Kerala: Woman IPS officer goes to Saudi, brings man accused of Minor's rape, back to India
Kerala: Kollam Police Commissioner Merin Joseph, who took charge in June this year, on Sunday left for Riyadh in Saudi Arabia to extradite Sunil Kumar Bhadran (38), a resident Kollam, wanted in a child rape case.
Sunil Kumar, a native of Kollam, was a tile worker in Saudi Arabia. In 2017, while he was holidaying in Kerala, he sexually assaulted his friend’s 13-year old niece for three months.
The victim who belonged to a scheduled caste community, finally revealed her ordeal to her family. She was then shifted to Government Mahila Mandiram rescue home at Karicode in Kollam District.
But by the team police initiated action and issued look out notice notice against Sunil, he had fled to Saudi Arabia. The parental uncle of the victim who introduced Sunil to the family of victim killed himself followed by the victim who killed herself in June 2017.
The case impacted public conscience and people were outraged at the crime and demanded extradition of Sunil from Saudi Arabia. Although the International Investigation Agency of the Kerala Police was following up with the Saudi police on cards with the India-Saudi extradition treaty signed in 2010 by them Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Saudi King Abdullah.
A few days ago, Saudi Police informed their counterparts in Kerala that they had arrested Sunil and can go ahead with extradition. Though most IPS officers would have sent junior officers to secure the man, Merin chose to go herself.
“This was the first time that we would be doing such an extradition. I wanted to learn how it works so that I could, in turn, share the knowledge with my team. There was a lot of paperwork, it involved the CBI and the Interpol too. We also had to make documents to bring him back. This is why I decided to go. I am also passionate about cases involving women and children, and this was a man I believed should be brought back to face trial," news agency The News Minute quoted the officer as saying.
Sunil Kumar’s extradition is now first such extradition of a Indian criminal from Saudi Arabia, nine years after the two countries signed extradition treaties.
Sunil now under the custody of Kerala Police and will be tried as per the law.
Sunil Kumar
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
