Delhi to Hong Kong on Fake Tickets

Delhi to Hong Kong on fake air tickets!

By Atul Krishan

Delhi, Apr 15 : Five Fijian nationals held at Chek Lap Kok Airport and deported to India for possible security breach. Before boarding the Air India flight from the Capital on April 10, they had spent three months in the country.

Rafik Saiyed, Rafik Mohammed, Ali Naushad, Ali Mohammed and Khan Mohammed arrived in India on January 1, reportedly on a tourist visa, to visit historical places across the country.

After spending three months here they decided to go back. All five boarded Air India flight AI 310 on April 10 for Hong Kong.

From there they would take another plane for Fiji. On the way the Air India staff received an alert that the group was travelling on counterfeit tickets.

Top to bottom: An aerial view of the Hong Kong International airport.
File pic

The message first came to the office of Air India's Deputy Director in Hong Kong that five persons might be flying on fake tickets and it could be a security threat to the country.

An airport source said that as soon as the message Air India officials informed the Hong Kong Airport authority about the matter.

As soon as the plane landed at Hong Kong airport, all the five Fijians were detained by security personnel and were interrogated. They were deported back to India after security personnel smelt foul play in the matter. 

The five persons have been handed over to Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport police to look into the matter. DCP, IGI, R Sanjiv said that according to Air India the accused have travelled on counterfeit tickets and hence an FIR of cheating and forgery was immediately lodged.

"They came on the same tickets to India. They booked their tickets through United Airlines which has an alliance with Air India.

Officials of Air India have said that the tickets are fake. The matter is being probed. We also have contacted United Airlines but have not received any reply from them so far. UAL is yet to give us their report in this respect," the DCP said.

Meanwhile, a senior police official said that the five Fijians have been handed over to their Embassy.

They have been asked to stay in India till the investigations are completed.

"Police will arrest them after Air India hands us the report on the counterfeit tickets. We have asked the airlines to do the needful as early as possible," said a senior police official.

"This is the first time when such an incident has been reported. The Fijians are retired teachers and farmers. They booked their tickets through United Airlines in Fiji," the official added.

On the fly
A senior immigration official told MiD DAY that there was no breach of any immigration laws. "All their documents were authentic. Passport other identity cards etc everything was valid," the official added.

Air India official spokesperson admitted that the incident has come to the airline's notice.

"We have an arrangement with United Airlines under which the tickets booked on that airline are valid in Air India as well," he said. When the tickets were issued to them at the airport, the system confirmed a booking of five persons with the same names.

"However, later it was found that payment against the booking had not been done. Either the tickets were stolen or the travel agent who had booked the tickets for them in Fiji did some mischief," the spokesperson added.

Security breached
February 10, 2011
A Kingfisher passenger was allowed to enter the terminal and board a flight on a month old boarding pass at Delhi airport. 29-year-old Ankush Wadhera entered Delhi's T3 terminal to get on a Kingfisher flight to Kolkata. A frequent flyer, Ankush carried a computerised boarding pass after a web check-in.

He passed through CISF security at the terminal entrance, checked in at the Kingfisher counter and boarded the flight without a hitch. Finding his seat occupied, Ankush checked his boarding pass and found to his horror that he was travelling on a one-month old ticket.

The ticket dated January 10 was the one Ankush travelled with while the one dated February 10 was the legitimate ticket. Both CISF and Kingfisher are probing the matter.

April 6, 2011
An intruder who triggered the evacuation of the Qantas domestic terminal at Melbourne Airport twice slipped by security and police.

Between 3000 and 6000 people, according to differing estimates, had to be ushered out of the Qantas terminal after a man was spotted on closed circuit television slipping into the "sterile" area at about 9:30am.

He entered in the simplest of ways - in through the "out" door from the baggage collection area.

Security staff lost track of the man on CCTVs inside the terminal, leaving no option but to clear everyone out for rescreening. The intruder slipped past security for the second time as passengers shuffled out.

Sen Gets Bail

Supreme Court grants bail to Binayak Sen

New Delhi, Apr 15 : The Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to civil rights activist Binayak Sen, who has been sentenced to life imprisonment on charges having links with the Naxalites.

Sen was accused of acting as a courier between Sanyal and Guha.

Earlier, Sen, 61, had challenged the Feb 10 order of the Chhattisgarh High Court rejecting his bail plea.

Sen is at present lodged in a jail in Chhattisgarh capital Raipur after he was sentenced by a trial court there December 24, 2010 for sedition and for his links with Maoist ideologue Narayan Sanyal and Kolkata-based businessman Piyush Guha. Both of them have also been awarded life terms.

