Coal case: Apex court suspends summons to Manmohan (Lead)

New Delhi, April 1 (IANS) In a relief to former prime minister Manmohan Singh, the Supreme Court on Wednesday put on hold the summons issued by a special court in connection with the allocation of 15 percent share in the Talabira II coal block to Kumar Mangalam Birla owned Hindalco.


 The apex court bench of Justice V. Gopala Gowda and Justice C. Nagappan suspended the summons by the special court holding trial of coal scam cases as senior counsel Kapil Sibal, questioning the March 11 order summoning Manmohan Singh, asked where was the act of illegallity.

 Posing a number of questions, Sibal said: "Is it illegal to allocate mines? Is it illegal to choose private parties to allocate the mines?" Sibal asked where was the illegality.

 Can the prime minister not review the decisions of the steering committee and balance the competitive public interest by allocating a part of Talabira II to Hindalco?

 Sibal said that the guidelines for the allocation of the coal blocks were not statutory in nature and the prime minister can any time take decisions bypassing the guidelines.

 While suspending the summons issued by the special court, the court issued notice to the CBI on a batch of petitions challenging the March 11 order.

 The court also issued a notice to the central government on a writ petition by Kumar Mangalam Birla who challenged the constitutional validity of a section in the Prevention of Corruption Act.

 Besides the summons to Manmohan Singh, the court also put on hold  the summons against industrialist Kumar Manglam Birla, former coal secretary P.C. Parakh, D. Bhattacharya and Hindalco.

 Manmohan Singh on March 25 moved the apex court to contest the special court's March 11, 2015, order directing him to appear before it for granting a share in the combined Talabira II and Talabira III coal block in Orissa to Kumar Mangalam Birla-owned Hindalco in 2005.

 The special court trying coal block allocation scam cases on March 11 summoned Manmohan Singh, Birla, Parakh and Bhattacharya for offences of criminal conspiracy, breach of trust, and under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

 The court summoned Manmohan Singh, Birla and Parakh after it rejected the closure report by the CBI.

President greets people on eve of Mahavir Jayanti

New Delhi, April 1 (IANS) President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday greeted the nation on the eve of Mahavir Jayanti, the birth anniversary of Lord Mahavir, the last Tirthankara (saint) of the Jains.


 Mahavir Jayanti will be celebrated on Thursday.

 In his message, Mukherjee said: "On the occasion of Mahavir Jayanti, I extend greetings and good wishes to all my fellow citizens and in particular, members of the Jain community."

 "When the world is faced with multiple challenges, the philosophy and teachings of 'ahimsa', truth and compassion enunciated by Bhagwan Mahavira hold great significance. Let us on this auspicious day resolve to ceaselessly strive for harmony and amity in our country and across the world," said the president.

Opposition candidate leads in Nigeria presidential poll

Lagos, March 31 (IANS) Muhamadu Buhari, nominee of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) political party, is leading the Nigerian presidential election by two million votes over incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan, after 51 percent of the votes have been counted.


 So far, Buhari has garnered 8.5 million votes, while Jonathan got 6.5 million due to the low turnout in southern Christian states such as Imo and Abia, two of his major electoral bases, Efe news agency reported.

 The Independent Electoral Commission of Nigeria (INEC) delayed the announcement of the results on Monday night after having counted the ballots of only 18 states, half of the total electorate, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), where the capital city of Abuja is located.

 The INEC is set to announce official results of the presidential elections on Tuesday.

 Although Jonathan took a slight advantage initially, Buhari managed to take the lead by two million votes after winning several key states.

 According to Nigerian electoral law, the winning candidate should get at least 51 percent of the popular vote, and at least 25 percent within 24 of the 36 states.

Rajnath visits Bangladesh border, talks to enclave dwellers (Lead)

Siliguri/Tin Bigha (West Bengal), March 31 (IANS) Home Minister Rajnath Singh, on a two-day visit to West Bengal, surveyed the India-Bangladesh border and visited border enclaves in Cooch Behar district on Tuesday.


 Although scheduled earlier, Rajnath Singh's visit to the border came a day after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in a charge sheet before a Kolkata court said the terrorists involved in the Burdwan blast had conspired with Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh to overthrow the government in Dhaka.

