Two pilots killed
Another MiG-21 aircraft crashes

SILIGURI, Nov 14 : Plagued by a spate of air crashes, another MiG 21 fighter of the Indian Air Force crashed into bushes in a tea estate in thick fog near the Bagdogra air base this morning killing both the pilots .

In the 17 crash involving IAF’s fighter jets, a twin seater trainer variant of MiG-21 broke into pieces over an uninhabited area of a tea estate, about 12 km from the airbase in Darjeeling district and caught fire while returning after a 20-minute training sortie. There was no casualty on the ground.

Bodies of Wing Commander, N Dogra and Flying Officer A K Chauhan were charred beyond recognition as the plane caught fire in the impact of the crash, Inspector General of Police (North Bengal), Bhupinder Singh said. He said the accident occured at 6.45 a.m.

Wing Commander Dogra was a senior officer of the IAF and was recently posted at Bagdogra air base as in-charge of the unit.

The black box of the aircraft that could throw clues into the possible reasons for the crash was recovered from the wreckage site. The cause of the mishap was immediately not known.

With the area enveloped in morning fog, the aircraft nosedived into the tea bushes of the Bhojnarayan tea garden and broke into pieces. The wreckage was found spread over a radius of one km.

Bits of the ill-fated aircraft fell on a high tension line affecting power supply in the area.

Fortunately, tea workers scheduled for plucking in the particular section of the garden did not turn up for duty and a huge loss of lives was averted. Workers were busy plucking leaves in the neighbouring section of the garden at the time of mishap, Singh said.

The aircraft was low on fuel and caught fire while hitting the ground.

An Air Force spokesman Squadron Leader RK Dhingra said in Delhi the aircraft was one of the three which was in the air at the time of accident around 7 am. He said a court of inquiry has been ordered into the accident.

"While two of the aircraft were diverted, the ill fated MiG trainer, which was low on endurance, took the chance of making a landing in low clouds and nosedived into bushes, apparently the two pilots had no time to eject", he said.

A total of 16 IAF fighters have crashed this year, 11 of them being MiG 21s, of which four were of the type that perished today. IAF has about 40 MiG 21 trainers.

This is the second crash of an IAF aircraft this month after a Jaguar crashed near Ambala on November five in which 12 persons lost their lives. (PTI)

Hurriyat ignores Yasin to hold talks with
KC on November 21

NEW DELHI, Nov 14 : JKLF chief Yasin Malik has been isolated for his criticism on the role of the Kashmir Committee as top Hurriyat leaders including its chairman Prof Abdul Gani Bhat today decided to hold fresh rounds of talks with the Committee members in Srinagar from November 21.

A high-level delegation of the Kashmir Committee, led by Mr Ram Jethmalani, will visit Jammu and Kashmir for three days from November 21 for talks with the Hurriyat and other separatist leaders including Shabir Shah. Malik, who was released from jail a few days back, has questioned the role of the Kashmir Committee in finding an amicable and peaceful solution to the Kashmir problem.

However, his criticism did not deter other members of the Hurriyat like Prof Bhat, Mirwaiz Omer Farooq and Bilal Lone from continuing their dialogue with the Kashmir Committee.

Jethmalani, currently in the US, has held wide ranging talks with senior functionaries of the Bush administration, including Assistant Under-Secretary of State for South Asia Christina Rocca, on Kashmir. He also met Kashmiri leaders — Farooq Kathwari and Ghulam Nabi Fai — and discussed with them various proposals to find a peaceful settlement to the Kashmir problem.

While Malik criticised the Committee, his close lieutenant Javed Ahmed Mir was present in all the meetings that the committee functionaries held with the Hurriyat and other separatist leaders in Kashmir as well as in the Capital.

After his release on parole after eight months in jail on the charges of funding militancy, Malik had in his first press conference devoted a long time on criticising the Kashmir Committee.

The JKLF chairman again criticised the Kashmir Committee today saying "the name of Kashmir Committee should be changed to `Publicity Committee’ and it has no relevance at all."

However, his statement was objected to by another executive member of Hurriyat conference Bilal Lone, son of slain amalgam leader Abdul Gani Lone, who said "anyone who wants to take the Kashmir issue forward, we are with him, be it Ram Jethmalani or anyone."

Their statements were indicative of differences between various constituents of Hurriyat over their meeting with Kashmir Committee.

