Meghalaya to strengthen resident safety law in wake of Sohra honeymoon murder
The move comes weeks after the gruesome murder of Indore-based businessman Raja Raghuvanshi, who was killed during a honeymoon trip to Sohra, in a plot orchestrated by his wife and her lover.
"The cabinet today decided to revisit the Meghalaya Resident Safety and Security Act , 2016, an existing state legislation, to add more teeth to this Act to minimise the possibility of criminal elements entering Meghalaya in the guise of tourists," Cabinet spokesperson Paul Lyngdoh said after the cabinet meeting here.
"The government will soon come up with a formal proposal to further strengthen the MRSSA," he said.
The 2016 Act was originally introduced to enhance the security of Meghalaya residents through the vetting of tenants and tourists.
It allows for identity verification through a tourism-specific app and has provisions similar to those under the Inner Line Permit system, which the state has long been seeking from the Centre.
According to Lyngdoh, the Assembly had adopted a resolution demanding implementation of the Inner Line Permit in Meghalaya.
"The matter is pending before the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. There were several queries from the Ministry which the state government had addressed," he said, adding that the Union Ministry had expressed concern since Meghalaya is a transit state to other parts of the North East.
The Cabinet minister also informed that the MRSSA is already a very effective legislation, which will need a little bit of "upscale" as of now.
The urgency to revisit the Act was triggered by the case involving Sonam, the wife of murdered businessman Raja.
She had allegedly conspired to kill her husband along with her lover and his friends, and entered Meghalaya under the guise of a tourist.
According to Lyngdoh, the Cabinet placed on record its gratitude to the entire police department for cracking this case in record time and arresting all the accused, saving the state from a "bad name".
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
24 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Woman teacher of prominent Mumbai school arrested for sexually assaulting 16-year-old boy
The Mumbai police arrested a 40-year-old woman teacher of a prominent school in the city last week for allegedly sexually assaulting a Class 12 student since January last year. A friend of the teacher, who is said to have helped her, has also been booked in the case. The matter came to light when the 16-year-old boy's parents observed changes in his behaviour and encouraged him to open up, following which the teenager revealed his ordeal. According to police sources, the accused teaches English at the school. She is married and has two children. Investigators said the woman tried to get close to the boy sometime in December 2023 after noticing him during practice sessions for the school's annual day, but he distanced himself from her. She then allegedly took the help of a friend who contacted the boy on her behalf, and convinced him that it was not uncommon for teenage boys to have relationships with older women. The boy was persuaded to meet the teacher, who took him to an isolated place in her car and sexually assaulted him, police sources revealed. The incident left the boy shaken, and his mental health deteriorated. However, this did not stop the woman from taking him to five-star hotels in south Mumbai and western suburbs where she would make him consume alcohol before sexually assaulting him, a police source added. After the boy revealed the matter to his parents, they decided against taking any major action as he was about to leave the school after the board exams. However, the boy slipped into depression after clearing the exams and leaving the school. The parents approached the police when they saw that the accused was trying to contact him again through her servants, another source said. The police registered a First Information Report (FIR) against the woman teacher and arrested her on Saturday under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act and the Juvenile Justice Act. Officers are currently investigating if the teacher has targeted any other student in the school.
