Body of missing baby found in manhole, mother arrested
Kolkata: The body of the two-month-old baby girl missing from her home in Beliaghata area of the city was found in a manhole near her residence, police said on Monday. The mother was arrested for allegedly killing her baby and dumping the body in the manhole, a senior officer of Kolkata Police claimed. The mother is probably suffering from “postnatal depression” which led to the killing of her baby, the officer claimed. On Sunday police started a probe after the mother alleged that her baby was kidnapped by an unidentified person from their residence. She had alleged that an unknown man barged into her flat in the afternoon when she and the baby were alone at home. She was hit by the unknown youth who fled with her baby, the police said. A search was launched and police started questioning the security guard of the flat, the babysitter and the mother. “There were several discrepancies in the claims of the woman, the babys mother. We started questioning her which continued for several hours after which she admitted committing the crime… it seems she is under severe depression that led to this mishap. We have arrested her,” the IPS officer said. (PTI)
Bars in five-star UP hotels to stay open till 4 am
Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government has decided to allow bars in big cities to remain open up to 2 am and those in five-star hotels till 4 am, an hour later than earlier. Principal secretary Sanjay Bhoosreddy told PTI that the decision, which will come into effect on April 1, is meant for the convenience of guests, particularly foreigners. Licensed bars in major UP cities could earlier remain open up to 1 am, or 3 am if they are located in five-star hotels. Unlike before, hotels in small cities can also apply for a liquor licence. The Uttar Pradesh cabinet last week gave its nod to the 2020-21 excise policy under which the licence fee for selling country-made liquor was increased by 10 per cent. A licence for serving beer is up 15 per cent and for foreign liquor 20 per cent. “The government has made a simple and transparent excise policy. Renewal of licences will be done through e-lottery. Under the new policy, one person will be allowed to have only two shops in the state,” Bhoosreddy had said after the cabinet meeting. Beer shops will now be allowed to sell wine. A licence fee will be charged to serve liquor on luxury trains, which was free earlier. Licences will also be given to airport lounges and hotels located outside the airport where airline passengers stay. All liquor bottles will have barcodes so that the consumer can check for spurious liquor. (PTI)
POCSO accused hangs self in jail
Gwalior: A man charged under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and in prison since January 23 allegedly committed suicide in Gwalior Central Jail in Madhya Pradesh, police said on Monday. Narottam Rawat’s body was found hanging from a tree in the premises of a temple within the jail complex after a search was mounted around 7:30pm on Sunday as he had not come back to his barracks post dinner, said Gwalior Central Jail Superintendent Manoj Sahu. “He had eloped with a minor girl on January 4 but was held later, charged under the POCSO Act, and sent to jail on January 23,” Sahu said. He said jail wardens Omprakash Suman, Manoj Tyagi and Prem Goyal have been suspended, and probe was underway to ascertain how Rawat managed to make a rope out of clothes, climb atop the tree and commit suicide without on-duty personnel getting alerted. While jail records showed Rawat’s age as 20, his family claimed the deceased was 17 years and 11 months and thus a minor. (PTI)
Man hacks wife, brother to death
Lakhimpur Kheri (UP): A 35-year-old man allegedly hacked his wife and younger brother to death with an axe and injured his mother in Naurangabad locality here early on Monday morning, police said. While the motive for the two killings was not immediately clear, the police suspect that Shakil committed the crime because he believed his wife, Shabikunnishan (30), and brother, Mohsin (30), were having an affair. His mother, Sabirunnishan, attempted to stop him during the attack but he turned on her and injured her hand, they said. Shakil, who is apparently mentally disturbed, was later held by local residents and handed over to the police, they said, adding that the axe was seized. Kheri SP Poonam visited the scene of crime and said investigations were on to ascertain the motive behind the gruesome killings. (PTI)