US plea on Dutch fugitive rejected

New Delhi (PTI):A Delhi court has turned down a request by the US to extradite a Dutch national, who is allegedly an international drug trafficker associated with a gang operating from Atlanta.

Additional chief metropolitan magistrate Ravinder Dudeja declined the request to extradite Louis Hedrick Olyve Marco saying there was no substantive evidence against the Dutch national, who was arrested in May 2003 when he had come for heart treatment at a hospital here.

The US had supported its case with statements by two of Marco’s associates who had testified against him in 2002.

“There is no evidence except the statements of two other persons who are not being jointly tried with the fugitive,” the court said, discharging him from the case initiated by the Indian authorities.

Sister duo in hawala net

Jammu (PTI): A hawala racket in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir was busted on Sunday with the arrest of two teenaged sisters and a self-styled divisional commander of Hizb-ul Mujahideen, Masood Ahmed, official sources said.

The sisters have been working for the commander for the past two years in the district for hawala money operation, sources said.

Police stopped their vehicle at Pul Doda while they were on the way to a marriage party and recovered Rs 2.20 lakh from the sisters, Rubina and Shabina. After questioning the duo the police raided a hideout in Doda and arrested Masood Ahmed.

Hotel raid

Jodhpur(PTI): A team of officials of the food and civil supplies department raided a five star hotel and seized unauthorised stock of more than 25,000 litre light diesel oil, sources said on Sunday.

An offence under Essential Supplies Act, 1995, has been registered against the hotel owner. A charge has also been registered against a private company for supplying the oil to the hotel.

13 die in mishap

Bangalore (PTI): Thirteen people were killed and 23 injured when a bus in which they were travelling hit a tree and overturned in Bangalore on Sunday, police said. The private bus was travelling to Huliyurdurga in Tumkur district from Bangalore.

Undertrial order

New Delhi (PTI): A district judge has directed judicial officers in the capital’s trial courts not to allow frequent meetings between undertrials in custody and their relatives on court premises. District judge S.N. Dhingra impressed upon his fellow officers to curb the practice.

President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam on Sunday released commemorative coins to mark the 75th anniversary of Dandi March on the 136th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.