Social Welfare officer ends life in office, blames senior colleague
Tumakuru (Karnataka) (PTI): A social welfare department officer allegedly died by suicide at his office in this district after accusing his senior colleague of harassment, police said on Saturday.
The deceased Mallikarjun, an Assistant Director, was found hanging from a ceiling fan at the social welfare department office in Pavagada town on Friday, they added.
Before taking the extreme step, the taluk-level officer of the department recorded a selfie video on his mobile phone, alleging that he was driven to the decision due to the harassment by Joint Director Krishnappa.
Mallikarjun was a native of Gundarlahalli in Pavagada, they said.
In the video, he also said that his mother, wife and children had taken good care of him. He claimed that God and the law would punish his senior colleague for his actions.
Based on a complaint filed by Mallikarjun's family and the selfie video, a case of abetment of suicide has been registered under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against the Joint Director, and the matter is under investigation, a senior police officer said.
Citing preliminary findings, the officer said the Joint Director had recently initiated an inquiry against the deceased, who was due to retire in just 10 days. It could have affected his pension and other work-related matters.
(Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on the state’s health helpline 104, Tele-MANAS 14416.)
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Delhi Police arrests sharpshooter, arms supplier linked to Kapil Sangwan gang
New Delhi (PTI): Delhi Police has arrested a sharpshooter and an arms supplier linked to the Kapil Sangwan alias Nandu gang, and seized two country-made pistols and five live cartridges from their possession, officials said on Saturday.
The main accused, Sumit Punia (25), a resident of Mahendergarh in Haryana, was arrested in Dwarka with a country-made semi-automatic pistol and five live rounds, a senior police officer said.
During interrogation, police found that Sumit was absconding in a 2021 encounter case registered by the Special Cell, and had links with the Nandu gang, where he allegedly worked as a sharpshooter.
At his instance, police arrested the gang's alleged weapons supplier, Badar Islam (32), from Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh and recovered a country-made pistol from his possession, the officer said.
Police said the accused were part of a network supplying illegal firearms to members of the gang, which were used to threaten victims who resisted extortion.
According to investigators, Sumit, who joined the gang around 2020-21, was known to gangster Kapil Sangwan since childhood, as they belonged to neighbouring villages.
Earlier arrested in an arms case in Haryana, Sumit was involved in multiple criminal cases lodged in Delhi and Haryana.
Badar, who allegedly supplied weapons for quick money, has also been named in several criminal cases registered in Uttar Pradesh, police said.
The duo has been booked under the relevant sections of law, including the Arms Act, at the Crime Branch police station, the officer said.
