by Tarquin Hall
PUNJAB GOVT IS AFRAID OF MSG – controversy regarding godman calling himself Messenger of God who in past has faced allegations of murder, sexual exploitation, possession of illegal weapons, and made some unwatchable films starring himself as the hero.
SEARCH FOR MISSING/KIDNAPPED GIRL – 19 year old vanished from Mayur Vihar Phase 1.
APPEAL FOR IDENTIFICATION:
- Male, approx. 40 years, found dead, Fountain Chowk, Kotwali.
- Male, approx 40 years, found dead, Ram Leela Maidan Footpath, Narela.
- Male, approx 45 years, found dead with “a cut mark on wrist of left hand”, Metro Flyover Pillar 74, Subzi Mandi.
- Male, approx 59 years, declared dead at DDU hospital, found at Keshav Puri Depot.
- Male approx. 23-24 years, found dead with “injury mark in left Thai,28” found on NH8 opp. Nitesh Kunj Hotel.
DAILY EXPRESS
OUSTED IN LISTS, HSBC ACCOUNT HOLDERS LINING UP TO DECLARE – regarding Indian citizens hiding assets abroad.
IEDS RECOVERED FROM TRAIN IN HOWRAH – 5 low-intensity improvised explosive devices found in unclaimed bag on train.
CBI NET TRAPS TOP OFFICER IN GUJARAT – alleged money laundering of illegal cricket betting revenue.
MAN STABBED TO DEATH BY RESTAURANT STAFF IN FIGHT OVER FOOD: NOIDA POLICE
UP COPS HARASSING US FOR HELPING TRANSGENDER – activists assisting transgender persons claim police in Uttar Pradesh state are allegedly harassing them.
8-YR-OLD RAPED BY KIN
NURSING ASSISTANT GAVE “SUPARI”, GOT FATHER KILLED FOR PROPERTY – alleged contract killing.
POLICE SUMMON HC JUDGE’S DAUGHTER FOR QUESTIONING – complex murder case in Punjab.
BHAGAWAN BOOKED FOR REMARKS ON RAMA, KRISHNA – case registered against rationalist for allegedly hurting Hindu sentiments.
TO ESCAPE GANGRAPE, 25-YR-OLD JUMPS OFF TRAIN WITH BABY, HUSBAND INQUIRY PANEL SUBMITS REPORT TO GOV – inquiry into 2013 riots in Muzaffarnagar during which some 60 people died and more than 40,000 people were displaced. Violence stoked by politicians for purposes of electioneering.
NRHM SCAM – ongoing investigation into alleged pocketing of tens of millions of rupees by former Uttar Pradesh health minister.
PROSECUTION SEEKS DEATH FOR 8 CONVICTS – 2006 Mumbai train blasts.
Kindly note following: also reported this same day news that Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) imposed a one billion dollar fine on PACL Ltd. for illegally collecting funds through investment schemes without requisite regulatory approvals. There are hundreds of such schemes operating in India. Mostly they are set up for money laundering purposes on behalf of corrupt netas and business persons. The scale is absolutely mind blowing with millions of gullible investors drawn from all sections of society wanting to make a fast buck.
CYBERCRIMES
Each and every day without fail a cybercrime is brought to my attention. Just last week a fellow came running to me asking I retrieve 1.2 crore stolen from his savings account. Entire amount had been removed by electronic means in the wee hours while he was dozing. Thus several SMS messages sent to his so-called “smart” phone alerting him to the withdrawals went unnoticed. As in many cases, the fellow had been totally negligent with regard to guarding his personal security. Thus I came to know that he used his bank card in a restaurant two days prior to the theft and allowed the waiter to carry it away from the table.29 The waiter in question having no scruples swiped the card using a portable machine commonly known as a “skimmer”. What is more the waiter spied on the gentleman as he added in his pin code to the machine and noted down the number. Thus he was able to access the account and deplete the funds, leaving a balance of rupees 10 only.
