Punjab Police forms SIT to probe suspected human trafficking after France sends back flight
Chandigarh (PTI): Director of Punjab Bureau of Investigation L K Yadav Saturday constituted a Special Investigation Team to probe the case of suspected human trafficking after a Nicaragua-bound flight, carrying mostly Indians, was grounded in France and then sent to India.
The plane, an Airbus A340, carrying 276 passengers, mostly Indians, was grounded in France for four days over suspected human trafficking. It landed in Mumbai in the early hours of December 26. Most passengers hail from Punjab.
According to an official statement, the four member-SIT is headed by Ferozepur Superintendent of Police (Investigation) Randhir Kumar.
The other three members are ACP, Civil Lines Ludhiana, Jasroop Kaur Baath, Deputy Superintendent of Police (Investigation) of Ferozepur Balkar Singh Sandhu and DSP (Headquarters) Patiala Dalbir Singh Sidhu, it said.
"The SIT has been asked to submit the final report to the competent court at the earliest. The SIT can also co-opt any other officer/official for assistance in the investigation of the case," the statement said.
The flight, which was operated by a Romanian charter company and bound for Nicaragua, landed at Vatry near Paris on December 21 for a technical stopover when the French police intervened.
French authorities launched a judicial investigation into the conditions and purpose of the trip, with a unit specialising in organised crime investigating suspected human trafficking.
In Mumbai, immigration authorities enquired from some of the 276 passengers, an official said, adding no passenger was detained and they were allowed to leave the airport.
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Advocate found dead in car on Nainital court premises
Nainital (PTI): A 55-year-old advocate allegedly died by suicide after shooting himself inside his car at the Nainital district court parking lot here on Monday, police said.
According to the police, Puran Singh Bhakuni, a resident of Mallital, was found in the rear seat of his vehicle with a gunshot wound to his temple.
Police recovered a licensed pistol from his hand and a suicide note from the car’s dashboard. The note stated that Bhakuni was unwell and suffering from depression.
"We received information through lawyers around noon. The deceased was lying in the back seat with a pistol in his hand and blood near his ear," Circle Officer Anjana Negi said.
Forensic teams and ballistic experts reached the spot to collect evidence, as no witness reported hearing the gunshot.
Government counsel Sushil Sharma stated that Bhakuni left home at 9 am and was found dead at 9.30 am.
Sharma raised concerns over the circumstances, noting that the body was in the rear seat, and demanded a thorough probe to rule out foul play. Bhakuni, who worked as a notary, had married six months ago, he said.
Police took the body into custody and sent it for a postmortem to confirm the cause of death.
The forensic laboratory will examine the suicide note and the ballistics of the weapon, the police said, adding that the investigation is ongoing.
