Indian news & views briefly

HYDERABAD, Nov. 19: You need not pop a Viagra to pep up that flagging libido. You can achieve a similar result by wearing a diamond on the ring finger of your right hand. If you are a woman, wearing a diamond on the ring finger of your left hand will cure you of sexual debility.

These are prescriptions of Vedic medical astrology, which is fast becoming popular in Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam and other parts of the State. Vedic medical astrology differs from other astrological disciplines in that it uses the moving zodiac. It is based on ancient Hindu religious texts.

�Yes, it has an antidote for every health problem,� says practitioner Ch. Venkatasubbaiah. �Of course, the astrologer should know his scriptures. Every disease and every part of the human body is linked to some heavenly body.�

According to him, venereal diseases, skin problems and low sperm count are caused by the �bad placement� of Venus in one�s birth chart. The cure lies in gemology, an integral part of Vedic medical astrology. Vedic medical astrology is itself a branch of the sprawling system of Vedic astrology. The system of medicine was practiced by saints and sages of yore.

A Vedic medical astrologer assesses a patient by drawing a horoscope based on time, place and date of the birth. The practitioners believe that men and women suffer from different kinds of diseases. �It works on the well-established system of bio-energy movements,� said Mr Venkatasubbaiah.

Brain-related disorders and emotional imbalances are traced to the bad placement of the moon in one�s birth chart or by an unfavorable transit of the moon. The cure is simple: wear a pea-sized natural pearl on the little finger of right hand. Women, as usual, should wear it. (Source: Deccan Chronicle)

Quake Survivors Cross LoC

NOV 18: India and Pakistan allowed two dozen Kashmiris to walk across the Line of Control, the militarized line that divides the disputed territory, at the Chakothi-Uri crossing. It is one of five points on the line that the countries had agreed would be opened after last month's earthquake to help move relief supplies and reunite divided families. This was the first civilian crossing. The 24 Kashmiris were from the Indian zone and had arrived in the Pakistani zone before the Oct. 8 quake on the new cross-Kashmir bus service and became stranded there when a bridge on the bus line collapsed in the quake. (NYT)

Salem-Monica: When love bug bites..

NOV 18: �I�ve heard of people marrying US citizens for a Green Card and subsequent US citizenship but look at the loopholes in the marriage laws: you can actually commit nefarious crimes �- marry a foreigner for multiple citizenship �- and the CBI cannot touch you! Isn�t this what the Abu Salem-Monica Bedi �paper marriage� highlights,� asks a baffled Delhi-based Rupa Mehta, law student. �It was only due to delay in paperwork that they got nabbed!�

In what seemed right out of a filmi plot, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) extradited desi gangster Abu Salem and his Bollywood starlet 'wife' Monica Bedi [there is no proof of their marriage] after a tenuous three-year legal battle in Portugal. According to CBI sources, Salem revealed during interrogation that he and Bedi married Portuguese citizens on paper to get citizenship of that country! He took the first step by marrying a Portuguese girl and Bedi followed suit.

The duo almost succeeded in their efforts to skirt the law; they received a permanent residency status in Portugal [the law allows such status to spouses of the citizens] and applied for citizenship. Fortunately, their plans were shelved due to paperwork hurdles � which meant they were technically still Indian citizens � due to which Salem was nabbed by Portuguese authorities on the basis of a red corner notice issued by the Interpol against him.

The duo was arrested in Lisbon on September 18, 2002 on charges of possessing fake documents and the CBI painstakingly established their identities. On October 19, 2005 the Portuguese authorities informed the CBI that they were prepared to extradite the duo and a CBI team reached the Portuguese capital on October 29; in less than a fortnight, they wrapped up the legal process and brought the conniving duo to Mumbai. In keeping with the European Union's requirements, the then NDA Government assured Portugal that the two would not get the death penalty if extradited.

Salem and Monica Bedi were brought from Lisbon to Mumbai in a chartered aircraft on November 11, revealed CBI Director Uma Shankar Misra at a press meet. The extradited gangster will soon be brought to New Delhi for further interrogation; the date, however, is top secret. Presently lodged at the Chanchalguda women's prison in Hyderabad, Bedi will face charges in two cases of passport forgery in Hyderabad and Bhopal.

Latest news is, a court in Bhopal has issued a production warrant against Monica in connection with a fake passport case. Cases had been lodged against five people-including Salem and Monica -- for getting their passports made under fake names in July 2001. The passports were used by the duo to flee the country.

Monica had secured a passport (No. B 5802508) from the Regional Passport Office, Hyderabad, in the name of Sana Malik Kamal, on September 20, 2001, furnishing false residential address as House Number 10/102 B, Babu Goundar Street, Kurnool, and her year of birth as 1974.

She claimed to have studied upto sixth standard at Sri Hanuman Higher Elementary School in Kurnool.

