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TOI : NASIK: A special squad of the Nasik Municipal Corporation (NMC) on Wednesday razed 22 illegal huts on jail road, police said.

The hutments were demolished as part on an anti-encroachment drive amidst tight police security, they said.

NMC officials, six trucks, 2 ambulances and fire-brigade personnel were present during the operation, police added…More

TOI : PUNE: A leopard on Tuesday injured six persons in Nigdi area near here before it died after being trapped, police said.

The leopard was reportedly sick and starved and was later trapped by the municipal staff and handed over to the authorities at the city zoo, where it subsequently died.

The injured were being treated at a local hospital.
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TOI : PUNE: In a bizarre incident, a leopard injured nine people, including a nine-year-old girl, after it strayed into the Nigdi-Pradhikaran area of Pimpri-Chinchwad on Tuesday morning. Sadly, the big cat died after it was trapped and taken to the Katraj zoo, raising questions over the circumstances that led to its death.

Speculating on the reasons for the animal’s death, PCMC zoo director Anil Khaire said the leopard had apparently not eaten for some days. “Traces of grass were found in its intestines,” he pointed out.

Khaire said the leopard was alive when it was brought to the Katraj zoo after being captured around noon. However, it died around 1.55 pm.

“A post-mortem has been conducted and the report will be available in around five days. A panchnama has been conducted,” he added.

Interestingly, the carcass was incinerated soon after the animal’s death. This was done as per the provisions of the law and on the directive of chief conservator of forests Shirish Asthana.

There were reports over the last three days of the leopard moving around the Durga Devi hills, which has considerable green cover, as well as near the Madanlal Dhingra stadium.

On Tuesday morning, the employees of the Bahinabai Chaudhary zoo received a call that the wild cat was resting in an open area outside a bungalow near Mhalsakant college at Akurdi…More

TOI : PUNE: Judicial magistrate first class G.B. Gurao on Tuesday remanded Mujaheed Gilani of Kondhwa, the main accused in the Rs 3-crore BPO car scam, to police custody till February 4.

Gilani had surrendered at the Hadapsar police station on Monday.

The other two arrested in the scam are Kolhapur-based travel agent Parag Ashok Vichare and Gilani’s brother, Anis. The two brothers, who were residing at Kondhwa, originally hail from Baramulla in Jammu and Kashmir.

Gilani, who ran a travel and tours business at Hadapsar had been hiring cars on rental basis.

According to the police, Gilani used to win the confidence of owners of vehicles by paying them rent on time for a few months. However, he used to sell the vehicles at cheaper rates later.

The police have recovered 50 vehicles which Gilani had parked at Laxminagar in Kondhwa Budruk, following Vichare’s arrest.
Vichare is in magisterial custody, while Anis in police custody till February 1…More

TOI : PUNE: Two people, including a three-year-old boy, were killed and four injured when their car rammed into a tempo parked on the Ahmednagar highway near Wagholi on Monday.

The Loni Kalbhor police have identified the deceased as Trupti Narayan Mundada (35) and her son Sujal of Narayan Peth.

The injured include the victim’s husband Narayan Mundada, who is a lecturer in a leading college in the city, his daughter Sonal (10) and relatives Parag Navandhar and Pooja Jaiswal.

The family had gone to Aurangabad to attend a marriage ceremony a few days ago. They were returning to Pune in a Maruti 800 when their vehicle hit the tempo around 11.30 pm.

Trupti and Sujal died instantly. The injured are undergoing treatment at a private hospital…More

TOI : PUNE: Cash and ornaments worth Rs 2.27 lakh were stolen in three different incidents of burglaries in the city. The police said that the flat of businessman Dilip Jamnadas Bighani (48) at Vinit apartment, Alkapuri society in Kothrud, was broken into between noon and 7.45 pm on Sunday. Gold ornaments worth Rs 64,000 and Rs 8,000 in cash were stolen. The Bighanis were not at home at the time of the incident.

Another theft was reported from Pavnanagar behind ST colony at old Sangvi where the residence of Rajendra Santosh Sasane (28) was burgled between Saturday and Sunday.

Cash and jewellery totally worth Rs 70,000 were stolen, the police said. Incidentally, this is the first case registered by the Sangvi police station, which was inaugurated on Republic Day.

In another incident, Rs 10,000 in cash and worth Rs 75,000 were stolen from the flat of Dharamsingh Indrajit Bhaat (28) at Santosh Plaza apartment, Wadgaonsheri between Saturday evening and Sunday morning.

Bhaat had left the flat in a hurry to visit his mother at Kharadi, while leaving the door partially closed, the police said…More

TOI : PUNE: Well-known saxophone and key-flute player Manohari Singh will be presented the second O.P. Nayyar Award for his contribution to the Hindi film industry.

Nandu Belwalkar and Rohan Pusalkar, trustees of the O.P. Nayyar Foundation, have announced that the award will be presented to Singh by renowned actor of yesteryears Vishwajeet.

“Although we thought of many other musicians, we decided on Manohariji because he has his roots in Western music and is very much a part of the film industry even at this age. Last year, the first such award was given to musician Enoch Daniels,” said Pusalkar.

Singh has suffered from kidney failure and has to spend as much as Rs 22,000 per week for dialysis.

“He is in dire need of financial assistance and we have so far collected Rs 51,000 for the award. Music-lovers are still sending in their contributions,” said Belwalkar.

Interestingly, the late composer O.P. Nayyar had made a provision in his will that the royalties’ receivable by him from the Indian Performing Right Society (IRPS) be utilized to give financial help to needy composers.

Belwalkar added that the IRPS was not doing enough to expedite the procedure of collection of royalties due in Nayyar’s name. “In fact, we plan to approach the Cine Music Director’s Association to help us.”

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