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Goa’s Heartbeat: Splitsville for Arshad, Maria? Pg 14
Justice consists not in being neutral between right and wrong, but in finding out the right and upholding it, wherever found, against the wrong. -- Theodore
Roosevelt.
IN BRIEF Monsoon in Kerala Southwest monsoon, critical for the farm-based economy of the country, is expected to reach Kerala on May 30, two days before its normal onset date in the coastal state. “The south-west monsoon is likely to arrive over Kerala on May 30 according to the forecast of India Meteorological Department (IMD),” Earth Sciences Minister Prithviraj Chavan told reporters here this evening. The much awaited seasonal rains are expected to bring showers to the Andaman Sea by May 20. (PTI)
Khushboo joins DMK Fresh from a legal victory in the four-year-long pre-marital sex case, popular South Indian actress Khushboo today took a plunge into politics by joining the DMK, with her entry seen as a prize catch for the ruling party just a year ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. The 39- year-old actress enrolled herself as a primary member in the presence of Chief Minister and DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi at the party headquarters. (PTI)
The Voice of Goa — Since 1900 panjim, saturDaY, maY 15, 2010
Business: Gold too hot for Pg 13 Indian buyers
Cop with alleged drug mafia links surrenders HERALD CORRESPONDENT MAPUSA, MAY 14
After evading the Crime Branch for almost two months, suspended police constable Sanjay Parab on Friday surrendered before NDPS Judge Bimba Thaly. The accused constable wanted in connection with the alleged police-drug mafia nexus case was accompanied by his lawyer when he surrendered before the NDPS Court. The Crime Branch team led by Deputy Superintendent of Police Chandrakant Salgaonkar, who was informed about the proposed surrender, was present at. the court to take the accused into custody. However, with Parab refusing to accompany the police team, Salgaonkar filed an application before the court seeking police custody of the accused. After the court remanded the accused cop to seven days police custody, the accused was taken into custody by the Crime Branch team. With the arrest of Parab, the
3 Pakistanis held in US for bombing bid PTI NEW YORK, MAY 14
Three Pakistani men, who allegedly supplied funds to Times Square bombing suspect Faisal Shahzad, were arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in a slew of raids across Asian-dominated suburbs, United States authorities said, amid reports that another person linked to the botched plot had been held in Pakistan. Two of the three Pakistanis were arrested in Boston suburbs yesterday while the other one in Maine, nearly two weeks after 30-year-old Pakistani-American Shahzad attempted to blow up a Nissan Pathfinder packed with explosives in the crowded Times Square. In coordinated raids, FBI teams centred on New York’s Asian-dominated suburbs of Long Island, Boston suburbs and New Jersey, authorities said and claimed that the three arrested men had supplied funds to Shahzad. US Attorney General Eric Holder later said that these arrests were part of an ongoing investigation.
total number of policemen arrested in the case has gone up to seven. Those arrested include a police inspector, a police subinspector and five police constables. It may be recalled that Parab had approached the Sessions Court and High Court for anticipatory bail, but both the courts had rejected his plea. A nonbailable warrant was also issued against the accused. Public Prosecutor Shiral Monteiro represented the State while pleading for Parab’s police custody. PANJIM REPORTER ADDS: Police public relations officer and Superintendent of Police Atmaram Deshpande on Friday said the arrest of constable Sanjay Parab will give them more leads indicating that more names of men in khaki will stumble out for having links to the narcotics mafia. Sanjay Parab was the seventh person arrested in the case after Swedish model Lucky Farmhouse uploaded some startling videos of her former boyfriend, Israeli
drug dealer Yaniv Benaim alias Atala making disclosures of his links with police and politician. While Atala and the seven policemen are inside, Lucky has claimed she has a video footage of a leading politician’s son dealing with drug peddlers in the State’s coastal belt. However, the Crime Branch mentioned it has no such statement from any person commenting on the involvement of politician in drugs crime. Salgaonkar said currently the police were not investigating the politician angle. On further questioning Salgaonkar said first let Lucky give a statement and let the politician nexus come on record and in black and white then we will investigate in that direction. Leader of opposition Manohar Parrikar had demanded the arrest of Salgaonkar for allegedly trying to sabotage the probe in order to save a leading politician and asked the State government to hand over the case to the CBI.
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Sports: Dhoni to remain as T20 captain -- BCCI Pg 18
SIT probing Modi’s role in 2002 riots submits report PTI NEW DELHI, MAY 14
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged role of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in post-Godhra killing of ex-Congress member of parliament Ehasan Jafri today submitted its report to the SC. The SIT chief and former Central Bureau of Investigation Director R K Raghavan submitted the report in a sealed cover to the SC registry as directed by the apex court in its May 6 order. The SIT had earlier sought time for submitting the report as it wanted to question Vishwa Hindu Parishad International President Praveen Togadia who was last week questioned by the SIT which had earlier questioned Modi and several other persons named in the complaint lodged by the slain MP’s wife Zakia. The apex court had on April 27, 2009, asked the SIT to look into the complaint of Zakia about the alleged role of Modi and others in Gulbarg Housing Society killing in which the for-
PTI HYDERABAD, MAY 14
A police constable at a picket in the sensitive Old City area here was shot dead by motorcycle-borne assailants in broad daylight and police was probing whether any terror operative carried out the attack. U Ramesh (26) of Andhra Pradesh Special Police Battalion-XI died on the spot as one of the assailants opened at least two rounds of fire. The incident occurred near Shali-Ali Banda area under the Hussaini-Alam police station limits in the Old City area. The assailants, suspected to be led by fugitive Viqaruddin alias Viqar Ahmed, reportedly wore masks and came on a motorbike, carried out the attack and made good their escape even as the local people were caught totally dumbfounded, police sources said.