Another case recently involved a certain gentleman’s computer system getting hacked and all his passwords and all getting stolen, which resulted in the diversions of many crore rupees from his business accounts. Turned out the fellow’s password was the same as the number plate on his BMW. In other words, he was advertising the password for all his financial dealings on the front and back of his vehicle each and every day.
“THERE IS POISON IN THE FANG OF THE SERPENT, IN THE MOUTH OF THE FLY AND IN THE STING OF A SCORPION: BUT THE WICKED MAN IS SATURATED WITH IT”
Chanakya
SERIAL KILLINGS
India has had its fair share of serial killers in recent years. One that attracted maximum eyeballs on news channels were the “Nithari Killings”, which came to light in 2005-6. Some 19 bodies mostly belonging to young girls were recovered from a drain behind the house of local businessman Moninder Singh Pandher in Noida. Subsequently, Pandher’s domestic servant, one Surinder Koli, was convicted of the gruesome killings,30 the bodies having been meticulously cut to pieces. No doubt some of the deaths at least could and should have been avoided had police acted earlier as requested by local persons. But victims being slum children meant their parents could not get so much as FIRs registered, let alone assistance in tracing their loved ones.
Under, other gruesome examples of recent Indian cold-blooded killers is provided:
Cyanide Mohan
Primary school teacher who killed 20 women in a span of 5 years. Modus operandee was to promise his victims marriage, seduce them, then morning after poison them, absconding with their jewellery.
Auto Shankar
Auto wallah in Chennai by name of Shankar, abducted and killed 9 girls. No remains could be located because he cremated the bodies and deposited all the ashes in Bay of Bengal.
Handbag Killer
Real name M. Jaishankar, carried a black bag with a machete secreted inside. Raped and murdered 19 women plus in southern India. In 2011 escaped police custody and thus claimed 6 further victims. Later he was sentenced to 27 years but after feigning illness escaped again using duplicate keys from the prison hospital. Now held under high security.
Dr. Cabbie
Between 2002-2004, Dr. Devendra Sharma murdered 30 plus taxi drivers. Working with accomplices, he kindly requested victims to drive him to some secluded spot and there do the needful. Vehicles were subsequently sold on grey market.
Pilgrim Poisoner
Female by name of Mallika. Posed as pious devotee at temples and befriended women from wealthy families. After making friendship, she poisoned six victims to death. Arrest made in 2007.
Bikini Killer
Let us not forget Mr. Charles Sobhraj. Born to an Indian father, he came to India in 1970s where he added some tourists to his long list of unfortunate victims. A confidence trickster, his ability to get close to clueless Europeans and Americans was second to none. Often he would poison them before nursing them back to good health so as to get their confidence and trust. Some he ensnared in a life of crime. Others he robbed and murdered. His charming ways worked on prison guards also, especially those on duty in Tihar Jail where eventually he was incarcerated. It is said that thanks to so much of bribery on his part, he lived in Tihar like a Raja. Then one fine evening he held a party for jailers and prisoners alike and after drugging his guests managed to walk free. Since that time, he has made a handsome fortune selling his story, such is the public fascination. But liberty has not been this devil’s fate. After securing his freedom from Indian authorities in the 1990s and being packed off to France, he chose not to remain there. Eventually he returned to Kathmandu and was promptly arrested for past crimes and placed behind bars. Somehow I am reluctant to believe the story of Mr. Sobhraj has reached its final conclusion.
SCAMS, SCAMS, YET MORE SCAMS
Personally I have lost count of how many political scams have come to light in my lifetime. Too many to count. Truly the mind boggles at their size and complexity. Telecoms, sand, coal, railways and land have all been up for grabs with politicians and officials lining their pockets like anything. The latest to cause outrage across the entire country is the so-called Vyapam Scam in Madhya Pradesh state. An admission and recruitment scam, it has been organised on a colossal scale by a nexus
of netas, babus and business persons. In a nutshell, these individuals took control of the state body responsible for conducting entrance exams for recruitment in government jobs and educational institutes. Thus candidates paid bribes to officials through middlemen and liazers to get awarded high marks. Activists working to uncover the truth claim 25 plus whistle blowers and witnesses have been silenced til date.
