We previously blogged about Kamlesh Agarwal, killer of his cousin, Deepa Agarwal.

This case, which spanned more than a decade has finally come to an end. [CFNews13]

What started as a fight at a University of Central Florida area apartment 11 years ago ended with a murder confession in an Orange County courtroom.
The killer, who fled the United States after the murder, explained what drove him to kill his cousin.

The victim Deepa, 20 at the time, was the youngest ever PhD student in the history of the Univ. of Central Florida. Kamlesh, her cousin, appears to have murdered her in a fit of jealousy and rage.

Agarwal said he was jealous one night Deepa returned home late after being with another man.
“I then started shaking her hard, brought her down to the bed violently,” defense attorney Bill Sheaffer read. “She hit the headboard and after that she did not move.”
Her body was found stuffed in a box in her closet eight days after her death.

Kamlesh fled to India, where he initially hid with the help of his family and then turned himself in but fought extradition for close to a decade.

Both sides agreed on a guilty plea to second-degree murder, but it was up to Judge John Adams to determine the sentence.
He said Agarwal’s actions after her death led him to impose the maximum of 25 years.

While Deepa’s family received some measure of closure, unfortunately, there is no happily ever after to this story.

In today’s news to be filed under *facepalm*:

Tara Fitzgerald, a woman in Sacramento, California had a harrowing experience with a Dell service representative in India. She called up to get help with ( and I am not making this up):
Nude photos of herself that she could not find on her computer. She had taken the pictures for her boyfriend. The Dell service rep from amchi Mumbai , Riyaz Shaikh evidently downloaded the photos that soon made their way to the internets and a site called “bitchtara”. Shaikh then allegedly over the course of several conversations with Tara , convinced her somehow to send him a brand new Dell laptop so that he could work on “taking down” the site from home. Ms.Fitzgerald then freely and of her own volition, actually shipped him a brand new Dell laptop ( nice to see that he at least had brand loyalty!). ( sfgate.com)

In a further twist tio the tale , Shaikh- who evidently is some sort of cyber -lothario- allegedly used Ms,.Fitzgerald’s Dell credit card to send $ 800 worth of computer equipment to another American lady with whom he allegedly “fell in love”.
See video here
There are so many lessons to be learnt here :

(1) Do NOT under any circumstances ship anything of value half way across the world to a stranger promising you good things. Its a scam. Period.
(2) Do NOT take nude photos of yourself. I cannot think of anything good that can come of having X-rated photos of yourself unless you are a Playboy model or Adult film star or Exhibit A in some convoluted criminal trial.
(3) If you need embarassing or sensitive data to be retrieved from your computer, you are probably better off finding a local firm that specializes in handling such issues.*Ducking to avoid any brickbats from proponents of outsourcing*
(4) Buy Apple computers

I mean WTF? Seriously ?

UPDATE 1:
Dell has responded predicatably by making sure that Riyaz is nto unleashed on any other customers ( link).( Tip: Santosh via email)
The Company huffily says

” “We contacted the vendor about the allegation and can confirm that the representative no longer handles Dell calls. We’ve been in contact with Ms. Fitzgerald regarding this issue and continue to investigate her claims to best assist in a resolution.”

My friends,I further need to regretfully report that there is something black in the lentils- as we would say back in the des.

Ms. Fitzgerald is not exactly washed in milk – as we would also say back in the des.
She admits to a * gasp* relationship with Mr.Riyaz that seems to have crossed the bounds of normal customer – customer service rep relationship

Following the initial technical call, conversations between Fitzgerald and Shaikh quickly turned personal. Fitzgerald admitted being flattered by the attention from the Indian support tech, whose MySpace page identifies him as being 24 years old. “He’s very charming and he knew exactly what to say. It warmed my heart,” she said.

Fitzgerald shared a number of personal e-mails Shaikh sent her from his Hotmail account shortly after their first conversation, including the following message dated Jan. 11, 2009:

“There are no words to express how I feel about you. I constantly search for the words, and they all seem less than I truly feel. You are my life, my heart, and my soul. You are my best friend. You are my one true love. I still remember the day we first met. I knew that you were the one I was meant to be with forever.”

(link)

I will with regret refrain from commenting on my take on the whole story.

Instead I will leave you to peruse this interesting thread on reddit, where some amateur sleuths find some interesting stuff from our herpoine’s life splattered across cyberspace.

