UP beats Bihar in murder count

New Delhi: Laloo Prasad Yadav can breathe easy: a recent compilation of nationwide crimes shows that Mulayam Singh Yadav’s Uttar Pradesh, not Bihar, tops in murders, reports our special correspondent.

Bihar’s murder count is nearly half of its western neighbour’s 6,000-plus tally. But at 3,700, it is still 900 more than the murder count of the Northeast and Jammu and Kashmir put together. Between them, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh account for a little over 10,000 murders, a third of the nationwide total. The heartland states also account for a quarter of all violent crimes in the country.

Another measure — crimes committed per 100,000 people — puts Bihar and the state carved from it four years ago, Jharkhand, way ahead of the national average of 21. Both states record 29 crimes per lakh. The latest National Crimes Records Bureau, however, puts Uttar Pradesh’s rate of violent crimes at 17.6.

Bengal records the lowest rate of violent crimes, just 10.1 per cent. But the state is in bad company on the percentage of violent crimes to total crimes under the Indian Penal Code. Out of every 100 FIRs registered for offences in Bengal, 14 relate to violent crimes.

Court call for Reliance boss

Mumbai (PTI): A court has issued summons to industrialist Mukesh Ambani and his brother Anil following a complaint by a resident alleging that he was getting Reliance mobile bills though he was not a subscriber.

Additional chief metropolitan magistrate D.A. Joshi issued the summons in response to the complaint by Dinesh Kotecha and asked the Ambani brothers and seven others to appear in person within 90 days as a prima facie case was made out against them.

Kotecha’s lawyer submitted that his client had received a bill for December 2003 following which he registered a criminal complaint against Reliance Infocomm, Reliance Industries and Reliance Communication and Infrastructure Ltd.

Kotecha, however, kept receiving bills for the next five months that prompted him to register another complaint but there was no reaction.

Miracle man denied bail

Dehra dun (PTI): A special court has dismissed the bail application of self-styled doctor R.K. Gupta, arrested for allegedly using banned drugs.

A special judge rejected the plea of the owner of Rishikesh-based Neeraj Clinic, saying the case is sensitive. Gupta, accused of using banned and psychotropic drugs to treat epilepsy patients, will be in judicial custody till Friday. Earlier this month, the Uttaranchal health department seized banned drugs from his clinic.

Court freedom

Nashik (PTI): A court on Thursday acquitted a woman accused of killing her two daughters and paramour. An additional sessions judge cited lack of evidence while acquitting Savita Bhaskar Ugale, 27, who allegedly poisoned the trio in a lodge at Trimbakeshwar near here on October 31, 2003.

Father kills, dies

Sagar (PTI): Manmohan Yadav, a Madhya Pradesh State Electricity Board employee, apparently killed his daughter and committed suicide. Yadav jumped in front of a rushing train.

Smallest cat

Coimbatore (PTI): A cat found dead recently in a locality under Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary at Pollachi near here has been identified as the rare nocturnal rusty spotted cat, the smallest in the cat family. The elusive cat (prionailurus rubiginosus) about 38 cm long and with a 22 cm tail, is found in peninsular India, Rajasthan and parts of Jammu and Kashmir. Covered in a fawn coat with rust-brown spots on the back, the cats have an unmarked tail and two black-edged white stripes on the forehead .

Visa racket

Pune (PTI): Sushil Kadam, a senior inspector of the special branch of the rural police here, and A.D. Palsankar, a retired Maharashtra secretariat officer, have been arrested for their involvement in a visa racket. Their role came to light when an Iranian seeking admission to a Hyderabad-based university was caught with forged documents.

Indian Airlines passengers from Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode and Kochi will be treated to ethnic Kerala cuisine on August 28. The treat on banana leaves will mark Onam.