Kindly find provided examples of the biggest political scams India has faced in recent years listed under:
CHOPPER SCAM, 2013 – 3,600 crore scam involving netas and defence officers who allegedly accepted bribes from the Augusta Westland helicopter company of Italy.
COAL BLOCK SCAM, 2012 – known as “Coalgate”, the government allocated coal blocks in a corrupt manner. Loss to nation was some 1.86 lakh crore at least.
RAILGATE, 2013 – then Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal and family allegedly put their snouts in the trough and got crores of rupees for making appointments and awarding contracts.
2G SCAM, 2010 – one of the largest til date and engineered by multiple ministers and officials who undercharged telecom companies for the allocation of 2G licences for cell phone subscriptions in return for kick backs. Cost to public purse was to the tune of up to rupees 176,000 crore.
CWG, 2010 – When Commonwealth Games (CWG) was awarded to Delhi, officials skimmed the cream. Organising committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi was the main accused, awarding contracts to anyone willing to line his pocket. Til date he and others have got off scot free.
Everything had a value in Delhi. Even a dead dog.
CASE OF THE DEADLY BUTTER CHICKEN
BLACK ECONOMY
In recent years one hot topic of conversation whether in the halls of power or the living room has been regarding Black Money getting secreted into foreign tax havens, such as Switzerland, Cayman Islands and the like. Some estimates put the total amount thus far squirelled away outside the country at a staggering 1 trillion dollars total. Thus during his election campaign in 2014, the current Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that the total amount in foreign illicit funds owned by individual persons was enough to buy each and every Indian one new car. In all probability, the exact and precise figure is somewhat lower. Some estimates put it at half of 1 trillion dollars, but that is also an eye-watering figure by any measure.
But foreign secreted funds is a small part of the overall Black Economy, which is fuelled by all unreported incomes whether garnered by legal or illegal means and their subsequent use in consumption or investment. Bribery is one part of the total amount. There is bribery at every level, from cash paid to officials charged with issuing a driver’s licence to those charged with issuing places at educational institutions, whether they be at the pre-primary or further education level. The much greater part of the Black Economy is generated through nondisclosure of income. In actual fact, the hiding of income is so prevalent that Professor Arun Kumar,31 former head of Centre for Economic Studies and Planning (CESP) of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) states that, “at the societal level…it’s institutionalised”.
Kumar continues: “A sugar mill owner will under-weigh the sugar cane, the juice and the crystalline sugar, and also bribe excise officials to report less production. So he gets unreported income at every stage of production and distribution… If a private tutor or a doctor earns some income, that’s not illegal. But when it is not included in his income returns it becomes ‘black’.”32
Professor Kumar is India’s pre-eminent number one expert on the Black Economy, though for long time he was something of a lone voice in the wilderness, and has written an important and indispensable book on the subject,33 not to mention so many of papers and lectures and all. It is his assertion that India’s Black Economy is equivalent to 50% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Just consider for a moment that approximately two-thirds of India’s economy runs on cash, 90% of the economy occupies the informal sector, and only a few percentage of the total population pays income tax and this figure of 50% hardly seems far fetched at all. If generating Black Money was an Olympic sport, India would win gold each and every time, by God!
Under further examples of how Black money is generated on a grand scale:
Trade Mispricing
An Indian shell company is set up and starts importing machinery and software to show it is active. A few x-ray machines are imported from outside India. These are purchased for a total of 1 million dollars from a foreign-based company, typically headquartered in Dubai. The x-ray machines are delivered without issue and payment is made in full. But unknown to customs officials, the Indian company owns the Dubai exporting company. Furthermore, the actual value of the x-ray machines is dollars 100,000 only. Thus dollars 900,000 has been sent out of the country and can be used for any and all purposes.
Master Roll Fudging
Perfect example was IT company Satyam, once the darling of corporate India. In a nutshell, some 13,000 fictitious employees were created or invoiced for services rendered and their salaries siphoned off.
