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TOI : PUNE: The Swargate police have booked a couple for allegedly duping a life insurance company to the tune of Rs 3.41 crore by preparing fake documents pertaining to an insurance policy.

The suspects have been identified as Prasad Vasant Kulkarni alias Eshan Vasant Deshmukh and his wife Kalyani, a resident of Pinac Sadichha, Paud road, Kothrud. A complaint has been lodged by the Mumbai-based legal officer of the insurance company Anarban Sarkar (25).

Speaking to TOI, senior inspector Rajkumar Gaikwad of Swargate police station said that Kulkarni was an agent with the said private insurance company and his wife Kalyani was his business partner. The suspects had prepared a premium life pension policy for Ramesh Dodanwar and his wife Savitri for Rs 12 crore. “However, the Kulkarni couple later changed the policy into a life stage pension plan without the knowledge of the Dodanwar family. The suspects prepared forged documents and prepared a fake letter by forging the signs of Dodanwar family,” Gaikwad said.

The letter stated that the Dodanwar family has requested to do necessary changes in the pension policy. The Kulkarni couple earned commission and cash reward of Rs 3.41 crore from the deal. The legal officer of the insurance company smelled the rat and lodged a complaint with the Swargate police. Further investigations are on, said Gaikwad. More Stories from this section Criminal threatens corporator, held Voters to get I-cards before polling Medical officers call off strike Man held for duping Seven-…More

TOI : PUNE: The Swargate police have booked a couple for allegedly duping a life insurance company to the tune of Rs 3.41 crore by preparing fake documents pertaining to an insurance policy.

The suspects have been identified as Prasad Vasant Kulkarni alias Eshan Vasant Deshmukh and his wife Kalyani, a resident of Pinac Sadichha, Paud road, Kothrud. A complaint has been lodged by the Mumbai-based legal officer of the insurance company Anarban Sarkar (25).

Speaking to TOI, senior inspector Rajkumar Gaikwad of Swargate police station said that Kulkarni was an agent with the said private insurance company and his wife Kalyani was his business partner. The suspects had prepared a premium life pension policy for Ramesh Dodanwar and his wife Savitri for Rs 12 crore. “However, the Kulkarni couple later changed the policy into a life stage pension plan without the knowledge of the Dodanwar family. The suspects prepared forged documents and prepared a fake letter by forging the signs of Dodanwar family,” Gaikwad said.

The letter stated that the Dodanwar family has requested to do necessary changes in the pension policy. The Kulkarni couple earned commission and cash reward of Rs 3.41 crore from the deal. The legal officer of the insurance company smelled the rat and lodged a complaint with the Swargate police. Further investigations are on, said Gaikwad. More Stories from this section Criminal threatens corporator, held Voters to get I-cards before polling Medical officers call off strike Man held for duping Seven-…More

TOI : PUNE: State director general of police (DGP) S S Virk has stressed the significance of using right methodologies for gathering intelligence. Ensuring that right men (are) at the right place’ for collecting information, is critical to the success of an intelligence set-up, he said.

Virk was addressing the inaugural session of the Maharashtra Intelligence Academy (MIA), an initiative that was born after the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai, which exposed the drawbacks in the state’s intelligence gathering system. The MIA is funded by the Union government and is located at the State Reserve Police (SRP) Group I campus at Ramtekdi near Hadapsar here.

Terrorism is the biggest challenge before the state police force, he said, adding that tackling the problem requires the right combination of force and social healing.

The state’s top cop said that intelligence gathering had assumed a level of significance that calls for involvement of thorough professionals for collecting information ranging from terrorism and naxalism to potentially sensitive social issues like labour unrest, suicides by farmers etc.

He also emphasised on the need for policemen to handle their informants professionally and nurture them for generating qualitative and effective information.

Director general (DG) for anti-naxalite operations Jayant Umranikar said that the state police needs aggressive intelligence to tackle the challenges of terrorism and naxalism. “The academy should appoint good staff members and develop proper network to collect information,” he said.

Commissioner of State Intelligence Department (SID) K L Prasad said that from the October 1, the first batch of 74 officials would start training at the academy.

The state home secretary P K Jain and senior police officials, including Pune police commissioner Satya Pal Singh, additional director general of police P P Sharma (wireless), joint commissioner of police (SID) Ramrao Wagh, were present at the programme. More Stories from this section Criminal threatens corporator, held Voters to get I-cards before…More

TOI : PUNE: State director general of police (DGP) S S Virk has stressed the significance of using right methodologies for gathering intelligence. Ensuring that right men (are) at the right place’ for collecting information, is critical to the success of an intelligence set-up, he said.

Virk was addressing the inaugural session of the Maharashtra Intelligence Academy (MIA), an initiative that was born after the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai, which exposed the drawbacks in the state’s intelligence gathering system. The MIA is funded by the Union government and is located at the State Reserve Police (SRP) Group I campus at Ramtekdi near Hadapsar here.