Abu Salem

Underworld don Abu Salem, Monica's boyfriend, is also charged with distributing arms and ammunition to the co-accused prior to the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts and also faces charges of participating in the conspiracy. Of his eight cases, three are pending with the CBI, three with the Delhi police pertaining to extortion and two with the Mumbai police for alleged murder. The underworld don was also allegedly involved in the murder of Bollywood music industry czar Gulshan Kumar and attacks on leading filmmakers Rajiv Rai and Rakesh Roshan.

In a recent development, the Interpol on Thursday issued a red corner notice for Samira Jumani, the first wife of Abu Salem. CBI reports revealed Jumani is wanted for offences like criminal conspiracy, fraud and forgery. According to CBI sources, she could be privy to many secrets about the 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts accused. It is reported that she is hiding in the US under the assumed name of Neha Asif Jafri and has been taking care of the don's properties there.

US yet to act on Salem wife's extradition

The US government was yet to act on the extradition request for gangster Abu Salem's wife, Samira Jumani, although it is more than a year since the request was made, CBI sources said today.

Samira has been booked in a passport forgery case registered at Lucknow, where Salem, who was extradited from Portugal, and Samira acquired genuine passports furnishing forged documents in the name of Akil Ahmed Azmi and Sabina Azmi respectively, the sources said.

She was tracked down in the US four years ago and the CBI made an extradition request a year ago, the sources said adding that although she is not wanted in the 1993 serial bomb blasts case, she could be privy to a lot of information.

Sources said the US was still examining the case made out by Indian agencies against Samira and they were hopeful of her extradition since India and the US have entered into an extradition treaty.

When asked if her extradition could be a problem since she could have become a US citizen, CBI sources said they were not aware if she was a US citizen. Even then, the US can revoke her citizenship as she could have secured it by using a forged passport, they said.
Samira and Salem procured the forged passports in July 1993 and subsequently, Samira settled in the US with an eight-year-old son from Salem.

Times of India reports: Before Salem, Monica got just Rs 3 lakh a film

Before she became the don's moll, starlet Monica Bedi used to get a meager Rs 3 lakh per film. Monica, who acted in about 10 films, was considered a B-grade heroine and was often signed by producers making medium and small budget films.

"She was not even worth paying Rs 2 lakh for a film as she was not exactly a stunning looking actress," said an industry source. After Monica met Abu Salem in 1997, she did disappear from the scene. But it was only for a while.

She soon returned to fulfill her dream of working in A grade films. That producers like Praveen Shah and Rajiv Rai had to sign Monica after they were threatened by Salem is a well-known fact.

Monica starred opposite Sanjay Dutt in Jodi No. 1 and was cast in Rai's Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat.

(With input from DesPardes.com Delhi correspondent Jasmeen Dugal)

Related stories:

Gangster Salem's security beefed up

Salem, Monica may reveal Bollywood nexus

Gangster Salem's security beefed up

NOV 16: Security provided to 1993 serial bomb blasts accused and extradited gangster, Abu Salem, has been stepped up further, following inputs that he could face danger from rival gangs, reports PTI quoting CBI sources. CBI sources said that Salem was today taken in a police van to Sir George Hospital for routine medical check instead of the ambassador car in which he was taken for the past three days.

Armed policemen have been posted all around the C-3 bungalow, round-the-clock, and a close watch is kept even on people visiting the adjacent bungalows that houses State Ministers Vimal Mundada, Ranjit Kamble and Ravishet Patil, the sources said.

They said security personnel intercepted a person last night who was found moving suspiciously at the backside of the bungalow that houses CBI STF office. But upon inquiry he turned out to be a journalist of a local tabloid, who was in search of news.

Annoyed by this, CBI sources have warned media men not to venture in such activities as the security personnel would act harshly against intruders owing to security reasons.

Hanuman is a hit, smashes all records
Mumbai, Nov. 15: Sahara One Motion Pictures� first animation venture Hanuman, made in association with Percept and Silvertoons at a cost of Rs 2.5 crores, has been declared a hit by the trade. The 90-minute Hanuman, based on the life of the mythological hero, has grossed record earnings of Rs 7 crores from all over India since its opening, including Rs 3.5 crores from Mumbai alone.

Hanuman is here. It is based on the adventures of Hanuman, the hero from the Ramayana.

An impressive Rs 1.5 crores had been collected in the first three days alone, a remarkable feat for an animation film. This is the first time that such a film had been promoted like a normal feature movie, with 150 prints circulated nationwide on the day of release.

Says trade analyst Taran Adarsh, on the performance of Hanuman: �The box office collections of Hanuman are bigger and better then most other star cast films released in the last one month. It is a one of the best products to hit the screen recently.�

Sandeep Bhargava, chief operating officer of Sahara One Motion Pictures, adds: �This film has appealed to audiences of all age groups. The film has started well and will pace up in the coming weeks. With the Christmas holidays coming up shortly, Hanuman will get its audiences glued with its fantastic animation and screenplay.� Hanuman is about the extraordinary journey of this mythical superhero � from his days as an adorable, miracle-working baby to his ultimate triumph in the army of Lord Ram. Hanuman has made waves in the animation industry with its numerous pioneering features.

