Indian charged with kidnapping after driving away 2 children in car in US
New York: A 24-year-old Indian man has been charged with kidnapping, assault and theft after he drove off in an elderly woman's car from outside a medical centre in the US with her grandchildren inside the vehicle.
Dalvir Singh, a heroin addict, was taken into custody and charged with two counts of kidnapping, felonious assault for dragging Nita Coburn, 69 and grand theft, Middletown Division of Police said in a statement.
Coburn was injured when as she tried to stop Singh as the kids jumped out of the car. The police is also hailing Coburn's 8-year old grandson Chance as a hero for saving his 10-year old sister's life by pulling her out of the car as Singh took off in it.
The Middletown Police said that on the evening of April 25, it received a call that a car with children inside had been stolen at a medical center in Middletown, Ohio and that an elderly lady was injured.
Coburn had taken another woman to the hospital and her two grandchildren were with her in the back seat. When they got to the emergency room, she pulled up close to the door and was helping the other woman into the emergency room.
About 10 seconds after she got out of the car, Singh jumped into the driver's seat and took off with the children still in the back.
The little boy opened the door to escape and his sister Skylar started to jump out also but Singh grabbed the hoodie of the little girl not allowing her to leave. As she tried to get away, Chance grabbed hold of her and pulled her away from Singh and they both tumbled out of the vehicle as it was moving.
Police said Coburn did not realise that the children were able to escape because they flew out of the passenger side and by that time she was chasing the car on the driver's side.
She opened the driver's door to regain control of the vehicle she thought her grandchildren were in, but Singh slammed the door shut again and locked the door.
She hung onto the vehicle panicking because she thought the children were still inside. The vehicle dragged her until it accelerated at a high rate of speed and she was forced to let go.
Two police officers observed the stolen vehicle fleeing the scene and chased Singh, who was then taken into custody and charged.
Middletown Police Chief Rodney Muterspaw lauded the heroic attempt by Chance to save himself and his sister from the kidnapping attempt.
"This little guy is a hero. No question. He pulled his sister out of the car with no concern for his own safety. That is incredible at his age," he said.
The Middletown Division of Police said it will be recognising the little boy's quick action to not only get out of the vehicle but also making sure that his sister got out with him.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
India backs 'Myanmar-led, Myanmar-owned' peace process: EAM Jaishankar
New Delhi (PTI): India supports a Myanmar-led and Myanmar-owned peace process that can deliver lasting peace and development for all in the Southeast Asian country, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Wednesday.
The external affairs minister also highlighted the importance India attaches to its ties with Myanmar saying the country lies at the confluence of New Delhi's three key foreign policy priorities: 'Neighbourhood First', 'Act East', and MAHASAGAR (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions).
Myanmar is one of India's strategic neighbours and it shares a 1,640-kilometer-long border with a number of northeastern states including militancy-hit Nagaland and Manipur.
The country has been witnessing widespread violent protests after the military seized power in a coup on February 1, 2021. The military-backed party secured a victory in Myanmar's recent general election.
Jaishankar was speaking virtually at the inauguration of the Sarsobeikman Literary Centre building in the heart of Yangon. The building has been constructed with New Delhi's assistance.
"As the world's largest democracy with 1.4 billon people living together in peace and harmony, India has regularly shared its experiences in federalism and constitutionalism with stakeholders in Myanmar," he said.
"We support an inclusive, Myanmar-led and Myanmar-owned peace process, that can deliver lasting peace and development for all in Myanmar," he added.
Jaishankar said the Sarsobeikman Centre will support the conservation and study of classical and folk literatures of Myanmar, as well as translation, archival work, creative writing, and scholarly exchanges.
"Myanmar lies at the confluence of our three key foreign policy priorities - Neighbourhood First, Act East, and MAHASAGAR including the Indo-Pacific," he said.
"Our multifaceted engagement, includes political, trade, security and cultural cooperation. When it comes to development cooperation, our engagement with Myanmar has been people-centric and demand-driven, aimed towards strengthening local economies and improving lives," the minister said.
Jaishankar said India and Myanmar have been bound together for centuries by spirituality, kinship and geography, as well as by language and literature.
"As Buddhism and Pali language and literature travelled across South Asia, they carried with them ideas, texts, and a shared intellectual heritage," he said.
