Malegaon terror attack: Charge-sheet against Sadhvi, Purohit in a month

[email protected] (CD Network)
October 19, 2015

New Delhi, Oct 19: The National Investigating Agency is expected to file a chargesheet in the Malegaon blasts case of 2008 within a month. The NIA has recorded the statements of nine key witnesses in the case, in which saffron terrorists Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt. Col. Prasad Purohit are the main accused.

terrorists
“The charge sheet will go through five layers of scrutiny before being submitted in court. We intend to complete the procedure in a month and then the trial will begin,” a senior NIA official said.

The case was earlier investigated by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), which had arrested nine Muslim men from Malegaon for their alleged role in the crime. They are presently out on bail.

“Assessing the importance of cases, we generally record the statements of all the key witnesses on video and the Malegaon blast case is one such case. The video is not admissible as evidence in court, but it is an important tool during the trial when witnesses turn hostile,” the NIA officer said.

After the NDA government came to power, the NIA has come under the scanner for going soft on right-wing terror cases in which members of the Abhinav Bharat were involved. Earlier, special public prosecutor Rohini Salian had alleged that she was asked by the agency to go slow in this case.

The blast in Malegaon on September 29, 2008, left eight persons dead and 80 injured.

The NIA, which took over the investigation in 2011, arrested 11 accused, including Pragya Thakur and Lt. Col. Purohit. On the Supreme Court’s direction, a special court has been constituted to hear the case.

Pragya Thakur’s counsel J.P Mishra said the health of his client was deteriorating fast.

“She cannot move without a wheelchair and is presently undergoing treatment at the Pandit Khushilal Ayurveda Hospital in Bhopal. We are moving a bail application on October 23,” said Mr. Mishra, adding that she had not been granted bail since her arrest in 2010.

“First, the ATS investigated the case and filed a charge sheet. The NIA is continuing the investigation. They examined around 200 witnesses and submitted documentary evidence running into thousands of pages. We will see what new facts emerge,” said Mr. Mishra.

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News Network
December 4,2025

Udupi: A 40-year-old NRI from Udupi has reportedly lost more than Rs 12.25 lakh in an online investment scam operated through Telegram.

According to a complaint filed at the CEN police station, Leo Jerome Mendonsa, who has been working in Dubai for the past 15 years in computer accessories sales, maintains NRI accounts in Karkala and Nitte.

On November 12, 2025, Mendonsa was added to a Telegram group called Instaflow Earnings by unknown individuals. Users identified as Priya and Dipannita persuaded him to invest in “Revenue Tasks.” Initially, Mendonsa transferred Rs 1,100 multiple times and received the promised returns, encouraging him to continue.

On November 14, another user, Nishmitha Shetty, directed him to register on a website, digitvisionuoce.cc, and invest Rs 4 lakh in various shares. Over the next few days, he made multiple transfers totaling Rs 12,25,000, including Rs 50,000 via Google Pay, believing the scheme was legitimate.

After receiving the money, the alleged handlers stopped responding, and neither the invested amount nor the promised profits were returned.

The CEN police have registered a case under Sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the IT Act and Section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and investigations are ongoing.

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News Network
December 2,2025

DKSsiddu.jpg

Bengaluru: 'Nati koli saaru' (country chicken curry) considered one of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s favourites along with steaming hot idlis was on the breakfast menu at Deputy CM D K Shivakumar’s residence on Tuesday, according to official sources.

The spread also included 'nati koli' fry, vada and pongal, among other items, they said.

In an apparent show of unity, Siddaramaiah visited Shivakumar’s residence for breakfast, just days after the two leaders shared a meal amid a simmering power tussle in the state Congress.

Siddaramaiah drove to the Deputy CM’s residence in Sadashivanagar, where he was received by Shivakumar and his brother D K Suresh, who is a former Congress MP.

Suresh and Kunigal MLA H D Ranganath, a relative of Shivakumar, joined them for breakfast, which featured a mix of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes.

Speaking to reporters later, Siddaramaiah said Shivakumar had invited him during his visit to the CM’s residence for breakfast on Saturday.

Asked about the difference between the two meals, the chief minister said, "At his (Shivakumar’s) house it was non-veg, while at my house it was veg. He is a vegetarian, I am a non-vegetarian. I had not prepared non-veg. I told DK to get chicken from the village as you won’t get the original in Bengaluru."

Shivakumar said he had initially invited Siddaramaiah to his residence, but the CM had suggested visiting his place first and reciprocating later. "It was a vegetarian breakfast at the CM’s house on Saturday," he noted.

"Today, I invited him (the CM) to my house. He enjoyed the breakfast, which had his Mysuru taste," Shivakumar added. At this point, Siddaramaiah remarked that Shivakumar’s wife is also from Mysuru.

Saturday’s breakfast at Siddaramaiah’s official residence, held as part of efforts by the Congress high command to ease tensions in the leadership dispute between the two, reportedly included idlis and sambar, according to official sources.

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News Network
December 5,2025

Mangaluru: In a significant step to curb online hate and intimidation, Mangaluru City Police have registered a suo motu case against multiple Instagram accounts accused of circulating alleged provocative and threatening content.

While monitoring social media activity on Tuesday, Kankanady Town PSI Anitha Nikkam identified the Instagram handle ‘team_targetttt_900’ for posting a hate message alongside images of lethal weapons. Another account, ‘team_nagara_900’, allegedly shared a threatening post targeting activist Bharath Kumdelu, tagging additional pages such as KARAVALI-OFFICIAL.

Several other accounts — including ‘immu_bhai.fan’, ‘target_boy_900’, ‘kings_of_manglore’, ‘team_target_boys.900’, ‘arshad_mangalore’, ‘target_ka19_ullal’, ‘team_target__’, ‘troll_tigersz_900’, ‘tr_group_900’, and ‘team_target_900’ — are also under scrutiny for spreading similar inflammatory material, police said.

Authorities have urged citizens, especially young social media users, to report suspicious pages and avoid engaging with groups that glorify violence or threaten individuals. Online hate can quickly escalate into real-world harm, and police stress that sharing or promoting such content can attract legal consequences.

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