Pune:

When pilots of the flight carrying ex-Maharashtra minister Tanaji Sawant’s son and his two friends to Bangkok were asked to return to Pune, they thought it to be a “hoax” message, but complied after verification from aviation authorities, an airline executive said on Wednesday.

The chartered flight, operated by a private firm, carrying Rishiraj Sawant (32) and his two friends returned to the Pune airport between 8 pm and 8.30 pm on Monday, abruptly cutting short a trip to the Thailand capital which was not disclosed to the Shiv Sena leader and his family.

The decision to divert the airborne plane to Pune was made only after due verification, insisted the executive of the company operating the airline.

In a dramatic turn of events, Rishiraj Sawant and his two friends, heading to Bangkok on what they later claimed was a “business trip”, were hurriedly brought back to Pune after police registered a kidnapping case following an anonymous call and intervention of his father Tanaji Sawant.

“When we received the first call (from family members) asking us to turnaround the flight, we did not believe it. We cannot believe these kinds of calls as they could be hoax. But after due verification from the Ministry of Civil Aviation and DGCA and knowing it pertained to a kidnapping case being probed by police, the decision to turnaround the flight was taken and it returned to Pune,” said the executive from the airline operator.

He said civil aviation regulator DGCA appreciated his company for the decision to recall the flight mid-way.

The executive maintained it was perhaps the first-of-its-kind instance in which a flight was recalled mid-way citing registration of a criminal case against a passenger.

“Such things happen only in case of some sort of emergency such as medical or technical emergency,” he said.

When the flight was asked to return to the Pune airport it was flying over Port Blair (Sri Vijaya Puram) in the UT of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and the trio was not informed about the diversion to avoid ruckus or arguments with the pilots and crew members, explained the executive.

“The screen in front of the passengers showing maps and navigation were already switched off, and they had no inkling their plane was returning to Pune without their knowledge. They were relaxing after having food.

“After touching down at the Pune International Airport, the passenger (Rushiraj) and the two others were surprised and angrily questioned the pilots. The pilot-in-command told them they were just following instructions,” he said.

“Once the flight touched down at the Pune airport, CISF personnel quickly went inside and escorted them out of the plane,” according to the executive.

The flight operator received a few calls from the DGCA and provided all necessary information, he said, adding “We explained everything to them and presented the SOPs that were followed.” It all began after the Pune police received an anonymous call at around 4 pm that Rishiraj Sawant was taken away by some unidentified persons on Monday.

Police swiftly registered a kidnapping case as panicked Tanaji Sawant rushed to the police commissioner’s office for help.

Investigations revealed Rishiraj Sawant, along with his two friends, had booked a chartered plane for Bangkok without informing his family, according to the police.

Rishiraj Sawant later told the police he kept his “business trip” to the Thailand capital secret to avoid his family’s wrath.

Meanwhile, local leaders of the opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) approached the Sinhgad Road police station, where the kidnapping offence was registered, and alleged former minister Tanaji Sawant misused the police machinery to bring his son back.

They questioned the police’s urgency in filing a kidnapping case after receiving a call from an anonymous person.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Union Ministers Piyush Goyal and Nitin Gadkari at the Advantage Vidarbha 2025, in Nagpur, on February 9, 2025
| Photo Credit: PTI

Maharashtra will become a $1 trillion economy in three years and Vidarbha will contribute significantly to it, said Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal at the Advantage Vidarbha conclave’s closing event at Nagpur on Sunday (February 9, 2025).

“India is the world’s fastest-growing economy and is expected to become the third-largest by 2027. In the next two-three years, Maharashtra aims to reach a $1 trillion economy. Under the leadership of [Narendra] Modi, Nitin [Gadkari], and Devendra [Fadnavis], Maharashtra will be the fastest-growing State, and the contribution of Vidarbha is commendable. Vidarbha has become the gateway to growth, evolving into the engine for Maharashtra’s future prosperity,” he said.

Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari and Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis were present at the event, too.

Mr, Goyal further asserted that that Vidharbha would be a hub for industries and farmers would get the required support from IIT’ and IIMs. He further added that farmers would witness large-scale development, especially in producing cotton, pulses, and agricultural products among others, under the leadership of Mr. Gadkari and Mr. Fadnavis.

“I am confident that our industries—whether large, MSMEs, or export-driven—will succeed. With new ideas, innovation, and support from researchers, IITs, IIMs, and farmers, we will improve cotton productivity, boost pulses, and create boards for makhana and turmeric. Under the leadership of Nitin Gadkari and Devendra Fadnavis, Vidarbha will see large-scale development,” he said.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, Mr. Fadnavis announced that two centres of development would be established in Vidarbha — one in Nagpur and the other in Amravati — and they would benefit surrounding districts.

