Kidnapping-and-murder accused wanted by Kerala Police brought back from Saudi Arabia: CBI
New Delhi, Mar 12: The CBI has brought back a kidnapping-and-murder accused wanted by the Kerala Police through extradition from Saudi Arabia, the 33rd fugitive extradited since last year, under "Operation Trishul" on Sunday, officials said.
Mohammed Haneefa Makkata, a fugitive with an Interpol Red Corner Notice (RCN) issued against him, was wanted by the Kerala Police in connection with the abduction and killing of one Karim in 2006, a case that was probed by the Kunnamangalam police station in Kozhikode, the officials said.
He was located in Saudi Arabia on the basis of theN, they added.
The Interpol unit of Saudi Arabia informed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) about Makkata's location and sought a team to take him back to India, the officials said.
The CBI passed on the information to the Kerala Police, which brought the accused back to the country from Saudi Arabia on Sunday.
Makkata is 33rd fugitive brought back to India since January 2022, the officials said.
He was brought back under "Operation Trishul" launched by the CBI.
Under the operation, criminals and proceeds of crime are traced in foreign countries with the help of the Interpol and brought back, the officials said, adding that the federal agency has brought back 27 fugitives in 2022 and six in 2023.
The CBI is using a three-pronged strategy to corner fugitives under "Operation Trishul", which is giving rich dividends to Indian agencies.
The first hit is locating a fugitive through the Interpol and seeking deportation or extradition from the member country where he is holed up.
The agency also mobilises Interpol mechanisms -- StAR Global Focal Point Network, Financial Crimes Analysis Files and other channels -- to identify dispersal of proceeds of crime by financial criminals so that subsequent steps may be initiated through formal channels to recover such proceeds of crime.
The third strategy involves dismantling the support networks by generating criminal intelligence on shell companies, fraudulent transactions, money mules and the co-accused located globally, so that the law-enforcement agencies concerned may be informed through the Interpol for taking suitable action in accordance with their domestic legal frameworks.
More than 30 high-profile criminals accused of committing financial frauds in India, including Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi, Nitin Sandesara and Jatin Mehta, have found sanctuaries abroad. Agencies are trying to bring them back with a varied degree of success so far.
According to the Interpol, Indian agencies are looking for 276 fugitives globally throughNs, including some high-profile economic offenders.
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Gopi Thotakura becomes 1st Indian space tourist on Blue Origin's private astronaut launch
Washington, May 19: Gopi Thotakura, an entrepreneur and a pilot, on Sunday became the first Indian to venture into space as a tourist aboard Amazon founder Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin’s NS-25 mission.
Thotakura was selected as one of the six crew members for the NS-25 mission, making him the first Indian space tourist and the second Indian to venture into space after the Indian Army's Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma in 1984.
Blue Origin's seventh human flight, NS-25, lifted off from Launch Site One in West Texas on Sunday morning, the company announced on social media.
This mission was the seventh human flight for the New Shepard programme and the 25th in its history. To date, the programme has flown 31 humans above the Karman line, the proposed conventional boundary between Earth's atmosphere and outer space.
New Shepard is a fully reusable sub-orbital launch vehicle developed for space tourism by Blue Origin.
According to Blue Origin, "Gopi is a pilot and aviator who learned how to fly before he could drive."
He co-founded Preserve Life Corp, a global centre for holistic wellness and applied health located near Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
In addition to flying jets commercially, he pilots bush, aerobatic, and seaplanes, as well as gliders and hot air balloons, and has served as an international medical jet pilot.
A lifelong traveller, his most recent adventure took him to the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.
Andhra Pradesh-born Thotakura is a graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
Other crew members of the flight include Mason Angel, Sylvain Chiron, Kenneth L. Hess, Carol Schaller, and former Air Force Captain Ed Dwight, who was selected by President John F Kennedy in 1961 as the nation's first Black astronaut candidate but was never granted the opportunity to fly to space.
The rocket booster landed safely a couple minutes prior to the capsule, CNN reported.
During the mission, the crew soared to more than three times the speed of sound. The rocket vaulted the capsule past the Kármán line, an area 100 kilometers above Earth’s surface that is widely recognized as the altitude at which outer space begins — but there’s a lot of gray area, the channel said.
At the peak of the flight, passengers experienced a few minutes of weightlessness and striking views of Earth through the cabin windows, it added.
During the flight, each astronaut carried a postcard to space on behalf of Blue Origin’s foundation, Club for the Future.
This programme gives students access to space on Blue Origin’s rockets, including an all-digital method to create and send postcards. The Club’s mission is to inspire and mobilise future generations to pursue careers in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) for the benefit of Earth.
From an environmental standpoint, nearly 99 per cent of New Shepard’s dry mass is reused, including the booster, capsule, engine, landing gear, and parachutes.
New Shepard’s engine is fuelled by highly efficient liquid oxygen and hydrogen. During the flight, the only byproduct is water vapour with no carbon emissions, the company earlier said.
Blue Origin released the NS-25 mission patch. A few of the symbols embedded include: The Gemini spacecraft represents Dwight’s aerospace training era. The hand lifting of the crew capsule is a nod to his extensive artwork.
The sunrise represents Angel and Schaller’s desire to experience the overview effect. The mountains symbolise Schaller, Thotakura, and Chiron’s passion for climbing and skiing.
Jeff Bezos’ space company had paused its suborbital tourism programme following a liftoff malfunction of the New Shepard rocket. In September 2022, an uncrewed flight of New Shepard ended in flames around a minute after liftoff.
