Choksi's associate arrested, court grants 3-day transit to ED
Kolkata, Nov 6: An executive of a firm linked to fugitive Mehul Choksi was arrested from Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose airport here by ED officials under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, officials said Tuesday.
Deepak Kulkarni was arrested Monday night in connection with the money-laundering probe in the USD 2-billion Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case when he landed there from Hong Kong, they said.
He was produced before a city court on Tuesday and Metropolitan Magistrate, 3rd Court, Calcutta, Jyotirmoy Bhattacharyya granted three-day transit sought by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to take him to Mumbai, where the case was registered.
Kulkarni is allegedly linked to the overseas businesses of Choksi, one of the main accused in the case, and the ED had notified a look out circular against him, the officials said.
Kulkarni was a director in a Hong Kong-based "dummy" firm linked to Choksi and the ED had named him in a chargesheet filed against the fugitive jeweller earlier this year.
A Mumbai court had also issued a non-bailable warrant against him.
Choksi, his nephew and diamond jeweller Nirav Modi and others are being probed under various criminal laws after the fraud came to light this year, following a complaint from PNB that they allegedly cheated the nationalised bank to the tune of about Rs 14,000 crore in connivance with some PNB employees.
Both Choksi and Modi are absconding since the case was registered by the ED and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
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8 children between ages of 1 and 14 dead after mass shooting in Louisiana, police say
Shreveport(US) (AP): A gunman in Louisiana killed eight children in shootings at two different homes early Sunday in the nation's deadliest mass shooting in more than two years, police in Shreveport said.
The victims ranged in age from one to about 14 years old, said Shreveport police spokesperson Chris Bordelon. A total of 10 were shot and some of the children were related to the suspect, Bordelon said.
The gunman later died after a chase with officers who fired at the suspect, Bordelon said. The suspect stole a car while leaving the scene of the shootings and was followed by police, according to Bordelon.
Police did not release the name of the suspect but did say he was an adult male. The shootings were the result of a “domestic disturbance,” Bordelon said.
Officials said they were still gathering details at the crime scenes south of downtown Shreveport — the two homes and a third location.
“This is an extensive scene unlike anything most of us have ever seen,” he said.
It was the deadliest mass shooting in the US since eight people were killed in a Chicago suburb in January 2024, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University.
At a news conference outside the residence where one of the shootings occurred, officials appeared stunned, requesting patience and prayers from the community as they sorted through multiple crime scenes.
“I just don't know what to say, my heart is just taken aback,” Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith said. “I cannot begin to imagine how such an event could occur.”
“This is a tragic situation — maybe the worst tragic situation we've ever had,” said Tom Arceneaux, mayor of the city in northwestern Louisiana with about 180,000 residents. “It's a terrible morning.”
Louisiana State Police say their detectives have been asked by Shreveport police to investigate. In a statement, state police say no officers were harmed in the shooting that involved an officer after a police pursuit into Bossier City on Sunday morning.
State police are asking anyone with pictures, video or information to share it with state police detectives.
Louisiana Gov Jeff Landry said in a statement that he and his wife were heartbroken. “We're deeply grateful to the law enforcement officers and first responders working tirelessly on the scene,” he added.
