Railways to transport water for drought-affected Latur in Maharashtra

NEW DELHI: Railways will transport water to the drought-affected Latur district in Maharashtra in the summer and the public transporter is keeping two goods trains ready for the purpose.

Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has directed the concerned officials to make necessary arrangements for it, a senior railway official said.

Two goods trains will be deployed in Latur during the summer season and the trips of the trains will be arranged as per the requirement.

The carrying capacity of water is around 55,000 litres per wagon.

According to the official, railways has made arrangement for two goods trains consisting of 50 tanker like wagons each (BTPN wagons) for the purpose of loading and transporting water in the drought-affected areas of Latur district on the request from Maharashtra government.

Accordingly the Kota workshop railways will undertake steam cleaning of wagons for the purpose of loading drinking water.The two goods trains will be deployed in Pandharpur-Latur section of Solapur division for loading water. The first goods train consisting of 50 wagons will be ready for water loading after steam cleaning from Kota workshop on April 8.he second goods train consisting of 50 wagons after steam-cleaning, is expected to be ready for water loading around April 15.

The official said railways has decided to transport water in the drought affected areas to meet the water crisis.

Earlier, on a demand from Rajasthan government, many goods trains were deployed to transport water from Nasirabad to Bhilwada in Ajmer Division from January 2016 onwards which will continue up to the summer season.

Entry fee for ASI monuments hiked

NEW DELHI: Entry to 116 key historical monuments under ASI across the country, including the Red Fort, Qutab Minar and Ajanta-Ellora caves, have become costlier.

The government effected a three-fold hike in the entry fee for the monuments for domestic visitors and 100 per cent for For the 32 'World Heritage Monuments', the ticket price has been increased to Rs 30 from Rs 10 for the domestic visitor, while the entry fee for foreign nationals has been hiked to Rs 500 from Rs 250, the Culture Ministry said in a statement.

South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) countries are treated on par with Indians and are charged similarly.
For monuments other than the World Heritage ones, the entry fee has been increased three-fold to Rs 15 from Rs 5 for domestic visitors, while foreigners will have to pay Rs 200 against Rs 100.

"The enhancement comes after a period of more than 15 years as the last increase took place in 2000...The enhanced rates are at par with entry fee at monuments abroad," the statement said.

Apple turns 40 with India on its radar

NEW DELHI: From setting out in life on April 1, 1976 from a garage in Los Altos, California, to a new disc-shaped headquarters in Cupertino city amid growing users' security concern with a recent battle with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), US-based technology giant Apple can count on numerous milestones in the last four decades.

As the company celebrated its 40th birthday on Friday, the aim is increasingly getting clear -- to make further inroads into the Indian smartphone market with a huge base of 160 million plus users that is likely to surpass the US smartphone user base in a couple of years.

In March, Apple stunned its rivals by launching a cheaper, smaller yet powerfuliPhone SE and a game changer 9.7-inch iPad Pro. As powerful as iPhone 6S, the device has a 64-bit A9 processor and M9 motion co-processor.

But what made headlines was Apple's legal battle with the FBI over unlocking the iPhone 5C used by terrorist Syed Farook, who died in a shootout after carrying out a deadly attack in San Bernardino, California, with his wife last year.

The company got backing from many tech giants, including Google, Facebook and Microsoft over encryption to unlock the iPhone. The company also reiterated several times its commitment to protect its users' data and privacy while fighting with the FBI.

"We have a responsibility to help you protect your data and your privacy. We will not shrink from this responsibility," Apple CEO Tim Cook said, adding, "We built the iPhone for you, our customers, and for many of us it is a deeply personal device."

However, a third party helped the FBI crack the security function without erasing contents of the terrorists's iPhone. As the news spread of the FBI hacking into the encrypted Apple iPhone, experts expressed fears of backdoor approach to put users' security at hackers' mercy.With the FBI hacking, the US department of justice (DOJ) scrapped its request for Apple Inc's assistance to hack into the iPhone. The two-page court filing said that the FBI had accessed data stored on the iPhone 5C.


Apple was founded by the late Steve Jobs, along with Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne. In the early days, they sold computer kits -- each of which Wozniak hand-built.

According to RTE News, Wozniak was the one who created the company's first computer -- Apple I -- that went on sale in July 1976. This was a heads for the trio, which went on to form its first entity - Apple Computer Company.