Animation guru V.G. Samant, a three-time national award winner and two-time international award winner, took two years and three months to create over 200,000 individual images along with 40 individual characters for the film. There were 108 artistes and 120 animation artistes involved. Hanuman has been officially recorded as India�s first indigenous animation film in the Limca Book of Records 2004 edition. Leading playback singers like Shaan, Sonu Nigam, Palash Sen, Kailash Kher, Saapna Mukherjee, Madhushri and Sneha Pant have sung for the film. (Source: Deccan Chronicle)

Maoists storm jail, free hundreds, kill two

PATNA, Nov 14 - Hundreds of Maoist rebels stormed a jail in Jahanabad town of Bihar state, killing at least two people and freeing more than 300 prisoners, including many fellow guerrillas.

The rebels reportedly entered the town late Sunday night in small groups, cut off power in areas around the jail and attacked the prison.

They killed one jail guard and a member of a private landlord army and also abducted at least two dozen members of a private army of upper caste landlords who were jail inmates, says news report. "We have rushed reinforcements from other places to control the situation," Bihar's police chief, Ashish Ranjan Sinha, told Reuters in Patna. Police and local witnesses said the Maoists made announcements during their night-time attack in Jehanabad, saying civilians should remain indoors and would not be harmed.

No de-militarization until infiltration stops: Manmohan

NOV 13: India on Saturday made it clear that there was no question of demilitarization unless Pakistan stopped cross-border terrorism and attempts at infiltration.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, during his meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Shaukat Aziz on the sidelines of the SAARC Summit in Dhaka, also asserted that in moving the peace process forward and correcting the "trust deficit" it was important that "we are not deflected by the incidents of terrorism and infiltration attempts that continue."

Salem, Monica may reveal Bollywood nexus

Nov 12: The Central Bureau of Investigation today began interrogating underworld don Abu Salem, extradited from Portugal and arrested for his alleged complicity in 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts, with the central intelligence agencies likely to join CBI in the probe soon.

The CBI started interrogating Salem at an undisclosed place in south Mumbai in the afternoon where a team of interrogators started with the routine procedure of recording history of the gangster, CBI sources told media.

"Salem is a wealth of information. He has closely been associated with the Dawood Ibrahim gang, and knows strengths and weaknesses of Dawood and his rival gangs better. The tit-bits he might give us during the course of interrogation can help us tying some loose ends in the intelligence of these gangs," the sources added.

Apart from the 1993 Mumbai bomb blast case, the CBI�s special task force will also carry out a detailed inquiry into the assets and properties owned by Abu Salem and Monica Bedi and Salem�s links with Bollywood.

CBI officials confirmed that they would be carrying out an in-depth inquiry of all the cases and both Salem and Monica would be interrogated separately.

A senior CBI official from Delhi said, �The CBI will question Monica and Salem individually and any disclosures made during the interrogation will be investigated thoroughly.�

Bollywood links

In the course of the investigation, the police learnt that a film producer helped Monica acquire two flats in MHADA�s Oshiwara Complex in Jogeshwari (W) on Salem�s orders.

They suspect the producer has close links with the gangster and has even used Salem�s money for making a few films.

A CBI official said, �All those film personalities who are named during the interrogation might be called upon for questioning, depending on the role they have played in executing Salem�s orders.�

Monica�s flats sealed

The two flats, one of which is in Monica�s mother Shakuntala Bedi�s name, were sealed by MHADA in 2001. A senior MHADA official, on condition of anonymity, revealed that Monica paid about Rs 15.5 lakh for each flat, which cost Rs 28 lakh.

Since complete payment for the flats is still pending and Monica was absconding for over five years, MHADA attached the flats and will now be selling them, once the legalities are sorted out.

CBI, police work together

When asked if the CBI would seek assistance from the Mumbai police, the senior officer replied, �The Mumbai police has three cases against Salem and if their assistance is needed to probe some links, we will surely approach them.

Also, Salem�s custody will be given to the Mumbai police, as there are cases of murder, extortion and other serious cases registered against him. The Mumbai police can also probe his Bollywood nexus.�

Monica Bedi taken to Hyderabad

Monica Bedi (Courtey: Star News)

Monica Bedi was taken to Hyderabad by CBI officials last night.

Bedi was escorted by Hyderabad police to Sultan Bazar, where she spent the night at a mini ladies police station.

��She appeared composed from the time she landed till we reached Sultan Bazar,�� said Deputy Superintendent of Police, A Khan. "She was very quiet during the drive.��

At the police station, women constables inquired if she required anything. ��She only asked for some fruit and was given an apple and a banana,�� said another official. She was also given a blanket.

Bedi, the second wife of Abu Salem, faces charges of forgery in two fake passport cases.

Salem claims to have divorced his first wife Sameera Jumani, who now resides in the US.

(Sources: Mid-Day, PTI)