It may be mentioned that acting chief of JKLF Javed Ahmed Mir had earlier criticised Mirwaiz Umer Farooq for his statement that Hurriyat would be facilitating visit of Kashmir Committee to Pakistan for holding talks with the regime in Islamabad and Pakistan’s Kashmir Committee. (AGENCIES)

Five civilians injured in blast
Two killed, ultra surrenders

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Nov 14: Two civilians were killed by the terrorists and five others were injured in a blast while an ultra surrendered before the Border Security Force (BSF) in separate incidents across Jammu region overnight.

Official sources said two terrorists sneaked into the house of Abdul Qayoom son of Ghulam Rasool at Basti Bhaderwah in Doda district late last night. They kidnapped Qayoom, took him to a distance of about 100 meters and shot him dead from a close range.

Both the terrorists, one of whom was stated to be a local Hizbul Mujahideen activist, fled away after the firing, the sources said, adding a police party rushed to the spot and sent the body for post-mortem. The terrorists couldn’t be traced even after a search operation carried out jointly by security forces and police.

Reasons behind the killing of Abdul Qayoom couldn’t be ascertained, the sources said.

Another civilian Mohd Hussain son of Nadir Hussain R/o Kandi, Chajru in Mahore tehsil of Udhampur district was killed in the exchange of firing between security forces and a group of terrorists last night. As reported, two terrorists and an army soldier were also killed in the encounter while two other jawans were seriously injured. Three terrorists had managed to escape during the encounter.

A fresh recruit of Hizbul Mujahideen outfit identified as Shamas Din R/o Pachkandi surrendered before the BSF at Bhimdasa in Gool area of Udhampur district this morning.

According to sources, Shamas Din had been recruited into Hizbul Mujahideen few days back. He was being taken to Rajouri by a group of terrorists for exfiltration to Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) for arms training when he deserted the group last night when the terrorists were asleep and surrendered at a nearby BSF camp.

Meanwhile, five civilians were injured in a mine blast in a field at Budhwar village under Arnia police station’s jurisdiction on the International Border in Jammu sector at 1130 hours today.

They have been identified as Joginder Singh son of Bhola Ram, Mulkh Raj son of Kashi Ram, Bachan Lal son of Raiju Ram, Satya Devi wife of Bachan Lal and Purshano Devi wife of Mulkh Raj, all residents of Sei Khurd.

Injured were shifted to the Medical College hospital.

According to sources, the civilians were cutting grass in a field when one of them stepped-over a mine, leading to an explosion.

Security forces today busted a hideout in general area of There in Mendhar tehsil of Poonch district. Recoveries made from the hideout included one 7.62 mm pistol with one magazine and 10 rounds, 1023 AK rounds, two AK magazines, 10 PTD blade, seven electronic detonators and two remote activations devices.

Another hideout was smashed by army at Khawas, Banihal in Doda district. Four kg RDX, one hand grenade, 24 AK rounds, 200 kg ration and 10 litres kerosene oil were recovered from the hideout.

J&K Bank official arrested, several others role suspected
First ever cyber crime detected in Jammu
*Record erased, passwords tampered in scam worth lakhs

By Sanjeev Pargal

JAMMU, Nov 14: In an important investigation, the Crime Branch, Jammu have unearthed a first ever cyber crime in the State involving an embezzlement worth several lakhs of rupees in Jammu and Kashmir Bank Ltd (JKBL). An official of the Bank, who was a computer expert, has been arrested by the sleuths of Crime Branch so far while several others including an Incharge Computer Systems were being questioned for their involvement in the scam.

"A unique modus operandi was used by ‘a section of the officials’ of J&K Bank, posted at Chowk Chabutra branch to commit the first cyber crime in the history of the State. Embezzlements worth Rs 9.32 lakh had so far been detected by a special team of the Crime Branch that was investigating the case and the amount was expected to go up during further investigations", reliable sources in the Crime Branch told EXCELSIOR today.

They identified prime suspect in the scam as Rakesh Gupta, who holds a Post Graduate diploma in Computer Sciences, and was posted as cashier-cum-clerk in Chowk Chabutra branch of J&K bank. He had only four years service in the bank and this was his second posting—the first being in Amritsar. Gupta has been arrested by the Crime Branch. Another suspect in the scam was Jaswant Singh, Manager and Incharge Computer Systems in the same branch. However, Singh couldn’t be arrested by the investigating team in view of a stay order obtained by him from a Court. However, he was being regularly called for the questioning.

To take the first cyber crime to its logic conclusion, the Crime Branch has associated several computer experts of the Bank and the Crime Branch besides some private engineers in the investigations. A hard disc of the computers of Chowk Chabutra branch has been seized alongwith a floppy.

