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TOI : PUNE: Unearthing a major credit card fraud, the crime branch, Pune, has arrested a gang of four for cheating as many as 33 customers of Hotel Le Meridien here to the tune of Rs 1 crore.

The fraud came to light when Sunil Made (33), a Citibank’s East Street branch officer lodged a complaint with the Bund Garden police a few days back complaining of exorbitant and unaccounted purchases from his credit card.
The gang was headed by one Asif Zaidi Mirza (24) of Borivali, Mumbai, who is an HSC passout. Among the other accused are Wasim Patel (21) a cashier at Chingari Restaurant in Hotel Le Meridien, Ubed Ajmat Sayyad (26) of Mumbai and Bharat Tansukhbhai Soni (28) of Goregaon.

Explaining their modus operandi, senior police inspector (anti-dacoity cell) Sunil Pawar said the accused used to copy the credit card details of the hotel customers using advanced devices like ‘skimmer’ and “card reader”, which they had purchased from a foreign national for Rs 60,000.

“Whenever a customer offered his credit card for paying the bill, cashier Patel used to swipe it through the skimmer, a small pocket device, and download all required details,” said Pawar.

The accused then copied these details on magnetic strips of blank or blocked plastic cards using a laptop. This way, they prepared at least 33 credit cards of 25 foreign and two Indian banks. These cards were circulated among the gang members, who used it for buying costly items from shops in Mumbai and Surat, said Pawar. The gang mostly targeted customers who owned platinum, gold or corporate credit cards, having a credit limit of Rs 15 lakh.

The crime branch sleuths first nabbed Soni in Mumbai. Later, they arrested Asif, Ubed and Patel. They seized the skimmer, credit card reader, laptop and other computer appliances used for making the duplicate cards….More

TOI : PUNE: Pune district guardian minister Ajit Pawar on Saturday said the 24×7 water supply scheme was feasible and Pune municipal commissioner will decide whom to appoint as the project consultant.

Talking to media in the backdrop of NCP’s preparation meet for the graduate constituency polls, Pawar said, “The city can get 24×7 water supply if all leakages are detected and repaired. There is a lack of planning in water supply which should be overcome”.

When asked about the controversy over the appointment of consultant for the project Pawar said, “Pune municipal commissioner will decide on the matter of consultant”.

He came down heavily on Congress for mismanaging the water supply of the city during its regime in the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). “If all leakages in the water pipelines in Pune are repaired, more than 25,000 acre of land could be brought under irrigation. There is need for immediate repair of leakages,” said Pawar.

The civic administration’s proposal to appoint a consultant for the 24×7 water supply scheme is mired in controversy after civic groups and some political leaders cutting across party lines have objected to the tendering process where various companies have come together to form consortium and work on the project plan.

Allegations have been made that the consortium had not purchased the tenders at all and even then the civic body allotted the tender to them. Also questions are being raised on the fees paid to the consultant.

Now with Pawar coming out in the defence of the project, the standing committee meeting for deciding the future of the project is likely next week.

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TOI : PUNE: The Yerawada police fired in the air to control an irate mob of around 25 people from attacking three men late on Friday night in Wadgaonsheri.

The three men, Ganesh Dalvi, Ajhar Shaikh and Bapu Shinde from Wadgaonsheri, were seriously injured in the assault and were admitted to a private hospital for treatment.

Four suspects, identified as Vickey Sahadeo Mhaske (21), Sagar Sahadeo Mhaske (19), Ganesh Uttam Bhalerao (23) and Sharad Ramu Alhat (29), all from Wadgaonsheri, were arrested by the Yerawada police. Preliminary investigations have revealed that Mhaske and his accomplices had attacked Dalvi due to an old enmity.

Speaking to TOI, police sub-inspector Pramod Waghmare, who fired the two rounds from his service pistol, said that he was out on a patrol with two constables on Friday night in the jurisdiction of the Yerwada police station. “One Rahul Dalvi came to the Ramwadi police chowky at around 12:40 am. He told the police present there that his motorcycle had been damaged by a mob of around 25 people, who were now assaulting three other men,’’
said Waghmare.

He added that his patrol team took one more constable from the chowky and immediately proceeded towards Sai Aparment in Bhavani nagar at Wadgaonsheri, where, according to Dalvi, the mob was assaulting the three people.

“As we reached there, 10 to 15 people from the mob fled from the scene. However, the others continued to assault the men with sharp weapons,” said the Waghmare.

He further said, “I shouted and warned the mob to stop the assault. When they did not respond, we were forced to lathi charge to stop them. In retaliation, the mob targeted us, forcing me to open fire.” After the police firing, all the suspects fled from the spot.

The victims were immediately rushed to a private hospital and the…More

TOI : PUNE: Mahadev Misal, father of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) corporator Shantilal Misal who was allegedly attacked on Friday night, has filed a complaint against former corporator Bapu Kamble saying he allegedly threatened Lohiyanagar residents to make an agreement for a Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) scheme at the Lohiyanagar slum.

The suspects involved in the alleged attack — Bapu Kamble, Vicky Kadam, Bapu Chavan, Pandit Tambve and Jyotiba Kamble — were arrested and they were remanded to police custody by K.P.R. Singh Rathod, judicial magistrate first class, till June 24, on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Kamble’s sister has filed a complaint against Misal saying he forcibly entered their home and threatened them with dire consequences.

NCP corporator Shantilal Misal of ward 86 (Lohiyanagar) was attacked with sharp weapons by five to seven persons in his ward at Bhawani Peth at around 9.30 pm on Friday. The police arrested seven persons in connection with the attack, including Kamble. After attacking Misal, the seven suspects and some other Kamble supporters also pelted stones at the Lohiyanagar police station.

Misal, in his complaint said Kamble has been pestering the slum residents of Lohiyanagar for handing him an agreement for SRA scheme. When Shantilal had received information regarding this earlier he had filed a complaint against Kamble.
Lohiyanagar slum falls under the SRA scheme of the Pune Municipal Corporation.

Meanwhile on Friday night, Shantilal went to Kamble to ask him to stop threatening the local residents and Kamble and his accomplice allegedly attacked him. Shantilal, who was injured in the attack, was taken to a private hospital. Print EMail DiscussNew B…More

TOI : PUNE: A special ordinance to protect doctors, both private and government, from intimidation and attack, will come into force in the next 15 days. A provision for three year’s imprisonment with a fine of Rs 50,000 would be made in the ordinance to check rising assaults on doctors, deputy chief minister R.R. Patil said. He was speaking at the regional meet of NCP doctors’ cell recently.

Patil assured doctors that twice the amount incurred in damages of any kind would be recovered from the offender. “The state government is committed to extending protection to doctors,” he said.

Regional head of NCP doctors’ cell, Pradip Ghule, said doctors have to work constantly under the shadow of fear. Unless they have a sense of security and protection, they cannot render effective medical services. “The said ordinance would boost the morale of the doctors, and eventually patients would benefit from this,” Ghule said.

When contacted, Avinash Bhondwe, president of the city chapter of Indian Medical Association (IMA) said a provision of such an ordinance has been the long-standing demand of the association that has been fulfilled with the help of NCP doctors’ cell.

Around 250 doctors were present at the meet.
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