NGZP to cancel 86 tender notices HERALD REPORTER PANJIM, MAY 14
In its third general meeting on Friday the North Goa Zilla Panchayat (NGZP) decided to cancel 86 works for which tender notices were issued by the last NGZP. Members of the current body took the decision to cancel the
tender notices of 86 works as they felt that tender notices issued did not reflect works for all 30 constituencies. During the meeting, the accounts officer also informed that there were no funds to execute 86 works for which work orders have not been issued yet. The second major decision
taken at the meeting was that it proposed to increase allocation of funds to each constituency. For any given financial year a NGZP member can undertake works upto Rs 20 lakhs but they have proposed to up the limit to Rs 50 lakhs. It was also decided to audit
Bid to cheat mobile shop owner foiled, Mumbai conman held HERALD REPORTER MARGAO, MAY 14
Beware Goans, cheats from neighbouring States are on the prowl in the State, to make a quick buck. This conman from ThanaMumbai, who tried to cheat a mobile shop owner, with a duplicate credit card is now cooling his heels in the Margao police lock-up. The incident occurred this morning when accused Suresh Chawan walked into a Nokia mobile outlet right in the heart of the city and decided to purchase four cell phones all worth around Rs 80,000.
The conman being taken by a policeman. Photo by Santosh Mirajkar
What raised eyebrows amongst the employees was that instead of making cash payments, the accused handed a credit card to clear the bill. Suspecting hanky panky, an alert employee did not swipe the
credit card and instead intimated his employer, who immediately contacted the manager of a nationalized bank to verify the authenticity of the credit card, only to be told it was a duplicate one. The accused tried to make good his escape, but the owner Syed Amjad caught him after a hot chase near hotel Tato. Initially, the accused gave his address as Belgaum, but upon being apprehended by the shop owner, he said he hails from Thana-Mumbai. That’s not all. The accused spilled the beans in front of (Continued on page 10)
Tottewada’s mangrove trees gone? CM’s eco-sensitive promise comes a cropper By Franky Gracias PANJIM, MAY 14
Chief Minister Digambar Kamat’s verbal assurances to the Goa Bachao Abhiyan of not allowing cutting of mangroves in ecosensitive zones has come a cropper as a 500-metre stretch touching the banks of river Mandovi at Tottewada, Naroa in Bicholim have been felled for a commercial project while the authorities concerned have turned a Nelson’s eye to the wanton destruction. Journalists who visited the spot on Friday walked the stretch and got to see for themselves the felling of a huge number of mangrove trees in the eco-fragile area and also witnessed alleged illegal hill-cutting for a road that will facilitate the commercial project. Inquiries with some of the villagers revealed one Captain Mehta of Panjim-based Sea Scan Marine Services had cleared the
mer MP was burnt alive along with several others during the post Godhra 2002 communal riots in Gujarat. Modi was earlier grilled by the apex court-appointed Special Investigation Team on his alleged role in the 2002 killing of Jafri as the deceased, according to the complaint, had made frantic calls for help to police and the chief minister. The Gujarat government had in a subsequent affidavit in the apex court questioned the SIT’s power to summon Modi for interrogation.
Gunmen kill constable on duty in Hyderabad
Mangrove trees which were felled to make way for the commercial project.
pristine mangroves on May 2, 2010, in order to construct a dry dock and a farm house. The villagers revealed Mehta had visited the villagers’ houses promising employment to locals once the dry dock was built. Villager Sandip Naik who claimed he lost around 1,800 square metres of his property
to the hill-cutting said the activity for building the approach road more than a kilometre long has been going on in a portion which is a reserved forest since last year. “When I approached Captain Mehta and brought to his notice the encroachment and destruction of jackfruit and cashew
trees in my property I was told that the activity was legal and he could do what he wants,” Naik maintained. Captain Mehta has also anchored seven tourist boats on the banks of the river where a miniature ramshackle jetty has been made of bamboo stands. When press persons accompanied by social activists approached the Naroa Village Panchayat, the Sarpanch, Laxman Malvankar, said no permissions were issued for any of the activity carried out by Mehta but also admitted there was no written complaint made by him for legal action. Malvankar expressed helplessness to many of the ills going on in the village. “I went to the Bicholim block development officer after learning of the mang ro v e c u t t i n g b u t g o t n o cooperation from him,” he observed. The panchayat secretary (Continued on page 10)
accounts of the last five years as no auditing was done. It was further proposed to procure more staff for the NGZP and also purchase a new vehicle and clear 22 bills amounting to Rs 5 lakhs. Members have been instructed to submit their works so that new tenders notices could be issued.
That BJP leader didn’t expect to be in a dilemma for his statement “Mulayam & Lalu are licking dogs”.