordeal, Punia said his daughter had complained of joint pain in November last year and he took her to a a senior consultant and HOD Orthopaedics at the Fortis Hospital who referred them to a Paediatric Rheumatologist at Sir Gangaram Hospital, Delhi for expert opinion as there was no clinical finding of any abnormality in their child.
The doctor there found the child normal after clinical examination and suggested to get complete hemogram blood count, LDH, Uric Acid, ESR & CRP tests conducted and that if the the tests are found abnormal the child's bone scan be conducted.
He said the tests were conducted at Fortis SRL Lab, Gurgaon on December 4, and they were shocked to find high Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH) count in the report which signified that the child could be suffering from some lethal disease like hemolysis, cancer or even HIV.
However, further tests confirmed that the report was wrong and they were made to consult a number of doctors. Punia said they went through severe mental tension during the period and alleged that doctors at Fortis harassed them and did no help them to get the correct report.
He approached the court and the court directed the police to lodge the FIR. A hospital spokesperson said that they would respond only after studying the court order.
Next: Rs 50 lakh worth red sanders seized
Rs 50 lakh worth red sanders seized
According to Tirupati west DSP S.K. Babu, Chandragiri police who sounded an alert on the movement of smugglers near Bhakarapet forest range had chased the smugglers on Sunday.
The police conducted searches around the reserve forest area near Kalyani dam and noticed a lorry and maxi cab laden with red sanders logs and chased the vehicles.
The smugglers tried to escape with the timber worth a fortune and tried to hit the police vehicles coming in the opposite direction. However, the cops evaded the bid and chased both the vehicles. Red sanders weighing one ton, a lorry and a mini cab was seized by the police.
According to Mr S.K. Babu, six smugglers — Tilak, Venkatesh, Hari Prasad, Syed Masood, Nagaraju, Prabhakar — hailing from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Chittoor district were arrested while two others, Madan Mohan and Santosh, managed to escape.
The Chandragiri police have registered a case and shifted the logs and the vehicles to the station. Chandragiri CI Nagabhu-shanam and ID Party police led the arrests on Sunday.
Next: 150 kg ganja seized, 2 tribal youths held
150 kg ganja seized, 2 tribal youths held
Warangal: The Warangal urban police seized 150 kg premium ‘Sheelavati’ variety ganja during routine vehicle checking near Warangal underbridge area in the city on Sunday morning.
Known to fetch huge sum in the open market, the Sheelavati variety dry ganja was being smuggled by two tribal youths in a white Swift Dzire car bearing registration number AP 36 AU 0552.
In order to avoid trouble by police, the duo concealed the contraband inside the brand new car’s storage compartment in eight gunny bags meant for packing fertilisers.
Police sources said that the dry ganja, which could be further processed, originated from Anakapalle in Andhra and was meant for delivery in Warangal.
While crediting Intezarganj police team for their swift action, Warangal DSP H. Himavati, who produced the duo before the media, said they have informed their counterparts in the Narcotics department for further action. “We are investigating the entire chain in the case,” the Warangal DSP added.
Next: Elderly man charred to death while sleeping
Elderly man charred to death while sleeping
Jaipur: An elderly man was charred to death while sleeping when his quilt caught fire in the wee hours on Monday, police said.
Madan, in his early seventies, was sleeping under a flex canvas along the road side near Apex circle last night when his quilt caught fire from wood logs he had lit at around 3 AM today, SHO Malvia Nagar Manoj Sharma said. His son, who stays in a rented accommodation nearby, informed the police about the incident, he said.
"Empty bottles of liquor were recovered from the place where the deceased was residing. The body was shifted to SMS hospital mortuary for post mortem," Sharma said.
Next: RS 15 lakh stolen from MLA Koliwad’s home
RS 15 lakh stolen from MLA Koliwad’s home
DC/Praveen Kumar
Bangalore: It’s a double whammy for senior legislator Krishnappa Bhimappa Koliwad representing the Ranebennur assembly constituency in Haveri district.
The MLA, besides being upset that he was not included in the Siddaramaiah cabinet, was also relieved of '15 lakh in cash that was stolen from his home in Bengaluru, located on 1st main, MLA Layout near R.T. Nagar. The cash was reportedly kept inside a suitcase, which was stored away safely in an almirah.
The senior legislator has brought the issue to the notice of the Home Department, which has instructed the top police brass to personally supervise the case and arrest the accused.
Mrs Prabavathi, the MLA’s wife, reportedly counted the money herself on November 28 last year and had kept the cash inside a suitcase before placing it in an almirah in their bedroom.
Nearly 20 days later, the family could not find the key to the almirah, despite searching the entire house for it. The family suspects a few mechanics who were at the MLA’s house in the last week of December to supervise their old washing machine.
While they were checking the machine, the legislator’s domestic help, Satish found a plastic bag. Upon checking the contents of the plastic bag, Satish found the almirah’s keys which were assumed to be lost, and also found Mrs Prabavathi’s lost ATM card, a police officer said.
Satish later handed the keys and the ATM card to the MLA’s wife. Mrs Prabavathi, who, suspecting foul play, decided to go to the bank with the ATM card to see if there had been any transactions from the account linked to the card. When she opened the almirah take her bank passbook, she was in for a shock when she realised the suitcase containing the cash was missing, said the officer.
Mrs Prabavathi and the maid searched the entire house for the suitcase and finally found it inside the store room on the terrace. But when they opened it, the cash was missing, the officer said.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the house maids, Satish and Manjula were aware of the cash kept in the almirah. “We were told that another woman by name Lakshmi also works in the MLA’s house. These three are being questioned,” the officer said.
Next: Newly wed man commits suicide
Newly wed man commits suicide
Bangalore: Depressed that his wife, who had gone to her parents’ home, was refusing to return to him, a 24-year-old newly-married man hanged himself at his house in Madiwala police limits on Saturday night. The deceased, Manjunath, was a resident of Devarachikkanahalli.
The police said Manjunath, who was working in a private company, married his long-time girlfriend recently. The couple was in love for almost three years and got married three months ago.
The neighbours told the police that couple were happy. Recently, the wife went to her hometown to attend her sister’s wedding. But even after the function, she refused to return home despite Manjunath’s repeated pleas.
Upset over his wife's denial, he hanged himself, the police said. No death note was found.
The Madiwala police have registered a case of unnatural death.