Meanwhile, a team of Crime Branch today raided the residences of both Rajesh Gupta and Jaswant Singh on outskirts of the City. From the house of Rajesh Gupta, the raiding party recovered cash and savings certificates worth Rs one lakh, one pass book showing a cash balance of Rs one lakh, one Maruti Van, one computer floppy and some incriminating documents while from Jaswant Singh’s house, they seized cash certificates and saving bonds worth Rs four lakh, the sources said.

Elaborating the cyber scam, they said an account was opened in Chowk Chabutra branch on the name of one Ved Parkash, an employee with a private company at Gandhi Nagar, initially with an amount of Rs 1,000. Since the branch was computerised, the accused credited amount of some Fixed Deposit Receipts (FDRs), which had matured but hadn’t been encashed by the people, to the account of Ved Parkash.

In addition, some other cheques including an insurance claim cheque worth Rs 16,550 of one R K Sawhney was also credited to Ved’s account. A total of Rs 9.35 lakh of other bank account holders, mostly comprising the FDRs maturity money, was credited to the same account—allegedly by Rajesh Gupta with the connivance of some of his associates, according to sources.

They said Gupta allegedly managed to get passwords of other employees of the Bank branch to tamper with the FDRs maturity amount and credit them to the account of Ved Parkash. Surprisingly, he didn’t use his own password.

"Entire amount from Ved’s account was subsequently drawn throw the cheques by Rajesh Gupta during the period between January 19 to September 2 this year", the Crime Branch sources said, adding the total amount drawn from the account has been worked out at around Rs 9.32 lakh. Only Rs 3,000 were left in the account.

Another anomaly, detected during the investigations, was that original name of Ved Parkash was infact Parkash Singh. Parkash, who too was being questioned by the investigators, was reported to be a ‘close friend’ of Rajesh Gupta and the sources didn’t rule out his involvement in the scam.

According to sources, the accused had destroyed all record—both in writing as well as in the computers—of the cheques used in the drawal of amount from Ved’s account. Not even a single cheque, used for the drawals, could be recovered from the Bank. Moreover, the accused had erased all entries of the ‘fraudulent drawals’ from the computers, they said.

However, the investigating team managed to lay hands on a hard disc, used in the computers of Chowk Chabutra branch, which has given ‘vital clues’ in the scam. A computer floppy seized from Rajesh Gupta’s house today was also being processed by the Crime Branch officials and could give more clues to the investigators.

Sources said that after the scam was pointed out initially by an audit party in the branch, Rajesh Gupta re-deposited Rs 1.28 lakh in the Bank. But, as the Crime Branch stepped-in, the embezzled amount went upto Rs 9.35 lakh and the figure could still go up during the course of investigations, they added.

Asserting that the crime was ‘intelligently executed’, the sources said that some ‘important points’ which were being investigated by the premier investigating agency were a) how the accused could manage to get passwords and computerised keys of other employees to breach through them and tamper with the matured FDRs? b) were some other employees of the bank including some officers also involved in the scam? c) where the accused kept the embezzled amount drawn through the cheques from the account of Ved Parkash? d) did Ved Parkash (original name Parkash Singh) too had connivance with Rajesh Gupta as he might have been aware of such huge transactions in his account and finally the role of Manager Incharge Computer Systems Jaswant Singh.

Sources said some finance and chit fund companies were also being questioned and their premises were searched in connection with the embezzlement but they declined to disclose the extent of their involvement and their names. According to them, Ved Parkash had secured loan for a scooter from one of the Company and gave them blank signed cheques. Some of these cheques had also been used in the drawals, they added.

Saying that some ‘important clues’ have been gathered during questioning of Rajesh Gupta, the Crime Branch sources said the accused appeared to be a master in the handling of computers. More arrests in the case could be made anytime, they said.

A First Information Report (FIR) in the scam has been lodged at Crime Branch police station under Sections 420, 409, 467, 468, 471 and 120-B. Some more Sections were in the process of being incorporated in the scam. Investigations were being personally monitored by IGP Crime and Railways Masood Choudhary and were supervised by DIG Crime and Railways Dr S P Vaid and SSP Crime and Railways H L Fotedar.

The Crime Branch was also preparing a document directing the Bank authorities to take safeguards against the cyber crime in future as many of the Bank branches were computerised besides investigate the lapses on its own. "The way entire record of the cheques, fraudulently drawn from the account, was destroyed and related entries were erased from the computers was a serious matter that required to be thoroughly investigated by the Bank authorities as it could involve some officers and other staff as well", the sources said.

