Outsourced Murder............

Let me start the the story with few imaginary characters. Gurmeet Singh (A Son of Indian farmer), currently a successful businessman in England. Manpreet Kaur, Wife of Gurmeet (Currently a housewife). Kartar Singh, Close friend of Gurmeet (Currently in UK working with Gurmeet). All of them migrated to UK some 3-4 years back. All in all a happy family and a friend circle. All three are very good friends and spend time together whenever possible. Manpreet and Gurmeet are also searching for a nice girl so that kartar can settle down and live happily. Manpreet and Kartar feel like real brother and sister.

The things look pretty for sometime until a day comes when Gurmeet faces the recession and starts getting tensed about the business prospects. He starts getting annoyed with every little thing. Manpreet and Gurmeet start fighting over smallest of issues and often Kartar has to step in to calm the situation. But his intentions are misinterpreted by Gurmeet and he starts suspecting the relationship between Manreet and Kartar. Gurmeet starts harassing manpreet and the relation takes a worst turn when Gurmeet openly asks Manpreet about the same. She strongly denies and goes into a sobbing mood. This was never enough to convince Gurmeet. He thinks that she is avoiding the topic and comes up with a plan.

He takes Manpreet and goes to his native, a remote Village in Punjab, India. Manpreet thinks that this trip is to improve their relationship. So she is enjoying her stay there. She makes few friends there and starts visiting places. One day the whole family goes to visit the family temple and while returning, their vehicle meets with an accident. Some of the family members are injured and poor Manpreet loses her life. Gurmeet goes into depression and decides to go back to UK. The family members want him to stay but he just can't tolerate the bad memories and goes back to UK. Kartar consoles him and helps him get back to Normal. That's all which is visible to a normal person. The reality is a bit harsher and has lot of twists. Lets explore the reality.

Things were normal as they should be before Gurmeet suspected Manpreet and Kartar's relations and then the happenings took an ugly turn. Gurmeet decided that this has to end, even with brutality. So he searched for a contract killer in UK. It was too costly and too risky considering the Law and Order situation in UK. So he called his friend in Punjab, India and narrated the whole story.

His friend in Punjab, let's say Balbeer was a honcho kind of a person in the village. He knew the local police folks very well. He had bribed them number of times in last few years from time to time so attitude of Police was friendly towards Balbeer. He contacted a Sub-Inspector of Punjab Police and asked for help. The SP then caught hold of a local criminal who was involved in theft and all small cases. He threatened the thief and also lured him with some amount of money. The thief finally gave in and agreed to perform the job given. The information was conveyed to Gurmeet via Balbeer.

Gurmeet planned a trip to Village after hearing the news. Manpreet was more than happy to go to her native. The couple arrived in India and went to Punjab to visit their families. Everything was picture perfect till then. One fine day, whole family went for a trip to nearby shrine. They enjoyed the day and decided to visit a lake nearby. Gurmeet and Manpreet stayed back as Gurmeet suddenly started feeling dizzy. He however convinced his family members to go ahead and enjoy the trip to lake. After everybody was gone, Gurmeet decided to take rest and slept in the car only to wake up after 10 minutes and demand water. Manpreet recalled that water bottles were in the bag taken away by rest of the family members so she goes out of car to purchase water bottles.

She walks for a distance and then BANGggg comes the shot to her head. The thief, who was there with the family as a car driver, suddenly comes out and hits Manpreet to knock her unconscious. He again hits and keeps hitting her on forehead with the wooden rod till Manpreet seizes to be alive. He then picks up Manpreet with help of Gurmeet and puts her back in the car. Gurmeet covers Manpreet's head with Dupatta (A Sort of Indian Scarf) and cuddles her up in his arms to show the fake affection towards his now dead wife. The thief drives the car towards lake and Gurmeet ends the trip of everybody saying that even Manpreet is not feeling well so they got to go home. People get in car and make sure that they don't disturb Manpreet, comfortably resting in arms of Gurmeet.

The driver then starts driving towards their house only to listen constant shouts from Gurmeet to drive faster. He goes on increasing the speed and finally on a turn, barges his vehicle into a truck standing. The panic takes over for a few minutes and when everybody comes back to their senses, realize that Gurmeet and Manpreet are nowhere to be found. They search frantically and find both of them still inside the car. They pull the couple out of the car and find that Manpreet is having a severe head injury. The ambulance is called and police report is filed. Doctors declare the patient, dead on arrival. Police do the crime scene investigation and find the reason of death as accident. The good old SP friend of Balbeer can't do any better. So the case gets closed and the rest is history. Nobody bothers about the driver or the happenings. Everyone consoles Gurmeet and the life moves on. Gurmeet is now a settled business man in UK. He broke the partnership with Kartar after a pity fight over business decisions. He established himself hard and firm in UK business circle. He marries again and is a proud (????) father of two children.

