Gangster shot dead in front of house in Rajasthan's Sikar
Sikar (Rajasthan), Dec 3: A gangster was shot dead by five men at the gate of his house in Rajasthan's Sikar district on Saturday, police said.
Another man who had gone to meet his daughter studying in a coaching institute there was also hit by bullets and died.
Raju Theth, who had several criminal cases against him and was on bail, was the rival of dreaded criminal Anandpal Singh, who was killed in a police encounter in June 2017.
Five assailants opened fire at Theth at the main gate of his house on Piprali road under Udyog Nagar police station, Superintendent of Police Kunwar Rasthradeep told PTI.
Another official said that a man identified as Tarachand who was present there was also hit by bullets and died.
Tarachand's daughter studies in a coaching institute on Piprali road and he had reached there to meet her but the accused also fired at him thinking that he was an aide of Theth.
Director General of Police (DGP) Umesh Mishra said four of the five suspects involved in the murder case have been identified. The situation in Sikar is peaceful and is being monitored, he added.
One CCTV footage surfaced in which the accused are seen present with Theth at the gate of his house.
When the accused went there, a tractor trolley also reached in front of the house and it was stranded when the assailants opened fire at Theth.
It is suspected that the tractor driver was also involved in the crime.
In another footage, the accused were seen fleeing after killing Theth.
Police said efforts were being made to trace the suspects. Haryana and Jhunjhunu borders have been sealed, police said.
Later in the day, a suspected car was spotted in the Jhunjhunu district. Local claimed that the occupants of the speeding car opened fire from the vehicle at some labourers who were working to repair a road in order to get the way clear.
Police also initiated a search in the area.
On the other hand, soon after the murder, a person named Rohit Godara, who introduced himself as a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, claimed responsibility on Facebook, saying it was to avenge the killing of Anandpal Singh and Balbir Banuda.
Banuda, a gangster who was a member of the Anandpal gang, was killed in a gang war in Bikaner jail in July 2014 and it was alleged that Theth was behind the murder.
The Facebook post was later deleted.
The murder in broad daylight created outrage in Sikar where the supporters of Theth forced the market to shut.
His family members, relatives and locals assembled outside the mortuary and refused to accept the body and demanded immediate arrest of the accused.
The Teja Sena, an organisation of Jat community people, gave a call of Sikar bandh on Sunday over the killing.
The state police swung into action, put up barricades and sealed borders with Haryana and Punjab. Intense checking of vehicles was being done at the border.
The Rajasthan Police is also in touch with its Haryana and Punjab counterparts.
Rohit Godara is a hardcore criminal and he and his gang members are active in the Bikaner division.
Inspector General of Police of Bikaner Omprakash said that intense checking is being done and efforts are being made to identify the location from where the Facebook post was uploaded.
"Godara is a hardcore criminal. During a special campaign against gangsters and criminals, action on several of his gang members was taken," he said.
Checking in other districts in Bikaner division -- Bikaner, Churu, Hanumangarh and Ganganagar -- is also being done.
Meanwhile, the director of the coaching institute where the daughter of Tarachand, who was also killed in the firing, studies for NEET preparations announced to waive off the girl's fees.
In a statement, the institute said if any other member of Tarachand's family wants to study at their institute, they will be provided free coaching.
Sikar shares border with Churu, Jhunjhunu, Nagaur, Jaipur and Haryana.
Raju Theth had more than 30 criminal cases against him. He had an old rivalry with the Anandpal Singh gang.
He used to live a luxurious life and had political ambitions, police said.
The gangster had shifted to Jaipur a year ago and was arrested in a case of land grab and extortion in March. He had started living in a luxurious house in the Swej farm area along with his armed bodyguards and other aides.
He used to roam around in the area with security personnel. After police took action against him and mounted pressure, he moved to Sikar, the police said.
