Hyderabad: The crime rate in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana saw a slight decline in 2014 though rape and cyber crime cases rose while police arrested an aide of Indian Mujahideen ‘media in-charge' and foiled attempts by some youths including an ex-Google employee to join ISIS.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) tasted success by arresting Myanmarese national Khaleed alias Mohammed Khalid, one of the prime accused in the Burdwan blast case.
Hyderabad Police on October 22 arrested Shah Mudassir alias Talha, a member of SIMI and Shoeb Ahmed Khan alias Tariq Bhai, an associate of Mansoor Ali Peerboy (media in-charge of Indian Mujahideen, Pune Module), from Secunderabad here.
Police said the duo from Maharashtra were allegedly planning to go to Afghanistan to get training from al Qaeda for carrying out terror activities in India.
Hyderabad Police Commissioner M Mahender Reddy said they were in the process of collecting enough evidence against Hyderabadi youth Mothasim Billah, a former SIMI activist, who had promised to finance their travel to Afghanistan. In August, Hyderabad Police “foiled” an attempt by a group of four young men from the city, including two engineers, to join ISIS after they were tracked down to Kolkata from where they were allegedly preparing to flee to Iraq.
Similarly, 30-year-old former Google employee Munawad Salman, who was allegedly plotting to join ISIS was detained by Hyderabad Police in October. They also counselled a 21-year-old student, who too was allegedly in touch with a suspected ISIS activist over a social networking site.
The overall crime graph showed a minuscule 0.41 per cent decline in Telangana with a total of 93,392 cognisable cases reported in 2014 compared with 93,780 cases in 2013, though cases of molestation (‘outraging modesty') and rape increased in Telangana in 2014 compared with the previous year.
Cyber crime cases went up to 618 in 2014 from 334 last year.
Telangana DGP Anurag Sharma said Left-wing extremism activities in the newly-carved state are under effective check and four extremists were reported in 2014 against five in 2013. As many as 68 members of the banned CPI (Maoist) surrendered before police while 18 extremists were arrested in Telangana.
Andhra Pradesh Police chief J V Ramudu said law and order situation improved in the state in 2014 as compared to 2013, which saw statehood stirs.
Overall crime against women came down to some extent but rape incidents registered an increase. Cyber crime increased with 410 cases in 2014 compared to 306 in 2013.
During 2014, 75 extremists (CPI-Maoists) were arrested and 93 surrendered.
As many as 3,393 red sander smugglers were arrested in different districts of Andhra Pradesh and several of tonnes of the precious wood was seized from them. In August, Hyderabad Police arrested an army man Naib Subedar Patan Kumar Poddar from Secunderabad on espionage charges.
The police's remand report said that he came in contact with a woman, believed to be a Pakistani national, on Facebook in 2013, and shared classified information about deployment of Army units, location of artillery regiments among others.
In October, 11-year-old Shaikh Mustafa died after he was found burnt under mysterious circumstances in a defence area here as police filed a murder case against unknown Army personnel and intensified their probe to crack the case, which triggered tension.
In a related development, in November, army jawan Lance Naik Appala Raju, who was among those questioned by a police team investigating the case, committed suicide by shooting himself with his service rifle.
In May, communal clashes broke out in Kishanbagh in Old City area here over alleged burning of a religious flag, even as three persons were killed following police firing.
In October, 17 people including several women were killed following a explosion at a fire cracker manufacturing unit at Vakatippa village in East Godavari district.
Andhra Pradesh Police arrested Amway India CEO William Scott Pinckney in May in connection with a criminal case filed against the direct-selling company for alleged financial irregularities in operations.
In June, Regional Director of a Koraput-based DRDO unit R K Satpathy, suffered injuries after a juvenile pickpocket attacked him with a blade when he was caught for stealing a cell phone in the crowded Charminar area. He was subsequently arrested.
Among the sensational cases, during Agusut-September 12 members of a ‘snake gang' which had terrorised the residents of Old City area were arrested.
Five persons were arrested for allegedly gangraping a Mumbai-based dancer-cum-model, who was brought to the city for performing for a New Year event.
A 23-year-old student at the city-based English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU) was allegedly gangraped in the university premises by a fellow student and another youth in November.
Cyberabad police here registered cases against organisers of ‘Kiss of Love' on the University of Hyderabad campus for ‘obscene act' after a group of students organised a demonstration in support of the campaign in Kerala. A case was also registered for criminal trespass against members of BJPs youth wing BJYM, who staged a protest against the event.
In July, two senior officials of a school in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh were arrested in connection with the brutal caning of three visually-impaired boys.
In November, police constable P Obulesu was arrested for trying to kidnap vice-chairman of Aurobindo Pharma K Nityananda Reddy.
Tollywood actor Uday Kiran (33), allegedly committed suicide at his flat here on January 5, apparently after film offers dried up of late, pushing him into mental depression and financial crisis.
Hyderabad Police in January cracked the case of burglary of 15.57 kg of gold ornaments and coloured stones from the Tanishq jewellery showroom in Panjagutta area here and arrested Kiran, a mason, who wanted to become a pilot, along with his cousin Anand.
In February, a labourer from Jharkhand was arrested here in connection with the theft at Muthoot Finance in Zaheerabad town and 7 kg gold ornaments and Rs 13.42 lakh in cash were seized from his possession.
Cyberabad Police brought to the city Izazul Sheikh, arrested in connection with hacking of former cricketer V V S Laxman's bank account, who during interrogation revealed that he opened over 30 accounts in Kolkata to siphon off funds.
In an “honour” killing case, parents of a 26-year-old woman software engineer, were arrested for allegedly killing their daughter barely two days after she married a man from another community against their wishes in Guntur district.
In another case of suspected honour killing in August, a man allegedly murdered his 19-year-old daughter because she married a boy of another caste in Nalgonda district of Telangana. He was subsequently arrested.
Hyderabad Police busted a kidney selling racket in April and arrested three persons in connection with the Colombo-based kidney selling racket, following death of a 26-year-old local youth in Sri Lanka.
During March-April, Andhra Pradesh police arrested over 40 people including brokers and medical students (candidates), for their alleged role in irregularities in PG Medical Entrance Test conducted by Vijayawada-based Dr NTR University of Health Sciences.