Well....... This is 90% similar to what is happening now-a-days in India, the new outsourcing giant. Wealthy families in UK, US and many more countries are outsourcing the murders to India. It helps them in avoiding the legal procedures in their countries. The legal system in India can be compromised with a little amount of money which might be 1/5th of what will be required in the other countries. The Indian police are also ill-equipped to tackle the problem of nabbing the culprits who fly out of India. The sentiments associated with the incident and the dead person also make it difficult to question the relatives about anything and everything in near future.

This harrowing trend was unearthed by Scotland yard police while probing various cases associated with missing people who went to India and never returned. Parents of the girls who went missing filed complaints which made Scotland yard police dig out the truth. This disturbing trend claims at least 100 innocents in a year. The British detectives and investigation agencies can't do anything without support from their counterparts in India who are very reluctant to let out any information for the fear of getting caught by the govt or by the people who have committed the crime. So the culprits roam around freely only to return and commit the same crime again.

The most disturbing part is, this outsourcing phenomenon is witnessing a boom due to recent economical crisis and the stress which couples had to undergo because of it. The low costs and lowest risk also added the necessary ingredients to the outsourced murder recipe. Though British law makers are committing to punish the guilty folks, it's unlikely that without India participating wholeheartedly in the investigation process, anything can be done to gather the evidences and seek the justice.

IPI Pipeline..... The good, the bad and the worse

The big news which had to make rounds in India but was unfortunately ignored is the dilly-dallying on the IPI decision. There are so many questions surrounding the IPI pipeline and here is a little effort to dig out some facts and the their internal linkages.

What IPI deal stands for is IRAN-PAKISTAN-INDIA gas pipeline. The deal is to get gas supply from IRAN via pakistan till 2025. The deal had its roots in an early as 1989 when the discussions started. The project is still in the discussion phase due to varied facts and figures.

First thing which is hindering the pipeline deal is the pakistan angle. Pakistan as many people know is the best from of India (sarcasm at its best). The fact is proved by the Mumbai attacks and the constant effects of infiltration and pumping in fake currency to de-stabilize the Indian economy. So the gloomy thoughts are bound to loom over the security of the pipeline. Pakistan will have the control over India's energy security as the pipeline passes through pakistan and pakistan can cut the supply anytime when the situations get tense between India and pakistan. The pipeline passes through Baluchistan. That is the part which is rarely under control of Islamabad. Its ruled by Baluchistan Liberation Army and they are in complete disagreement with Islamabad hence the pipeline security rests with the internal peace situation within pakistan. With many centers of power like Islamabad, ISI, Army, Al-Qaeda etc the situation always remains volatile. Hence the security concerns will always stay to haunt India.

After security comes the affordability. The cost of building the pipeline is approximately USD $7.5 Billion and the costs will increase for sure when the anti-social elements will place their bet on pipeline for money extortion. The gas which will be available to India will be at double the cost at which is sales in India. That will make it the costliest available fuel in India. So the viability and affordability of the gas is at risk. Add it to the carbon credits which India will lose and the amount of money required to purchase them. The cost then goes out of the roof and government will have to subsidize it heavily increasing the burden on tax payers shoulder. Purchasing so costly gas at the risk of pakistani control is enough to make the Indians jittery.

After all the cost and security concerns comes the political angle. That is the biggest factor according to me which is working against the pipeline deal.

First objections come from the mighty USA. They want to control the decision making power of IRAN and hence want to isolate Iran from rest of the world. So the USA is against the IPI deal as the deal will earn unwarranted support to IRAN from India and then US will find it difficult to act against Iran.

The second objection comes from India's long time friend. The Russians. Russia has a long time project running. The GAZPROM project is earning Russia crores of Rubles. Russia purchases gas from armenia and other small countries at a lower cost and sells it at higher or famously called as European cost to the European and other countries. They want to extend their net into Asia and Iran can bomb its dreams in one go. So the Russians are also a bit wary when it comes to the IPI deal. They have shown their anger and unhappiness by increasing the cost of Gorshkov; The warship which India was supposed to be getting at much cheaper cost. Russia is also the biggest supplier of arms to India and hence their wrath cannot be welcomed.

