Crime Round Up On May 15

3 Women Killed In Pune Hit-And-Run Accident

Pune:Three women, all senior citizens, were killed early on Wednesday in a hit-and-run accident while they out on a morning stroll, a police officer said.

The incident occurred near Udapur village on a state highway route Ahmednagar-Kalyan Road around 5.45 a.m. Traffic was sparse at that hour on the otherwise usually busy road, said Otur police official Vikas Gosavi. Those killed were 60-year-old Meera S. Dhamale, who is the mother of Pune Zilla Parishad member Mohit Dhamale, along with her relative Kamala M. Dhamale, 65, and their friend Saguna B. Gaykar, 70. "The three were returning home. They were killed instantly," Gosavi told IANS. "On the basis of CCTV footage, we have identified two suspect vehicles which were seen on the road at that time, said Gosavi. Witnesses said the bodies were flung off the road due to the impact. A pall of gloom has descended upon Udapur.

Two Sisters Killed As Truck Knocks Them Down In Maharashtra Nagpur:Two sisters were killed when a truck hit their scooter in Nagpur district of Maharashtra on Wednesday morning, police said.

The mishap took place near a temple in Pardi area around 7 am, an official at Kalamana police station said.

The women were going on their two-wheeler to purchase milk when the truck hit their vehicle from behind, he said.

The duo fell from their vehicle and got crushed under wheels of the truck, the official said.

The deceased were identified as Laxmi Shahu (21) and Aanchal Shahu (19), he said.

The bodies were sent for postmortem, he said, adding that an investigation was underway. PTI

2 Teens Abducted From UP Rescued In Maharashtra

Palghar:Two teenaged girls allegedly kidnapped from Uttar Pradesh have been rescued in Palghar district of Maharashtra, police said on Wednesday.

A man, also hailing from UP, has been arrested on charges of kidnapping them, a police spokesperson said.

The girls, aged 16 and 17 years, both distant cousins, went to their relative's house at Sonauli town in Maharajganj district of UP last week. One of them was apparently depressed after failing in her intermediate exams, he said.

On the intervening night of May 9-10, the duo left their relative's house without informing anyone, he said.

When their families failed to trace them, they approached the Sonauli police, raising suspicion on one Abhijit Yadav, from Prayagraj in UP, for having abducted them, the official said.

The police there registered a case under Indian Penal Code Section 363 (kidnapping) and started an investigation.

Meanwhile, Palghar crime branch's police sub-inspector Surendra Shivde, who was on leave, got a tip-off about two girls brought by a man and kept at a house in his locality in Vasai area here, the official said.

Shivde rescued the two girls from the house on Tuesday evening and arrested Yadav from there, he said.

The police suspect that the accused brought the girls here to push them into flesh trade, he said.

The girls' families were informed about the rescue, he said, adding they would reach here soon to take them back. PTI

One Dead In Hit-And-Run Case in J-K's Kathua

Jammu:One person was killed Wednesday when he was hit by a vehicle in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said.

The accused driver was arrested within an hour of the incident, they said.

Sansar Singh, a resident of Pallad village, was hit by a rashly driven Punjab-bound load carrier at Kalibari on Jammu-Pathankot highway this morning, resulting in his death, a police official said.

The driver sped away to escape the arrest, he said.

All checkpoints along the route were alerted and one of the teams managed to intercept the vehicle near Kharote Morh and apprehended the erring driver, Balkar Singh of Punjab, the official said. PTI

Lawyer Lands In ACB Net for accepting Rs 50,000 Bribe

Mumbai: The Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) Wednesday caught a lawyer while accepting Rs 50,000 bribe in Satara district of Maharashtra, police said.

Shivraj Maruti Patil (30), a resident of Karad, was caught outside the consumer court while accepting the bribe from his client, an official said.

Patil was the lawyer of a 46-year-old person, whose case is pending in the consumer court in Karad, he said.

"The lawyer demanded Rs 50,000 from the complainant for getting a favorable verdict from the court. Patil told the complainant that he has to give the money to the court," the official said.

Based on the complaint, the ACB laid a trap was laid outside the court premises and Patil was caught in the act, he said. PTI

Suicides: Husband, Mother-in-law,2 others arrested for 'mental torture'

Thiruvananthapuram: In a new twist in the case relating to suicide of a mother and her teenaged daughter at nearby Neyyatinkara, four family members, including the husband and mother-in-law were arrested Wednesday for alleged mental torture over dowry.

The family had alleged Tuesday that the woman and her daughter had ended their lives, fearing attachment of their home and property over non-payment of loan arrears.

They had taken Rs five lakh home loan from Canara Bank's Neyyatinkara branch in 2005 and had repaid around Rs eight lakh so far.

Some more amount was outstanding.

The bank had denied pressurising the family, forcing the two women to end their lives.

Chandran had said Tuesday that his 19-year-old daughter Vaishnavi and wife Lekha (43) had committed suicide due to continuous pressure from bank officials over non-payment of loan dues.

However, the case took a new turn after forensic and police officials found a three page letter written by the mother-daughter duo pasted on the wall of the room in which they ended their lives, which pointed to family problems.

Thiruvananthapuram Rural Superintendent of Police B Ashok told reporters that four family members-- Chandran, his mother Krishnamma (80), her sister Shanta and husband Kashi were taken into custody this morning.

The four were arrested and a case for abetment to suicide was registered against them, he said.

Police said the suicide note, which has the signatures of the two women, has been sent for forensic tests.

There was no evidence against the bank as of now.

"We have not seen the bank documents", the official said.

Ashok said Lekha stated in her suicide note that she was constantly mentally harassed for dowry by the four accused, especially her mother-in-law.

They used to perform black magic and Chandran never took any steps to prevent attachment of the house and property, the note stated.

Chandran, who had returned from the Gulf a few months back, wanted to get married again, the letter stated.

Lekha alleged that Krishnamma had tried to poison her and took her to a black magician, instead of a doctor.

Ashokan said the letter clearly stated that the duo committed suicide due to family problems.

It did not make any mention of the pressure put by the bank authorities.

"We got the letter this morning and it is being scientifically verified", he said.

Meanwhile,Youth Congress activists staged a demonstration in front of Canara Bank's office near Palayam here this morning and raised slogans against the bank.

They later dispersed after television channels flashed reports about the contents of the suicide note.

3-year-old girl 'raped' in UP's Ballia

Ballia (UP): A three-year-old girl was allegedly raped in her village in Uttar Pradesh's Ballia district Wednesday, police said.

The incident occurred in Kalwari area, they said.

A villager allegedly abducted the girl from her home in the early hours, took her to a secluded place and allegedly raped her, police said.

When the girl's family members woke up, they found her missing and started searching for her, they said.

She was later found writhing in pain at a place away from her house in the village, police said.

The family informed the police about the incident and rushed her to a hospital where her condition was stated to be serious, they said.

The accused was arrested and further investigation is underway, police said. PTI

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