Former editor back on Mumbai streets
Mumbai: Less than a month after moving into the home of a couple, 65-year-old Sunita Naik, former editor of Marathi magazine ‘Grihalaxmi’, is back to living on the pavement outside a local gurudwara here. Naik was offered shelter by the couple – Gregory and Christine Misquitta – at their home in suburban Vile Parle last month. “She left on her own, sometime around September 16-17. But it was a bad experience. Her demands never stopped,” Gregory Misquitta alleged. Sunita, ex-editor of Marathi magazine Grihalakshmi, moved out of her adopted home with her dog, Shashi, and moved back to the pavement in Versova outside the Aram Nagar gurdwara. Gregory Misquitta brought Sunita home on August 20 after learning about her plight from a local daily. “We had wholeheartedly welcomed her in our home. However, there were a number of issues. Sunita regularly wanted to have mutton. I bought it once but I could not afford it regularly,” he said. Sunita’s treatment of Shashi also proved a point of discord between her and the Misquittas. “Once she fed her dog a number of Crocin tablets following which the dog collapsed. Which dog needs Crocin tablets?” he asked. (PTI)
Doctor, accused of raping a minor, commits suicide
Meerut: A doctor, accused of attempting to rape a minor girl, allegedly committed suicide by jumping in front of a moving train in TP Nagar area here, police said on Friday. The medico, an Unani specialist, was summoned by police yesterday after a girl from the same village had alleged that he attempted to rape her when she was alone at her house, the police spokesperson said. The girl had alleged that when she started shouting for help, people from the neighbourhood gathered but the doctor managed to escape from the spot, he said. When the accused, Chandrapal Singh was called to the police station for questioning, he instead of coming to the police station went to Shivpuram railway line and committed suicide by jumping in front of the train, said police. The deceased’s wife, Rachna has rejected the charges against him and said that the opponents have put these allegations to defame him in order to take revenge of the enmity over councillor elections. He could not bear the blame and decided to end his life, police said. Singh had last year contested the municipality councillor elections, they said. (PTI)
ASI arrested for accepting Rs 50,000 as bribe
Jaipur: An Assistant Sub-Inspector of Police was on Friday arrested by sleuths of Anti-corruption Bureau (ACB) in Bhilwara for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 50,000 from a man, an ACB official said. Laxminarayan Sharma posted in Kotwali police station allegedly demanded the bribe from Navneet Atal for settling his three cases pending in the Kotwali police station, the official said. ACB sleuths today arrested him, he said, adding a case has been lodged against Sharma. (PTI)
170 kg gold, diamond jewellery seized at Ludhiana airport
Ludhiana: A massive amount of gold and diamond jewellery weighing 170 kgs has been seized by sleuths of Punjab Taxation Department at Sahnewal airport here. “The executives of a private company were found carrying the diamond-studded jewellery and gold ornaments in a chartered plane yesterday (Thursday),” state Taxation Department officials said on Friday. They were asked to produce the documents regarding the consignment, Deputy Taxation Commissioner Rishipal said. However, the documents produced by the company executives were not relevant to the consignment, which was then seized, he said. The seized jewellery was deposited in the local government treasury at midnight, Rishipal said. The company officials claimed that it was a stock transfer for a new showroom to be opened here, he said. In case the company fails to produce the relevant documents, they will be liable to pay about Rs 32 crore as tax and penalty, he said. “If the documents are produced, then one per cent penalty of the total value will be imposed for not having informed the local officials,” he said. The jewellery was first transported from Trichur and Coimbtore to Ahmedabad and from there it was air-lifted to Ludhiana in a chartered plane, Rishipal said. The documents stated that the jewellery belonged to a renowned jeweller running a national chain of outlets and a prominent Bollywood actress is scheduled to inaugurate the showroom of the company later this week. (PTI)
Two linemen electrocuted
Muzaffarnagar: Two linemen of Uttar Pradesh Power Department were electrocuted while on duty at Atbarwala village of the district here, police said on Friday. The incident occurred Thursday evening when three linemen went to the village area to repair a fault in an electricity pole. Two linemen were electrocuted after electricity supply was suddenly restored in the area, said police. Another was injured in the incident. He has been admitted to a hospital where his condition is stable, they added. (PTI)
AP bifurcation issue: 8 ministers skip Cabinet meet
Hyderabad: Eight ministers, including six from Andhra-Rayalaseema and two from Telangana, on Friday skipped the Andhra Pradesh Cabinet meeting, held after a gap of two months amidst tension prevailing over the proposed bifurcation of the state. Ganta Srinivasa Rao, C Ramachandraiah, Galla Aruna Kumari, Erasu Pratap Reddy, Md Ahmedullah, T G Venkatesh — ministers from Andhra-Rayalaseema region who tendered their resignations from the Cabinet protesting the state’s division — stayed away from the meeting chaired by Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy. J Geeta Reddy and Danam Nagender from Telangana also abstained, though for other reasons. Geeta has been named as an accused in Kadapa MP YSR Jaganmohan Reddy’s illegal assets case and charge sheeted by the CBI three days ago and that is said to be the reason for her abstention from the Cabinet meet. Interestingly, state Deputy Chief Minister Damodar Rajanarasimha attended the Cabinet meet though he had not been seeing eye-to-eye with the Chief Minister ever since the Congress’ Central Working Committee resolved on July 30 to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh. Significantly, almost all ministers from Telangana region attended the Cabinet meeting though majority of them had been openly critical of the Chief Minister’s stance on the bifurcation issue. They had been demanding that Kiran Reddy abide by the Congress high command’s decision and not act like “CM of Seemaandhra”. (PTI)