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Category: Lifestyle

  • Islamabad hike rape case false accusation, guy was set up: Islamabad Police

    Islamabad hike rape case false accusation, guy was set up: Islamabad Police

    The ‘victim’ in the Margalla Hills hiking trail case has confessed to be a part of a scam group, Islamabad Police has said on Tuesday.

    The case turned out to be a dramatic episode with plenty of twists and turns, as revealed by police. In a statement on Twitter, the capital city police said that the petitioner, Sidra who has accused Noman of raping her at the Margalla Hill trail, was taken before the magistrate for her statement, where she confessed to being a hired imposter by the suspect’s friend-cum-enemy.

    According to the girl’s statement, the main accused Noman had a quarrel with his friend Anwar who hired a gang to take revenge. The gang of scammers included Saima, Dr. Sidra, Ismail and Shakeel [fake journalists] and also a fake police officer Manzoor.

    The police investigation revealed that the man behind it all- Anwar- contacted Saima, a resident of Rawalpindi, to falsely accuse Noman of rape. Saima further contacted Sidra, who is from Sheikhupura, to play the role of victim.

    The master plan was that Sidra will walk with the accused to trail three and then start screaming for help, saying that Noman has attempted to rape her. Meanwhile, the rest of the group would reach the spot and make videos, which could be used to blackmail Noman and his family for extortion.

    The plan turned out to be an epic fail as Sidra waited for her accomplices after they reached trail three, but they couldn’t make it in time and she had to return with the accused to Rawalpindi. Afterwards, the gang opted for plan B. Sidra lodged a FIR for rape against Noman in Rawalpindi and went back to Sheikhupura.

    The police launched an investigation covering every aspect of the case which led to Sidra’s confession in front of the magistrate. The probe further disclosed that two cases had been filed against Sidra in Sheikhupura and Anwar-al-Haq, an operative of the scammer gang, was a proclaimed criminal in police record.

    A campaign was launched on social media while the case was under investigation, which according to the police was too soon to jump to conclusions. The police underscored that haste could lead one in the wrong direction and it’s better to wait at least for the investigative report before forming a conclusion, especially during the probing phase of such sensitive cases.

    “Citizens are requested not to believe in rumors until the final report of the police. Such a campaign could affect the police investigation which would benefit the accused,” said police.

  • Groping a girl okay, if it’s less than ten seconds, rules Italian court

    Groping a girl okay, if it’s less than ten seconds, rules Italian court

    Trigger warning: discussion of harassment, victim blaming

    Protests and demonstrations are erupting in Italy after a judge cleared a man of charges of sexual harassment of a teenager because the groping had lasted “a handful of seconds”.

    The survivor, a 17 year old student, took 66 year old Antonio Avola to court when he groped her in school while she was walking up the staircase with a friend in April 2022.

    She recalled her trousers fell from her waist and as she was pulling them up, she felt a hand touching her buttocks and then grabbing her underwear to lift her up by an inch.

    When she turned around, the caretaker brushed off the harassment by saying “Love, you know I was joking.”

    Avola confessed to the groping in court but said it was a joke. Prosecutors were seeking a three year jail term if convicted.

    However, the judge ruled that the grope could not be counted as harassment since it lasted “between five to 10 seconds” and was too short to be considered a crime. The judgement also ruled:

    “Furthermore, it seems likely that the brushing of the buttocks was caused by an awkward manoeuvre of the defendant which, due to the dynamics of the action, was carried out while the subject was in motion.”

    This ruling has outraged Italians who protested by posting 10 second videos of themselves touching private body parts along with the hashtag “palpata breve” (brief grope) and “10 secondi” (10 seconds).

    Speaking to The New York Times, ‘The White Lotus’ actor Paolo Camilli, who had participated in the trend, spoke about how outrageous the ruling was.

    “My first thought was, how can a person measure 10 seconds while they were being molested”, he said, further pointing out that 10 seconds can be an infinity for someone in a painful situation.

    Popular Italian influencer Francesco Cicconetti slammed the ruling in a video shared to his 200,000 followers on Instagram, writing that no man is allowed to turn a woman into their property.

    “Women’s bodies are not men’s property. Owned by no one but women themselves. It’s not the father who wants to hand it over to the husband, it’s not the boyfriend who wants to hide it, it’s neither the mate who wants to govern him, it’s nor the son who wants to protect him, he’s not the brother who wants to defend his honor.”

  • In aftermath of Masood’s suicide, govt blocks 43 loan apps

    In aftermath of Masood’s suicide, govt blocks 43 loan apps

    The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT) on Tuesday blocked 43 illegal loan apps operating in the country following Masood suicide case.

    The Ministry has initiated a crackdown on illegal loan apps operating in Pakistan. The Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication stated that the ministry has acted swiftly to implement instructions for blocking these apps.

    The suicide of an unemployed man, Masood, in Rawalpindi who became a victim of an illegal loan app, has jolted the government into action. In a significant move against such scams and to save people from falling prey to online loan sharks, the government has decided to take the matter very seriously and therefore, the IT minister has instructed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to take action against such entities without waiting for complaints.

