Trio pleads not guilty in Indian dairy worker's murder in NZ
Darpan News Desk IANS, 14 Dec, 2022 12:53 PM
Wellington, Dec 14 (IANS) Three men charged in connection with the fatal stabbing of an Indian dairy worker in New Zealand have pleaded not guilty to the crime, and will go to trial in 2024, media reports said.
Janak Patel, 34, was stabbed multiple times last month at the Rose Cottage Superette in Sandringham, Auckland, where he worked. He succumbed to his injuries in the hospital, leading police to launch a 48-hour manhunt resulting in the arrest of three men who were charged with murder and aggravated robbery.
Appearing together for the first time in the High Court at Auckland on Wednesday, the three entered not guilty pleas through their lawyers, stuff.co.nz reported.
Justice Sally Fitzgerald set a trial date down for five weeks in May 2024.
Of the three, a 34-year-old man has been charged with Patel's murder, as well as aggravated robbery.
His lawyer sought interim name suppression, according to the report.
The other two -- Henry Fred and Shane Henry Tane -- have been accused of robbery.
Nationwide protests were held across New Zealand after Patel's killing with people turning up in huge numbers shouting 'enough is enough' in front of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's electoral office in Auckland's Mt Albert, IANS had reported.
Most of the dairy owners and workers said they fear going to work after Patel's brutal killing.
Following Patel's death, New Zealand announced new measures to counter retail crime, which included providing a NZ$4,000 subsidy to shop owners to install fog cannons in their shops to stop burglaries.
The FWO investigated after receiving a request for assistance from the Indian worker and issued compliance notice to Bhangu Pty Ltd. in September 2021. Thereafter, it secured a $30,000 penalty in court against the operator of the vehicle repair and maintenance business in Brisbane.
During raids at the couple's North London home twice in 2020, police found messages referring to 100 kg packages, cocaine parcels, evidence of drug exchanges, and a conversation about a possible gun deal. Cops also found drugs in a Louis Vuitton box under the couple's bed, as well as 27,000 pounds in cash at his home, apart from cannabis cultivation at the property.
She was a faculty member at Baylor University and worked primarily at Harris Health clinics. Vettical was born in Kuwait in 1970, and received her medical degree from the University of Texas. She specialised in Internal Medicine.
Ashok Kumar Prahladbhai Patel, 40, appeared before US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers on November 24, last year at the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport in St Croix for pre-boarding inspection for his flight to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. During his inspection, Patel presented a fraudulent Florida driver's license, according to court documents.
Nitesh Bissendary, 31, lost control of his black Alfa Romeo in Leopold Street, Ramsgate, England on August 10, killing Yoram Hirshfeld, 81, and his pregnant daughter Noga Sella, 37, on the spot. Sella's husband, their son and daughter aged six and eight, were badly injured in the crash, which occurred when Bissendary's vehicle collided with the family's car.
A graduate visa, previously known as the post-study visa, gives one permission to stay in the UK for at least two years after successfully completing a course in the country. Indians received 41 per cent of the total number of Graduate Route visas after it was introduced in 2021, according to recent UK immigration statistics.