 Besides holding talks with officers of the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), the home minister said a letter to the Mamata Banerjee government has been sent for acquiring land for fencing parts of the border that remain unfenced.

 "It was a cordial meet with BSF and BGB officers. Besides visiting the border, the visit was also to enquire about the problems that our BSF personnel may have. I was here also to look into how the border area development works is progressing," Rajnath Singh told media persons.

 The home minister met BGB officers at Panbari border outpost before heading towards the Tin Bigha corridor, a strip of land leased to Bangladesh to allow access to its Dahagrama-Angarpota enclaves.

 "The visit was also aimed to gather information about the enclave dwellers," Rajnath Singh said after visiting a Bangladeshi enclave in Balapukhri in Cooch Behar and taking stock of the ground reality in the area ahead of the implementation of the Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) with Bangladesh.

 Implementation of the LBA, agreed between the two nations in 1974, will lead the exchange of enclaves.

 While Bangladesh has 51 enclaves in India, there are 111 Indian enclaves spread over four districts of Bangladesh along the Cooch Behar border.

 Though not allowed to talk to Rajnath Singh, the Bharat Bangladesh Enclave Exchange Coordination Committee (BBEECC) -- an organisation fighting for the rights of the enclave dwellers -- said it submitted a memorandum to the home minister.

 "While the BSF allowed us inside the security zone, those accompanying Rajnath Singh prevented us from meeting him. We, however, managed to give a memorandum of our demands concerning the enclave dwellers," committee convener Diptiman Sengupta said.

 Rajnath Singh also said a proposal has been sent to the West Bengal government for acquiring land for fencing the unfenced border.

 "We have submitted a proposal for land acquisition to the state government. If it is accepted, then the entire unfenced border will be fenced," he said.

Six killed in bomb attack in Ira

Baghdad, March 31 (IANS) At least six people, including four Iranians, were killed on Tuesday when a bomber targeted a bus carrying Shia pilgrims north of Iraq's capital, Baghdad.


 Police confirmed that six people were killed in the terrorist attack that took place in the Iraqi town of Taji, 20 km north of Baghdad, Press TV reported.

 The bus carrying Shia pilgrims was returning from the holy city of Samarra when it came under attack by the suicide bomber, who detonated his explosives as the pilgrims were getting off the vehicle at a gas station.

 Nobody has claimed responsibility for the deadly attack, but it bears the hallmarks of similar assaults by Islamic State militants, who currently control parts of Iraq and neighbouring Syria.

Falcao equals Colombia's goal-scoring record

London, March 31 (IANS) Manchester United striker Radamel Falcao has equalled Colombia's national scoring record with his 24th goal for his country.


 The 29-year-old, at Manchester United on a season's loan from Ligue 1 club Monaco, drew level with former forward Arnoldo Iguaran's record by converting a penalty in a 3-1 win over Kuwait on Monday, reports bbc.com.

 It was his third goal in two friendly exchanges in the Middle East, having netted two in Thursday's 6-0 win against Bahrain.

 Falcao has four goals in 22 games for United so far this season.

 Colombia, who are warming up for the Copa America to be played in Chile in June, took the lead with a stunning volley in the 22nd minute.

 Mesaed Al Enezi, Kuwait's defender equalised at the stroke of half-time, before substitute Edwin Cardona and Falcao clinched the victory for Jose Pekerman's side.

 Falcao's loan deal at United, worth 265,000 British pounds per week, expires at the end of the season, when the club must decide whether to take up a 43.5 million pounds option to buy him.

Iraqi forces recapture government headquarter in key city

Baghdad, March 31 (IANS) Iraqi security forces on Tuesday retook control of Salahudin's provincial government compound and several presidential palaces from the Islamic State (IS) militants in the provincial capital city of Tikrit, a security source said.


 The troops, backed by allied Shia and Sunni militias and covered by US-led coalition and Iraqi aircraft, made significant advance during the past 24 hours, after they seized the government compound, which includes the provincial government building, in the southern part of Tikrit, some 170 km north of Iraq's capital Baghdad, the source told Xinhua news agency on condition of anonymity.

 The troops later pushed to the north on the western bank of the Tigris river and seized several presidential palaces of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, the source said.

 There are a total of 76 palaces, smaller villas and artificial lakes and date orchards, most of them built near the Tigris river, stretching from northern Tikrit to Saddam's village of Awja, 12 km south of the city.