The trial court verdict against Sen was widely slammed by human rights activists in India and abroad, who say he was victimised by Chhattisgarh's Bharatiya Janata Party government for highlighting human rights abuses.

North East Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference on April 27

Itanagar, Apr 15 : The 13th Annual Conference of North East Region Commonwealth Parliamentary Association will be held here from April 27 next.

Besides Lok Sabha Speaker Miera Kumar, all the Speakers and Deputy Speakers of the North Eastern region will be attending the four-day-long conference, according to secretary of the Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly M Lasa here today.

Secretary General of Lok Sabha, MPs and MLAs from other parts of the region, including Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pavan Bansal and leader of Opposition, are likely to attend the conference, Mr Lasa informed.

Most Beautiful People of 2011

World's most beautiful 15
Jennifer Lopez was named People Magazine's most beautiful woman in the world capping a career comeback fueled by her new job on top-rated TV show "American Idol".

Jennifer Lopez

The "Wedding Planner" actress, who is married to singer Marc Anthony and took time off to have twins in 2008, has enjoyed a revival in popularity since becoming a judge this year on talent show "American Idol". In a February 13, 2011 file photo, Jennifer Lopez arrives at the 53rd annual Grammy Awards, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)

Zac Efron

Zac Efron arrives to Ashley Tisdale's Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure reception on Wednesday April 6, 2011, at Soho House in Los Angeles, Calif. (AP Photo/Katy Winn)

Reese Witherspoon

In this February 27, 2011 file photo, Reese Witherspoon arrives before the 83rd Academy Awards in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)

Jessica Simpson

Jessica Simpson visits SIRIUS XM Studio on November 23, 2010 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)

Mandy Moore

Mandy Moore arrives at the Australian premiere of 'Tangled' at The Entertainment Quarter on December 12, 2010 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)

Katie Holmes

Cast member Katie Holmes arrives to the premiere of "The Kennedys" at The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills, Calif. on Monday, March 28, 2011. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)

Jennifer Hudson

Singer Jennifer Hudson poses before performing for AOL Music's 'Sessions' at AOL Studios on March 26, 2011 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images For AOL)

Kellan Lutz

Actor Kellan Lutz arrives at the Hollywood Domino Gala presented by Circa and Bing in support of Seven Bar Foundation held at Sunset Tower on February 24, 2011 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

Dana Delany

Actress Dana Delany attends The Cinema Society & Nancy Gonzalez screening of 'Meek's Cutoff' at Landmark Sunshine Cinema on March 28, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)

Emma Stone

Actress Emma Stone arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscar party hosted by Graydon Carter held at Sunset Tower on February 27, 2011 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images)

Mindy Kaling & Ellie Kemper

Actress Mindy Kaling, Jennifer Maizel and actress Ellie Kemper attend ELLE Women In Television event at Soho House on January 27, 2011 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images for ELLE)

Sandra Bullock

Actress Sandra Bullock arrives at the 83rd Annual Academy Awards at the Kodak Theatre February 27, 2011 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Jennifer Lawrence

Actress Jennifer Lawrence arrives at the 83rd Annual Academy Awards at the Kodak Theatre February 27, 2011 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Eva Longoria

Eva Longoria arrives at the Guadalajara International Film festival in Guadalajara, Mexico, Saturday March 26, 2011. (AP Photo/ Bernardo De Niz)

Ryan Reynolds

Ryan Reynolds, star of the upcoming Warner Bros film "Green Lantern," poses for photographers at CinemaCon 2011, Thursday, March 31, 2011, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

The Lovely & Talented Shibani Dandekar

The hot Shibani Dandekar
Shibani Dandekar, better known as MTV VJ Anusha Dandekar's sister, is the new host of Extraa Innings during the DLF IPL, as Mandira Bedi who is pregnant, takes time off.

Shibani is a model, dancer and singer and has performed around the world. Photo: Shibani's official website

She has modelled for several brands such as Close Up and Sunsilk and has also featured in a few magazines. Photo: Shibani's official website

From music to modelling to being an anchor, Shibani continues to pursue her first love and has hosted major events in Mumbai such as 'Maxim Hot 100'. Photo: Shibani's official website

While in the United States, Shibani hosted television shows such as Namaste America, V Desi and Asian Variety Show. Photo: Shibani's official website

Shibani is part of the music group D-major which incles her sister Anusha and Apeksha, and the trio have performed all across India. Photo: Shibani's official website

It's a big job, filling the shoes of Mandira Bedi who we all love very much. We wish this sexy lass the best of luck and look forward to many drool-worthy moments. Photo: Shibani's official website

The hottie had a brief stint as a host for 'After Hours', a popular show on Zee Cafe. Photo: Shibani's official website

RIM's Email-Less PlayBook Gets Tough Reviews

Toronto/New York: RIM's PlayBook tablet bombed with influential technology reviewers who called the iPad competitor a rushed job that won't even provide RIM's vaunted email service unless it's hooked up to a BlackBerry.