He also requested Mr Gadkari to organise a business conclave in Vidarbha dedicated to tourism to showcase the opportunities and possibilities in the field.

Advantage Vidarbha, in its second edition, is aimed at promoting industrial development, business opportunities, and attracting investments in Vidarbha. The event is organised by the Association for Industrial Development (AID).

Nashik:

An 18-year-old woman was allegedly gang-raped by her brother-in-law and two others in Nashik city of Maharashtra on the pretext of arranging a guarantor to secure bail for her jailed husband, police said.

The incident took place in Panchavati area of the city between 10 am on January 22 and 5 pm on January 23, they said, adding that during her 31-hour ordeal, she was also thrashed by the accused, causing her to become unconscious a few times, but she managed to escape from their clutches.

While two of the accused have been arrested, her brother-in-law, who is elder to her husband, is absconding. Two more persons are suspected to be involved in the incident, they said.

As per the complaint lodged by the woman, she got married a few months back and since she was still a minor at that time, a complaint was lodged by her family members against her husband at the MIDC police station in Mumbai’s Andheri. A case was then registered against him and he is currently in a jail in Mumbai.

Recently, her brother-in-law called her to Nashik, where he resides, on the pretext of arranging a guarantor for her husband’s bail and release from the prison. Accordingly, she reached Nashik around 8.30 am on Wednesday, a police official said.

Her brother-in-law and other accused then took her to an open ground in Panchavati area under the pretext of meeting her husband’s guarantor. They also offered her food, but after she refused to accept it, they tied her to a tree. Around 1.30 pm, they beat her up and one of them raped her, due to which she fell unconscious, the complaint said.

When she regained consciousness around 7.30 am on Thursday, she found it difficult to talk and walk. She tried to escape, but the accused thrashed her again, due to which fell unconscious once again. This continued till 5 pm that day, it added.

In her complaint, she also said that when the trio was consuming liquor, the woman told them that she wanted to answer nature’s call. They allowed her to go, but asked one of the accused to go with her so that she does not escape. However, she pushed him aside and ran away. She reached the Nashik Road suburb of the city and lodged a complaint with the police late Thursday night.

According to police, two accused, Amit Vijay Damle and Gopal Rajendra Nagolkar, both aged 25, have been arrested, while a search is on for her brother-in-law.

Two more persons, one named Gopya, aged around 30 years, and another unidentified, are suspected to be involved in the crime, they said.

The Nashik Road police registered a case and transferred it to the Panchavati police station.

A case under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 70 (1) (gang-rape), 64 (rape), 69 (sexual intercourse by employing deceitful means), 74 (assault or use of criminal force against woman), 115 (2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 3 (5) (common intention) on Friday, they said. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Palghar:

A 16-year-old girl died after being run over by an express train while she was crossing railway tracks with earphones on in Palghar district of Maharashtra, officials said on Friday.

The incident took place at 1.10 pm on Thursday between Saphale and Kelve Road railway stations, they said.

The girl, Vaishnavi Rawal from Makne village in the district, was crossing the tracks when she was knocked down by the Kochuveli-Amritsar Superfast Express train. The girl probably could not hear the sound of the oncoming train as she had earphones plugged in, an official of the Government Railway Police (GRP) said.

The girl suffered grievous injuries and was rushed to a hospital, where she was declared dead, he said.

Her body was then sent to a government hospital for post-mortem and a case of accidental death was registered, the official said, adding that a probe was on.

The incident took place a day after 12 passengers were killed in Jalgaon district of north Maharashtra when they hastily jumped from the 12533 Lucknow-Mumbai Pushpak Express, fearing a blaze, only to be tragically run over by the oncoming Karnataka Express heading from Bengaluru to Delhi on the adjacent tracks.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Inspector Anant Parad said he had spoken to the parents and the school management. (Representational)

The incident took place in Maharashtra’s Satara district.

Nashik:

Eight persons were killed and several others injured after a tempo and truck collided on Sunday at Dwarka Circle in Maharashtra’s Nashik district, a police official said.

The incident took place near an Ayyappa temple at 7:30pm, he added.

“There were 16 passengers in the tempo, which was on its way to CIDCO area here. They were returning from a religious event in Niphad. The tempo driver lost control of the vehicle and rear-ended the truck carrying iron rods. Some of the deaths took place on the spot. Some of the injured are critical,” the official said.

