One arrested for breaking into shop

GANGTOK, 04 Aug: The Sadar Police arrested one Sangay Bhutia [20], resident of Bojoghari, Gangtok, today on charges of breaking into a shop at Sichey and committing theft at around 2 a.m. this morning.

One of the neighbours witnessed the crime in progress and raised an alarm and with the help of other neighbours caught hold of the burglar. A case under section 457, 380, 511 [lurking house-trespass or house-breaking by night in order to commit offence punishable with imprisonment, theft in dwelling house and punishment for attempting to commit offences punishable with imprisonment for life or other imprisonment] of the Indian Penal Code has been registered against the accused.

Editor charged, arrested, released under Section 66A of IT Act

GANGTOK, 30 June: In a move which is bound to attract condemnations from most quarters and receive round criticism, Sikkim Police today arrested, and subsequently released, a woman journalist for posting material on the social media perceived to be defamatory and malafide by the ruling front.
Mita Zulca, Editor, Talk Sikkim, was arrested today by the Sadar Police on a complaint filed by a Central Executive Committee member of the SDF, Ramesh Thapa. The complaint was made with the police on 13 April, 2014, over 2 months ago, and registered by the police under Section 66A of the Information Technology Act, 2000.
The complaint alleges that Ms. Zulca, a senior journalist, had made posts on her social media page for Talk Sikkim which went against the Representation of People’s Act as she had posted exit polls, which are banned by the Election Commission.
A related complaint is the post made by the journalist on 12 April mentioning that the SDF candidate from Daramdin, DN Sherpa, had been disqualified by the ECI. This, the complainant states, apart from being wrong, was defamatory and malafide and had harmed the prospects of the candidate in the elections.
SDPO, Rangpo, who is the investigating officer in the case, and who “questioned” the Editor, has asked Ms. Zulca to hand over her mobile phone, laptop and computer [which she used to upload the said posts] to the police within two days.
Meanwhile, Ms. Zulca, who has been at the receiving end of several defamatory and malicious posts online, has also decided to file an FIR on such online attacks on her with the police. It will be interesting to see how this return FIR is handled by the cops.
The widely panned Section 66A of the IT Act deals with punishment for sending “offensive messages” through “communication service” which are/is “grossly offensive or has menacing character; or is information which s/he knows to be false, but for the purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience, danger, obstruction, insult, injury, criminal intimidation, enmity, hatred or ill will, persistently by making use of such computer resource or a communication device; any electronic mail or electronic mail message for the purpose of causing annoyance or inconvenience or to deceive or to mislead the addressee or recipient about the origin of such messages”.

One arrested for forcing down SKM flag

GANGTOK, 31 Mar: The Namchi police has registered a criminal case for causing mischief and trespass against 30 people for having brought down an SKM flag hoisted in the house of one Tek Bahadur Chettri and tearing it. One person, Ashok Subba, has been arrested.

The complainant, Tek Bahadur Chettri of Lower Kabrey, has alleged that a group of around 30 persons led by a person from Namthang came to his home at around 3 p.m. on 30 March and took down the SKM flag hoisted at his house. They are also alleged to have torn the flag. As mentioned, one person was arrested and the police is investigating the matter.

1 arrested for possession in Gangtok

Sadar police has made one drug related arrest. As per information the accused, Prakash Rai, 28, was arrested on 8 January; he is a resident of South Regu, Rongli presently residing at Paljor Stadium, Gangtok. According to information received Prakash had been found by the beat patrol in an injured state with his clothes, a jean pant and pullover, wet. Being injured the police personnel on duty took him to the STNM hospital and the staff there had to remove his clothes in order to facilitate medical treatment. In the process his jean pant was cut open resulting in the recovery of a tobacco pouch containing 77 tablets of spasmo proxyvon and 1 N10 tablet.

Man arrested on charges of sexual assault and making lewd recording

GANGTOK, 24 Dec: In probably one of the first of its kind incident recorded in Sikkim, one person was picked up by the police for making recordings of a sexual act, apart from sexual assault as well.
Sadar police arrested one person on charges of sexual assault and making lewd recordings. A 49-year-old resident of Phodong was arrested on 21 December by the police after the victim, a woman in her twenties, filed a complaint against him. As per the complaint of the woman, the accused also got her drunk.
It is learnt that the accused as well as the victim met through a common friend a few days back when she was on the lookout for a place to stay in Gangtok. The accused, it seems, agreed to find her a place as well as take care of the rent. It is informed that on 18 December, the woman who came to Gangtok in search of a place, met with the accused and later as she was returning the two stayed at a lodge in Deorali. Here, as per the complainant, she was served alcohol and the accused allegedly took advantage of her inebriated state. Next morning she came to know that the accused had also made lewd voice recordings of the night before. This, the woman has alleged, could have been to blackmail her.
The accused was taken into custody and booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code for rape and wrongful confinement. He has also been booked under Section 67A of the Information Technology Act, 2000 which deals with the transmitting of material containing sexually explicit act in electronic form.
This section carries imprisonment which could extend to 5 years and fine which could extend to Rs.10 lakh.