The poor initial response to a device the company hopes will get it onboard the tablet computing explosion overshadowed a splashy coming-out party in New York Thursday evening, where co-CEOs Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis drummed up the gadget's attractiveness with corporate users.

There was little mention of the stinging reviews only hours before.

"RIM has just shipped a BlackBerry product that cannot do email. It must be skating season in hell," New York Times' David Pogue wrote in a review published on Thursday.

Research In Motion built its reputation on a BlackBerry email service that it says is so secure that it can't bow to government requests to tap messages, winning high-profile customers in business, defense and politics before branching out to a wider consumer market.

But the PlayBook, which hits North American store shelves on Tuesday, offers that secure service only in tandem with a BlackBerry. RIM says secure email and other key services will come later, not at launch.

"I got the strong impression RIM is scrambling to get the product to market," Walt Mossberg, the widely followed business and consumer technology critic, wrote in a Wall Street Journal article headlined "PlayBook: a tablet with a case of codependency."

The pessimism of the reviews seemed to hit RIM's often volatile shares, which fell 1.7 percent to $53.92 on the Nasdaq on Thursday, the lowest closing price since Oct 25. It fell a further 1.1 percent in after-hours trading.

RIM's 7-inch WiFi-only device is priced identically to Apple's 10-inch market leader and faces tough me-too competition from a slew of devices running Google's Android software.

It is a first step in a major product overhaul intended to reinvigorate RIM's fortunes. But the lukewarm initial reception, coupled with an outburst from Lazaridis that went viral on Youtube, cast a shadow over the coming-out party.

IMPRESSED?

Most reviewers have been impressed by the PlayBook's well-documented capability to handle Flash websites and its ability to show one high-definition image - a movie, for instance - on a connected TV, while doing something else on its own screen. Those are two things the iPad cannot do.

But reviewers paid more attention to what the PlayBook can't do.

The PlayBook needs a smartphone to access a cellular network and a BlackBerry to tap into RIM's popular BlackBerry Messenger chat platform or get secure emails.

The PlayBook's secure Bluetooth link with the BlackBerry mirrors a user's existing BlackBerry applications, negating corporate worries about leaking confidential information.

It was a question on security, and Indian government demands for access to the information that the BlackBerry protects, that co-founder Lazaridis took umbrage with during a BBC interview this week.

"That's not fair, this is a national security issue," he said before ordering the camera off.

On Thursday evening, Lazaridis gamely showed off the PlayBook's features to Reuters, calling the device - which comes pre-loaded with the venerable Tetris game - the ultimate gaming machine partly because it can be hooked up to a TV.

But the gadget's camera app failed in the middle of the demo.

"I broke the camera app, the rendering isn't working. Bring me a new one,' he said to a nearby media relations executive.

RIM says the PlayBook and its brand-new QNX-based platform will launch with around 3,000 apps, the third-party tools that have helped make Apple's iPhone and iPad so successful.

That number will grow in coming months as RIM adds support for Android apps and those available on its smartphones.

The iPad has a library of more than 65,000 apps.

It's too little for Mossberg, even though RIM plans to add a video-chat app soon and key email and personal organizer features, plus cellular connection, later in the year.

"Until then, I can't recommend the PlayBook over a fully standalone tablet, except possibly for folks whose BlackBerrys never leave their sides," he wrote.

In other critical comments, tech websites Boy Genius Report and Engadget zoomed in on what may at first glance appear trifling: a small and hard to operate power button.

"It's impossible to find by feel and, once located, difficult to activate," Engadget said.

Reviewers also fretted that, days ahead of a launch that will define RIM's standing in the tablet market, the company was still pushing out software updates to fix bugs.

"The PlayBook of today is considerably better than the PlayBook of yesterday, which also was a big step forward from the one we were reviewing two days before that," Engadget said.

Largest Mizo Women Body Sees Return Of Leader

Aizawl, Apr 15 : B Sangkhumi, a just-retired chairperson of Mizoram Public Service Commission, has made a comeback to lead Mizorams largest women organisation.

Sangkhumi, 62 was elected as the president of Mizo Hmeichhe Insuihkhawm Pawl (Mizo women association) for the third time in a fiercely-contested election at the MHIPs 18th general assembly at Vanapa Hall here today, defeating incumbent president Lalthlamuani, wife of Congress minister P C Zoramsangliana.

