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.
Amidst the prevailing tension, the Indian students stranded in Ukraine are left with no choice but to queue up outside the Indian Embassy in Kiev seeking the authorities' help as they ran out of food and money. The Russian military actions in Ukraine have triggered panic among all sections, including students from India.
Clashes have also been taking place around the capital Kiev in the north and the Black Sea port cities of Odesa and Mariupol in the south, the report said. Air strikes from Russia have been carried out on Ukrainian military bases and airports, with fierce fighting reported around a key airport near Kiev.
The top of the Tower shone bright with a burnt orange top Tuesday, February 22, 2022 to celebrate student Jaskaran Singh’s victory in the “Jeopardy! National College Championship" shared the university's website.
Students at the Ternopil Medical University in Ukraine capital Kyiv are in constant touch with the Indian Embassy. The varsity is also extending assistance to the students. There are around 20,000 Indian nationals in Ukraine. Most of them are medical students.
The announcement marks this week's one-year anniversary of a supply chain review that found the U.S. is overly dependent on foreign sources, especially China.
Court documents allege there were also two undocumented Indian nationals in the van, along with snacks and provisions. Not far away, in southern Manitoba, RCMP and border officials discovered four frozen bodies, later identified as a couple and their two children from India, who investigators believe were part of a larger group making their way to the United States.
