Guntur district Superintendent of Police Vakul Jindal.
| Photo Credit: File photo

An Australian woman has been arrested and charged after she poisoned a one-year-old baby and posted videos of the infant in distress to gain social media following and donations, according to a report in CNN. The unnamed 34-year-old woman from Sunshine Coast, Queensland allegedly administered “several unauthorised prescription and pharmacy medicines” to the girl who was known to her, without medical approval, from August 6 to October 15, 2024.

The woman has been widely reported in local media to be the baby’s mother but the police have not officially confirmed this. She is accused of raising just over $37,000 via GoFundMe by publicising the baby’s plight. After the reports of her deceit came out, the online fundraising platform is now working to return the money to donors.

“Proactive refunds are being issued to all donors as part of our ongoing commitment to protecting Australian generosity,” a GoFundMe spokesperson told ABC News.

As per the Queensland Police, the woman disregarded medical advice about a health condition that the child was suffering from and was hospitalised for. She went to great lengths to obtain the unauthorised medicines and administered them to the infant, whose condition did not improve.

Her plot of deceit was uncovered when medical staff at a Brisbane hospital where the child had been treated for a serious medical condition, grew suspicious of the woman and called the police.

Also Read | Woman Allegedly Kills Boyfriend’s Child By Feeding Her Screws, Batteries

Police conduct investigation

After taking steps to protect the child, the police started building the case. They spoke to medical experts, analysed the woman’s social media footprint and conducted tests that revealed the presence of unauthorised medicine in the child’s system.

“There are no words to describe just how repulsive offences of this nature are,” Queensland detective inspector Paul Dalton told reporters.

“There is no excuse for hurting a child, particularly one so young that is totally dependent on adults to care and love for them.”

The police informed that the accused has been charged with five counts of administering poison with intent to harm, three counts of preparation to commit crimes with dangerous things and one count each of torture, making child exploitation material and fraud.

The woman is scheduled to appear at Brisbane Magistrates Court on Friday (Jan 17).

Youngsters in the age cohort 20-30 in Madhya Pradesh’s major cities are increasingly committing heinous crimes to sustain relationship and maintain a high-end lifestyle, shows data

Over the past three years, police records and court documents have revealed a significant surge in such cases, primarily in urban centers like Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur, and Gwalior.

According to Bhopal district court data, the majority of offenders in murder and rape cases belong to the 20-30 age group:

In 2022: 44 convicted for murder, 11 for rape
In 2023: 46 convicted for murder, 18 for rape
Till June 2024: 24 convicted for murder, 8 for rape

For example, take the case of 27-year-old Sheetal Kaushal and her boyfriend Vinod, an MBA student. On May 15, 2024, a vacation to Manali turned tragic when Vinod allegedly killed Sheetal in their hotel room following an argument over lifestyle expenses.

Another grim incident unfolded on Valentine’s Day in 2023 when 20-year-old Raunak from Bhopal allegedly killed his mother for refusing to give him money to buy an expensive gift for his girlfriend and to attend a party.

Similarly, Neeraj Bhavnani, 30, was caught in Bhopal’s New Market while shopping with his girlfriend using stolen money. He had reportedly committed multiple thefts, including chain snatching, to fund his partner’s shopping sprees.

Police officials say these crimes often involve first-time offenders, making investigations challenging.

Speaking about the trend, Bhopal Police Commissioner, Harinarayan Chari Mishra, said, “Most offenders are from other cities, drawn to urban areas by the lure of a better lifestyle. They fall into bad company or give in to pressures, leading to serious crimes. Families and educational institutions need to monitor such behavior closely.”

Advocate Rajendra Upadhyay, a district prosecution officer, said, “Many engineering and medical students are committing crimes to sustain relationships or maintain a luxurious lifestyle. This age group, 18-30, is particularly vulnerable.”

Psychologists, too, are sounding the alarm.

“Social media’s influence and the pressure to project a lavish image are harming today’s youth. Financial literacy and emotional intelligence are critical lessons that parents and schools must impart,” Dr Vinay Mishra noted.

With the rise in such cases, law enforcement agencies are calling for collaborative efforts between families, schools, and communities to guide young individuals and deter them from criminal activities.

While authorities strive to address this growing issue, these incidents underline the urgent need for societal introspection and a stronger focus on values and emotional well-being.

Thane, Maharashtra:

A 41-year-old man from Maharashtra’s Thane district has been arrested for allegedly killing his wife over the custody of their children, an official said on Saturday.

The couple – Nadeem Khan and his wife Amrin (36) – from Mira Road has two children, aged 2 and 10, and was caught in a dispute over their kids’ custody, the official said.

The woman had gone to the police station to seek some help. Since the cops were busy, she told them she would return after some time and went to the nearby school to meet her child.

On her way to the school, Khan picked up a quarrel with Amrin and stabbed her to death, said the official from Mira Road police station.