O Tempora! O Mores!

The first story in this edition of “Macaca Crime Blotter” is a cautionary tale on making Internet acquaintances. [NDTV]

35 year-old Indian software engineer Venkata Reddy, thought he was had gotten himself a date when he met a 23 year-old woman online.

Venkat Reddy met a 23-year-old Mexican woman through Internet dating, had a meal at Wendy’s restaurant, and drove to a nearby EZ Rest motel around 2 A.M.

Nothing wrong with two consenting adults grabbing some private time and by all accounts, Venkata Reddy certainly didn’t deserve what awaited him at the motel room.

“This woman’s boyfriend and four other cronies who were already waiting at the motel robbed Venkat and shot him dead,” said Prasad Thotakura,TANA executive vice president.

Reports indicate all suspects have been arrested but, unfortunately, Reddy’s experience would only serve as warning for others on personal safety.

In the second story, Prabhjot Singh, a DC area man was wounded fatally and another man was severely beaten during a robbery attempt. [WaPo] [MyFoxDC] [WJLA]

An employee of a Northeast Washington check-cashing store was fatally shot Thursday and a second man was severely beaten during an apparent robbery attempt, D.C. police said. Officers called to a store in the 2500 block of Benning Road about 10:45 a.m. found Prabhjot Singh with a gunshot wound to the head, said Officer Hugh Carew, a police spokesman. Singh, 30, who lived in Accokeek, was taken to Washington Hospital Center, where he was later pronounced dead. He was a relative of the store’s owner, authorities said. The second man was beaten with an object that police didn’t identify. He was treated at a hospital and released, said Capt. Michael Farish of the homicide branch. It was not clear whether he was a worker or a customer.

Unfortunately, in this case, the suspects are still on the loose.

“A gold Kia, we believe has Maryland tags that was seen heading outbound on Benning Road. We also have a lookout for a black SUV with a star in the back window, possibly a Dallas Cowboys star.”

The third story involves a development of sorts in the case involving the killer of Dr. Gopi Podilla and 2 others back in February. [ExpressIndia]

An Alabama University professor, who had shot and killed an Indian-American colleague in February, has now been indicted on first-degree murder charges in the shooting of her brother in Massachusetts 24 years ago. Amy Bishop has been charged with murder for the 1986 shotgun slaying of her 18-year-old brother Seth Bishop.

Amy Bishop shot Dr. Podilla and 2 others when she learned she had been denied tenure.

Earlier this week, Vajinder Toor, a doctor was killed by a former colleague, Lishan Wang, a Chinese national. [NYT] (Runa via email)

Wang also shot at Toor’s pregnant wife but she was, fortunately, not hit by the bullets. The motive? Revenge. [HuffPo] (Karthik,Krupali via email)

Wang and Toor were involved in a confrontation a few years ago at Kingsbrook after Wang left his post at the intensive care unit and was not reachable for a few hours, according to a hospital employee who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing murder investigation. The employee said Toor reprimanded him and that Wang threatened Toor in front of other employees.

Wang was suspended with pay on May 22, 2008, and notified by letter that the hospital had decided to propose firing him. He was told by the union that the hospital would only allow him to remain employed if he sought disability leave for mental impairment. He was fired in July.

Following his firing, Wang accused Toor of discriminating against Chinese employees but this was never proven, and Wang himself admitted to having anger and behavioral problems. [TOI]

Disgruntled employees opening fire at their place of employment is not unusual in the United States, where the term “going postal” originated, but Wang took it one step farther and started stalking his soon-to-be-victim. [Express Buzz]

A neighbour said that he saw Wang sitting in his red 1996 Dodge Caravan outside the home in Branford where Toor lived with his pregnant wife and 3-year-old son. It was 5.30 AM Sunday – more than 24 hours before Wang allegedly opened fire.

“He had his window open. I looked right into his face and he looked into mine. His face was expressionless. It creeped me out,” Kalani Lopa, 56, was quoted as saying. “He was casing the place. He was stalking that poor family.”

And in case, there were any doubts to the creepiness of this killer,

Another witness told police that when she saw Wang he appeared to have draped a pink towel over his head.

Wang and his vehicle were identified by witnesses who saw him fleeing the screen. Wang was apprehended with over 1000 bullets in his possession and the conjecture at this point is that he was planning a massacre.