Hindustan Times
27 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Cyber fraud racket busted, 3 held from Jamtara for duping man of over ₹10 lakh
New Delhi, The Delhi Police arrested three cybercriminals from Jamtara in Jharkhand for allegedly duping a Delhi-based man of ₹ 10.80 lakh by posing as credit card officials, an official said on Wednesday. Cyber fraud racket busted, 3 held from Jamtara for duping man of over ₹ 10 lakh To avoid suspicion and blend with the locals, a police team conducted reconnaissance of the accused in traditional tribal attire and monitored the suspects from a distance for hours. The officer also claimed that with their arrest, they busted a cyber fraud network operation from Jamtara. The arrested were identified as Mujaffar Jilani , Aftab Ansari , and Md Iqbal Raza , all residents of Karmatar in Jamtara. "Jamtara has gained notoriety over the years as a hub for organised cyber frauds in India. We have recovered five mobile phones, six SIM cards and a debit card allegedly used in the commission of the fraud," Deputy Commissioner of Police Amit Goel said in a statement. The fraud came to light after a case was registered at the Cyber Police Station based on a complaint filed by K.C. Barthwal, a 49-year-old resident of Palam in Delhi. Barthwal alleged that he received a phone call from an unknown number on April 5. The caller, posing as an official from a government bank's credit card branch in Mumbai, falsely claimed that ₹ 588.82 had been debited from Barthwal's credit card. "The caller then pressured the victim to either activate or block his credit card by clicking on a link sent to his phone. The link led to a phishing site resembling the official bank portal. Barthwal, unaware of the trap, opened the link and shared his card details," the DCP said. A day later, Barthwal received another call that extracted even more personal information. Over the next few days, unauthorised transactions totalling ₹ 10.80 lakh were allegedly made from his credit card and linked bank account. An FIR was registered, and further investigation began. The team carried out technical surveillance and identified the accused as being located in the Jamtara region. "Following a two-day surveillance operation, the police apprehended the accused. All three were brought to Delhi on transit remand and interrogated," the DCP stated. Explaining the gang's modus operandi, the police stated that the fraudsters used a multi-layered approach combining phishing, social engineering and technological tools to extract money from the victim. First, the victim received spoofed calls from numbers masked to appear official. The fraudsters then sent a malicious phishing link that mimicked genuine websites and prompted their targets to enter credit card details. Later, a fake mobile application was installed on the victim's device, allowing the accused to remotely access sensitive data and intercept OTPs in real-time. The gang also allegedly gained access to the victim's internet banking credentials, which they obtained under the guise of account verification. Once inside the net banking portal, the accused transferred funds into various digital wallets and gaming platforms. The laundered money was routed through multiple mule accounts before being withdrawn in cash. Identifying Ansari as the alleged mastermind who managed the entire operation, including planning and laundering funds through gaming wallets, the DCP stated that his close associate, Jilani, received portions of the siphoned amount via the same wallets. Raza, 24, was the alleged tech brain behind the operation, responsible for creating and distributing malicious K files and ensuring real-time capture of OTPs and SMS communications by forwarding the victim's mobile content to a fake number he controlled. Raza also helped in transferring the stolen money and organising cash withdrawals, the DCP added, noting that further investigation is underway. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
New Indian Express
32 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Darren Sammy calls for justice, right process amid sexual assault allegations against West Indies player
ST GEORGE'S: West Indies cricket has been rocked by allegations of sexual abuse against an unnamed current player and the team's head coach Darren Sammy has called for justice to be served but also stressed on the need to follow the due process. A report published last week by Guyana-based Kaieteur News claimed that 11 women, including a teenager, have come forward with allegations of sexual offences against the cricketer, some reportedly dating back to 2023. No formal charges have been filed yet. Addressing the media ahead of the second Test against Australia, Sammy acknowledged the gravity of the situation while underscoring the importance of respecting legal procedures. "We are all aware of what's been going on in the media. I'm very close to my players. I've had conversations with them. One thing I could say is, we believe in justice. We are a community that believes justice must be served," the former captain Sammy. "However there's a process. There's allegations and we will continue to support in whatever way we can, to make sure that due process and the right system is followed," he added. Sammy, who has been West Indies' white-ball coach since May 2023, added that it's essential to allow the legal procedure to take its course before drawing conclusions. "It's allegations. We know the justice system, you've got to wait for things to process. I'm not a judge, I'm not a prosecutor. The information that has come out is what we have. I'm pretty sure at the end of the day, justice will be served," he added. When asked whether Cricket West Indies had launched an internal investigation, Sammy declined to confirm. "I can't answer to that to be honest. I'm pretty sure they are doing all what they can to make sure the right process is followed." West Indies and Australia will lock horns in the second Test starting here on Thursday.