Terrorism is the biggest challenge before the state police force, he said, adding that tackling the problem requires the right combination of force and social healing.

The state’s top cop said that intelligence gathering had assumed a level of significance that calls for involvement of thorough professionals for collecting information ranging from terrorism and naxalism to potentially sensitive social issues like labour unrest, suicides by farmers etc.

He also emphasised on the need for policemen to handle their informants professionally and nurture them for generating qualitative and effective information.

Director general (DG) for anti-naxalite operations Jayant Umranikar said that the state police needs aggressive intelligence to tackle the challenges of terrorism and naxalism. “The academy should appoint good staff members and develop proper network to collect information,” he said.

Commissioner of State Intelligence Department (SID) K L Prasad said that from the October 1, the first batch of 74 officials would start training at the academy.

The state home secretary P K Jain and senior police officials, including Pune police commissioner Satya Pal Singh, additional director general of police P P Sharma (wireless), joint commissioner of police (SID) Ramrao Wagh, were present at the programme. More Stories from this section Criminal threatens corporator, held Voters to get I-cards before…More

TOI : PUNE: In order to motivate students into taking up research as a career, the Maharashtra Knowledge Commission Limited (MKCL) will soon launch a programme whereby scholarships will be awarded to students who want to pursue research activities.

The scholars will be part of the Maharashtra Olympiad Scholars, another programme of the MKCL.

Speaking to TOI on Tuesday, programme co-ordinator Yashodhan Kale said, “Every year, we select around 35 students for our Olympiad programme. However, we aim to nurture them further and develop their interest in research and eventually motivate them to take up a career in this field.”

The programme aims at supporting these students to do research in basic sciences. These students will be given small projects every month and will be guided all along.

“When we took these students to the Bhabha Atomic Research Centres in Mumbai, they were not very confident with experiments. Hence, we felt that their research capability needs to be developed,” Kale said.

The programme also aims at funding these students after their graduation. “For example, a student takes up engineering after standard XII, but wants to return to do research in basic sciences after the course. The MKCL will take him/her under its ambit. It will pay them the same remuneration as offered by the company the student got placed with and tie them up to do research with premiere institutes like the National Chemical Laboratory.”

The programme will be launched by the end of this year and the MKCL wants to encourage at least five research fellows annually. “We are tapping students at a very young age, so that the interest is developed from the very beginning and they further take it up as a career,” Kale added. More Stories from this section Criminal threatens corporator, held Voters to get I-cards before polling Medical officers call off strike Man held for duping Seven-…More

TOI : PUNE: In order to motivate students into taking up research as a career, the Maharashtra Knowledge Commission Limited (MKCL) will soon launch a programme whereby scholarships will be awarded to students who want to pursue research activities.

The scholars will be part of the Maharashtra Olympiad Scholars, another programme of the MKCL.

Speaking to TOI on Tuesday, programme co-ordinator Yashodhan Kale said, “Every year, we select around 35 students for our Olympiad programme. However, we aim to nurture them further and develop their interest in research and eventually motivate them to take up a career in this field.”

The programme aims at supporting these students to do research in basic sciences. These students will be given small projects every month and will be guided all along.

“When we took these students to the Bhabha Atomic Research Centres in Mumbai, they were not very confident with experiments. Hence, we felt that their research capability needs to be developed,” Kale said.

The programme also aims at funding these students after their graduation. “For example, a student takes up engineering after standard XII, but wants to return to do research in basic sciences after the course. The MKCL will take him/her under its ambit. It will pay them the same remuneration as offered by the company the student got placed with and tie them up to do research with premiere institutes like the National Chemical Laboratory.”

The programme will be launched by the end of this year and the MKCL wants to encourage at least five research fellows annually. “We are tapping students at a very young age, so that the interest is developed from the very beginning and they further take it up as a career,” Kale added. More Stories from this section Criminal threatens corporator, held Voters to get I-cards before polling Medical officers call off strike Man held for duping Seven-…More

TOI : PUNE: The transmission of the H1N1 virus is likely to witness an upward swing during winter in the northern part of the country. Delhi, known for its chilly winters, could see more H1N1 cases during winter than places like Pune and Bangalore, said A C Mishra, director of the National Institute of Virology (NIV), speaking to TOI. However, he added that it was impossible to predict with any accuracy how the virus would continue to evolve.

“North India has colder winters than other parts of India and this is a conducive factor for the spread of the H1N1 virus. If the H1N1 virus follows seasonal rules more cases are likely to be seen in Delhi and other northern cities,” Mishra said.

“The temperature range in Delhi is limited as compared to the temperature range in cities like Pune and Bangalore during the winter. The temperature in Delhi just goes up a few degrees unlike in Pune, where it goes up several notches during the day, even in winter,” he added.

“At the end of the day, however, we simply don’t know what this upcoming winter season is going to look like in terms of severity in H1N1 cases,” Mishra said. “It could be severe, it could be mild, we just don’t know. It is difficult to make any predictions.”