According to sources, since the transactions of FDRs amounted to worth crores in J&K Bank, the accused thought the scam could have gone unnoticed. Since the FDR holders would have got their amount after producing their certificates, the accused were confidant that they would go scot free. However, role of the audit team coupled with prompt investigations by the Crime Branch thwarted designs of the Bank staff and led to unearthing of the cyber crime.

No let up in infiltration; 105 killed

SRINAGAR, Nov 14: Pakistan is making desperate attempts to send trained militants and sophisticated arms and ammunition before the infiltrating routes close due to heavy snowfall, a senior security officer said.

There had been snowfall recently in the upper reaches, including routes which were being used by the militants to sneak into India, the officer who recently returned from the forward area said.

He said the routes were still open and the militants were infiltrating from Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) as the snowfall was not more than six inches to one feet, which was still manageable to walk.

The intelligence gathered from different field sources states that there was no let up in the infiltration from across the border, he added.

There were 38 encounters along the Line of Control (LoC) in the northern sector of the Kashmir valley since July till October end this year.

The security forces were able to eliminate 105 militants, majority of them foreigners, during these encounters.

He said 85 per cent of the slain militants were from Pakistan, PoK and other countries while only 15 per cent were locals.

"Despite all efforts to stop infiltration, the militants are sneaking into the Valley as it is not possible to plug the routes because of the terrain is very difficult. However, we could manage to neutralise most infiltrators within the five km border belt before they could enter the towns," he said.

But the possibility of some militants having sneaked into the Valley can not be ruled out, he said, adding "we are hoping to eliminate them as now people are willingly coming forward with information about militants and their hideouts. He said the recent unprovoked and indiscriminate shelling by Pakistani troops from across the border in northern areas was to help militants sneak into India.

"They want to engage us in shelling to provide cover to militants," the officer said, adding "but we have taken all precautions to thwart their designs.

He said barring some incidents, there were no reports of any major exfiltration bid by the militants.

"We have recently arrested four youth from Srinagar who were being taken to Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) for receiving arms training."

However, he said, reports of fresh recruitment of youth by militant organisations particularly Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashker-e-Toiba were received in the recent past.

"They are not being taken to PoK now and instead are being trained in hurling of grenades and handling of small arms like pistol in the Valley."

"We have gathered information about these mobile training camps," he said, adding "we have asked security forces engaged in counter insurgency operations to deal with them firmly."

About the situation in the Valley, he said, there is some improvement. However, no conclusions could be made right now as it could be a lull before the storm, he added.

But, he said, the people of Jammu and Kashmir were in favour of total peace in the State as they were fed-up with the violence. (UNI)

165 SPOs dis-engaged

Excelsior Correspondent

SRINAGAR, Nov 14: One hundred and sixty-five Special Police Officers (SPOs) have been disengaged in Srinagar district in a latest "clean-up drive", following the complaints that they didn’t perform effective policing nor supplied any information in a fight against terrorism.

Giving details of the ‘clean-up’ drive, a Police spokesman said that similar process has been undertaken in other districts and efforts are afoot to make the Police Stations a Centre of all policing activities.

The spokesman while drawing the attention towards the disinformation campaign launched by certain vested interests regarding the disengagement of SPOs by District Superintendents of Police, said that such a step was necessitated following the complaints that for quite some time, large number of SPOs didn’t even attend to their respective Police Lines while their monthly honoraria used to be collected by one or the other vested interests.

He said that these SPOs were initially engaged, from 1990, on a monthly honorarium of Rupees 1,500 to support fight against armed militancy unleashed by our neighbour for the last over 12 years. The spokesman claimed that as the situation has undergone a "marked improvement" and general yearning for peace was made evident by common citizens, a need to make the basic unit of Police, the Police Station, not only fully functional, but also highly professional, was felt.

The spokesman said that the intention of employing these SPOs was two fold— to continue fight against recalcitrant armed militants on one hand and to remove deadwood from ranks so as to give relief to general masses, on the other. "However, most of such SPOs failed in performing policing and also didn’t supply any information that could have strengthened our hands in the fight against terrorism", the spokesman added.

Two more political detenues freed

Excelsior Correspondent

SRINAGAR, Nov 14: Continuing with its drive to release political detenus, the Jammu and Kashmir Government has freed four leaders, including two Hurriyat Conference workers, who were held under the Public Safety Act, official sources said today.

Pervaiz Ahmad Dar, a senior People’s League and Hurriyat Conference leader was released on bail from the Central Jail here today after a 10-month detention under the Public Safety Act, official sources said.

