Sandeshkhali, a village in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, has been at the centre of a political storm for nearly a month and has witnessed unprecedented protests over allegations of sexual abuse by scores of women against a local Trinamool Congress leader.
After gunning down sandalwood smuggler Veerappan, the Special Task Force has decided against returning to M M Hills in Karnataka to unearth arms, ammunition and money hidden by the brigand, a top STF official said in Bangalore on Wednesday.
The Bihar Special Task Force arrested two Maoists and seized a truck load of explosives including detonators, land mines and grenades in Patna on Thursday night, said police sources. Following a tip-off, the STF arrested two Maoists including Lalbabu Sahni alias Bhakarji, the secretary of the north Bihar unit of the banned CPI (Maoist).The STF also seized a large quantity of Maoist literature, cassettes, CDs, police uniform, shoes, and other material from the Maoists.
The sixth cassette sent by forest brigand Veerappan says he has abandoned former minister H Nagappa, whom he had abducted on August 25.
Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, out on bail in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, was on Wednesday allowed by the Supreme Court to go abroad to fulfill his commitments as United Nations' goodwill ambassador and for his film shoot.
The first 25 minutes of Kannada film Kempa raises a lot of expectations. Unfortunately, the rest of the film -- except the 20 minutes -- follows the usual trend of the underworld masala films.
The Uttar Pradesh police on Monday claimed to have made a major breakthrough in its anti-Maoist tirade after the arrest of 10 alleged Naxals from different parts of the state over the last 24 hours.
Police will conduct forensic examination of the thumb impressions of Sachin Pahari, the main suspect in the Meher Bhargava murder case, obtained in the prisons where he had been lodged earlier.
The STF, which will be similar to the 'Grey Hounds' of neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, will be imparted advanced training in commando operations and jungle warfare to take on the Maoist rebels in the dense forests.
A suspected Lashkar-e-Tayiba terrorist, who was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force with road maps of major Mumbai landmarks in February last, was returned by the Maharashtra police to Uttar Pradesh, where he continues to be lodged in jail. Mumbai cops, who then saw nothing incriminating about 26-year-old Fahim Ansari possessing road maps leading to key landmarks in India's financial capital, and a fake identity, are now on their way to UP to interrogate him.
The impact of the blast was so tremendous that it created a crater of about five to six feet width at the blast site and flung the police van carrying the STF personnel in the air.
Gupta said he would be sending a report to Railways headqaurters in New Delhi, which would take a decision on fixing fresh dates for the exams.
Lakdawala had reportedly taken a "contract" to kill the two Bollywood personalities
The STF team came under attack from the gang on Sunday night when they were returning after an encounter.
Also killed was Dadua's right hand man Angad Patel, wanted in 75 cases. Patel carried a reward of Rs 50,000 on his head.
They were planning attacks in New Delhi.
Nearly 450 kg of explosives were seized by the Special Task Force of Bihar police, from two places in Gaya district, in the wee hours of Thursday.Acting on a tip off, police raided a shop at Kaulakhshni area in Gaya and seized 29 gunny bags containing explosives, Superintendent of Police S M Khopade said. The STF also raided a house under Delha police station in the district and recovered 70 sacks of explosive materials, Khopde said.
The incident is being seen as a major intelligence failure as the office houses the state counter intelligence wing, special task force and some other units.
Three crude bombs kept in tiffin boxes and tied to cycles went off at five minutes interval after 7 pm in a crowded shopping area of this temple town on Tuesday, injuring five persons.
Two persons were critically injured in the attack, which took place because of an old enmity.
The Special Task Force (STF) of Uttar Pradesh police on Monday shot dead dreaded dacoit Ambika Patel alias Thokia during in an encounter, ending an era of big dacoit gangs on the Uttar Pradesh--Madhya Pradesh border.
Disclosing this on Thursday, Uttar Pradesh ADG of Police Brij Lal who also heads the state Special Task Force, told rediff.com, "The bicycle used in the blast looks like a racing model with a straight handle while the one visible on the e-mail was an ordinary one." "Furthermore, while reports from Jaipur suggested that the explosives used in the blast were tied to the handle of the bicycle, the e-mail visuals show explosives planted on the bicycle carrier at the back."
Asadullah Sheikh, 35, alias Raja, a resident of West Bengal's Purba Burdwan district, was nabbed from his hideout in Chennai's Nilangarai area, he said.
One truck managed to cross the fateful spot, the second vehicle carrying at least 16 personnel drove over the landmine.
The Border Security Force, which has one of the biggest contingents of women personnel in its combat ranks, has decided to train them in special commando skills which are used to render difficult tasks.
Gupta said the family had only consulted the STF and perhaps the Noida police was not informed. Police said Anant was first kept in a place in Delhi and then taken to Mathura.
Police Special Task Force commandos repulsed an attack against their Pullumalai base on Saturday morning and inflicted heavy losses on the guerrillas, an STF official said.
He entered India through Bangladesh from where he went to Kolkata and Mumbai before reaching Lucknow to get his passport and other documents.
Bhatt, president (Manufacturing) of the Company's Pithampur plant, reached Indore on Sunday morning after being rescued from a makeshift mud hut from Natua Ka Pura ravines of Chambal area in Morena district on Satuday night. He was abducted by armed persons when he was returning home to Indore from Gwalior, in his Toyota Corolla, on January 18.
Senior executive of pharma major Nicholas Piramal Ashwini Bhatt and his driver, who were kidnapped on January 18, were traced by the Special Task Force of Madhya Pradesh Police along MP-UP border on Saturday.
Kumaresan, treasurer of the Tamils Liberation Army, was involved in the recent blast of a power transmission tower in Toppaiyankulam near Cuddalore.
They reportedly helped the brigand during the abduction episode of Nagappa.
The STF will handle hijacking, armed terrorism, illegal agitations, natural calamities, train accidents and havoc caused by floods.
Though the state officials denied any possibility of a fidayeen attack, sources maintained that the suicide bombers were planning to target a particular VVIP, reported to be Chief Minister Mayawati.
Veerappan's wife Muthulakshmi, his daughter Vijayarani Yuvarani and his brother's wife Muniapppa were present at the burial ground.
A sharpshooter of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim was on Wednesday shot dead in an encounter with the police while he was trying to escape from their custody in Lucknow.
Modi and Albanese also reiterated their shared ambition for an early conclusion of the ambitious Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) that is expected to significantly expand bilateral trade ties.
'This is evidently pure vendetta politics and may even end up helping the Akalis in the elections'
The National Commission concluded that the claim had been rightly rejected on grounds of misrepresentation in the proposal form and breach of duty to maintain utmost good faith while applying for insurance coverage.
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