The alternatives are also plenty. India has entered in a deal with India. This will ensure the supply of nuclear fuel and technology to India. The nuclear energy promises to be more greener and cheaper than Iran gas. It will also eliminate the risks associated with pakistani control over the fuel supply and will keep energy hungry India's energy supplies secured.
One more option is the TAPI; The deal involves pakistan but is supported by Russia as well as USA. So the pakistani threat is minimized to a greater extent. The gas cost is also much cheaper compared to the IPI gas cost. So the gas becomes much more affordable and the project becomes viable. And with Afghanistan emerging as strategic partner of India, India also gets control against the pakistani monopolistic gas pipeline control.

The last factor which is emerging recently is the chinese interest in the IRAN gas. China is going all guns blazing to beat India in the IPI deal and getting the Gas rather than allowing India to have it. China is willing to pay a better price for the gas and also offering bilateral ties with Iran to ensure safety of Iran as a nation. China with its largest inventory of US Dollars, can beat India cost-wise at any given point of time.

Given the odds against the IPI deal, India had decided not to enter the mad race of cost wars and risky terrains of pakistan and baluchistan. The recent developments give out a signal that Indian interest is rebuilding. The basis is unclear but the hope is that Manmohan and team will be working out a deal and will come out with a surprise package which will be a win-win situation for all and if that is not the case, its better to let go the deal and look for other greener and beneficial options.

Plastic Currency Notes.... One step towards economic security

The Pandora's box has been opened by the Reserve Bank of India. The outcome was not really that surprising to say the least. People were expecting it. The question actually was "When" and not "What". But finally the plastic currency is here.

The need for plastic currency in India was put forth by experts way back in 2000 and the RBI took the pleasure in denying any plans to introduce the plastic currency. There was perhaps no need of plastic currency and the benefits of investing in plastic currency were pretty unclear. There was no information available about the volume of counterfeiting of the currency. So the RBI was least interested in the idea of plastic currency.

The need was severely realized when CBI made a breakthrough discovery that the secret template used by the RBI to print notes was in fact compromised by the ISI and the neighboring countries. The template was now used to pour fake notes into India and that too without leaving a trace. The fact which was more disturbing for India was the assistance of Nepal, India's long lived friend in the racket of counterfeiting. Even the royal families were involved in the racket of money making. So the bilateral relations were given a hard pinch by the discovery.

Now the RBI went behind the so called bad guys and unearthed some of the details of the fake money racket. The details revealed facts which stunned even the best of the economists. If the figures way back in 2005 were disturbing, the 2009 figures uprooted the confidence of Indian law makers and the economic experts. There was virtually a parallel economy set up by using the fake currency notes. 1 note in every 6 notes was fake. The economic tremors were starting to show their ugly face. No part of India was left untouched.

And where was this money primarily used? To give to poor farmers committing suicide an economical uplift (that even government of India doesn't do) or may be to sponsor child education or simply to have fun with the money in hand by the so called waste youngsters? Unfortunately not!!!!!!!
The money was used in all the anti-India activities. The arms and ammunition purchase was done using this money. The drugs racket was setup and operated using the fake currency. The ministers and officers were bribed to compromise with the national security. The money was put into stock market through systematic infusion only to take away the support when needed the most. Youth was lured into terrorist camps by offering the amounts which were beyond their reach in the whole life. Terrorists camps were setup right inside Indian territory. Divisive forces like maoist were supported both financially and on the weapons front. Various routes were exploited to unsettle the developing economic superpower. The racket reached to such an extent that even the ATM machines started distributing the fake notes. The signs were really ominous for an economy which had just started reaping benefits of constant and dedicated efforts towards becoming a superpower.

The RBI policy gives away more than one point. It shows the stance which developing India is ready to take. The plastic currency notes decision sends out a loud signal that India is wary about the threats across the border. It also portrays India's capability to accept the facts without any inhibitions and the versatility to move the things around pretty fast. It also makes one point clear that India is not immune to new technologies and has the infrastructure to implement anything and everything. One very important signal that India has sent out is rather than going to UN and running from pillar to post behind pakistani authorities submitting endless list of proofs, India has decided to tackle the problem head-on. This is really what a socio-economical superpower should do.

The plastic notes have been in circulation in countries like Australia, Mexico etc and have proved their mettle in tackling the counterfeiting problem. The lifetime of plastic notes is 5 times more than the traditional paper notes. So the step has been welcomed in India by all the sectors of social hierarchy. They say "Well begun is half done"...... Well the start is here and the results are awaited.....

