Jaiswals of Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India

The other day I overheard about Raja Ram Shastri of the Jaiswal community of Hyderabad. I heard that he embezzled and skimmed money from several Jaiswal community members of Hyderabad and the Munna Lal Charitable Trust. The Munna Lal Charitable Trust was established to serve the needy among the Jaiswal community. I don't know the details or whether this info about embezzlement is true, but what is known is that this accusation of alleged embezzlement is made by more than one member of Jaiswal community of Hyderabad. By writing this I do not wish to defame Raja Ram Shastri. In fact, I truly do not wish to defame any Jaiswal community member. I hope that eventually there will be a debate on this lingering issue. Stay tuned in for more. Vanakkam.

Deccan Chronicle reported that more and more students in the Hyderabad are taking to a life of crime to enjoy a lavish lifestyle. The pocket money they get from their parents is not enough for hi-fi parties, costly clothing and stylish bikes. So they adopt the dangerous but tempting route of crime chain-snatching, theft of mobile phones and stealing of vehicles. Police records show that youths from well-to-do families are increasingly being caught committing crimes in the Hyderabad and Secunderabad.

Recently, the Banjara Hills police arrested six students, aged between 19 and 22, who had entered the world of crime to live a hip life. Among those arrested were students of professional colleges. Their tactic was to waylay women pedestrians in secluded areas and snatch their chains and mangalsutras. After stealing valuables and selling them, the youth would splurge the money on expensive meals, liquor, fashionable clothes and accessories. The desire to have more from life is pushing them to crime, said a police officer. The arrested youth confessed that they spend the money to take girlfriends to expensive hotels and restaurants for dining, and to buy them costly gifts.

In 2007, the city police arrested nearly 2,000 students, aged between 17 and 25, on charges of chain-snatching, mobile phone theft and vehicle theft. Of them 50 were caught from within the SR Nagar police station limits. This year, more than 900 students have been arrested. Most of the youngsters select isolated areas and residential colonies to commit crimes. Their favourite spots are Banjara Hills, SR Nagar, Malakpet, Dilsuknagar, LB Nagar, Langar Houz, Sanathnagar, Asifnagar, Kukatpally, Narayanaguda, Chikkadapally and Jubilee Hills. They choose these areas because they can easily escape after committing the offense.

Hyderabad, May 25: The immigration authorities at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Shamshabad, on Sunday, caught 13 women passengers for trying to fly to Kuwait and Oman without ECNR, agreement papers and other documents. The immigration authorities found involvement of pushing agents, airline staff, immigration counter officer and ticketing agency in the racket.

Deccan Chronicle reports that Government of Andhra Pradesh has charged two more officials of the Nehru Zoological Park with dereliction of duty in a case of embezzlement of Rs 20.62 lakh which took place in 2004. The two senior officials — then curator of the park and deputy conservator of forests B. Srinivas and chief accounts officer D. Nageswara Rao — did not have a direct role in the misappropriation but had failed to monitor the misdeeds of the accountant of the forest department, Khaja Nazmuddin.

According to Deccan Chronicle of April 1, 2008; a retired chief engineer of Andhra Pradesh Housing Board (APHB) and his wife were convicted by a court for possession of disproportionate assets to the tune of Rs 2.22 crore. The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) had registered a case against the chief engineer, Surendra Bahadur, in September 2000. Searches conducted by ACB sleuths had revealed that the chief engineer had seven houses, one plot and 14 lockers in seven different banks in the city. ACB officials seized Rs 2.08 crore cash from these lockers. They also froze bank balances of Rs 22 lakh.