    The minister stressed the importance of launching an awareness campaign to protect people from falling prey to such fraudulent activities.
    A survey conducted earlier this year by Karandaaz Pakistan, a nonprofit organization, revealed that the number of Pakistanis using personal finance apps has more than doubled to 19% in 2022 compared to two years prior. To thwart this growing menace, a crackdown is being carried out nationwide, and citizens are advised to check the SECP website to verify whether a company’s app is licensed or not.

    It has been strictly advised that the individuals should report complaints to relevant authorities, including the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Cybercrime Division, and local police, in order to take appropriate action against such apps.

    In this regard, FIA Director General has also instructed all cybercrime units to take strict action against companies and individuals offering loans through unregistered and illegal mobile applications.

  • Unveiling the ‘Demon Catshark’ and a growing catalog of shark species

    Unveiling the ‘Demon Catshark’ and a growing catalog of shark species

    In the realm of deep-sea exploration, humanity’s quest for knowledge has revealed a plethora of a new shark species, the Demon Catshark.

    Once believed to consist of approximately 360 distinct species, sharks have surpassed expectations with recent discoveries pushing the count beyond 500.

    From the delicate dwarf lanternshark, measuring a mere 20cm (8in) in length, to the colossal whale shark, a filter-feeding gentle giant and the largest known fish on Earth, the diversity within the shark family continues to astonish.

    With no signs of slowing down, scientists are left to wonder what other remarkable findings await them in the uncharted depths of our oceans.

  • Suspect handed over to police by SHC for murdering his teenager wife

    Suspect handed over to police by SHC for murdering his teenager wife

    Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday rejected a suspect’s plea for pre-arrest bail in a case pertaining to the murder of his teenaged wife.

    He was handed over to the police.

    In an Instagram post, Pakistani civil rights activist and lawyer Mohammad Jibran Nasir shared that the suspect Hassan is finally in police custody almost a year after brutally murdering 19-year-old Hifza. The suspect strangled his wife and then hung her body by the ceiling fan to make it look like suicide.

    Nasir further stated that two days before her murder, Hifza on a recorded phone call, complained to her brother-in-law about being subjected to sexual violence, beatings and abuse by the suspect.

    The suspect runs a madrassah, along with his father who is co-accused in the murder case. The lawyer pinpointed that they lived in the upper portion of the madrassah where the murder was committed.

    Nasir admired the efforts made by the victim’s mother Farzana, saying it was her struggle for justice that led to the culprit’s arrest.

    In the video posted by him, police can be seen taking the suspect away while the mother of the victim tells him that he is an imposter not a mullah, “I had married my daughter to you because of your religious status, but you are a phony.” In response, the suspect threatened her that “You will be next.”

  • Iran’s ‘morality police’ back in action 10 months after nationwide protests 

    Iran’s ‘morality police’ back in action 10 months after nationwide protests 

    Iran’s notorious morality police have resumed patrolling the streets of the country, after policing efforts had been scaled back following nationwide protests that broke out across the country last year. 

    Following the death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini while she was held in police custody, tens of thousands of Iranians took to the streets to protest, in what some analysts say was the ‘biggest challenge‘ posed against the government since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

    During the mass protests, which lasted for months, the morality police were largely absent from Iranian streets, refraining from highly confrontational methods of enforcing mandatory hijab laws that were imposed shortly after the ‘79 revolution. There were even some reports – later denied – that they had been disbanded.

    The protests largely died down earlier this year, after a brutal crackdown in which more than 500 protestors were killed and nearly 20,000 detained by authorities. 

    Saeid Montazeralmahdi, the spokesperson for the Iranian law enforcement force, confirmed on Sunday that police patrols were now operational on foot and with vehicles to crack down on people whose head covering is not deemed appropriate in the Islamic Republic, according to Al-Jazeera.

    The Guardian reported that in Tehran, morality police has been seen patrolling the streets in marked vans.

    For the past few months, morality police have also been employing surveillance cameras with face-recognition software to identify hijab violators. The violators are given warnings, fines, or sent to appear in court.

    Mahsa Amini was detained last year on September 13th, on accounts of violating the draconian dress code law the Iranian government has in place, which mandates women wearing the hijab. According to authorities, Mahsa Amini was not wearing her hijab ‘properly’.

    Witnesses reported that she was beaten by morality police after her arrest in Tehran. The morality police maintain that Mahsa Amini suffered a heart attack and died. 

    Demonstrators initially gathered outside Kasra hospital in Tehran, where Amini was being treated. Human rights groups reported that security forces deployed pepper spray against protesters and that several were arrested.

    This year alone, there have been many high-profile hijab related incidents, including an incident in Mashadd, where a man dumped yoghurt on two women for not wearing the hijab properly. All three parties were arrested by authorities.

  • FIA report reveals fake LLB students

    FIA report reveals fake LLB students

    Nearly 4000 students from affiliated law colleges of Bahauddin Zakariya University (BZU) in Multan are suspected of being “non-genuine”, according to a  Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) report.