Dar, who was working in the legal aid cell of Hurriyat Conference was released at 4.45 pm, the sources said adding he was lodged in Kathua Jail before being brought to the Central Jail in Srinagar prior to his release.

Abdul Rahim Wani, a district president of ruling PDP was released from the Kot Balwal jail at Jammu today, official sources said today. Wani, who is the Kupwara district president of PDP and a member of its executive was arrested under POTA alongwith his two body guards in December last year.

He was granted bail in July this year by the designated court, but re-arrested the same day under the Public Safety Act (PSA) and was later lodged in Kot Bhalwal jail, they said adding that the two bodyguards are still behind the bars.

The Government has so far set free nine detenus. On Monday the Government had released JKLF chief Mohammad Yasin Malik. Dar is the second People’s League leader after Mukhtar Ahmed Waza released since the change of guard in Jammu and Kashmir in an effort to restore normalcy in the trouble-torn border State.

Permission to VHP yatra withdrawn

AHMEDABAD, Nov 14: The district authorities of Panchamahals have cancelled the permission for VHP’s proposed ‘Padshahi’ yatra from Godhra on November 17, official sources said here today.

Panchamahals Collector Manoj Agrawal told PTI that the permission given by Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Godhra, yesterday for commencing the yatra has been cancelled under directives from the Election Commission today.

‘Yesterday, the SDM granted the permission, but today we received instructions from the EC and the earlier permission now stands null and void’, Agrawal said.

When asked whether the cancellation of permission has been conveyed to the VHP, Agrawal told PTI on phone ‘we are trying to locate the leaders and convey it to them.’

On preventive measures being taken by the district authorities if VHP is adamant to commence the Yatra as scheduled, Agrawal said ‘we are having consultations with the State Government and future course of action will be decided only after we get a response from them (VHP)’.

‘It is too early to take any precautionary measures including promulgation of Section 144’, he said in reply to another question.

However, VHP leader Praveen Togadia, when contacted told PTI ‘we have no information of cancellation of permission by district authorities’.

‘We will respond to them tomorrow as we are yet to be informed. We have their earlier permission and the yatra will continue in its own democratic way’, he said. (PTI)

Re-deployment to be completed by Dec: Army

NEW DELHI, Nov 14: Army today said redeployment of troops from offensive formations would be completed by December, but indicated that the pace of withdrawal would depend on Pakistani response.

"The first phase of redeployment of offensive formations will be over by the month of December. But further redeployment will depend upon matching Pakistani moves," Deputy Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen JBS Yadava said.

Speaking to the media after wishing bon voyage to the contingent of the 8 Sikh Light Infantry battalion group leaving for United Nations peackeeping operations in Lebanon here, Yadava said further phases of redeployment will be done after evaluation of the security scenario.

"The review would be conducted by the Cabinet Committee on Security and if it feels that the security situation is conducive more troops will be redeployed," he said.

Disclosing that two regiments of the frontline Russian acquired main battle tanks T-90 have been inducted into the Army, Yadava said long-range Smerch rocket system would be deployed after its field trials were completed.

Yadava said the forward deployment of the Army under Operation Parakram was a learning experience.

"Deployment benefitted Army to a large extent because it was live training in an operational environment," he said declaring that regular training programmes of the Army would resume from December. (PTI)

Civilian killed, 2 women injured in Bandipore

Excelsior Correspondent

SRINAGAR, Nov 14: Militants have eliminated a civilian and left two women of his family injured in a midnight strike in Bandipore.

Official sources said that at around midnight, four armed militants sneaked into the house of one Meraj-ud-din Bhat alias Shuja S/o Ali Mohammad Bhat at Nowpora in the periphery of Bandipore town. They were looking for Shuja as they suspected him to be an informer of security forces. Militants blasted the doors of the house with a grenade and showered bullets on Shuja, killing him on spot.

Shuja’s mother Zoona and sister Naza sustained gunshot wounds in the shootout. They were rushed to a hospital and later referred to SKIMS.

Officials confirmed that Shuja had been simultaneously working for militants as well as security forces.

Reports from south Kashmir said that militants hurled a grenade and later fired upon a patrol of security forces at Alsiteng (Wangam) in Kokernag area. Three soldiers sustained injuries. Troops retaliated but militants managed to escape unharmed.

Last evening, security forces had eliminated an unidentified militant in an encounter at Larnoo, Kokernag.

| home | state | national | business| editorial | advertisement | sports |
| international | weather | mailbag | suggestions | search | subscribe | send mail |