Rescue operations were started by police and fire brigade personnel along with residents and passersby in the congested stretch immediately, he added.

The injured are recuperating at the district hospital and in some private facilities, the official said.

There is likelihood of the death count rising since some of the passengers have sustained grievous injuries, police and health officials informed.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Thane:

A court in Maharashtra’s Thane district has acquitted a 31-year-old man, who was accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a teenager, after she said they are now married and she has no complaints against him.

In his order of January 1, a copy of which was made available on Saturday, Special Judge D S Deshmukh held that the prosecution had failed to prove the charges against the accused.

The man was first booked for kidnapping after he allegedly took a neighbour’s teenage daughter to various places in January 2019.

On their return, he was arrested and charges under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) and Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act were added to the FIR.

However, during the trial, the teenager told the court that he never used force on her and that whatever happened between them was consensual. She also claimed that she was 18 at that time and aware of the implications of her actions.

The complainant, now a woman, told the court that she has since married the accused and they have a son. She said they are living peacefully.

“The admissions given by the victim clearly show that she voluntarily fled with the accused. The foundational facts required for invoking the presumptions under the POCSO Act are not proved. Therefore, the offences levelled against the accused are not established,” observed the judge in the acquittal order.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Pune:

NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar and disgruntled NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal on Friday shared a stage in Pune to mark the birth anniversary of legendary educationist and social reformer Savitribai Phule.

Speaking on the occasion, Bhujbal said many were “surprised” at the two sharing a stage but asserted “we will always come together for great personalities like Mahatma Phule, Shahu Maharaj and Babasaheb Ambedkar”.

The Nationalist Congress Party split in July 2023 after Ajit Pawar, Bhujbal and several others joined the Eknath Shinde government.

The NCP name and ‘clock’ symbol was given to the faction headed by Ajit Pawar, while the one under Sharad Pawar was christened NCP (SP). The two parties have been bitter rivals since.

Bhujbal has been upset with his party, headed by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, after he was not included in the Devendra Fadnavis cabinet. In the days following the swearing-in ceremony on December 15, Bhujbal had lashed out at the deputy CM over his non-inclusion.

Speaking at the event organised at Chakan’s Krushi Utpann Bazaar Samiti (APMC), NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar slammed the Union government for imposing duty on onion exports, which was greatly distressing farmers.

“Long ago, Mahatma Phule had spoken about the pain of these farmers. The Central government should follow the example of Mahatma Phule while taking decisions concerning farmers,” the former Union agriculture minister said.

Heaping praise on Mahatma Phule, Pawar said the social reformer promoted science and technology during his time and was a successful contractor who supplied building material for construction projects of the British government, including Pune’s Khadakwasla dam.

Bhujbal said the organisers took the right decision to invite Pawar as the process to build a grand memorial for Mahatma Phule and Savitribai Phule started when the latter was chief minister.

“Many are surprised that Pawar saheb and I have come together on one stage. I want to tell you, be it Mahatma Phule or Shahu Maharaj, Babasaheb Ambedkar or other great reformers, we will always come together for all these great people,” Bhujbhal asserted.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Nagpur:

An engineering student in Maharashtra’s Nagpur allegedly killed his parents apparently due to differences with them over his education and career, police said on Wednesday.

The 25-year-old accused, Utkarsh Dhakhole, killed his parents at their residence in Kapil Nagar area of the city on December 26 and the double murder came to light on Wednesday morning after neighbours complained of a foul smell, an official said.

After the recovery of the decomposed bodies of his parents, Utkarsh was arrested and he confessed to killing them, DCP (Zone V) Niketan Kadam said.

The deceased were identified as Liladhar Dhakhole (55) and his 50-year-old wife Aruna, he said.

“Utkarsh allegedly strangled his mother, a teacher, around noon on December 26 and later stabbed his father, a technician at a power plant and social worker, to death when he returned home around 5 pm. He then left the bodies there,” the official said.

The motive appears to be a dispute over Utkarsh’s struggling academic record and career, he said.

“Utkarsh failed to clear several subjects during his engineering course. His parents, therefore, wanted him to quit engineering and choose something else. However, he was against their suggestion,” Kadam added.

After killing his parents, he took his college-going sister, who did not know about their murder, to their uncle’s residence. He falsely told the relatives that his parents had gone to Bengaluru to take part in a meditation programme for a few days. Along with his sister, Utkarsh also stayed at his uncle’s place, he said.

However, the double murder finally came to light and he was arrested, the official said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)