Hyderabad, Jan. 7: Police on Saturday arrested a third person, Venkatesh of Bihar, for alleged involvement in nine sex-related murders over the period of a year on the city outskirts. Two members of the gang, Boya Ramulu and Pavan Yadav, had been taken into custody on Saturday. They had helped identify seven of the nine victims, police said. Two remain unidentified.

Police sources said the brother of Pavan Yadav turned him over the police. The police got its first definite clue in the form of an eyewitness who saw the alleged killers pick up their victims. Sources told this correspondent that Ramulu and Venkatesh had killed N. Jagan of Shamshabad on January 5, 2006, Vijay Kumar of Shamshabad on January 10, and Gopal of Maheswaram on May 3. Police said Jagan was murdered for the sake of Rs 30. His head was smashed with a boulder and the body thrown in the Kamaini Cheruvu of Shamshabad. Vijay Kumar was killed for Rs 100 and his body was thrown in a agriculture well.

Police said that together with Pavan Yadav the gang killed another five persons. The victims included Saritamma of Balanagar who was raped and whose throat was slit. The body was abandoned a railway track on August 10. Cousins Dastagir and Mohammed were killed on January 2 this year, and their bodies abandoned at a municipal dumping yard at Babul Reddy hillocks in Rajendranagar. Radhabai of Amangal in Mahbubnagar district was killed two days later at Timmapur. They lured her by offering her toddy.
Police on Saturday recovered the body of an unidentified person near Aramghar on Saturday. The identity of yet another victim is yet to be established.

The breakthrough came with a clue on January 3 from eyewitness Mohammed Chand Pasha, the cousin of Dastagir and Mohammed who were killed on January 2. Chand Pasha told this correspondent that he had had liquor with Dastagir and Mohammed on January 2 at a shop at Udangadda crossroads. Pavan and another unidentified person, suspected to be Ramulu, were also drinking there. Chand said that Dastagir, Mohammed and Pavan were neighbours and knew each other. They accompanied Pavan after he told them about two sex workers. The three of them and the unidentified person left the place in an autorickshaw.

Chand said, “I came to know the next day that my cousins were murdered. The same evening police summoned me and I told them about Pavan.” Rajendrnagar police contacted Pavan’s brother Mallesh Yadav. Mallesh told this newspaper that he handed over his brother to the police on the night of January 3. “When I came to know that my brother was involved in a murder, I was shocked but kept my nerves,” Mallesh said. Assistant commissioner of police, Rajendrnagar, Mahipal Reddy said revealing more information could hamper investigations. He said police had definite clues on the murder of Mohammed and Dastagir and was working on it.

CISF warns against cyber attack

By Shariff Ameeruddin Ishaqui

Hyderabad Feb. 12: The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has stepped up security of vital installations after recent intelligence reports on the possibility of terror strikes there. CISF director general S.I.S. Ahmed said on Monday that threat perception of nuclear establishments such as Baba Atomic Research Centre had also gone up. Talking to this correspondent at the National Industrial Security Academy (Nisa) at Hakimpet on Monday after witnessing a passing out parade of CISF sub-inspectors, Mr Ahmed pointed out that the terror strike may not be in a physical form but could be an attempt to damage the network of such institutions. "That is why we have decided to develop a network security system," he said. "We will protect the institutions from hackers." Most PSUs had excellent software professionals and scientists who could provide the CISF with inputs on the possible damages that terrorists can cause to networks, he said. Threat perceptions were not confined to government institutions and even the country’s premier private sector units were under threat. "We will provide consultancy service to private institutions," the CISF director general said. At present, the CISF was providing security to all airports, defence research organisations and other public sector under takings in the country. Mr Ahmed said that the CISF maintained close coordination with the Intelligence Bureau to get key inputs.

Legal advisers to help police frame charges

By Shariff Ameeruddin Ishaqui

Hyderabad, Feb. 12: The State government has decided to appoint legal advisers in the police department to assist officers from the rank of superintendent of police to the director-general of police on various issues. Sources said that a legal advisor would be appointed in each district police office and one or more advisors would be appointed in the various police commissionerates. Apart from this, a finance adviser will also be appointed to assist the DGP. At present, police officers are mainly depending on prosecutors to file their chargesheets in court. As per law, chargesheets have to be sanctioned by an SP at the district level and commissioners at city level before they are filed in courts. "But the fact remains that many cases had been acquitted because of the lack of proper legal scrutiny before filing the chargesheets," said a senior police official. Legal advisors are meant to solve this problem. "Police officers can get tips from them before submitting the chargesheets in various cases," he said. According to sources, the home department is working out the modalities for the appointments.