Rants N’ Jibes

Famed Indian film actress, Kajol’s father Shomu Mukherjee passed away in Mumbai, India on Thursday morning. He was 65.

The filmmaker had not been keeping well for some time and died of a heart attack at around 8 am. He is survived by his wife, actress Tanuja and two daughters, Kajol and Tanisha.

Son of Shashidhar Mukherjee, the famous Bollywood film producer of the 1950s, Shomu produced and directed films like Chaliya Babu, Patthar Ke Insaan, Lover Boy and Nanha Shikhari in the 1980s. He was also one of the owners of the famous Filmalya studio. The last film that he directed was Sangdhil Sanam in 1994.

The funeral will take place at Mumbai’s Santa Cruz crematorium at 2 pm, sources said.

Mukherji passed away on the eve of his son-in-law Ajay Devgan’s directorial debut U Me Aur Hum, casting a pall of gloom in the family.

Family sources said, the film, however, will be released as per the schedule.

A woman (Sheryl Sueppel) and her four children were found dead in their home at 629 Barrington Road, monday morning at Iowa. Dispatchers were informed about the killings by and unnamed caller at 6:31 am saying officers need to get to the address immediately.

At the site, the officers found the house unlocked and found the bodies inside. Meanwhile, officers were unable to locate the woman’s husband, Steven Sueppel. Court records show that Steven Sueppel who lives at the same address was indicted last month on federal charges of stealing about $560,000 from Hills Bank and Trust where he worked as Vice President and Controller.

Sueppel was charged last month with one count of embezzlement of bank funds and six counts of money laundering. Authorities said the alleged thefts occurred between July 26, 2000, and Sept. 12, 2007. Sueppel, 42, pleaded not guilty and was released on $250,000 bail. His trial was scheduled for April 21.

The family van was also missing and it is being implied that the man responsible for the murder must have crashed himself to death in the Interstate 80 about 10 miles from the house though no concrete evidence has been found. The van was on fire, therefore making it difficult for the officers to identify it and the occupant.

Whle poilice initially said that the victims were shot, Iowa City Police Sgt. Troy Kelsay said he was unsure how they were killed. “I’m not certain that a firearm was ever involved,” he said, adding that the victims suffered trauma. “Nobody reported hearing any shots.”

Based on the police alert of a gunman, students and faculty at the University of Iowa received text and telephone messages warning that there was an active shooter in the Iowa City area. That message said police were looking for a white man in his 40s, driving a minivan.