The next year was even better with the launch of Apple II -- the first personal computer for the mass market. In 1981, Jobs became the chairman.
The company hit a low when Jobs left the firm in 1984 after his pet project -- the first Macintosh computer -- struggled. However, after a long sabbatical, he returned in 1997 when the company was in a financial crisis and launched the iMac in 1998.

Meanwhile, the company released Macintosh II, the first colour Mac in 1987.

After 14 years, Apple released iTunes, OS X and the first-generation iPod in 2001. The first iPod MP3 music player was a huge hit and was released on October 23, 2001 at an event in Cupertino. The device was able to hold up to 1,000 songs and sold over 100 million units sold in the first six years.

"The first Apple Store was opened in May 2001 in the state of Virginia, US -- the richest county in the country at that time. Apple now has more than 460 stores 
The market was soon flooded by Apple's products -- the Mac, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad. It released the ultralight MacBook Air and the iPhone, which went on sale in 2007 while the first iPad was unveiled in 2010.

In 2011, Jobs resigned due to illness and handed over command to Tim Cook -- the current CEO. Jobs died that October of pancreatic cancer.
The consecutive years saw evolution in iPhones -- the device that brings in almost half of company's revenue.

In 2014, Apple unveiled the Apple Watch and first larger and slimmer iPhones -- the 6 and 6 Plus. A year later, Apple purchased Beats from Dr Dre and launched Apple Music to compete with Spotify and other music streaming services.

Businesswoman raped by man at a hotel in Delhi

NEW DELHI: A 33-year-old Delhi-based businesswoman was allegedly raped by a man whom she had met over lunch to discuss business at a hotel in Connaught Place on Friday.

The incident came to light when the woman called up the police in the evening and reported the matter, a senior police officer 

The woman, who resides in south Delhi's Defence Colony, owns a business enterprise here. She met the accused over lunch to discuss business matters, the officer said.

The man, who had come from Chandigarh, was known to the woman and they had met earlier. He allegedly spiked her drink with sedatives and took her to a room in the hotel in the inner circle of Connaught Place, where he forced himself upon her.

The woman called up the police after she gained conscience but by that time the accused had left.

A case under Section 376 (rape) was registered by the police, the officer said adding that they are trying to track down the accused man.

US, Saudi Arabia join hands to sanction Pakistani entities ahead of PM Modi's visit to Riyadh

WASHINGTON: The United States and Saudi Arabia joined hands on Thursday to sanction Pakistani individuals and terrorist entities, including Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), hours ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Riyadh.

In an unprecedented move, the US treasury department announced that Washington and Riyadh jointly taken action to disrupt the fundraising and support networks of al-Qaida, the Taliban, and Lashkar-e-Taiba(LeT) by imposing sanctions on four individuals and two organizations with ties across Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia.

"From terrorizing local populations to exploiting charities and religious institutions, al-Qaida, the Taliban, and Lashkar-e-Taiba have a long history of inflicting violence on Americans and our allies throughout South Asia and the Middle East," said Adam Szubin, acting under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence. "Today's action marks yet another step in Treasury's efforts to financially cripple terrorist financiers and demonstrates the United States' and Saudi Arabia's shared resolve to target those who support terrorism."

Among the individuals sanctioned are LeT operatives Naveed Qamar, Abdul Aziz Nuristani, and Mohammed Ejaz Safarash, the last of whom the treasury department said bankrolled Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi, who India says was one of the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attack planners.

The announcement comes as a huge embarrassment for Pakistan, which is already under the gun for its dodgy nuclear weapons policy that is putting mini-nukes in the hands of field commanders, allowing the possibility of a battlefield heist by terrorists and rogue commanders. Islamabad has sent only a token representation to the ongoing nuclear security summit in Washington, as the civilian government there appears locked in a turf battle with the military establishment that is trying to portray India as fomenting terrorism in Baluchistan.

But the treasury notification unsparingly shines the light on the wide support that terrorists enjoy in Pakistan, including from its business community. In providing details about Naveed Qamar, an influential LeT leader who headed its student wing, periodical departments and also edited its Al Dawa magazine, Washington says in early 2013, Qamar led a group of Pakistani businessmen to an LeT training camp for an orientation program on LeT's operations, after which they donated and pledged support of the group.

