Latest news with #Delhi-born
Time of India
07-07-2025
- Time of India
24 years on the run ends in Delhi: Serial killer Ajay Lamba targeted taxi drivers, dumped bodies in hills & lived a double life; nabbed from India Gate
NEW DELHI: The past finally caught up with Ajay Lamba, alias Banshi. For over 24 years after allegedly masterminding the last of his four taxi murders, Lamba had successfully evaded the law by changing his identity, relocating to Nepal for a decade and switching to 'bailable' crimes such as drug-peddling and heists. His luck ran out on Saturday. While appearing in a drug case at a city court, Lamba, 49, was arrested near India Gate for his killing spree between 1999 and 2001 across Delhi and other states. The Delhi-born fugitive had managed to conceal his past crimes despite being arrested in other cases. You Can Also Check: Delhi AQI | Weather in Delhi | Bank Holidays in Delhi | Public Holidays in Delhi As per a senior police officer, the murders took place across Delhi, Haldwani, Almora and Champawat, areas that were part of Uttar Pradesh before the formation of Uttarakhand in 2000. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Aditya Gautam said that police were searching for Lamba for a long time and recently received information about his movement near India Gate.
New Indian Express
07-07-2025
- New Indian Express
On the run for 25 years, killer of taxi drivers in police net
NEW DELHI: A 49-year-old man, on the run for the last 25 years, has been arrested in connection with a string of crimes when he hired taxis, killed the drivers, dumped their bodies in remote forested areas of Uttarakhand, looted vehicles and resold them across the Nepal border in Delhi, police said on Sunday. Ajay Lamba alias Bansi was wanted in four brutal robbery-cum-murder cases across Delhi and Uttarakhand and declared a proclaimed offender in a 2001 murder case registered at New Ashok Nagar police station. He was the mastermind behind several heinous crimes, including killing taxi drivers between 1999 and 2001, a senior police officer said. A Delhi-born, he shifted base to UP's Bareilly and teamed up with Dhirendra and Dilip Negi,' DCP (Crime) Aditya Gautam said. Lamba managed to remain undetected for over two decades by frequently changing locations and identities. In 2020, he became involved in narcotics smuggling, primarily operating between Odisha and Delhi. In 2021, he was arrested in a narcotics case under the NDPS Act by Sagarpur police and again in connection with a jewellery shop dacoity in Berhampur, Odisha, in 2024. Lamba was out on bail and was arrested in a coordinated operation in Delhi, DCP said.
New Indian Express
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Memory's loose ends: Delhi-born composer Jayant Sankla on his latest song 'Musalsal'
Love is quiet, soft, and often unexpected like a breeze brushing past or impossible to hold still. That's the feeling at the heart of 'Musalsal', the latest track by Delhi-born singer-songwriter and composer Jayant Sankla. 'Musalsal', is derived from Arabic. 'It means continuous, something that keeps going and never stops,' says Sankla. Drawn first to its sound, it was the Urdu poetry of Mirza Ghalib and Faiz Ahmed Faiz, that drew him first to the word. 'The word stayed with me while listening to Pritam Chakraborty's song Phir Le Aaya Dil. I had been writing freely, letting the lyrics take shape. That's when musalsal just clicked with me.' The track is intentionally bare, with slow guitar strums and the soft rhythm of the mandolin trailing behind his vocals. 'If the melody is simple like the feelings in the song, it's easily understood,' he says. 'If the lyrics say one thing, the melody another, and the music is on a different trip, it feels like cheating—at least to myself. If what I'm thinking and making don't align, the listener will feel that disconnect too.'