Sangkhumi had held the post in 2005-2007, and got re-elected for the term 2007-2009. During her previous tenures as the MHIP president, the organisation co-drafted The Mizo Christian Marriage Bill (Draft), 2005;

The Mizo Divorce Bill (Draft) 2005 and The Mizo Inheritance and Succession Bill (Draft) 2005 and submitted them to the state legislative assembly.

The Mizoram state cabinet approved the Mizo Divorce Law in 2008, but it became null and void as it has not been legislated by the state assembly. During her presidency in MHIP, Sangkhumi had been an active campaigner against the ''male-friendly'' Mizo customary law and the low status of women in Mizo society.

Sangkhuma had resigned from the post in 2007 as her MPSC post barred her from holding the post in an NGO.

Along with Sangkhumi, Ngurmawii Sailo was re-elected to the post of vice-president. Lalbiakengi, Lalliani, Jenet Lalremtluangi and Zairemthangi Colney were elected as the general secretary, treasurer, assistant secretary and finance secretary respectively. They will hold the posts for the next two years.

The MHIPs general assembly adopted Mizo Hmeichhe Nunmawi Chawisan (revival of Mizo womens code of ethics) as the year them for 2010. It also passed a budget of Rs 34.88 lakh for the year 2010-2011.

The MHIP also passed resolutions seeking allocation of funds for service providers under the Domestic Violence Act, 2005 and setting up of anti-human trafficking units at the state and district levels in the police department.

The MHIP also resolved to continue its war against gutkha products and sought for restriction against the movement of non-Mizo door-to-door vendors for the safety of women and children.

Northeast Women Molested, Men Intimidated in Delhi

By Indrani Basu

New Delhi, Apr 15 : Twenty-nine-year-old Liang (name changed) was surrounded by five drunk men on New Year's Eve around 12.30am at Munirka. They touched her inappropriately, all the while passing lewd comments and calling her a prostitute.

"We'll give you a good time, better than the other men you've seen," taunted one as they encircled and grabbed her. "I picked up a brick and threw it at them, calling them names.

Fortunately my screams scared them even as the brick hit one of them, so they ran away. Otherwise, I was in for serious trouble," said the MNC employee, who is married.

An hour or so later, another woman from northeast India, Kiampo (name changed), was grabbed by four men in the same area. They pushed her against a wall, pinning her hands and fondling her.

"They tried opening my trousers. Somehow I managed to free one of my hands and took out a Swiss knife that I have as a keychain.

I stabbed at the thigh of one of my assailants – it barely scratched him – but it was enough to scare him for the moment...I ran for my life and managed to get away," she recalled

These are only two stories which you will not find in Delhi Police files on crime against women of northeast India. "Calling the police would have only resulted in further harassment.

We are cross-questioned and asked inappropriate questions and the police are reluctant to even file a complaint, forget an FIR. We would rather depend on self-defence or call a friend for help. Police help is a sham," said Liang.

Asking a girl from the northeast in Munirka whether she has ever been harassed is like scratching a deep wound.

The answer invariably is yes.

Besides cases of assault is the daily mental and physical harassment faced by both young and older girls in the area.

"Even though I'm new here, I can already feel caged in this area. I came from Manipur just a while back. We are not free here and you cannot escape the racial discrimination," explained Michelle, a student of JNU.

The hostility of the landlords and other people in the neighbourhood is palpable. "I rented a house and my landlord refused to let any of my friends visit me, even during the day. Since I was from the northeast, I was viewed as someone with dirty habits and treated with suspicion.

I was told to keep my friends outside and 'do these activities outside the house'. It was painful. Now I am living in better accommodation but that is only my good luck," explained Rose, a resident of Munirka.

For these men and women, calling the police is the last resort. "I saw a woman being beaten up by some men and made a PCR call three months ago to alert the cops.

Now I am being constantly harassed by the cops who claim that I must keep coming to the police station though I have given my statement and they should be concentrating on their investigation. This is why we don't go to the cops," explained Timothy, a student.

A research scholar in JNU, Gunamani claimed, "I have been in Delhi since 2002 and we seem to be always protesting for inclusion. Once, when we were protesting against the gangrape of a northeast girl in Dhaula Kuan when a cop at Jantar Mantar told me that if I was facing so much trouble in this country, why didn't I go back to China. This is open racism."

Neonu, who is in the city for coaching to join Staff Selection Commission, claimed, "People from northeast are treated as cheap.

When we go out, people stare at us. I am new here but I feel cheapened every day. When we come here from our states, we are warned but it still hits us like a ton of bricks."