Pune:

Trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar is caught in the middle of a massive controversy over claims she made in her UPSC candidature and alleged misuse of power, which included using unauthorised red beacon lights and a “Government of Maharashtra” sticker on her private Audi sedan. Now, Ms Khedkar’s Audi has become the talking point after Pune Traffic Police pointed out that the car has 21 complaints for traffic violations.  

This includes allegations of reckless driving and non-compliance with traffic rules. Authorities have issued a notice to Puja Khedkar seeking a penalty of Rs 27,000.

“We have come to know that your private vehicle has ‘Maharashtra Government’ written at the front and rear, and also fixed a beacon light,” said the notice, and a police official visited her Pune residence to serve it, but there was nobody at home.

Questions have now arisen regarding why the Pune Police did not take action earlier despite numerous traffic violations.

Ms Khedkar is a 2023-batch IAS officer who secured an all-India rank (AIR) 841 in the UPSC exam. She comes from a family dedicated to public service, with her father, Dilip Khedkar, being a retired administrative officer.

She has been under intense scrutiny for allegedly manipulating benefits under the physical disabilities category and OBC quota to secure her position in the Indian Administrative Service.

Amid the growing controversy, the 24-year-old has been transferred to Washim.

Asked about the allegations against her, Ms Khedkar told reporters, “I am not authorised to speak on the issue. Government rules don’t provide (allow) me to speak on this.”

Pune:

The Pune police have arrested the father, uncle and a cousin of a 13-year-old girl for allegedly repeatedly raping her, an official said on Sunday.

The crime came to light after the teenager shared her ordeal during a session on “good touch and bad touch” in school, he said.

According to the police, the survivor’s cousin brother allegedly raped her in July 2023 and threatened her with dire consequences if told anyone about the assault.

In January 2024, her uncle allegedly sexually abused her. “When the girl resisted her uncle’s advances and tried to scream, he allegedly gagged and beat her,” said a police officer.

He added that the girl’s father also repeatedly sexually abused her.

While her father and uncle are in their 40s, her cousin is in his 20s.

“The girl opened up during a counselling session in her school on ‘good touch and bad touch’. The police were then informed,” said the official.

The three have been arrested for rape under the Indian Penal Code and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

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

Pune:

Days after the Porsche car crash case that has sent shockwaves across the country, retired IAS officer Arun Bhatia has written a letter to the Chairman of Maharashtra Human Rights Commission (MHRC) seeking the transfer of Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar from the city.

Mr Bhatia has also requested the human rights body to investigate the conduct of Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar since he “represents the police force in the city”.

The appointment of the doctor as Chief Medical Officer based on a politician’s recommendation should be investigated and the Health Secretary punished, Bhatia stated in the letter.

Mr Bhatia has also asked for a report from the police regarding the step-by-step sequence of events and reasons for delay and lapses in the investigation process which must be obtained and brought into the public domain immediately.

“The present Police Commissioner cannot be relied upon to do this,” he mentioned.

The retired civil servant accused the Police Commissioner of shielding the crime and his corrupt officials.

“He refused to explain the delays and lapses. A reporter asking questions was pushed away by a police officer as seen on television. The media reported that the Police Commissioner had said that there was no political pressure to save the doctors and later contradicted this. Two politicians had turned up at the police station,” Mr Bhatia added.

To cap this scandal the court released on bail the seventeen-year-old who had emerged from a pub to take the wheel instead of placing him in a remand home, he said.

Mr Bhatia requested that the Human Rights Commission take special note of the fact that unless senior officials are held accountable for the misdeeds of their subordinates, government departments will not improve.

Requesting transparency in the Pune car crash case, Mr Bhatia said that at present, information about the case is available only from the media. “The Police Commissioner must give this information. In no way will it hamper the investigation,” he said.

Mr Bhatia stressed that it is essential that crime detection and investigation agencies are kept clean, efficient, and free from corruption. “The H R Commission must ensure this,” he added.

The retired civil servant said that the Human Rights Commission has to enforce the implementation of the laws that protect our lives and freedom. “When these laws and procedures are violated the HR Commission must take corrective steps,” he added.

Mr Bhatia has also penned a letter to Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar saying that “citizens” want him to leave the city.

“We will be demanding an investigation into your conduct and other officers. Your presence will compromise this investigation. If you are innocent and have nothing to hide you must go on leave and allow the proper investigation,” he said in the letter.