Time of India
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Samarth Shandilya: Let's just say, Toofan brings the thunder in Rana Naidu
Samarth Shandilya In the chaotic sprawl of Mumbai's airport over a decade ago, a young aspiring actor stood still, eyes caught between two billboards - one of Salman Khan , the other featuring himself in a Samsung ad. 'It was my first time in Bombay,' recalls Samarth Shandilya . 'And I saw that - Salman Khan on one side, and me right next to him. I thought, okay, this is a brilliant gesture by God. I guess I'm staying.' More than a decade later, the Delhi-born actor, who played a memorable supporting role in Netflix's gritty crime series Rana Naidu, returns in Season 2 with a punchier character named fittingly Toofan. 'They always smile when they hear that name,' he laughs. 'And this time around, I am bringing a good storm in the show too.' Shandilya, who first moved to Mumbai in early 2011, is part of a growing crop of actors who've transitioned from theatre and modelling into films and OTT stardom - often quietly, always persistently. Known for his grounded presence and emotive range, he reflects on the city that has shaped him. 'Delhi is my heart, but Bombay is where I work. I think Bombay has made me a better version of who I was. It tells you what your hidden talent is - it pushes you to your limit. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Switch to UnionBank Rewards Card UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo And in that process, you realise you're not really competing with anyone else. You're just competing with yourself. It's beautiful and scary at the same time.' Before Mumbai, there was Delhi - and a different kind of fame. A print model with appearances across Delhi Metro hoardings, shopping malls, and major ad campaigns. He says,"Modelling was never really my thing. I wanted to be an actor.I think I was confident in who I was. I was also already doing theatre, which helped me express myself beyond just posing.' Samarth Shandilya In Rana Naidu, Shandilya's supporting turn in Season 1 was noticed and even won him a few awards. But he promises that Season 2 dials things up a notch. 'It's lighter in some ways, especially with the gore. The first season shocked a lot of people,' he says. This one has more drama, more action, and definitely more star power - Arjun Rampal, Kirti Kharbanda, Rajat Kapoor, Dino Morea. It's packed. And Toofan? 'Let's just say, he brings the thunder,' Shandilya grins. The part came to him during the pandemic when he sent in a self-taped audition. Soon after, the casting director called - Karan Anshuman , the show's creator, wanted to speak. 'Karan sir said, 'This is you, man. Just show up like you.' That was the brief,' Shandilya recalls. 'No notes. Just trust.' Self-taped auditions, he explains, are now the norm. But they come with their own kind of solitude. 'You need to become your own studio,' he says. 'And until recently, I didn't have people around to give me cues. Sometimes I'd call friends on Zoom to read lines. You do what you have to.' Samarth Shandilya And then, there's the emotional choreography - of rejection, resilience, and learning to move with the tide. 'It's a beautifully corrupted life, you know?' he says, after a pause. 'The moment we decide to become actors, we're already in a battle - first with ourselves, then with our families, convincing them to let us try one of the most competitive careers out there.' 'You leave behind your home, your cooked food, your comfort zone. You arrive in a new city, not even knowing who to speak to or where to go. You're surrounded by rejection. You try to stay strong for your family, your friends - and in the middle of it, you're constantly meeting new people, losing others. It's overwhelming. A weirdly beautiful concoction of emotions.' He admits there's no full immunity to the emotional toll. 'But yes, the journey prepares you - heartbreak, rejection, criticism. Someone might say, 'Yaar, yeh film toh achhi bani hi nahi.' And I'm like - do you even know how hard I fought to land that role? How long I waited for those dates to align? How much travel and prep went into it? What if a scene didn't get shot, or something went wrong in editing or sound? What if politics or the market changed just before the release?' Then there are the silent heartbreaks - unseen, unspoken where scenes are cut. He says,"Whoever does that, I don't judge them. They're in a position where they can do that. And I know how tough it is to even get there. So, yeah - you abide by the rules of the game. You smile, you carry on. You never know what life might bring.' Samarth Shandilya Samarth Shandilya
New Indian Express
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
The Momo Deal and the Last Goodbye
Remember these three things if I die accidentally. No smiling photo of mine should be shown at my funeral. No boring and ugly marigold garland should be put around my picture. And lastly, Naman, my best friend, has to sit at the centre of my memorial ceremony and has to cry his heart out like he has not cried in the past. And, I will come back if the promises are not fulfilled.' These were the last words of Mahima, a girl from Jaipur who dies in an accident, leaving her friend Naman alone in Dheeraj Jindal's upcoming 13-minute-long film Momo Deal. What happens next? Of course, Mahima comes back. Not because of her unfulfilled wishes, but because she owes Naman a plate of momo, as Naman paid the bill of their last meal before her death. Set in Jaipur, Jindal's film is a step into a surreal world from the first frame. After the funeral, Mahima comes back to fulfill her debt of momos. In the next few minutes, the audience sees both of them roaming around the streets of Jaipur and Mahima doing a lot of crazy stuff, including search for momos at the dead of night. A tale of friendship 'Momo Deal is a story of friendship. We all have a lot of friends in our lives, but there is that one friend who knows everything about us. They know us better than our parents and perhaps even our partners. They laugh and cry with us, sharing the special moments of our lives. We are dependent on them. However, on one fine day, these friends bid adieu to us. No prior messages, no goodbyes. This film is about that particular friend. Mahima, who dies in the beginning, comes back seeing that her friend is unable to accept her death,' says Delhi-born Jindal, who is now based in Mumbai.
