Tag: Pune

Two held at Pune International Airport for bid to smuggle Saudi Riyals to Dubai

Source: indianexpress.com

Customs officials arrested two passengers at Pune International Airport for the alleged possession of Saudi Riyals, valued at Rs 35.41 lakh, which they were allegedly attempting to smuggle to Dubai.

The customs department identified the two suspects as Balaji Mustapure and Mayure Bhaskar Patil. A press release issued by Vaishali Patange, joint commissioner of customs, Pune International Airport, said Mustapure and Patil were caught as they were trying to smuggle out foreign currency on a SpiceJet flight on July 16.

“A search of the two passengers and their baggage resulted in the recovery of foreign currency worth Rs 35.41 lakh. During an inquiry, the passengers said the currency did not belong to them,” the press release stated.

The press release further stated that the two passengers got the foreign currency for handing over in Dubai. “The foreign currency, which was Saudi Arabian Riyals, was seized on the belief that it was being attempted to be smuggled out of India and had become liable for confiscation under provisions of the Customs Act, 1962, and the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA),” stated the release.

The team that caught the passengers led by Usha Bhoyar, Deputy Commissioner of Pune Customs, Superintendents Vinita Pusdekar and Sanjay Zarekar.

In February, customs officials had arrested two passengers with the alleged possession of foreign currencies of denominations 41,422 in US dollars and 200 in AED, valued at Rs 28 lakh.

Customs officials had identified the two suspects as Mohan Patil and Sachin Patil, residents of Sangli district, who were scheduled to board an Air India flight to Dubai.

At Least 15 Killed Including 4 Children, Many Feared Trapped Under After Wall Collapses Due To Heavy Rains In Pune

Source: indiatimes.com

15 people have been confirmed dead and many more are feared to be trapped under after a portion of a wall of a residential building in Pune, Maharashtra collapsed.

All the victims including four children and a woman were living in temporary shelters built for labourers working in a nearby construction site. The victims were natives of either Bihar or Uttar Pradesh.

According to the police, a portion of the 12 to 15-feet-high wall collapsed between 1.30 and 1.45 am crushing the victims under it.

Those injured have been shifted to a local hospital. Rescue teams including the NDRF are continuing their search for more possible survivors.

Police had earlier said that 17 people were killed in the incident.

Dramatic visuals from the spot also showed a number of cars also trapped under the debris.

According to officials, prima facie the reason behind the collapse of the wall was the heavy rains. However, an investigation has been launched into the mishap to look into all aspects including whether the shelters which were barely 40 feet away from the residential building’s wall was illegal.

“We have ordered an inquiry into the incident and those responsible will be punished,” District Collector Naval Kishore Ram who visited the spot said.

Pune like other parts of Maharashtra received heavy rains on Friday.

Over 73.1 millimetres of rain was recorded in the city in the past 24 hours, the second highest rainfall in June since 2010.

After pre-monsoon showers, parts of Pune buckle under power cuts

Source: indianexpress.com

While the recent pre-monsoon showers came as a relief after the extreme heat faced by Pune residents, the strong winds and lightning strikes have caused several problems in the city, including frequent power cuts. “With most of the software companies in our area, the power cut is turning out to be a huge problem here. The industry is totally dependent on the power supply and without it, no work can be done,” said Sanjeev Tare, who lives in Wakad. “For the last 2-3 days, we have been suffering due to this issue. The power kept coming and going intermittently,” said Tare.

The intermittent power cuts also caused problems in other areas, especially ones which rely on water tankers for their basic needs. As the tankers depend on borewells, which cannot function without electricity, their supply too was affected.

Sarla Williams, a resident of Viman Nagar, said her family was unable to sleep because of the fluctuation in power supply. “I have filed a complaint with the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) several times, but still this problem continues,” she said.

MSEDCL officials, on the other hand, said the matter was not always in their hands. “Most of the power supply cables are fitted underground to ensure safety, but there is a chance that the cables come in contact with water and thus power supply gets affected. Another reason can also be digging of roads for Metro work,” said Sachin Talewar, Chief Engineer, Pune Zone, MSEDCL.

“Usually, registered consumers are informed about issues related to the power supply through text messages,” added Talewar.

Officials have also started a WhatsApp group. “Through the use of technology, we now have an easy and quick way to reach people and we can see positive results,” said Anjali Mone, Assistant Engineer, MSEDCL.

Bhima Koregaon case: Pune police raid activist Fr. Stan Swamy’s Ranchi home

Source: thehindu.com

A Pune police team on Wednesday searched the residence of human rights activist Father Stan Swamy in Ranchi in connection with the Bhima Koregaon–Elgaar Parishad case and for his alleged Maoist links. This was the second time the city police raided his house in Ranchi’s Namkum area.

While electronic devices, including a hard disk and some other materials, were seized, the 83-year-old activist was not taken into custody. 

The Pune police were assisted by the Ranchi police in the search that lasted nearly three hours, said sources.

Ashutosh Sekhar, Superintendent of Police, Ranchi (Rural), told The Hindu, “The search began after 7 a.m. and lasted nearly two-and-a-half to three hours. The Maharashtra police team took some electronic material and some documents. They will examine this material and decide on the future course of action.” 

The previous raid

Raids were conducted by the police at Fr. Swamy’s residence on August 28 last along with that of six other academics and activists known for their dissentious views against the powers that be.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (Swargate division) Shivaji Pawar, the investigating officer in the case, told The Hindu that the police seized some electronic devices and other material from Fr. Swamy’s house. “We have not taken him into custody. We conducted this operation for gathering more evidence as a part of the ongoing investigation in the case. The materials seized will be sent for probe,” he said.

Fr. Swamy runs a school for Adivasi children and a technical training institute in his residential premises. A vocal critic of the Jharkhand government, he is known for his work among the tribal people of the State through his NGO, Bagaicha.

In 2016, he released an expose following a Jharkhand undertrials’ study, which showed that an overwhelming majority of the tribal people languishing in jails were falsely implicated and arrested for daring to protest against the violation of their constitutional and human rights.

On August 28 last, the houses of activists Sudha Bharadwaj, P. Varavara Rao, Vernon Gonsalves, Arun Ferreira, Gautam Navlakha and Anand Teltumbde were raided, along with that of Fr. Swamy as part of the second crackdown by the Pune police on alleged ‘Maoist sympathisers’ as part of their investigation into the Bhima-Koregaon clashes.

Four of them, including Ms. Bharadwaj, Mr. Rao, Mr. Gonsalves and Mr. Ferreira are now lodged in the city’s Yerwada Jail. 

Last year’s crackdown

On June 6 last year, the city police, in its first nationwide crackdown in the case, arrested five activists, including Dalit publisher Sudhir Dhawale, advocate Surendra Gadling, Nagpur University professor Shoma Sen and activists Mahesh Raut and Rona Wilson for their alleged links with the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist) and their roles in the ‘Elgaar Parishad’ and the Bhima-Koregaon clashes.

Two charge sheets have been filed against a total 23 accused in the case on a number of counts, including for alleged Maoist links, veering youths towards Maoism and attempting to destabilise the State. The first charge sheet, a 5,160 page indictment, was filed in November 2018 and the second in February last.