Meanwhile, the pride of India TOI could not but help indulge in some hack journalism. [TOI]

For the most part, Indians and Chinese in the US academia and workplace engage in friendly rivalry with a kind of fierce work ethic that Americans envy and fear. For years, I-C in America has come to mean Indians-Chinese as much as Integrated Circuit.

I’ve had the pleasure of being involved with immigrants from various countries including China during my university days, and even the workplace, but I never received this I-C Integrated Circuit memo.

Back to the story, Dr. Toor is survived by his 3 year old son and 5 months pregnant wife, who was an eyewitness to the shooting and almost became a victim herself.

The macaca crime blotter is on overdrive this month.

Long time readers may remember the story of Karishma Dhanak, 20, a UC Irvine student who was found murdered alongside her father about 3 years back. The crime was allegedly committed by her sister’s former boyfriend who wanted revenge on the parents for being responsible for the relationship ending, apparently religion was a factor.

NDTV reports that the accused, 25-year-old Indian national Iftekhar Murtaza, is currently on trial in Orange county, California.

Prosecutors in California’s Orange County had last week said they will seek death penalty for Murtaza, who is charged with conspiring and murdering his Indian-American ex-girlfriend Shayona Dhanak’s father Jaypraykash Dhanak (56) and sister Karishma (20) as well as attempting to murder her mother Leela (54) and setting the victims’ bodies on fire.

Also on trial with Murtaza are two of his acquintances whom he is alleged to have conspired with online to commit the above crimes. One can only imagine the sort of conversation that took place online leading to this ghastly deed.
Ifthekar Murtaza: Hey guys
Crony 1: Hey
Crony 2: Wassup?
IM: My gf’s parents forced us to break up FML
Crony 1: Let’s kill the parents LOL
Crony 2: Let’s burn down the house ROFL

Al Gore did not have this mind when he created the Internet.

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The second story is a tragic tale of a missing Chicago area Indian woman whose body was found in the river. [Sify]

Apparently there were no signs of foul play and the victim’s body was recovered with jewelery intact leading authorities to believe it was a suicide.

An Indian-American who was reported to have disappeared from her Maine Township home near here in January was found dead in the Des Plaines River and authorities suspected suicide in her drowning death.
The body of Sangitagen Patel, 32, was recovered Sunday afternoon in Allison Woods Forest Preserve in unincorporated Wheeling Township, according to a Cook County Sheriff’s office release.
Pael (sic) was last seen on Jan 2 as she left for her job at a Subway restaurant in Wheeling.

Truly tragic and our thoughts and prayers are with the family.

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The third story is a lighter one, one of a desi cat burglar in San Francisco, one with a taste for high fashion. [ABCLocal] (maisnon via email)

Police say Pooja Gandhi was a prolific burglar who was good at her trade. Investigators finally identified her through fingerprints found at two recent burglaries, but for the past six to eight months police say she was very busy.
Police say she broke into apartments, homes for sale and stores across the city, burglarizing them at ease. Pooja Gandhi, 30, they say was a skillful equal opportunity cat burglar.

A desi equal opportunity cat burglar. Now you can truly say you’ve seen it all. Her modus operandi was as simple as it was effective.

“She didn’t raise a whole lot of suspicion, so she was allowed to come and go behind people. She may have piggy backed on doorways where she would follow someone in who was going into a building,” said San Francisco Sgt. Marty Lalor who is heading the investigation.
“The girl looked like anybody. She could be at the restaurant having dinner with us,” said Sanchez.

A. Looking at the above mugshot it is hard to imagine how a fairer skinned version of Sanjaya did not raise any suspicion.
B. We’ve truly come a long way in this county if desis are not being looked at with suspicion. While we wholeheartedly welcome this change in attitude, we would also like to encourage our fellow desis to not misuse this new found acceptance.

Back to the topic, it appears that Pooja Gandhi was truly a high end cat burglar.

Police showed ABC7 News some of the stolen goods, which even included dog collars. Gandhi apparently had an eye for expensive apparel as well.
“Some of the items range from $4,000 raincoats to $1,400 dresses,” said Lalor.
She said the two stole about $8,000 of clothing from her boutique in the Marina. She identified some of them from police photos.

The loot recovered from her apartment was so vast that the local police are attributing most burglaries in the last six to eight months to the high-fashion desi cat burglar. MEOW!