 The troops continued their slow advance and came closer to the central part of the city, he said.

 The security forces also made progress in albu-Obeid district in southwestern Tikrit and are expected to reach the IS-held western city of al-Zuhour district, he added.

 "At least nine personnel of the security forces and Hashid Shaabi, or Popular Mobilisation, have been killed and 18 others wounded in the battles in Tikrit," the source said citing initial medical reports.

 On Monday, the troops reportedly retook control of the main hospital building, which is part of the government compound, and took new positions in the surrounding area as they headed toward the central part of Tikrit.

 Late on Wednesday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced that the Iraqi forces started the final phase to liberate Tikrit and the rest of the northern parts of Salahudin province with the assistance of the international coalition air support.

 The battles to free Tikrit from IS militants were stalled for about two weeks as the militants planted thousands of bombs and booby-trapped dozens of buildings and cars.

 Since March 2, some 30,000 Iraqi troops and thousands of allied Shia and Sunni militias have been involved in Iraq's biggest offensive to recapture the northern part of Salahudin province, including Tikrit and other key towns and villages, from IS militants.

 Large parts of the province have been under IS militant group's control since last June, after bloody clashes broke out between Iraqi security forces and the group.

Lufthansa's insurers set aside $300 mn for Germanwings crash

Berlin, March 31 (IANS) Insurers of German airline Lufthansa have set aside $300 million for possible costs related to the Germanwings crash, a spokesman for the airline confirmed to Xinhua news agency on Tuesday.


 Lufthansa spokesman Michael Lamberty said the amount was currently reserved for all costs arising in connection with the case, including compensation for family members of the victims, costs of the destroyed passenger plane, as well as rescue and support forces.

 An Airbus A320 operated by Lufthansa's budget airline Germanwings crashed on March 24 in a remote area of the southern French Alps. A total of 150 people, including 144 passengers and six crew members, lost their lives.

 Prosecutors believed, based on retrieved data from the cockpit voice recorder, that the co-pilot of the flight 4U9525 had locked the captain out of the cockpit and deliberately crashed the plane.

 Lufthansa announced on Friday that it had started to offer immediate aid of up to 50,000 euros ($53,660) per passenger to relatives of the victims.

 Those payments, Lamberty told Xinhua on Monday, are currently being offered to relatives of the victims, but more time is needed until the whole payment process is completed

Bakhtiyaar Irani turns choreographer for TV show (With Images)

Mumbai, March 31 (IANS) Actor Bakhtiyaar Irani, who shot to fame through his energetic performances in dance reality shows like the second season of ìNach Baliyeî and ìZara Nachke Dikhaî, will next show off his dancing skills in the upcoming episodes of the alien comedy ìBadi Doooor Se Aaye Hainî.


 As per the sequence, Bakhtiyaar, who plays Ronnie D'Souza in the SAB TV show, will choreograph the perfect couple competition for his co-stars in the show.
 
 ìYes, dance is my first love and I am busy choreographing various dance numbers for the cast in the show for the perfect couple competition which is a dance contest," Bakhtiyaar said in a statement.

 He added: îWhen the makers approached me with the opportunity of setting the performances in the show, I was very thrilled and couldnít say no to them.î

 "Badi Doooor Se Aaye Hain" narrates a comical tale of an alien family which is struggling to settle with humans on Earth while learning the intricacies of human nature and behaviour.

Tripura tribal council polls on May 3

Agartala, March 31 (IANS) Elections to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) will be held on May 3, it was announced here on Tuesday.


 "The elections to the 30-seat TTAADC will be held on May 3. The statutory notification for the elections will be issued on April 4. Votes will be counted on May 6," State Election Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Rakesh told reporters.

 A total of 758,554 electors, including 375,117 women, are eligible to vote. Of the 30 seats, 28 are filled through direct elections and two members are nominated by the government.

 Of the 30 seats, 27 are reserved for tribals.

 The TTTAADC was formed in January 1982 under the seventh schedule of the Constitution and later its powers were upgraded by amending the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution in August 1984 to protect and safeguard the political, economic and cultural interests of the tribals, who consists one third of Tripura's 3.7 million population.

 The council constitutes two thirds of the state's territory of 10,491.69 square km.