"As of early 2011, Qamar organized trips for businessmen to LeT training camps to show how their funds were used. In 2010, Qamar also organized and attended meetings with businessmen from Karachi, Pakistan, in order to collect funds and appeal for donations for LeT militant operations. In that same year, Qamar coordinated funds collected by senior members of Falah-e Insaniat Foundation (FIF) - a US and UN designated Lashkar-affiliated NGO - while organizing logistics and funding for mujahidin attack planning against Indian targets," the treasury department notification reveals.

It now appears that Pakistan may have known of the impending designation while virtually boycotting the nuclear meet, citing the Lahore bombing as an excuse. Modi is scheduled to leave for Riyadh on Friday evening after the nuclear meet, having arrived in Washington after a stopover in Belgium for an India-Europe meet.

Pakistan's song-and-dance about an alleged Indian spy in Balochistan also appears aimed at deflecting attention from the embarrassment of having its patron states call it out on terrorism. 

Cabbie dies pleading, 'Bhaiyya mujhe nikalo'

Kolkata: Rescuer Bipin is unlikely to ever forget the afternoon of March 31, 2016, not least the cabbie buried under the debris of the flyover who passed away pleading for help. 

"When I reached the spot (of the collapse) with my civil defence team, I heard a taxi driver groaning. I could hear him say, ' bhaiyya mujhe nikalo' . He kept looking at us and he kept bleeding," Bipin said. "Once or twice, we tried to pull him out, but his pain was excruciating. I saw him die in front of my eyes. The cabbie's death acted as a major motivating factor for us rescuers. For the next two hours we hacked, sawed and hammered our way into debris," he added.

C B Dwivedi, the headmaster at a school barely 10m away, was evaluating answersheets when he heard "a noise like a blast". "I rushed to the balcony, and saw debris and smoke. I rushed out of the building and asked the guard to shut the school's main gate. Each teacher was instructed to stop class and instead take care of the 350 students," he said. The teachers were doubtful about resuming classes soon. "Classes will begin once we are assured that the plank next to our Helpline numbers:

1070, 033-22143526, 033-22535185, 033-22145664State government has set up control room to help the public. Here are the numbers: 1070, 033-22143526/033-22535185/033-22145664.

Black money: RBI to share FDI-related information with IB, RAW

NEW DELHI: The Reserve Bank of India will share FDI-related information with country's intelligence agencies IB and RAW to check black money from entering the country.

The decision was taken during a recent meeting of a government group, headed by Revenue Secretary, to check economic crimes. The move comes after Cabinet Secretariat -- under whose administrative control Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) functions -- expressed concern over companies in tax havens investing in the country, official sources said.Emphasising on the need to keep a track of such companies' source of funding, the Cabinet Secretariat suggested that Central Economic Intelligence Bureau (CEIB) under the Finance Ministry should maintain a database of such entities and investments, a move which was later rejected, they said.

During the meeting of "Working Group on Intelligence Apparatus", representatives of Intelligence Bureau felt that it is important to have the information. It was decided that RBI should share with IB and Cabinet Secretariat, information on FDI which actually enters the country, the sources said.The move assumes significance as the government expects rise in FDI inflow to the country owing to its attempts to liberalise trade and promote ease of doing business.

The FDI comes either through automatic route (which gets recorded by RBI) or through Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB)--an inter-ministerial body under the Department of Economic Affairs, which is responsible for processing of FDI proposals and making recommendations for government approval.

Want to sell my wife for Rs 1 lakh: Debt-ridden man's FB post

ORE: In a bizarre incident, a 30-year-old man from the neighbouring Khargone district allegedly posted a 'status update' on social networking site Facebook seeking to sell his wife for Rs 1 lakh, in order to clear his debts.

The woman has lodged a police complaint over the objectionable post, following which a case has been registered against her husband Dilip Mali under IPC section 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman), an official at the Aerodrome police station said today.

A search is on to nab him, he said.

In his Facebook post in Hindi, the man has also uploaded a photo of his wife and two-year-old daughter and mentioned his mobile number for "interested" people to "contact me".

"I want to return the money I have borrowed from various persons. Therefore, I'm selling my wife for Rs 1 lakh. Anybody interested in buying her can contact me on my mobile number," he wrote in the post.

When the woman came to know about it from her relatives on Sunday, she filed a police complaint against her husband alleging he deliberately posted the objectionable content to defame her and her family members.

She got married to the accused about three years back.

After the marriage, the couple settled in Indore where he borrowed money from some people and was unable to return it.