    The FIA submitted the report to the Supreme Court on Monday, which disclosed that 3,997 individuals allegedly attempted to sit the LLB exam without ever attending classes.

    According to Dawn, the FIA, along with officials from the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) and the Higher Education Commission (HEC), constituted a joint investigation team (JIT) to question BZU officials and law college owners as ordered by the Supreme Court.

    The team examined BZU’s records and found that 3,997 students were suspected of being non-genuine. An additional 2,230 students are currently under investigation, but no adverse findings have been reported thus far.

    The JIT recommended taking legal action against the BZU officials and law colleges involved in the alleged fraud. It also called for improvements in the system of affiliating law colleges, registering students, collecting fees, and monitoring attendance to prevent future scams.

  • Orangi Town trolls Mayor of Karachi for claiming Jahangir Road storm water drainage has been completed

    Orangi Town trolls Mayor of Karachi for claiming Jahangir Road storm water drainage has been completed

    On Saturday, the Mayor of Karachi, Murtaza Wahab, published a tweet claiming that work on the storm water drain of Jahangir Road had been completed, and now contractors are beginning the construction phase of the road itself. 

    However, the tweet read that road work would not be finalised and that the storm water train would be ‘tested’ during the oncoming expected rain before a final binder takes place.

    It didn’t take long for the Orangi Town Twitter to clap back with its response: “It’s time to do the test, why is Murtaza bhai making a fool of the public? Now when this road sinks, you’ll say we were only testing it.” 

    Many Twitter users chimed in with similar opinions.

    One account tweeted, “Testing the drainage or [testing] public patience? This road has been in poor condition for ages. But now you have the plausible deniability, have to give it to you.”

    Another one added, “I hope the root of issue was solved or else it will be the same after a month just like at NIPA, where you posted pictures too.”

    https://twitter.com/mahnoorsiddequi/status/1680182128468713472?s=20

    Jahangir Road has for years been subject to terrible conditions, with poor drainage systems leading water to inundate the 1.5 kilometre long road, triggering terrible congestion as well as accidents. 

    Many residents complain that Jahangir Road is practically inundated the entire year, according to Geo News.

  • Police arrest suspect behind rape at Islamabad’s Margalla hill hiking trail 

    Police arrest suspect behind rape at Islamabad’s Margalla hill hiking trail 

    Islamabad police have on Sunday arrested the suspect involved in the alleged rape of a woman that took place on trail 3 of the capital’s Margalla Hills.

    Last week Friday, the Islamabad police registered a first information report (FIR) after a woman complained that a man had lured her with a job prospect before raping her at gunpoint on Thursday afternoon. 

    According to the FIR, the complainant had been looking for a job and received a message via WhatsApp from a person around two months ago, Dawn reports.

    “He told me he was an accountant in the education department, where some vacancies were available,” the victim is quoted as saying in the FIR. In return for a job, the man asked for Rs50,000. 

    After some correspondence, where the victim met the suspect and provided him with her curriculum vitae and Rs30,000, saying she would pay the remaining 20,000 once she received a written order of employment.

    Under the guise of picking up the victim for a job interview, the suspect drove her to Margalla Hills’ trail 3, where the victim said she was taken to the jungle and raped at gunpoint around 3pm. 

    In a statement issued on Sunday, the Islamabad Police said it was successful in arresting the suspect after a three-day effort, adding that they arrested the man on ‘technical bases’, claiming the victim was not assisting the police in the investigation. 

    Statement issued by Islamabad Police via Twitter.

    Moreover, they said that the investigation is taking place ‘on merit’, citing the victim’s medical report in which apparently no evidence of abuse was found. 

    Furthermore, the statement reveals the complainant and the accused knew each other. However, Islamabad Police asserted that all aspects of the case will be investigated.

  • Birds outsmart humans, incorporate anti-bird spikes into nests

    Birds outsmart humans, incorporate anti-bird spikes into nests

    Birds of the Corvidae type, including magpies and crows, have been observed incorporating anti-bird spikes into their nests in Scotland, Holland and Belgium, effectively repurposing the hostile architecture designed to prevent them from perching.

    A recent study published by Auke-Florian Hiemstra, the lead author of the study, highlights the remarkable behavior.

    The metal spikes provide structural support to the nests, creating dome-like roofs, and also serve as a defense mechanism against predators. Hiemstra’s study, featured in the online journal Deinsea, suggests that birds may be seeking evolutionary advantages by utilizing human-made objects for nest construction.

    The findings have astounded researchers and shed light on the cognitive abilities of the clever birds.

    While anti-bird spikes are commonly used in various urban settings to deter birds from perching, it appears that birds are turning the tables on humans and repurposing these materials to their advantage. Jim Reynolds, an ornithology and animal conservation expert, believes that this adaptive behavior is an effective strategy for birds that inhabit urban environments.

    Furthermore, the presence of shiny and spiky nest materials may serve as a signal to potential mates, indicating the quality of the nest and the suitability of the bird as a partner.