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Spanish woman returns to India in search of her biological mother
Bhubaneswar, Jan 5: Sneha, a Spanish citizen, has returned to India in search of her biological mother, who had abandoned her and her brother 20 years ago.
However, 21-year-old Sneha is running out of time as she has to return to Spain on Monday for her educational commitments.
The researcher in children's education wanted to trace her roots and reached India with scant information about her past.
Her Spanish parents Gema Vidal and Juan Josh supported her in her quest and Gema accompanied Sneha to her home state Odisha. They had adopted Sneha and her brother Somu in 2010 from an orphanage in Bhubaneswar, where they were sheltered after their mother Banalata Das abandoned them in 2005.
"The purpose of my journey from Spain to Bhubaneswar is to find my biological parents, especially my mother. I want to find her and meet her. I am fully prepared for the journey even if it is difficult," Sneha told PTI.
Asked if she would chide her biological mother for abandoning her, Sneha remained mum. She was only over a year old, and her brother was just a few months old at that time.
Sneha said her Spanish parents have given the siblings everything in life and never made them feel like they were adopted, ensuring the best education and freedom to make their own choices.
"They have given us unconditional love," she said.
Accompanied by Gema, a yoga teacher in Zaragoza city of Spain, Sneha arrived in Bhubaneswar on December 19 last year and they have been staying in a hotel. Somu, however, could not come as he was busy with some work in Spain.
If they do not find Sneha's biological mother by Monday, they will come back in March for a longer stay.
"We have to return to Spain as Sneha has joined a training programme which should not be discontinued. If we do not get Banalata in the next 24 hours, we will come back to Bhubaneswar in March," Gema said.
Banalata had abandoned Sneha and Somu at their rented house in Nayapally area in Bhubaneswar in 2005. Banalata's husband Santosh, who worked as a cook in a private firm, had earlier abandoned his family, which comprised his wife, and four children, including Sneha and Somu.
Later, Banalata also left the rented house with another son and daughter, leaving behind Sneha and Somu. The house owner later informed the police and they were shifted to an orphanage.
In 2010, Sneha, then around five years and nine months old, and Somu, over four years old, were legally adopted by the Spanish couple.
"Sneha is very responsible and educated. She is the joy of our house. She is our life," Gema said.
Gema had earlier revealed to Sneha and Somu about their roots in Odisha and that they were adopted.
"She is well educated and conducting research, so she decided to locate her biological mother and I accompanied her to this place," Gema said.
"I told Sneha that her Indian mother and father are surely nice people because you are good," she said.
Recalling her experience during the legal adoption of Sneha and her brother, Gema said that they had to wait for three months to adopt the siblings.
"When we reached the orphanage to adopt Sneha and Somu, she was waiting for us with a flower in her hand. From that very moment, the siblings became a part of our life," she said.
During their frantic search in Bhubaneswar, Gema and Sneha came across a retired teacher of Rama Devi Women's University, Sneha Sudha Mishra, who helped them find out the names of her parents.
"We found out about her parents' names from the house owner in Nayapally and later the names were verified with the police and the orphanage," Mishra said.
Gema and Sneha were monetarily exploited by some people during their initial days in India.
"In fact, Sneha's mother cried in front of me, seeking help to locate Banalata. Together, we searched for her parents before approaching the police for help. Gema is a noble and affectionate woman having an in-depth understanding of Indian culture and philosophy," Mishra said.
Mishra said language was a major problem for Gema to communicate with locals but she has been helping the mother-daughter duo.
With the help of Mishra, Sneha and Gema met city Commissioner of Police Dev Datta Singh, who assigned the job of locating Banalata Das and Santosh Das to two police personnel Anjali Chhotray and Gangadhar Pradhan.
"We have found out that Banalata Das and Santosh are from Badamba-Narsinghpur area in Cuttack district. We have engaged police and panchayat functionaries to locate them," Inspector Anjali Chhotray said.
"People here, especially the media and police, have helped us a lot," Sneha said.