 The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) led Left Front had announced their candidates last week. The main opposition Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party have also announced they will contest the polls.

 The Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT), a tribal regional party, had snapped its decades-old electoral ties with the Congress in July last year.

 The Congress had allied with the Tripura Upajati Juba Samity in 1983. Subsequently, the TUJS, formed in 1967 after a series of political development, had formed the INPT along with the Tripura National Volunteers (TNV), a former militant outfit turned political party.

 Tribals play a crucial role in Tripura politics. In the 60-member legislative assembly, 20 seats are reserved for tribals.

NHAI to build Bengaluru-Chennai expressway: Gadkari

Bengaluru, March 31 (IANS) A world-class expressway would be built by NHAI between Bengaluru and Chennai to reduce travel time, save fuel and trigger economic activity, Union Road Transport and Highways and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Tuesday.


 "The 260-km Bengaluru-Chennai expressway will be built on the lines of the Mumbai-Pune expressway, which had reduced travel time from eight hours to two hours," Gadkari said here after laying foundation stone for upgrading two national highways in northern and southern Karnataka.

 To be constructed on build-operate-transfer (BOT) basis by the state-run National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), the greenfield project will have cement-concrete road, with service roads, separate parking bays for trucks and terminals for passenger buses, with 12 major intersections.

 "The six-lane expressway will be an alternative to the 372-km new National Highway (NH-7) to Chennai via Krishnagiri and Vellore and NH-4 via Kolar and Chittor in Andhra Pradesh," a NHAI official told IANS.

 The ambitious national project, estimated to cost over Rs.6,000 crore, will pass through Palamner on Andhra Pradesh-Tamil Nadu border and Sriperumbudur enroute to Chennai. Toll will be levied for using the expressway.

 "The expressway will come up between the two existing national highways (NH4, NH7) between Bengaluru and Chennai," the official said.

 The NHAI will coordinate with Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu governments in the land acquisition process after notification to farmers and other owners.

 On the state government's plea to upgrade the 140-km four-lane Bengaluru-Mysuru state highway to a national highway for making it a six lane road in view of the heavy vehicular traffic, Gadkari said the ministry would consider the request to find a viable solution.

 "We are, however, taking up 10 projects across the state from December at an estimated cost of Rs.10,000 crore for widening highways and improving their quality to save time and fuel," Gadkari told state PWD Minister H.C. Mahadevappa.

 The NHAI is developing and upgrading Viajayapura-Kalaburgi-Humnabad stretch on NH-218 (new NH-50) to two-lane with paved shoulders and rehabilitation and upgradation of NH-234 (new NH-69) from Madhugiri to Mulbagal via Gowribidnur, Chikkaballapura and Chinthamani.

Make food safety a priority: WHO

New Delhi, March 31 (IANS) The World Health Organisation(WHO) on Tuesday urged each nation in the South-East Asia region to make food safety a priority.


 It stated that over 700,000 children die in the South-East Asia region every year due to diarrhoea and several other diseases caused by the impure food and water.

 "Bacteria, viruses, parasites, chemicals, and other contaminants in our food can cause over 200 diseases ranging from diarrhoea to cancer. New and emerging threats such as climate change and its impact on food production; emerging biological and environmental contamination -- all Apose challenges to the safety of our food," said Poonam Khetrapal Singh, regional director, WHO South-East Asia in a statement.

 She said the countries must put in place comprehensive food safety policies and stringently implement it across the food chain.

 Food safety has been set as the theme for the upcoming World Health Day.

 Khetrapal said food safety is one of the key focus areas under the International Health Regulations -- IHR 2005 -- which includes events of all public health emergencies of international concern that involve contaminated food and outbreaks of food borne diseases.

 She informed that the WHO and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have established the International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN) to rapidly share information during food safety emergencies.

 "WHO supports countries to prevent, detect and respond to food borne disease outbreaks using the Codex Alimentarius, a collection of international food standards, guidelines and codes of practice.

 "Codex provisions concern the hygienic and nutritional quality of food, including microbiological norms, food additives, pesticides and veterinary drug residues, contaminants, labelling and presentation, and methods of sampling and risk analysis -- covering all the main foods and processes," she said.