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

The father and grandfather of the minor who mowed down two engineers in Pune last week, have been sent to police custody till May 31. The police had sought a week’s time, underscoring the need for stringent questioning.

The boy, just four months short of 18, had run over two engineers while driving his dad’s Rs 2.5 crore Porsche electric sports car in a “heavily drunk” state.

Two police cases have been filed against his father  — a real estate mogul — for willful neglect of his child under the Juvenile Justice Act and one for bribery and evidence tampering. One case has been filed against the boy’s grandfather.

New Delhi:

Two techies were killed after a speeding Porsche – being driven by a 17-year-old boy – hit their bike in Pune on Saturday. The incident has triggered massive anger, with many blaming lax laws for deaths due to rash driving and minors on the wheels.

The teen who was at the wheel, son of a prominent realtor from the city, is just four months short of 18 years – the minimum age required to legally drive a car.

The teen’s father has been arrested. Additionally, the owners of a couple of bars where the minor was served alcohol have also been arrested.

The minor was granted bail by the Juvenile Justice Board on conditions — he has to work with traffic police in Yerwada for 15 days, write an essay on accidents, undergo treatment for his drinking habit and take counselling sessions.

In response to the bail decision, Pune Police have filed an application with the sessions court to try the juvenile as an adult.

Charges Against Teen

The teen would be tried and punished under Section 185 of the Motor Vehicles Act, which deals with drink driving offences.

The act states that drink driving is a criminal offense if a breath analyzer test reveals that the blood alcohol concentration of the driver of the motor vehicle is more than 30 mg per 100 ml.

For the first drink driving offence under the act, a person can get six months of jail and a fine of Rs 10,000. For a second offence, you could spend up to 2 years in jail and be fined Rs 15,000 (up from Rs 3,000). Repeat offenders might also face penalties related to their driving licenses.

Police are also trying to prove a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder where there is knowledge that the act could cause death.

Charges Against Teen’s Father

A case has been filed against the teen’s father under Sections 75 and 77 of the Juvenile Justice Act. These sections pertain to willful neglect of a child and providing intoxicating substances to a minor, respectively.

The former deals with the willful neglect of a child, or exposing a child to mental or physical illnesses, for which punishment can stretch to a three-year jail term and a fine of Rs 1 lakh. The latter deals with supplying a child with intoxicating liquor, or any narcotics or drugs, unless prescribed by a qualified medical practitioner, and those convicted could face up to seven years in jail.

The 17-year-old who ran over two techies in Pune while driving a Porsche will be tried for drink driving, a juvenile court ruled today. The court said that he would be tried and punished under section 185 of the Motor Vehicles Act, which deals with drink driving offences.

The act states that drink driving is a criminal offense if a breath analyzer test reveals that the blood alcohol concentration of the driver of the motor vehicle is more than 30 mg per 100 ml.

For the first drink driving offence under the act, a person can get six months of jail and a fine of Rs 10,000. For a second offence, you could spend up to 2 years in jail and be fined Rs 15,000 (up from Rs 3,000). Repeat offenders might also face penalties related to their driving licenses.

In the early hours of Sunday, two individuals, including a young woman, died after a Porsche collided with their motorcycle near Kalyani Nagar in Pune. The victims were identified as Anis Awadhiya and Ashwini Costa. The tragic incident occurred at about 3.15 am.

The crash has sparked national outrage after the teenager was granted bail within 15 hours on conditions that many have described as flimsy. A local court asked him to write a 300-word essay on accidents, work with traffic police for 15 days and undergo counselling for his drinking habit.

Cops said that the accused had been drinking with his friends before the crash to celebrate his Class 12 results.

The 17-year-old who rammed his father’s high-end Porsche knew that his act could cause death and the Indian Penal Code section against him will be applied accordingly, the chief of the Pune Police has told NDTV.

Mr Kumar said the teenager, who is the son of a prominent Pune builder, was taken for a medical test in the early hours on Sunday and his blood has been taken and sent for a forensic report.

New Delhi/Mumbai:

The speeding Porsche – involved in the car crash in Pune which killed two techies – had been running on Mumbai roads without a number plate for months.

The registration of the electric luxury sports sedan Porsche Taycan, worth Rs 2.5 crore, had been pending due to non-payment of Rs 1,758 fees by the owner, officials have said.

Maharashtra Transport Commissioner Vivek Bhimanwar told news agency PTI that the Porsche car was imported in March by a dealer in Bengaluru and from there it was sent to Maharashtra after a temporary registration.