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This heaven for cows is run by Muslims

JAIPUR: No sooner does the Zohar Nawaz (afternoon prayers) gets over at a mosque in the central bazaar at Jodhpur, trim bearded educationist Haji Mohammad Atique dressed in a white kurta, pyjama and a skull cap rushed to the outskirts of the city in his SUV. He spends the next hour feeding cows at the Adarsh Muslim Goshala (cow shelter) on Bikaner Road.

The cow shelter is the region's biggest and is operated by the Muslim Educational and Welfare Society of Jodhpur. Over 200 cows, most of them old and sick, are taken care off here by a team of veterinarian doctors. Rendering a strong message of peace and harmony since the last eight years, the goshala is run in complete anonymity. Mohammad Atique, general secretary of the society, says that taking care of cow is like take care of mothers and is a part of the shared culture of Everyday, a truck load of fresh green fodder from Luni Tehsil in Jodhpur feed these cows. Cows are brought here from across the city by the goshala team in their specially designed vehicle. Most of the cows are those abandon by their owners after they stop lactating. "Our team members who live in the city monitor stray cows and shift those who are injured or those are old enough who are no longer able to fend for themselves," said Atique, who visit the goshala for feeding cows' everyday after Asar (late afternoon prayers).

On auspicious days like Eid and Eid-e-Milad, they treat cows with kheer. They have been engaged in vaccination and treatment of cows in nearby villages. Every week mobile vans visits nearby villages to treat cows, goats and buffaloes for free. They spend little over a lakh on these cows per month and are planning to double the strength. Spread on a portion of 56 acres of Maulana Azad University campus, Atique is developing a cow research Centre under the department of agriculture in his university. Initially, fringe elements raised objection on how can a Muslim open goshala. They were accused of running a cow meat business in a guise of a goshala.But over the years, they won the admiration of the people and many of those who raised objection have publicly appreciated their efforts. As the area is vast, three guards patrol the area round the clock to save cows from the attack of wild animals. "Many of our university students have volunteered to serve at the goshala. I am overwhelemed by the concern shown by our students for cows," said Atique who finds it absurd that how cows, an animal whose milk is best after mother's milk is being used as tool to spark communal passions.

Air India operates world's longest all-women flight

NEW DELHI: National carrier Air India on Monday said it flew the "world's longest" all-women operated and supported flight from the national capital to San Francisco.

The flight, which travelled a distance of around 14,500 kilometre in close to 17 hours, was operated as part of International Women's Day celebrations.

The non-stop flight to San Francisco took off from New Delhi on March 6.This year for the first time, on the world's longest non-stop flight, entire flight operations from cockpit crew to cabin crew, check-in staff, doctor, customer care staff, ATC (air traffic control) and the entire ground-handling... were handled by women," Air India said in a release.

Air India CMD Ashwani Lohani said it was a historic flight and "the longest operated by all-women crew". "The airline has immense respect for women and it is a symbol of women empowerment," he added.

The flight was under the command of Kshamta Bajpayee and Shubhangi Singh, along with First Officers Ramya Kirti Gupta and Amrit Namdhari.

The carrier has about 3,800 women employees, including pilots, cabin crew, engineers, technicians, doctors, security personnel and executives.

Raipur church vandalised during Sunday service

RAIPUIR: Claiming it to be a function for religious conversion, alleged right-wing activists attacked and vandalized a Church in Chhattisgarh during Sunday prayer, injuring five people including two women.

Situated in Kachana colony of the state capital, a group of youth stormed the prayer hall, raising "Jai Sriram" slogans, and began attacking the worshippers. An FIR has been lodged against unidentified persons under serious sections.

According to eye witnesses, around 15 people on 8-9 bikes arrived at the spot while the Sunday prayer was going-on in the church, a red-coloured small room situated at the end of the road which further had just barren fields.

Chanting the name of Lord Ram (Jai Shree Ram), the men entered inside the church, attacked women, ripped their clothes off and also thrashed infants. Furniture and fans were also vandalized by the miscreants who warned the people who were taking part in the prayer to become Hindu.

"They began alleging that people were being converted here. They fled before police could reach at the spot. However the cops could recover three of the bikes. They desecrated the Bible and some of the pictures that were hung on the wall," informed Chhattisgarh Christian Forum President Arun Pannalal.

While the people who were observing the prayer left the spot after police's interrogation, the locals of the area seemed irritated with rounds of questions put-up by cops and media.