Harika loses first tie-breaker in World Women's Chess semis

Chennai, March 31 (IANS) Indian chess Grandmaster (GM) Harika Dronavalli on Tuesday lost against Ukraine Women GM (WGM) Mariya Muzychuk in 38 moves in the first tie-break game of the World Women's Chess Championship 2015 semi-finals at Sochi in Russia.


 The other tie-break game between Russian WGM Natalija Pogonina and Swedish GM Pia Cramling ended in a draw.

 The second tie-breaker game was slated for later Tuesday.

Apex court declines relief for Jat students

New Delhi, March 31 (IANS) The Supreme Court said on Tuesday that Jat students would not get the benefit of reservation under the OBC category even if their admission process began before it quashed the government notification extending reservation to the community in nine states.


 While declining relief to eight students seeking admission to post-graduate medical and dental courses, a bench of Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman, however, did not upset admissions that have already "crystallised" under the OBC reservation for Jats.

 The court order came as it declined two applications by the students seeking to be covered under Jat reservation as their admission process had commenced well before the apex court on March 17 quashed the March 4, 2014, notification by the then UPA government extending Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservation to Jats in nine states.

 Appearing for the aggrieved students who gave up their chance for admission under all-India quota to get admission in Delhi under the OBC quota, senior counsel Jayant Bhushan told the court that they are now being turned back after the March 17 verdict though their admission process started in January.

 Counsel for petitioner Ram Singh, who had challenged extension of OBC reservation to Jats, however, said that the court by its April 9, 2014, order had said that every action under the Jat reservation would be subject to the outcome of the case.

 He argued that since Jat reservation has been set aside, no one can claim any benefit of the reservation policy even prior to March 17 when reservation was quashed.

 The apex court, while quashing the Jat reservation, said that it was done ignoring the recommendation of the National Commission for Backward Classes to the contrary.

US prisoner grabs guard's gun, flees

Washington, March 31 (IANS) A prisoner in the US state of Virginia managed to escape from a hospital room early on Tuesday after grabbing a security guard's gun and running off in a hospital gown, authorities said.


 There were two guards with him at the time, CNN reported citing police. One shot was fired when the prisoner, Wossen Assaye, overpowered one of the guards, Fairfax county police said.

 Assaye was being held on federal charges of armed bank robbery. He was taken to the hospital for treatment after attempting to harm himself, police said. A private security company was hired to guard him.

 Assaye was arrested last week and charged with multiple robberies that took place in the Northern Virginia area.

 He was known as the "bicycle bandit" for how he allegedly made his escape after committing the robberies.

Maoist group owns up to Patna blast, two bombs fou

Patna, March 31 (IANS) A Maoist group, People's Liberation Front of India (PLFI), on Tuesday claimed responsibility for a bomb blast in a residential colony in the Bihar capital on Monday night, police said.


 No casualties were reported in Monday's blast, and police later recovered two more live high-intensity bombs from the site.

 "A self-styled spokesperson of the PLFI telephoned newspaper and TV channel offices in Patna on Tuesday claiming the group was behind Monday's bomb blast," an official at the police headquarters here said.

 A team of the National Investigation Agency on Tuesday began a probe into the blast to ascertain the involvement of any terror organisation. Officials visited the spot and collected evidence.

 "A timer device of lotus brand was attached to the bombs. Such bombs were also recovered during the 2013 serial blasts in Patna during then BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi's rally," police said.

30 nations approved as AIIB founding members

Beijing, March 31 (IANS) China confirmed on Tuesday that 30 countries have been approved as prospective founding members of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).


 The application deadline is March 31 and the number of founding members will be confirmed on April 15, said foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying, adding that some applicant states are still undergoing a multilateral review process, Xinhua news agency reported.

 Hua said that the founding of the bank is a "constructive move that will complement the current international economic order and enable China to shoulder more global responsibility".

 The China-proposed development bank will be compatible with established international lenders, said Hua, describing its establishment as a move of mutual benefit to countries in Asia and worldwide.

 Stressing that the AIIB was an inclusive multilateral financial institution, Hua said China welcomed all interested countries to join the bank.

 China would make joint efforts with all the other founding members to build the bank into a professional, efficient financing platform for infrastructure projects, she said.

 With an expected initial subscribed capital of $50 billion, the AIIB will be an international financial institution to fund infrastructure projects in Asia and is expected to be formally established by the end of this year.