Khan has been booked for murder and a probe is underway, he added. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Shimla:

A Nepalese couple has been booked for allegedly stealing jewellery and other valuables from a family here after serving them food laced with intoxicants, police said.

The accused have been identified as Krishan and his wife Isha, police said Thursday.

According to police, the Nepalese couple working in an apple orchard in Chiwa village allegedly mixed poison in the food prepared for the family members and the caretaker as part of a well-planned conspiracy.

When the caretaker and two women of the family fell unconscious, the couple allegedly stole gold ornaments and other valuables kept in the house and fled, police said.

Police are conducting raids in search of the absconding Nepali couple.

Kumari Marisha, a member of the victim’s family, in her complaint alleged that they had hired the couple to work as labourers just four days ago. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

The Fast Track Special Court-1 on Friday sentenced a 33-year-old labourer to five years imprisonment and fined him ₹10,000 for sexually assaulting a three-year-old from his neighbourhood on the outskirts of the city last July.

According to the police, the victim was playing outside her house when the accused picked her up and molested her, before fleeing the spot. Family members rushed out when the child started crying and took her to a doctor, who confirmed that the child was sexually assaulted.

Based on a complaint, inspector Chennesh analysed CCTV camera footage from in and around the area before arresting the accused.

The police recorded the statement of the accused, and filed a detailed charge-sheet before the court along with the CCTV camera footage and statements of seven witnesses.

Superintendent of Police, Bengaluru Rural district, C.K. Baba praised the police team for ensuring conviction in the case and said the police will take a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to crimes against women and children.

Noida:

A former Delhi Police constable has been arrested for allegedly killing a Greater Noida-based businessman to take possession of his flat. The accused, Praveen, 42, was taken into custody late Thursday, 13 days after businessman Ankush Sharma was reported missing by his family. The former constable allegedly planned the murder in a week after watching Ajay Devgn and Tabu’s crime-thriller, Drishyam, and other crime web series.

Mr Praveen first met Mr Sharma through someone. The businessman wanted to sell his flat in a Greater Noida society, said Saad Miya Khan, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Greater Noida.

“The two fixed the deal for ₹1.20 crore. Praveen gave Sharma ₹8 lakh and the transfer memorandum process was initiated between them,” Mr Khan said.

The dispute started after Ankush Sharma found that the price of the flat, in SKA society, was more than what the two parties had agreed upon.

Unhappy, Mr Praveen hatched a plan to kill Ankush Sharma. On August 9, he picked Mr Sharma up from his office, saying he would give him money for the flat.

They later reached a society’s parking where the two started drinking. When Ankush Sharma got drunk, Mr Praveen hit him with a hammer on the head before strangling him to death.

On the night of August 9, Mr Praveen hid the body on a disputed property not visited often by anyone, the senior police official said.

The victim’s family lodged a missing complaint at the Beta-2 police station.

During the investigation, the police looked into more than 100 CCTV footage and intelligence, leading to the arrest of Mr Praveen. He also informed the police where he hid the victim’s body.

The police have also recovered the hammer used in the crime and a car from the accused, Khan said.

Mr Praveen has been booked under Sections 103(1) (charges of murder), 238 (destroying evidence) and 123 (giving poison to another person) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

The incident comes roughly two weeks after the murder of a Chhattisgarh woman was reported. The 28-year-old was allegedly killed and her body was buried by her estranged husband and paramour. According to officials, the two men also watched Drishyam, taking cues to hide the body and avoid arrest.

The incident took place on July 19 and the police arrested the two accused — Lukesh Sahu (29), the woman’s estranged husband, and Raja Ram Sahu (26) with whom she was in a relationship, an official said.

Southport, United Kingdom:

UK police on Tuesday questioned a 17-year-old suspect arrested after a “ferocious” knife attack which killed three children and critically injured eight others.

Flowers, teddy bears and tributes were left near the scene of Monday’s stabbing spree at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, near Liverpool, that also saw two adults and six children critically injured and three more children hurt.

Police chief Serena Kennedy said the two adults were trying to protect the children, aged between six and 11.

Swift on Tuesday said she was “completely in shock”.

“The loss of life and innocence, and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there, the families, and first responders. These were just little kids at a dance class. I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families,” she said.

Residents of Southport, a small seaside town popular with visitors in the summer, were still coming to terms with the attack.

“I’m just still in total shock — I just cannot believe that it happened so close to home,” Leanne Hassan told reporters on Tuesday.

She had rushed to collect her daughter from a nearby nursery which was locked down after the attack.

Her daughter was safe, “but unfortunately that’s not the reality for a lot of parents waking up today,” she added.

Police chief Kennedy confirmed the attack was not being treated as terror-related and that the attacker’s motivation was unclear.

Establishing motive

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the events were “just truly awful, the whole country is deeply shocked”.

“It is almost impossible to imagine the grief,” he added.

Interior minister Yvette Cooper visited Southport Tuesday to meet Kennedy and other officials, with an evening vigil to be held for the victims.