“It was found that a certain registration fee was not paid and the owner was asked to pay the amount for completion of the procedure. However, the vehicle was not brought to the Regional Transport Office (RTO) for the registration process after that,” he said.

Officials said it was the responsibility of the owner to get it registered.

Road tax is exempted for electric vehicles in Maharashtra, hence the registration of this vehicle was on Rs 1,758 – Rs 1,500 hypothecation fees, Rs 200 smart card RC fees and Rs 58 postal charges.

The accident took place in the early hours of Sunday morning in Pune’s Kalyani Nagar area.

The teen who was at the wheel is the son of a prominent realtor from the city. He was released on bail 24 hours after his arrest, triggering massive anger.

The teen’s father has been arrested. Additionally, the owners of a couple of bars where the minor was served alcohol have also been arrested.

The Porsche, which eyewitnesses have said was driving at over 200 km per hour and had no number plates, hit the bike. Ashwini was thrown about 20 feet in the air and landed hard, said an eyewitness. Aneesh was thrown at a parked car and suffered serious injuries. Both died on the spot.

Five persons were booked after condoms, gutkha and stones were allegedly found in samosas supplied to a major automobile firm in Pune. Image for representation purposes only.
| Photo Credit: Pixabay

Five persons were booked after condoms, gutkha and stones were allegedly found in samosas supplied to a major automobile firm in Pimpri Chinchwad in Pune, a police official said on April 8.

Those booked comprise two workers of a subcontracting firm that was asked to supply the samosas as well as three partners of another such firm that had been removed earlier for adulteration, the official said.

“The three partners had allegedly planted these two workers to ensure the firm that had got the samosa contract now would get defamed,” he said.

“Catalyst Service Solutions Pvt Ltd is responsible for providing food items to the canteen of the automobile firm. The firm had given a contract to provide samosas to another subcontracting firm named Manohar Enterprises. On Saturday, some of the automobile firm employees found condoms, gutka and stones in the samosas,” he said.

After Manohar Enterprises’ staffers were questioned over the incident, it was found that two workers, identified as Firoz Shaikh and Vicky Shaikh, had allegedly stuffed condoms, gutka and stones in the samosas, the Chikhli police station official said.

“We registered a case under IPC section 328 (causing hurt by means of poison) and 120B (criminal conspiracy). The two accused told us they are employees of SRA Enterprises and were sent by its partners to Manohar Enterprises to adulterate food supplied by the latter,” he said.

SRA Enterprises was removed from the contract earlier after a bandage was found in a snack they had supplied and the partners, identified as Rahim Shaikh, Azhar Shaikh, and Majhar Shaikh, wanted to smear the market reputation of Manohar Enterprises.

“One person has been arrested. Further probe is underway,” he added.

Pune:

A 22-year-old man from Pune serving as a deck cadet on a merchant ship has gone missing while the vessel was sailing from Indonesia to Singapore, his father said on Sunday.

Pranav Karad is employed at Wilhelmsen Ship Management India Pvt Ltd for the last six months and has been missing since Friday afternoon, he said.

“The ship was traveling from Indonesia to Singapore. On Friday evening, we received a call from the Mumbai office of the shipping firm informing us our son had gone missing while onboard. We have been told a search operation is underway and efforts are being made to locate him,” said Pranav’s father Gopal Karad.

“We are making attempts to reach out to the Union government for help. We have also approached Mumbai and Pune police. Pranav had done a three-year course in Marine Engineering from a city based education institute,” his father informed.

A Pune police official said Pranav’s family members had approached them but they were redirected to Mumbai police since the shipping firm’s office is in Andheri there. 

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

Pune:

Four people, including two minors, were killed after a truck caught fire following a collision in Maharashtra’s Pune on Monday night, the police said.

According to officials, four people, including two minors, died in the accident, which took place near the Swaminarayan temple and Navle bridge on the Pune-Bangaluru highway at around 09.30 pm.

Prima facie, it appears that the truck collided with a container due to brake failure and then went on to hit another truck, after which it caught fire, the police said.

Following the information, a team of officials from the Pune Municipal Corporation’s fire department reached the spot and doused the flames.

The bodies of the victims were removed from the burning truck and taken to a hospital for further proceedings.

Police said that there were six people in the truck when the incident took place.

“Four of them died, while two others managed to escape by jumping off the truck. They also sustained injuries in the accident,” they said.
“The victims have however not been identified yet,” they added.
Police were further looking into the incident.

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