 Twenty-one countries, including China, India and Singapore, signed a memorandum of understanding to found the bank in Beijing in October.

Lufthansa cancels 60-year anniversary celebration

Frankfurt, March 31 (IANS) Germany's Lufthansa airlines announced on Tuesday it has cancelled its 60-year anniversary celebration to respect the crash victims of Germanwings flight 4U9525.


 "Out of respect for the crash victims of flight 4U9525, Lufthansa is cancelling the originally planned festivities for the 60th anniversary of the company, which was planned for the April 15, 2015," said a statement by Lufthansa Group.

 Instead, the company confirmed that it would offer live coverage of memorial service for the victims at the Cologne Cathedral on April 17, Xinhua news agency reported citing the statement.

 In an earlier statement, Lufthansa group conveyed the request from family and friends of the victims for media to show restraint. They asked Lufthansa and Germanwings to shield them "from any questions coming from the media", said the statement.

 "It is their wish to not be disturbed and to remember the deceased in privacy," it said

 Flight 4U9525 operated by Lufthansa's Germanwings crashed on March 23 in the southern French Alps while flying from Spain's Barcelona to Germany's Duesseldorf killing all 150 people on board.

World Bank signs $500 mn loan agreement with India

New Delhi, March 31 (IANS) The World Bank said on Tuesday it has signed a $500 million loan agreement with India to improve financial access for the country's small-scale business enterprises in the manufacturing and services domain.


 "Lack of adequate finance is one of the biggest challenges facing the MSME (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) sector. Financial institutions have limited their exposure to the sector due to a higher risk perception, information asymmetry, high transaction costs and lack of collateral," the World Bank said in a statement.

 The project under the Indian government and World Bank will support MSMEs through direct finance options from Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), the apex financial institution for promotion, financing and development of MSMEs in India, as also through Participating Financial Institutions (PFIs) across three components.

 "These include support to start-up debt financing and risk capital as well as support to service and manufacturing sector financing models," it said.

 According to the global financier, the MSME census of 2006-07 estimated that about 87 percent of MSMEs did not have any access to finance and credit towards this segment accounted for only 13-15 percent of institutionalised credit.

 According to the World Bank, the MSMEs account for over 80 percent of total industrial enterprises producing over 8,000 value-added products and employ an estimated 60 million people in India.

 "It contributes around 45 percent to manufacturing output and about 40 percent to exports, both directly and indirectly. In addition, over 50 percent of MSMEs are rural enterprises and widely distributed across low-income states making them an important sector for promoting economic growth and poverty reduction," the statement said.

 The World Bank said with eight million people entering the labour force every year, MSMEs have the potential to create many new and innovative jobs.

 "However, for these ideas to take shape, MSMEs will need easier access to finance. This project will develop innovative products that address such constraints and help them achieve their true potential," World Bank's country director in India, Onno Ruhl said.

 The project will support MSMEs in the manufacturing sector through innovative financial products including Loan Extension Services and cluster financing including women-led clusters.

 "Particular focus will be to expand manufacturing activity in financially underserved areas, including low-income states especially through re-financing, as banks and other PFIs have a deeper network in these states," the global financial institution noted.

Man held for stealing cash from ATM

New Delhi, March 30 (IANS) A 25-year-old unemployed man who used the easily available sticky glue to steal cash from ATMs here has finally been arrested, police said on Monday.


 A resident of Bihar, Azarhuddin was caught red-handed by a security guard on Sunday afternoon while stealing money from an ATM kiosk.

 The Bank of India had complained that someone was trying to tamper with the bank's ATM machines in south Delhi's Khan Market. This triggered a police alert in the area.

 CCTV footage showed the man entering the ATM cabin and pouring a sticky liquid on the "cancel button".

 Deputy Commissioner of Police Vijay Singh said: "As soon as a person inserts his ATM card and punches his pin, further processing would stop due to the tampering.

 "The customer would neither succeed in withdrawing money nor would he able to cancel the process.

 "Once the customer left the ATM machine in frustration, the accused would withdraw money from the ATM machine by cleaning the glue with the help of a safety pin," said the official.

 Bank officers said the man had tried the trick three or four times earlier with success.

 Azarhuddin told the police that he came to Delhi looking for work but failed to get any job.