Indian-origin man found guilty of drive-by shooting murder in UK
London (PTI): An Indian-origin man is one of two men convicted of the murder of a father-of-four in a drive-by shooting in the West Midlands region of England nearly two years ago, UK police said following a court ruling.
West Midlands Police said Gurdeep Sandhu and Hassan Tasleem were connected to the killing of Mohammed Haroon Zeb in Dudley in January 2021 after their officers scoured thousands of hours of CCTV, forensics, social media and phone records.
The 39-year-old was shot in the head as the culmination of a feud between two families and Sandhu and Tasleem, both 25, were convicted of murder, possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life and perverting the course of justice earlier this week following a trial at Loughborough Crown Court.
"This was a carefully planned killing, and children have lost their father forever. Nothing can ever take away that pain," said Detective Superintendent Jim Munro of West Midlands Police, who led the murder investigation.
"We can only hope these convictions will take some dangerous men off the streets and the ongoing police work will bring an end to such violence. We're grateful to the Dudley community who supported us during this investigation," he said.
The victim, a taxi firm manager known locally as Haroon, was shot as he pulled up outside his home on January 31, 2021, and he died in hospital from his injuries later that day.
The police believe the fatal blow came from a lethal revolver, which was one of a number of shots fired by a passenger of a vehicle, which then drove off. The murder weapon is yet to be recovered.
The police force said its detectives carried out "extensive enquiries" in the pursuit of justice and evidence was that the gun was in the hands of Tasleem while Sandhu was the driver of the car and involved in the plot.
The vehicle was on false plates and went off the radar until it was later recovered in Telford.
"The killing was part of an ongoing feud between families dating back to at least 2018, including men being mown down by cars and a man stabbed to death. A man was jailed over that murder in 2019," the police statement said.
"Zeb was not believed to have been actively involved in the feud, but a follower of what was going on, and the reason he was specifically targeted remains unknown," it added.
A third man, 21-year-old Shamraz Ali, was also found guilty of perverting the course of justice. All three convicted men have been remanded into custody and will be sentenced at a later date.
Following the convictions this week, Zeb's family said: "For nearly two years, we as a family have struggled to accept the loss of our Haroon. We thank the police for their tireless work." PTI AK
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UP Cong holds statewide protest seeking probe into FIR against Swami Avimukteshwaranand
Lucknow (PTI): The Uttar Pradesh Congress on Wednesday staged a statewide protest demanding a fair and transparent inquiry into the FIR lodged against Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati and those who filed the complaint against him.
In a statement issued here, the party said memorandums addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi were submitted through district magistrates in all districts of the state.
Uttar Pradesh Congress spokesperson Manish Hindvi told PTI that the memorandums were handed over through the district administration in all 75 districts.
In the memorandum, the party alleged that Saraswati and his disciples were "unnecessarily harassed and humiliated" by police on the occasion of Amavasya and were prevented from taking a ritual bath (at the Magh Mela). It further alleged that some disciples were manhandled and taken to a police station.
The memorandum also claimed that an FIR was later registered against Saraswati, his disciple Swami Mukundanand Brahmachari and several unidentified persons in a sexual harassment case. It termed the case a "conspiracy" aimed at tarnishing the seer's reputation.
Citing Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution, the memorandum stated that these provisions guarantee religious freedom and the right of religious denominations to manage their own affairs.
It described the position of shankaracharya held by Saraswati as "one of the highest spiritual posts in Sanatan tradition" and alleged that the entire episode appeared to have been "orchestrated in a planned manner".
"We request that the background of the persons who got the FIR registered be investigated in a transparent manner by a retired high court judge and strict action be taken against them," the memorandum said.
It also sought a "fair and transparent probe" into the allegations levelled against Saraswati so that the truth could be established.
Earlier, Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai had told reporters in Varanasi after meeting Saraswati that the party stood firmly with him.
The Congress said it would continue to press for an impartial inquiry into the entire episode.
On February 21, an FIR was lodged in Prayagraj against Saraswati and his disciple Mukundanand Brahmachari on charges of sexually abusing two persons, including a minor, over the past year at a gurukul and religious congregations, including the recently concluded Magh Mela.
Days after he was booked, Saraswati had said on Monday that he would not oppose his arrest and asserted that the "fabricated story" would be exposed sooner or later.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Saraswati alleged that criminals rule in Uttar Pradesh, level allegations and influence investigations, as he denied having any contact with the two persons for whose alleged sexual abuse he has been booked.
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