Property Deals
A simple and common method. X sells a plot of land to Y for rupees 30 crore. 60% is paid in cash and balance is paid by cheque. The cash is then parked in gold, property, rural banks or gotten out of the country via hawala, an international network of brokers operating under the radar.
When funds are secreted out of the country whether by means of hawala, smuggling of diamonds, trade mispricing or the setting up of trusts outside of India using cooperative foreign nationals, etc. roughly 90% of the total is kept in secure foreign bank accounts, while the remaining 10% is repatriated to India. This is done through shell companies, many being based in Mauritius. It should be noted that in 2008 the Chairman of the Central Board of Taxes (CBT) led a team of tax sleuths to Mauritius. There they discovered a handful of individuals were acting as directors of some 30,000 plus Indian companies located upon the island. Most of these said companies were registered at the Post Office.
POLITICAL WILL SADLY LACKING
Thus far, successive governments have proven unable or unwilling to do much at all to clean up the shop. As one newspaper put it recently, the total amount of Black unearthed by Modi’s government til date is nowhere near enough to buy every Indian a car. If lucky, each person would get an ice cream. Let us consider the case of Pune-based stud farmer Hasan Ali Khan. True he is behind bars for money laundering, but his 8 billion dollars is absent from his Swiss bank account. As Professor Kumar put it recently: “The major portion of illegal money is layered and kept under different names and heads… Layering is done to hide the identity of the actual owners. The big fish know how to get around the law. They have the money to spend on a battery of CAs,34 lawyers, and tax consultants who know every trick of the trade.”
If political will existed to clean up the economy such types could be beaten at their own game once and for all. But political will is totally absent. On this point, Professor Kumar has this to say: “The intelligence agencies know exactly where hawala transactions take place in the country. It happens in Chandni Chowk in Old Delhi, in certain farm houses in Delhi and Gurgaon, in Bhendi Bazaar in Mumbai…the police can easily stop the Hawala racket if there is political will. The culprits can all be caught and brought to book. Instead, successive governments play around with various schemes to pardon tax dodgers.”
During the latest matrimonial investigations, line seven had been dedicated to the “Hot and Lusty” escort service, and for that Mrs. Chadha had had to adopt a husky voice and arrange bookings for a certain Miss Nina.
CASE OF THE MISSING SERVANT
SOME EXAMPLES OF MY OWN RECENT CASES
During my long and illustrious career I have gotten involved in some of the major cases of our time. Many can be said to be firsts in the annals of crime, in fact. Robberies, murders, kidnappings, blackmailing, missing persons and corporate and government theft of the highest magnitude have all come my way. Thank God, I have managed by use of my natural abilities and through she
er perseverance and courage also to solve each and every one in a satisfactory way. As I have intimated earlier, Mr. Tarqin Hall has chronicled some of these cases in his books. Those readers familiar with Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken will know that it was one of my most dangerous and mysterious til date.35 Case of the Love Commandos was nothing short of extraordinary also involving a dalit boy who eloped with a girl from a powerful Thakur family.36 As for Case of the Man Who Died Laughing, the victim Dr. Suresh Jha got killed by an apparition of the goddess Kali right in the middle of his morning Laughing Club session. That at least was how it appeared to all and sundry.
That being said, such sensational cases do not come my way each and every day. Bread and butter cases are also required. Frankly speaking, most are not at all challenging or taxing on the brain and can be solved without use of all my immense skill and knowledge not to mention natural abilities to the limit. However, they are reflective of the society and time in which we live. Thus without wishing to violate my clients’ privacy, listed under are some examples of minor cases, which came my way in recent weeks and months.
Pug Kidnapping
A gang of Nagas37 was kidnapping prize pooches from owners in south Delhi and threatening to eat them unless a ransom was delivered. Thus I directed my undercover operatives to pose as dog walkers and, using a Miniature Pinscher as bait, apprehended the gang and got them arrested forthwith.