"Humko kuch nahi pata. Hum ghar p nahi the," rued a woman who was living in the house neighbouring the church and left inside.

There were few pair of slippers which could be seen scattered outside the single roomed-church which the locals claimed didn't belonged to either Protestant or Catholic Christians. The view of the room from the broken window pane was enough to prove that the disturbing elements were in large numbers.

The locals however praised the role of police in the incident as the cops who reached at the spot immediately after attack asked the churchgoers to continue their prayers before interrogating them.

Claiming it to be an attack on their religion, Pannalal said that it was a matter of shame for the government that minorities were being constantly attacked in Chhattisgarh. The attacks are almost half of a dozen in numbers in past two months.

North Korea threatens nuclear attack as US and South Korea begin military drills

SEOUL: North Korea on Monday threatened to launch nuclear strikes at the United States and its military bases in Northeast Asia as the United States and South Korea began one of their annual large-scale joint military exercises.

Thousands of American Marines and other troops arrived in South Korea in the past week for the exercises, which will involve 17,000 American and 300,000 South Korean troops. The drills test the allies' ability to respond to North Korean attacks on the Korean Peninsula.

North Korea has made similar threats before, characterizing the exercises as rehearsals for an invasion. But this year, tensions are raised even higher because of the North's recent nuclear test and the ensuing international condemnations.

Last month, after the North launched a long-range rocket to put a satellite into orbit, the South Korean Defense Ministry announced that this year's drills would be the largest ever. The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier John C. Stennis will join the exercises, the American and South Korean militaries said in a joint statement on Monday.

In its statement, North Korea threatened to launch "all-out offensive" and "pre-emptive" nuclear strikes against "US imperialist aggressor forces bases in the Asia-Pacific region and the US mainland," the North's top governing agency, the National Defense Commission, said in the statement.

The statement was carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency.

"If we push the buttons to annihilate the enemies even right now, all bases of provocations will be reduced to seas in flames and ashes in a moment," the statement said.

South Korea responded quickly to the North's threats. "North Korea must stop its rash and reckless behavior," Moon Sang-gyun, a spokesman for the Defense Ministry, said. "We will respond resolutely and mercilessly if the North ignores our warning and attempts a provocation."

South Korean officials and analysts say the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, is using the threats of war to consolidate support around his leadership and extract concessions from the North's adversaries.

North Korea is widely believed to have a small number of nuclear weapons, and it claims to have the ability to strike the United States with nuclear weapons. But it is unclear how close the country has come to acquiring the technologies needed to build an intercontinental ballistic missile and a nuclear warhead small enough to be mounted on a missile.North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test in January and launched its long-range rocket a month later. Last week, the United Nations Security Council adopted a new round of tougher sanctions aimed at curbing the North's nuclear program.

North Korea has conducted four nuclear tests since 2006. It has also placed two satellites into orbit since late 2012. Washington said the North's satellite program was a cover for developing a long-range ballistic missile in defiance of a Security Council ban.

Girl jumps from second floor to escape rape attempt on her

KOLKATA: A young girl jumped from the second floor of a building, allegedly to escape rape. She is a resident of Liluah in Howrah.The girl has sustained grave injuries on her head and face, and has been admitted to the Howrah General Hospital. She has complained that she was chatting with a few friends Sunday evening when she was drugged. The drink that she was given by her friends was laced with intoxicants. She says she was then attacked by her male friends who tried to gang rape her. She further says that while she was drowsy, she was in her senses and in a desperate attempt to escape her rapists, ran to the second floor roof and jumped from there.A mound of sand on the ground floor saved her life.

Three boys have been accused of rape and arrested. Doctors have said that the girl did escape rape and the police has filed a sexual harassment case against her three friends. They will be produced at the Howrah court on Monday. The girl has not yet given any written statement to the police.

Delhi on high alert for Shivratri terror strike

NEW DELHI: Delhi Police has stepped up security around temples, iconic buildings, malls and markets, and military installations in Delhi and NCR after an Intelligence Bureau alert that terrorists might strike today, on the occasion of Shivratri.

The alert warns that 10 operatives of Lashkar-e-Taiba or Jaish-e-Mohammed have entered India through the Gujarat border and may attack Delhi, particulary since Parliament is in session.

The National Security Guard (NSG), which has sent a taskforce comprising 120 commandos to Gujarat, is also keeping other taskforces on standby at its headquarters in Manesar, near Delhi.

