Actor Chrisann Pereira, held in Sharjah in drugs case, returns to Mumbai after release
Mumbai (PTI): Actor Chrisann Pereira, who was released by Sharjah authorities after being implicated in a drugs case, has returned to Mumbai, an official said on Thursday.
She will meet Mumbai Police Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar and other senior police officials later in the day, he said.
Pereira (27), who acted in Mahesh Bhatt-directed Bollywood movie "Sadak 2", was apprehended at the Sharjah airport on April 1 after drugs were found inside a memento which some persons had asked her to hand over to someone in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
She spent nearly a month in a prison in Sharjah.
During the probe into the case, it came to light she was framed by some persons, later arrested by the Mumbai crime branch, the official said.
The authorities in Sharjah had released her after the probe into the case, but she could not return here immediately due to some legal formalities.
After completion of the legal formalities, authorities in the UAE allowed the actor to leave for India.
Accordingly, the actor has returned to Mumbai, the official said.
After Pereira's arrest in the UAE, two of the accused, Anthony Paul and his friend Rajesh alias Ravi Bobhate, allegedly demanded Rs 80 lakh from her mother to arrange for her release.
The actor was released after the Mumbai Police sent case-related documents to authorities in the UAE.
The Mumbai Police in June filed a chargesheet against Paul, Bobhate and another person for allegedly framing Pereira in the drugs case.
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Manipur ethnic violence claimed 258 lives since May last year: Security Advisor
Imphal, Nov 22: The ethnic violence between Meitei and Kuki communities in Manipur has claimed 258 lives since May last year, the state government's Security Advisor Kuldiep Singh said on Friday.
He said that the state would get around 90 companies of the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF), over and above the 198 companies that are already in Manipur.
"The total number of deaths is 258 including militants," Singh while addressing a press conference after holding a security review meeting here.
The security advisor said that 32 people were arrested in connection with vandalism and torching of properties of ministers and MLAs while around 3,000 looted weapons have been recovered.
"We are getting approximately 90 companies of CAPF, over and above the 198 companies which were earlier sent to the state. A sizeable number of them have already reached Imphal. We are distributing forces to protect the lives and properties of the citizens and vulnerable points," Singh said.
The authorities would set up coordination cells and joint control rooms in each district, he said after the meeting which was attended by representatives of the Army, BSF, CRPF, Assam Rifles, SSB, ITBP and the Manipur Police.
"A number of SOPs (standard operating procedure) have been prepared for deployment of forces for coordination, for functioning, for fringe area security, for national highways security, and for any other important points which have to be taken care of," Singh said.
Chief Minister N Biren Singh would be briefed about the outcome of the meeting as is done in all similar cases, he said.
He said that nine bodies, including those of the victims including those of the six abducted and killed in Jiribam, were buried peacefully under tight security.
The bodies include three women and three children, who were allegedly abducted from a relief camp on November 11 by Kuki-Zo militants from Jiribam's Borobekra area when a group of Kuki youths were engaged in an encounter with CRPF in which 10 of them were killed.
"The CRPF post was attacked during which 10 militants were neutralised. Soon after that, it came to light that three women and three children were abducted," Singh said.
It will be found out whether the abduction happened in presence of the security forces, he said.
No information is available if the militants involved in the abduction belonged to Suspension of Operations (SoO) groups but it will be checked, Singh said adding that NIA is looking into the cases.
The SoO pact was signed by the Centre, the Manipur government and two conglomerates of Kuki militant outfits – Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and United People’s Front (UPF). The pact was signed in 2008 and extended periodically thereafter.
The violence between Imphal Valley-based Meiteis and adjoining hills-based Kuki-Zo groups, besides inflicting heavy casualties, rendered thousands of people homeless since May last year.
It started after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals -- Nagas and Kukis -- constitute little over 40 per cent and reside in the hill districts.
