Lalit Jha – the alleged “mastermind” behind the Parliament security breach – and his co-accused wanted to create “anarchy” in the country to compel the government to meet their demands, Delhi Police told a court on Friday. According to sources, the police will seek Parliamentary approval to recreate the incident that took place on the anniversary of the 2001 attack.

Five individuals have been arrested so far for the major security breach at Parliament involving smoke bombs and protests. While Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D were arrested from inside the Lok Sabha chamber,  Neelam Devi and Amol Shinde were detained outside the Parliament building.

Delhi Police told the Patiala House court that Jha admitted that he met with the other accused in the case several times to plan the Parliament security breach. Jha, who is from Bihar, worked as a teacher in Kolkata and was sent to seven-day police custody on Friday. 

READ | Parliament Intruder’s House Searched Day After Smoke Scare In Lok Sabha

Jha will also be interrogated to determine if the accused had any links with an enemy country or terrorist organisation. He will be taken to Rajasthan to retrace his steps as he fled to the state soon after the security breach. Jha, according to the police, threw his phone and burnt the phones of others involved in the breach. 

“After the incident, he fled to Rajasthan where he stayed for two days and returned to Delhi last night,” a Delhi Police officer said, as quoted by news agency PTI.

According to sources, Jha fled to Rajasthan’s Nagaur after the incident. Kailash and Mahesh Kumawat, who are cousins, arranged his stay there, they added. The two are yet to be arrested. 

“We are planning to approach Parliament to seek permission for recreating the crime scene inside the House and outside the Parliament building. Lalit Jha, who was arrested on Thursday, revealed during the interrogation that he had thrown his phone near the Delhi-Jaipur border and destroyed the phones of the other accused,” the police officer added. 

Jha has claimed “unemployment” as a motive behind the security breach, however, the police suspect a larger conspiracy, fueled by potential foreign funding. The police are also in the lookout for the footwear designer who crafted the shoes that concealed the smoke canisters used by the accused inside the Parliament building. 

Parliament’s CCTV footage is currently undergoing pixel-by-pixel scrutiny while mobile phone data around the scene is being collected for leads in the probe. The police also suspect a ‘Plan B’ in place had the main plan failed. 

READ | Police Explain How Sagar Sharma Smuggled Smoke Cans Into Parliament

“Jha disclosed that they wanted to create anarchy in the country so that they could compel the government to meet their demands. He took the phones (of other accused) to hide them and to destroy evidence as part of the larger conspiracy. He disclosed that he threw his phone away on his way from Jaipur to Delhi,” the police told Patiala House court.

The details of the FIR reveal a meticulously planned operation: Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D smuggled smoke canisters into the Lok Sabha chamber, concealed within custom-made shoes. These specially crafted shoes boasted hidden cavities beneath thick rubber soles, camouflaging the contraband. The two also carried pamphlets that had the picture of a fist against the backdrop of the national flag and raised slogans on the Manipur violence issue.

Simultaneously, Amol Shinde and Neelam Devi sprayed coloured gas from canisters outside the building while shouting “tanashahi nahi chalegi”.

All four are being charged under the stringent anti-terror law UAPA.

A 26-year-old woman was severely injured after her boyfriend, who is the son of a senior bureaucrat, allegedly tried to run her over with his car in Maharashtra Thane. The woman, Priya Singh, described the harrowing ordeal of how an argument resulted in her boyfriend allegedly beating her, trying to strangle her, and then asking his driver to mow her down.

The incident took place early on Monday morning near a hotel in Thane and police have registered a case against Ashwajit Gaikwad, the son of Anil Gaikwad, Managing Director at the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation.

Priya says she received a call from Ashwajit, who she has been in a relationship with for nearly 5 years, at 4 am on Tuesday asking her to join him at a family function.

“Upon reaching there I met some friends and found that my boyfriend was behaving strangely. So I asked him if everything was fine and insisted him for us to talk in private,” she said.

Priya stepped out of the function and waited for Ashwajit hoping to talk to him and defuse the tension. But he came out with his friends who started abusing her.

“My boyfriend and his friend used abusive language to which I asked my boyfriend to defend me and not abuse which led to the start of something beyond my imagination. My boyfriend slapped me, tried to strangle my neck, I tried to push him away he bit my hand, beat me, pulled my hair, and his friend out of nowhere pushed me to the ground,” she wrote on her Instagram.

But it did not end there. When she tried to collect her phone and other belongings from his car, Ashwajit asked his driver to mow her down, police said.

“The incident took place around 4.30 am on Monday near a hotel on Ghodbunder Road, where the woman had gone to meet Ashwajit Gaikwad. An argument broke out between the two. Later, when the victim collected her belongings from his car and started leaving, the one who was driving the vehicle tried to mow her down, due to which she fell down and suffered serious injuries,” a police official said.

Priya claims she was lying on the road, in pain, for nearly half an hour before a passerby stopped and called for help, which she had been unable to do as Ashwajit hadn’t returned her phone.

She was taken to a nearby hospital where she is currently undergoing treatment.

“My right leg is broken and I had to undergo surgery, had to put a rod in my right leg. I have bruises all over my body, my arms, my back, and my stomach area are deeply scrapped. I will be bedridden for a minimum of 3-4 months and after that, I will have to take support to walk for another 6 months,” Priya Singh told police in the hospital.

A Maharashtra police official said that a probe into the incident is underway and no arrest has been made so far.

The Indian Navy is closely monitoring a developing hijack situation of a ship which appears to now be heading to the coastline of Somalia. The Indian warship responded to a distress call from the cargo carrier MV Ruen, a Maltese vessel in the Arabian Sea.

An Indian Naval Maritime Patrol Aircraft and warship on Anti Piracy patrol has been immediately diverted.

“The vessel, with 18 crew onboard, had sent a Mayday message on UKMTO portal, PM 14 Dec 23, indicating boarding by approx six unknown personnel. Responding swiftly to the developing situation, Indian Navy diverted its Naval Maritime Patrol aircraft undertaking surveillance in the area and its warship on Anti Piracy patrol in the Gulf Aden to locate & assist MV Ruen,” Indian Navy said in a statement.

A Navy warship has intercepted the hijacked vessel and is closely monitoring its movement.

“The Indian Navy remains committed to being a first responder in the region and ensuring safety of merchant shipping, along with international partners and friendly foreign countries,” the statement said.

#IndianNavy‘s Mission Deployed platforms respond to #hijacking in the #ArabianSea#MayDay msg from Malta Flagged Vessel MV Ruen on @UK_MTO portal – boarding by unknown personnel

Indian Naval Maritime Patrol Aircraft & warship on #AntiPiracy patrol immediately diverted@EUNAVFOR pic.twitter.com/mtXqjytSfF

— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) December 16, 2023

The ship, MV Reun, was heading towards Somalia when it was attacked on Thursday. UK’s Marine Trade Operations said that the crew has lost control of the vessel. 

The capture of the vessel appears to be the first major attack by Somali pirates since 2017, following counter-piracy efforts by several countries stopped such seizures in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean.

The UK Marine body has advised ships to remain on alert while travelling in the Arabian Sea near Somalia as a piracy action group is active in the area.

“Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity,” the warning said.