Starmer is likely to visit the community as well, Chancellor Rachel Reeves told Sky News.

The 17-year-old male arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder is from a neighbouring village called Banks and was born in the Welsh capital Cardiff, Merseyside Police said.

Witnesses told UK media the attacker was seen arriving at the scene in a taxi, and that he entered the venue wearing a mask.

Police said officers were called to the incident shortly before 1100 GMT on Monday, just minutes before the dance event was scheduled to end.

Armed officers detained the suspect nearby and seized a knife.

The suspect was in custody at a police station Tuesday and police said enquiries were ongoing “to establish the motive for this tragic incident”.

Targeted attacks on children are extremely rare in the UK.

Horror movie

Monday’s incident evoked memories of a school massacre in the Scottish town of Dunblane in 1996, which claimed the lives of 16 young pupils and their teacher in Britain’s worst mass shooting.

The North West Ambulance Service said it treated 11 casualties with stab injuries, who were then taken by ambulance and helicopter to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital and other hospitals in the area.

Local business owner Colin Parry, one of the people who called police, told the Press Association (PA) news agency that he believed several “young girls” had been stabbed.

A member of his staff also saw “about 10 kids go running past him, all bleeding, and one of them collapsed on the floor outside the neighbour next door,” he recounted.

Bare Varathan, who owns a local shop, told PA he saw “seven to 10 kids” who were “injured, bleeding”.

Other witnesses told UK media they heard screams, comparing the attack to a scene from a horror film.

King Charles III offered his “most heartfelt condolences, prayers and deepest sympathies” and called the incident “utterly horrific”.

Prince William and his wife Katherine posted on X that “as parents, we cannot begin to imagine what the families, friends and loved ones of those killed and injured in Southport today are going through”, calling it a “heinous attack”.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Bhopal:

A professor at the Government JH PG College in Madhya Pradesh’s was brutally assaulted in the campus with sticks and chilli powder. The incident unfolded on Friday afternoon when a group of assailants, numbering between five and seven, barged into the college premises with sticks and chilli powder. Their target: Assistant Professor Neeraj Dhakad from the Sanskrit department.

The attackers wasted no time as they incapacitated Professor Dhakad by throwing chilli powder into his eyes before beating him with sticks. CCTV cameras captured the entire horrifying episode. Footage reveals the attackers storming into the Sanskrit department and launching a vicious assault on Professor Dhakad, who was engaged in a discussion with students at the time.

Eyewitnesses recounted the harrowing scene, describing how the attackers continued their assault until Professor Dhakad collapsed unconscious. Shockingly, despite the presence of other faculty members and students nearby, no one intervened to halt the attack. It was only after the aattackers fled that colleagues rushed to Professor Dhakad’s aid, transporting him to the district hospital.

Medical reports confirmed that Professor Dhakad sustained severe injuries, including fractures to his head, hands, and legs. The motive behind this attack appears to stem from a previous argument between Professor Dhakad and one of the attackers identified as Annu Thakur, a former student of the college.

Just a month ago, tensions had flared between Professor Dhakad and Annu Thakur over alleged irregularities involving the college’s scholarship program. Annu Thakur was reportedly caught attempting to misuse Professor Dhakad’s official seal and letterhead, leading to a confrontation that, until now, seemed resolved.

In a statement from his hospital bed, Professor Dhakad said, “I was discussing student projects when suddenly five boys entered, threw chilli powder, and started hitting me with sticks. I recognized them; they were Annu Thakur’s men. Their intention was to kill me.”

Police have registered a case of attempted murder and launched a manhunt to arrest the remaining attackers who were captured on the CCTV footage.

A cleaner discovered two dead baby boys in glass bottles in the living room of an abandoned rented Hong Kong flat on Saturday, as per a report in Fox News. A man and a woman, who are believed to be the parents of the two boys, have been detained. 

At a briefing, officials stated that they are continuing to look into the two boys’ deaths. Both seemed to be less than a year old. “The bodies were soaked in liquid and kept in bottles that were placed in the corner of the living room,” the report added. The bodies were found after the landlord sent a cleaner to the house since the flat had been vacated.

To ascertain the exact age of the babies and to understand whether they were dead at birth, Chief Inspector Au Yeung Tak of the New Territories North division informed reporters that an autopsy would be conducted. He added that the bottles were 30 centimetres tall and the bodies had no obvious signs of injury.

Two people, a 22-year-old woman and a 24-year-old man, were taken into custody on suspicion of unlawful body disposal. According to Mr. Au Yeung, they are thought to be a couple. The man is reported to be a warehouse worker and the woman works in public relations.

In a similar incident, a one-year-old girl was found hidden a in dresser drawer at a home in Oklahoma, USA. Authorities believe Roan Waters, her mother’s boyfriend, killed her and hid her body in a drawer in an abandoned house close to Morgantown. Her death was classified as a “homicide of unspecified means.”