I know what you did last moment........

"Well....... I am a bit of an introvert. I do not like to mingle with people and I don't want anybody to know where I am and what I am doing..."

This is a reaction of at least 30% people in the world. People are more concerned about their so called "Private space" to the extent that now-a-days houses have two master bedrooms. The corporate giants ask their associate not to peep into each others private life. People bluntly refuse to give information saying that "Its Personal". Everyone has personalized their orkut, facebook accounts. This is the era of digitalisation and privacy.

Really????? I must say that unknown to most of us, all our privacy is being compromised. A normal day begins. I turn on my cellphone (People can disturb me now..Too bad). So now my network provider knows my exact location. I turn on my TV. A brand new digital MPEG4 technology master piece. I get the best picture quality with the help from satellite transmission. One more thing is happening which is completely unknown to me. All my usage data is being sent to the cable provider. He is using the same to offer me the best combo package (he is luring me to watch what I am already watching but at a higher cost in the name of exclusive combo package). So I take bath (Hussshhhh One real private moment) and get ready to go to office. I order my breakfast from John's Kitchen. John's software is tracing all my orders to keep me happy (and his business going) . Did I mention that my mobile operator added one entry to the list of local calls so that he can make a trace and offer me the best package? I called my friend to accompany me to the office (one more mobile operator entry).

I stepped out of my house. Out comes my GPS enabled handset. I love to use my "Take me to My Car" gadget. It has one piece located in my car and other in my handset. So now my GPS operator takes over. He has information about my every movement. He can know where I am at any moment along with my mobile operator. So now they can track me and mark the usage statistics. The same information is shared with the car makers, law departments and many such agencies. Car makers use it to make user friendly cars (at least they say so). Nevertheless car manufacturers have devices already fitted into my car to steal those statistics. I drive through many signals and all the cameras (thanks to google maps, terra explorer, bhuvan etc) took my snap. Now the agencies know whether I am drunk, on drugs. Finally I reach my office.

I enter the office premises and swipe my I-Card. My employer knows that I am in the office. The security camera's smile at me and take my snaps quietly. I reach my desk and login. I want to read the news. So my employer's software is tracking the usage of bandwidth while the news websites are building the algorithm depending on the news I am viewing so that they can find my areas of interest and put all sorts of advertisements to earn higher revenue.
I work hard and now I am hungry. I go to the cafeteria and place my order. Remember John's kitchen? They have one branch in my office also. So capturing of my choices goes on. I swipe my credit card to make payment. So credit card company knows where I am currently. They also know what are my spending habits and they can now call me for better credit card offers.

So tired after my days work, I leave the office. The camera's smile again and the card swipe machine makes a buzz. My car GPS operator is still working and so are the traffic light cameras.

I now go shopping with my girlfriend and the cycle of cameras, credit cards, GPS goes on. They can't track my GF though (because she never pays :-)). The big brands now respect me as a valued customer as they know my spending habits (or I should say my girlfriend's spending habits). They exactly know what should be presented before me and how to earn profits. They also use my cell number to let me know all the exclusive offers.

I return to my home and turn off my mobile. My operator marks my last known location. He has also built a plan to offer me a missed calls alert plan. I activate my house security system. No one can enter or leave my premises without alerting my security agency. So they also know that I was in the house for the entire duration. Next day I again wake up and turn on my mobile.....

The point here is, I have not talked to any of these entities. I may not be even aware that all these things are happening but my privacy is being compromised to a very big extent. The data is noted everywhere and by everyone. There are many who have access to data. The cases of data misuse are plenty. The Indian BPO case was very famous sometime ago. There are 90% who record data to improve their business and provide me with the latest and best gadgets but the very fact that this data can very well be misused can not be ignored. MMS scandals using the hidden cameras keep showing their ugly face every now and then. A sudden bonus given by my employer can be tracked by my credit card operators employee. My networth can very well be seen by bank employees. It can very well go against me in cases of extortion etc. Anybody who has an intention to harm me can get the details literally every second about my location and folks accompanying me.

The question still remains as "Is there a need to know who I am?". I can as well be termed as a card holder with number XXXY. Do I know all this is happening with my privacy? And if yes then am I being overly ignorant about the fact that my privacy is being compromised? Am I acting like an ostrich in desert storm? The questions are plenty and the solution doesn't seem to be very simple..........