Indian man convicted in Dubai for hacking 15 client websites
Dubai: A 33-year-old Indian IT programmer has been sentenced to three months in prison followed by deportation for hacking 15 client websites after his employer deducted USD 1,080 from his salary, according to a media report.
The Dubai Court of First Instance on Monday charged the man with hacking websites and issuing threats, Gulf News reported.
The man, who was not identified, was also handed a three-month suspended jail term and will be deported immediately, the report said.
According to official records, the defendant, who worked as a computer programmer with the media company, resigned and threatened to hack its client websites after 4,000 dirhams (USD 1,080) was deducted from his salary.
"He sent WhatsApp messages to another programmer at the company saying that he will hack the websites if the company did not repay him the 4,000 dirhams deducted from his salary.
"He was informed that the deduction would be made if he resigned before the end of the probation period," said the company owner.
After investigation, the police said that the data found on the defendant's personal laptop confirmed that he had accessed the websites.
The defendant denied the charges.
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Delhi HC reserves order on NewsClick HR head's bail plea in UAPA case
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi High Court on Friday reserved its order on a bail plea of NewsClick's human resources department chief Amit Chakravarty in a case lodged against the news portal under anti-terror law UAPA over charges that it received money to spread pro-China propaganda.
Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma reserved the order after Chakravarty's counsel submitted that the chargesheet has already been filed in the case and the petitioner, after turning an approver, has been cited as a prosecution witness.
The lawyer said the high court has the discretion under section 482 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) to grant bail to Chakravarty.
The counsel for the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said the prosecution has no objection if the relief is granted to him.
Chakravarty's lawyer said his client has been granted pardon in the case by the trial court and is also cooperating in the probe.
In January, the trial court allowed Chakravarty to turn an approver in the case and granted pardon to him.
Chakravarty has claimed that he is in possession of "material information" about the case, which he is willing to disclose to the Delhi Police.
The Special Cell of the Delhi Police arrested NewsClick founder Prabir Purkayastha and Chakravarty on October 3 last year. Both of them are currently in judicial custody.
According to the FIR, a large amount of funds to the news portal came from China to "disrupt the sovereignty of India" and cause disaffection against the country.
The FIR also accused Purkayastha of conspiring with a group -- People's Alliance for Democracy and Secularism (PADS) -- to sabotage the electoral process during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
Raids were conducted at 88 locations in Delhi and seven in other states on October 3 last year on the suspects named in the FIR and those whose names surfaced following data analysis, police said.
Around 300 electronic gadgets were seized from the offices of NewsClick and residences of the journalists who were examined.
Following the raids, 46 individuals, including nine female journalists, were questioned by the Special Cell.
