New Delhi:

A five-year-old child was severely injured after being attacked by a pack of dogs in Chakan in Pune district in Maharashtra.

In a shocking video (the incident was captured by a nearby CCTV camera), the young boy can be seen standing by the side of a partly-flooded dirt road and waving away at a black dog. The boy does not move toward the dog and does not appear to make any threatening gesture.

Seconds later a second dog sprints forward from the boy’s right hand side. The dog attacks the boy before he can run away. The CCTV feed captures the young boy’s scream as the dog attacks.

As soon as the boy is thrown to the ground at least half-a-dozen other dogs converge, barking and surrounding the boy, who continues screaming. The terrified boy is soon pinned on the ground and the dogs circle around, even seeming to jump on the young child.

His screams and the dogs’ barking bring a woman racing out of a nearby house. She throws a few stones at the dogs but they continue their attack, seeming to drag the child into nearby bushes. Then two men appear on the scene and rush at the dogs, who then race away.

READ | 76-Year-Old Woman Dies After Stray Dog Attack In Bengaluru: Cops

This disturbing incident has reignited the debate over attacks by stray dogs in Pune, and other parts of the country. Last month there was a horrific incident from Telangana’s Rajanna Sircilla district in which an elderly woman was killed by pack of stray dogs which then ate parts of her body.

READ | Stray Dogs Kill, Eat Body Parts Of 82-Year-Old Woman In Telangana

These incidents, in addition to several in Uttar Pradesh and Kerala over the past few months have led to renewed calls for stricter measures to control stray dog populations.

Speaking to NDTV, Dr Abi T Vanak, Director of the Centre for Policy Design at the Ashoka Trust For Research In Ecology And The Environment, said the problem of stray dogs “has become completely out of control (and) a human rights issue”.

“I certainly blame unscientific animal birth control policies… because first, they created a category called ‘street dog’ and said they can only live on the street,” he explained.

“Now, according to the rules, even if the Pune officials capture these dogs, they only have to observe them for 10 days and they will be released. But dogs kept in cages are not going to attack… they are going to be scared. So, most likely, the officials won’t find anything wrong and the dogs will be released and then will probably be more aggressive…” he explained.

“So the problem really is, we have created this situation where poor people continue to suffer the brunt of attacks like this because of poor policy-making,” Dr Vanak told NDTV, suggesting society needs to “rethink the relationship with dogs, as they are domestic and not feral”.

“They can go feral sometimes but are maintained by humans… so we have to ensure their well-being. And that cannot be done on the streets, so we have to change this policy. People should be encouraged to adopt dogs and set up shelters. If you want to feed them, then feed them at shelters. Currently the rules even require stray dogs to be fed on the streets.”

Dr Vanak also pointed out India has a population of around 80 million dogs and, therefore, that the current ABC, or animal birth control, laws are “impractical”.

“To effectively control population of free-ranging dogs (under current rules, which focus only on urban areas), you have to sterilise something like 90 per cent of their numbers. And this has to be done indefinitely because, if you stop, non-sterlised dogs from other areas will come in.”

Pune district authorities, meanwhile, have urged parents to remain vigilant and supervise children while outdoors, particularly in remote areas.

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Pune:

A drunk driver left a trail of wreckage at a hotel in Pune after he was allegedly denied food on Friday night.

In a video recorded by a few men standing near Hotel Gokul in Hingangaon, he can be seen repeatedly ramming his truck into the hotel building. He also hit a car that was parked outside the hotel.

According to reports, the driver was traveling from Solapur to Pune and stopped at Hotel Gokul. He then went inside and asked for food. 

However, when the hotel owner refused to give him food, the enraged driver sat in his truck and started damaging the hotel building.

Some men were also seen throwing stones at the truck to stop the driver. He eventually stopped when the wheels of the truck ceased to move.

Police have arrested him and further investigation is underway.

Pune:

A man was arrested in Pimpri Chinchwad in Pune for allegedly raping a 14-year-old girl repeatedly and impregnating her, a police official said on Friday.

The 23-year-old accused, Kartik Kamble, befriended the girl on a social media site and then raped her several times between April and June this year, he said.

“She got pregnant after he raped her. He also threatened her against revealing the ordeal to anyone. Kamble has been charged with rape and other offences under Indian Penal Code and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act,” the Hinjawadi police station official said.

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

Pune:

Police have arrested two persons in connection with the alleged swapping of the blood samples of minors who were with the juvenile accused in the Porsche car crash case in Pune, a top official said on Tuesday.

The arrested duo included the father of one of the two minors who were with the 17-year-old driver when he rammed his speeding Porsche car into two IT professionals on a motorbike on May 19 in Kalyani Nagar.

With the duo’s arrest late Monday night, the number of persons held in the Porsche car crash case has gone up to nine.

“The blood samples of two minors who were with the juvenile accused in the car (at the time of the crash) were swapped with those of these two (arrested) persons, who included the father of one of the minors,” Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar said.

The arrested men were on Tuesday produced before a local court which sent them to police custody till August 26.

The high-end car driven by the minor allegedly under the influence of alcohol knocked down two motorbike-borne IT professionals, one of them a woman, in the early hours of May 19, killing both of them.

The boy’s father is a prominent builder.

The boy’s parents and two doctors – Dr Ajay Taware, then-HOD (forensic medicine), Dr Shrihari Halnor — and one Atul Ghatkamble, a staffer at government-run Sassoon Hospital — have already been arrested for allegedly swapping the blood samples of the teen driver with those of his mother when he was taken for a medical examination after the crash.

Two other accused – Ashpak Makandar and Amar Gaikwad – acted as middlemen between the father and the doctors to facilitate financial transactions to swap the blood samples. They were also arrested earlier.

The police recently filed a 900-page chargesheet in the case against seven accused arrested earlier. 

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

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/Mumbai:

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

The registration of the electric luxury sports sedan Porsche Taycan, worth Rs 2.5 crore, was 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 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 accident took place in the early hours of Sunday morning in Pune’s Kalyani Nagar area.

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.