Bantwal: Police open fire at the car; Three arrested
Bantwal: Police personnel, during the night beat on Thursday, arrested three persons cinematically by opening fire at a car that tried to escape without stopping at Manihalla in Bantwal taluk.
The arrested are Saddam, a resident of Maripalla; Mohseen, a resident of Suratkal in Mangaluru; a Bollai resident Irshad. It is said that the Mansoor and Ammi, both residents of Farangipete, fled the scene.
Incident Details: Night beat police on Thursday ordered a red Swift car approaching from Belthangady to stop at Belthangady check-post. But, the accused drove off without paying heed to the cops' orders. Consequently, the Belthangady police passed information to Ponjalkatte police. But the men-in-car escaped even from Ponjalkatte police and drove towards Bantwal. Then the Belthangady police intimated the Bantwal police. Immediately, the Bantwal police came into action and opened fire at the car at Manihalla.
A team of police personnel lead by Bantwal probationary IPS officer Akshay M. Haake, SIs Chandrashekhar, and Prasanna signaled the car to stop at Manihalla. But the miscreants tried to escape from the police by driving on them. However, police opened fire at the car and managed to arrest three of them in a cinematic style.
According to police sources, among the arrested are Maripalla Saddam who is accused in various cases including murder and attempt to murder; while Mohseen has over 14 cases registered against him at different police stations in the district.
Two swords, one rod, chili powder, monkey cap, and ropes have been found in the car. The cops have expressed suspicion over the possibility that the accused had traveled with lethal weapons in the vehicle to conduct the robbery. The police, who are carrying out the investigation, are in search for the escaped men.
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Prez nod for FIR against AAP's Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain in Rs 2,000-cr classroom 'scam'
New Delhi, Mar 13 (PTI): President Droupadi Murmu has given her approval for the registration of an FIR against AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain in an alleged scam of Rs 2,000 crore in the construction of classrooms in Delhi government schools, sources said.
In 2022, the Delhi government's vigilance directorate recommended a probe into the alleged scam and submitted a report to the chief secretary.
The President has given her approval for registering the FIR against Sisodia and Jain in connection with the alleged scam during their tenures as ministers in the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government, the sources said.
The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), in a report dated February 17, 2020, highlighted "glaring irregularities" in the construction of classrooms in Delhi government schools by the Public Works Department (PWD).
The President's approval came under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act that pertains to "enquiry or inquiry or investigation of offences relatable to recommendations made or decision taken by public servant in discharge of official functions or duties".
Reacting to the development, senior AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj accused the BJP of carrying out a witch-hunt against its political rivals.
The BJP has no interest or intention to fulfil the promises it made to the people of Delhi. Its only agenda is to carry out a witch-hunt against its political rivals to stifle the voice of people, the former minister said in a statement.
The BJP-led central government has already decided to prosecute every political adversary of the party and grant approvals to move the case forward but it should wait for the judicial process to begin, he said.
In July 2019, BJP leader Harish Khurana and then AAP rebel MLA Kapil Mishra, now a minister in the Delhi government, lodged a police complaint about the alleged scam.
According to a report prepared by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of the Delhi government, the complainants alleged that there was a scam worth over Rs 2,000 crore in the construction of classrooms and school buildings in Delhi. The work was done at a highly inflated cost by the Delhi government.
The alleged scam involves the construction of around 12,748 classrooms.
The ACB report said the total expenditure incurred for constructing the classrooms and school buildings was around Rs 2,892.65 crore. They were allegedly constructed at the rate of Rs 8,800 per square feet, whereas it was common knowledge that the average construction cost (even for a builder of flats) was around Rs 1,500 per square feet.
The total cost for constructing a classroom and school building, according to the tender awarded, was allegedly around Rs 24.86 lakh per room, whereas such rooms are easily constructed in Delhi at around Rs 5 lakh per room, it said.
The prices were increased almost five times to defraud the taxpayer by siphoning off money from the public exchequer in the garb of construction cost, the report said.
Even for a 5-star hotel, top ultra-luxury quality construction is around Rs 5,000 to Rs 5,500 per square feet, it said.
The complainants submitted a copy of documents in which information received under the RTI Act in respect of the construction of 18 classrooms in the Govt Girls Senior Secondary School, Nathupura, Burari (school ID:-1207111) revealed that they were constructed at a cost of Rs 12 crore, the ACB report said.