On Thursday, an abandoned boat was found in Gujarat. Subsequently, police chiefs from all states were asked to beef up security.

In Delhi, all DCPs have been briefed, and asked to monitor activities of elements with suspected terror links. The police are also ensuring that CCTV cameras at all places with high footfalls — like popular markets and metro stations — are functional. Patrolling across the city has been intensified.

The police brass has asked all units to ensure that personnel have long and short-range weapons ready during patrolling. The orders may be extended, given that a number of festivals like Holi are round the corner.
The police has asked railway police and staff at stations and tracks to maintain vigil. Gangmen and linemen have been asked to keep watch over their areas and patrol the tracks through the day. Bus stands will also be under security cover.

On Monday, there will be special patrolling in crowded markets. Cops will also activate the "eyes and ears scheme", involving locals in policing. Police chiefs of neighbouring states have been asked to keep watch on vehicles entering the city from western India. Special surveillance would be mounted on devotees at temples. Traffic cops have been asked to stop non-destined vehicles from entering the city over the next few days.

Mikhail killed Sheena, I was only shielding him, Indrani Mukerjea told Peter in jail

Indrani Mukerjea was in denial after her arrest in August last year on the charge of murdering her daughter, Sheena Bora.

So much so that when Peter Mukerjea met her in jail, the only time he would do so, she reportedly told him: "I have been framed. I didn't do it. Mikhail did it. I only disposed of the body." The snatch of conversation occurred at Byculla jail in October and Peter was stunned by the web of lies.On Sunday evening, Peter's brother Gautam Mukerjea had an exclusive tete-a-tete with Mumbai Mirror, while sipping Earl Grey tea at a restaurant in the heart of the city. He was accompanied by his twin sister, Shagun Mukerjea. They were both essaying to convey the point that by suspecting Peter's involvement in the conspiracy, the investigators were barking up the wrong tree.


"There are over 250 witnesses in the case but not one statement indicts Peter. He was as taken aback by these disclosures about Indrani as anyone," says Gautam. The siblings break their silence to defend Peter, caught in a storm not of his making, they believe.

On the fateful April day in 2012 when Indrani is alleged to have killed Sheena, Peter was in London. Murdering her daughter was the farthest thing from Indrani's mind, as she was keener to have a "dirty weekend" with her ex-husband, Sanjeev Khanna, who was in town, conversations with the family reveal. Mikhail had gone out with driver Shyamvar Rai and Sheena, and when he returned, Indrani asked him about Sheena's whereabouts and he told her he had murdered her. Mikhail, who had a substance abuse problem, was under Dr Yusuf Matcheswalla's psychiatric care, in Pune.Soon after her arrest, Peter discovered she and Khanna were still lovers. "Pete's trust has been misused," says Gautam, a media baron in Goa. "When I met him in court, Pete told me, 'What pains me most is how Indrani cheated me for 15 years. She could have taken everything, my money, property everything, but why betray me'?" "Vidhie, Rahul and I had gathered at the CBI office in Nariman Point on November 19, as we all wanted to celebrate Pete's 60th birthday which falls on November 21. As we were preparing to leave, we were told the sleuths needed to arrest him for just one day because they had got orders from higher-ups," says Shagun.

The family has no clue who these "higherups" are. "Peter was helping the CBI for almost 40 days now. One day in custody seemed liked a ludicrous thing," a relative said. Indrani was arrested on August 25. She was on her way to donate money to an old-age home — it was Vidhie's 18th birthday — when the cops brought her back to her Worli residence. Both Peter, who was at the gym, and Vidhie, at college, rushed home.As she was being bundled into the police jeep, Peter got in, telling her: "Why don't you call Sheena? I can get her to fly back from Los Angeles tonight," according to Gautam. "Much later, when I visited Khar police station along with Pete, I was told am quite fortunate to see my brother alive. 'After Sheena, it would have been Mikhail and then your brother' I was told," Gautam says. "Indrani had spread a web of lies. For three years she said Sheena was alive, pretending she was in LA, or married to a diamond merchant," says Shagun.

For a while, Peter thought it was all a misunderstanding that could be solved by Sheena's return from the US. It was much later that he understood that Indrani was booked under section 302 of the IPC. "When Peter called his friend (joint commissioner, law and order) Deven Bharti, he was advised to get a lawyer," says Gautam.