In the absence of vaccines, one lesson that can be learnt from our ongoing battle with the H1N1 virus is that people with breathlessness and fever should seek treatment early, best within 48 hours after they fall ill, added Mishra. More Stories from this section Criminal threatens corporator, held Voters to get I-cards before polling Medical officers call off strike Man held for duping Seven-…More

TOI : PUNE: The transmission of the H1N1 virus is likely to witness an upward swing during winter in the northern part of the country. Delhi, known for its chilly winters, could see more H1N1 cases during winter than places like Pune and Bangalore, said A C Mishra, director of the National Institute of Virology (NIV), speaking to TOI. However, he added that it was impossible to predict with any accuracy how the virus would continue to evolve.

“North India has colder winters than other parts of India and this is a conducive factor for the spread of the H1N1 virus. If the H1N1 virus follows seasonal rules more cases are likely to be seen in Delhi and other northern cities,” Mishra said.

“The temperature range in Delhi is limited as compared to the temperature range in cities like Pune and Bangalore during the winter. The temperature in Delhi just goes up a few degrees unlike in Pune, where it goes up several notches during the day, even in winter,” he added.

“At the end of the day, however, we simply don’t know what this upcoming winter season is going to look like in terms of severity in H1N1 cases,” Mishra said. “It could be severe, it could be mild, we just don’t know. It is difficult to make any predictions.”

In the absence of vaccines, one lesson that can be learnt from our ongoing battle with the H1N1 virus is that people with breathlessness and fever should seek treatment early, best within 48 hours after they fall ill, added Mishra. More Stories from this section Criminal threatens corporator, held Voters to get I-cards before polling Medical officers call off strike Man held for duping Seven-…More

TOI : PUNE: Around four lakh Malayalees across the city are geared up to celebrate Thiru Onam, the biggest and most important festival of Kerala, on September 2. However, even this harvest festival could not escape the effects of the swine flu, as the World Malayalee Association has decided to cancel its annual Onam Sadya or feast.

“Malayalees live in every part of the world, so technically, Onam is celebrated all across the world. It is a festival of joy and happiness, so people wear new clothes, exchange gifts and greetings,” said B Madhu Nair, president of the Poona Keraleeya Samajam, one of the oldest Malayalee associations in the city.

The association will not celebrate the festival on September 2 but on September 6. “People prefer to celebrate Onam with their family and loved ones on the actual day of the festival, so we (at the association) make it a point to celebrate Onam on our behalf at a later date,” added Nair.

This year the association will celebrate Onam at the Alpa Bachat Bhavan on September 6 from 10.30 am onwards. “We have arranged a few cultural programmes, including Bharat Natyam and Mohiniattam performances. We have also organised a pookalam (flower rangoli) competition,” Nair said.

Rajendra Sonawane, joint commissioner of police (law and order) will inaugurate the celebrations that will see T C Benjamin, principal secretary, urban development, Government of Maharashtra as the chief guest.

For housewife Vimala Mohan, the festival is an opportunity to cook up a feast known as the Onam sadya’ (feast). “Almost 20 different dishes are cooked for the sadya’. This includes different vegetable preparations, some fried items, different pickles and the popular payasam’ sweet dish made of milk, jaggery or vermicelli,” she explained.

However, the World Malayalee Association has decided not to celebrate Onam this year on account of the H1N1 flu outbreak in the city. “We do not…More

TOI : PUNE: Around four lakh Malayalees across the city are geared up to celebrate Thiru Onam, the biggest and most important festival of Kerala, on September 2. However, even this harvest festival could not escape the effects of the swine flu, as the World Malayalee Association has decided to cancel its annual Onam Sadya or feast.

“Malayalees live in every part of the world, so technically, Onam is celebrated all across the world. It is a festival of joy and happiness, so people wear new clothes, exchange gifts and greetings,” said B Madhu Nair, president of the Poona Keraleeya Samajam, one of the oldest Malayalee associations in the city.

The association will not celebrate the festival on September 2 but on September 6. “People prefer to celebrate Onam with their family and loved ones on the actual day of the festival, so we (at the association) make it a point to celebrate Onam on our behalf at a later date,” added Nair.

This year the association will celebrate Onam at the Alpa Bachat Bhavan on September 6 from 10.30 am onwards. “We have arranged a few cultural programmes, including Bharat Natyam and Mohiniattam performances. We have also organised a pookalam (flower rangoli) competition,” Nair said.

Rajendra Sonawane, joint commissioner of police (law and order) will inaugurate the celebrations that will see T C Benjamin, principal secretary, urban development, Government of Maharashtra as the chief guest.

For housewife Vimala Mohan, the festival is an opportunity to cook up a feast known as the Onam sadya’ (feast). “Almost 20 different dishes are cooked for the sadya’. This includes different vegetable preparations, some fried items, different pickles and the popular payasam’ sweet dish made of milk, jaggery or vermicelli,” she explained.

However, the World Malayalee Association has decided not to celebrate Onam this year on account of the H1N1 flu outbreak in the city. “We do not…More