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TOI : PUNE: Cash, jewellery and other articles totally worth Rs 3.50 lakh were stolen during a marriage ceremony at Nisarg hall in the busy Gultekdi market yard locality on Sunday.

The Swargate police said the incident occurred sometime between noon and 2 pm, when everyone present for the marriage was attending a ritual in the main hall on the ground floor. The valuables were kept in a room on the first floor.

The police said that the marriage of Neeraj Choradia, son of city-based Jayantilal Choradia, was being solemnised with Sheetal Karnavat, daughter of Rasiklal Karnavat of Daund.

The ceremony started around noon at the main hall and no one noticed any suspicious movement. The incident came to light only when the bride’s aunt went to the first floor to get some articles. She noticed that the locks on the door were broken and the luggage inside was in a state of total disarray. She raised an alarm and the other relatives present rushed to the bride’s room.

As they checked the baggage, the relatives realised that gold ornaments weighing 140 gm or 14′tolas’ (market value 1.40 lakh) and Rs 2 lakh in cash, besides some other articles, were missing.

A team from the Maharashinagar police post, led by sub-inspector S.D. Deshmukh, reached the site, with the dog squad and finger print experts arriving a little later. However, no arrest was reported till late Sunday night.

The police suspect it to be the handiwork of someone familiar with the marriage hall. They also did not rule out an’insider’s job’. Deshmukh told TOI that the investigators were going through the video compact disc of the ceremony to explore the possibility of finding any suspicious characters. Statements of relatives from either families were recorded by the police…More

TOI : PUNE: The 59th Republic Day was celebrated with traditional fervour by various organisations, civic as well as state bodies in the city.

District guardian minister Ajit Pawar, in a function held at Kapil Malhar society, asked the citizens to support the ongoing development works under JNNURM. He also assured the project-affected people that they will get due compensation.

In another function at Warje Malwadi, Pawar also asked that the slum-dwellers to support development activities in the city. He was there to attend the bhoomi-pujan ceremony for a slum rehabilitation project.

Rajalaxmi Bhosale, mayor of Pune, attended the flag hoisting ceremony at Pune municipal corporation. PMC commissioner, Pravinsinh Pardeshi was specially present. Bhosale received guard of honour from the fire brigade and security department. The PMC felicitated 135 people for their contribution. People from civil, political, sports, religion, competitive fields were honoured.

At Bhide Wada, Dr Narendra Jadhav, V-C, University of Pune, graced the ceremony. The NCC cadets gave a guard of honour. Dr Jadhav said, “Mahatma Phule set up a school for girls and initiated a movement for women’s empowerment. It is because of his efforts that we have a women President today….More

TOI : PUNE: The city police’s economic offences wing has booked a builder on charges of cheating and forgery for securing transfer of development rights (TDR) against a 107-acre property belonging to a local trust. No arrest has been reported.

A complaint against builder Dilip Tapadia, who is a partner in Mangalmurty Properties, was initially lodged with the cooperatives commissioner and the registrar. The cooperatives department referred the same to the city police.

The case involves a 107-acre land at survey no 44/1/1/1 in the prime Erandwane locality, belonging to the Peer Sayyed Hisamuddin Qatta-e-Zanzani Chisti Trust, also known as the Thorla Shaikh Salla Dargah, at Shaniwar Peth.

The trust was set up by the district court for maintenance of the property.

Three decades ago, the Pune Municipal Corporation had acquired 7.31 acre of the total 107 acre land from the trust for developing a water reservoir and a water tank. The trust was even compensated for the land.

According to police, Tapadia convinced one of the dargah trustees, Qazi Azizuddin Alladin (who has since passed away), that they can secure TDR against the 7.31 acre land by paying a compensation to the PMC. Tapadia even offered to pay Rs 1.51 crore to the trust to facilitate the deal, police said…More

TOI : PUNE: The mercury dipped to 5.8 degrees Celsius on Sunday, the season’s lowest in Pune so far, while Nashik was the coolest city in Maharashtra with 4.40C.

Pune’s all-time lowest temperature was 1.7 0C, recorded on January 19, 1935, and the second-lowest was 2.80 C recorded on January 2, 1991.

An India Meteorological Department (IMD) official at the Shivajinagar observatory said, “Cold wave to severe cold wave conditions are prevailing over many parts of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Saurashtra and Kutch. Cold wave conditions are also prevailing over parts of Maharashtra and west Madhya Pradesh.” The prevailing weather condition was likely to continue for the next one or two days, he added.

Till Wednesday last week, Pune city was passing through a phase of warmer winter. However, cold and shivering wind conditions started to increase thereafter, with the mercury dipping below normal (100C) for the first time this season.

The city had recorded 9.70C last Wednesday. Since then, the mercury has been on dipping, recording 9.50C on Thursday and 9.30C on Friday. A sudden fall to 7.70C was recorded on Saturday. On Sunday, the mercury dipped further by around 2 degrees, at 5.80C.

Prior to Sunday, the season’s lowest was 8.30C, which was even lower than the last season’s lowest of 9.10C on December 18, 2007…More

TOI : PUNE: Two police constables, attached to the newly-established Chinchwad police station, were critically wounded in a murderous assault by nearly a dozen miscreants at Chinchwad in the wee hours of Sunday.

An offence of attempted murder has been registered, the same incidentally was the first case registered at the police station, which was opened on Saturday. Twelve suspects have been arrested so far.

Constable K.D. Nangare, who sustained grievous injuries to the head, shoulders and abdomen, was admitted to the Lokmanya hospital in Chinchwad. His colleague, P.B. Hagawane, received serious injuries on his forearms. The two were attacked with sticks, stones and construction equipment, the police added.

It all started around 3.30 am on Sunday when Nangare and Hagawane were returning to the police station after attending a postmortem routine for a mishap victim at the Yashwantrao Chavan hospital. On their way along the Chinchwad-Pimpri link road, they noticed a group of men burning cables. When the cops sought to check out the matter, they started running, but one of them, identified as Rajeev Pardeshi, was caught.

Under interrogation at the police station, Pardeshi revealed the names and location of his associates, the police said. However, the miscreants launched an attack as soon as the police team reached the location…More