in the 21st century, girls still commodities for financial benefits’

Mumbai (PTI): Even in this 21st century, there are still incidents of girls being treated as a commodity and used as a medium for financial benefits, the Bombay High Court has said while granting bail to a woman for “purchasing” a one-yearold child.

27-year-old

First India Bureau

Mumbai: The day after he allegedly killed his wife and hid her body in the compartment of their bed, 27-year-old Palghar resident Hardik Shah attempted to sell household goods in an attempt to raise funds for a getaway, police said on Wednesday. Since he had invited buyers to the house, he burnt incense sticks to hide the odour emanating from the corpse of Megha Thorvi (40), they added.

Shah was arrested by the Mira-Bhayander-Va- sai-Virar police with the help of Railway Protection Force (RPF) officials from Nagda in Madhya Pradesh en route to Haridwar.

During questioning, not only did Shah admit to killing his wife during a spat over money on February 11, but he also told the police that he had messaged her wife’s sister about the murder, and had been thinking of taking his own life, an official stated.

The couple had met on a dating app three years ago and married last year in August, after hav- ing lived together for some time, police said.

Both Shah and Megha were unemployed, and relied on the Rs20,000 her diamond merchant father sent them each month. However, recently, Megha’s father cut them off.

At the start of February, the couple rented a flat in Nallasopara’s Vijay Nagar, but quarrelled frequently, the police official said.

On Feburary 11, Shah allegedly strangled Megha to death during one such quarrel, police said.

It is highly objectionable in terms of the “principles of morality and human rights” that a oneyear girl was sold by her mother, a single bench of Justice SM Modak said on February 08 in its order passed on a bail plea filed by 45-year-old Ashwini Babar, arrested last year by the Satara police in Maharashtra. The court granted Babar bail on a surety of Rs25,000, saying there was no need to keep her in jail as the trial in the case would not begin soon and she herself had two minor children and their welfare also needs to be considered.

The prosecution case is that Babar and her husband—also an accused in the case— had bought the oneyear-old girl in return of loan advanced to the child’s mother who was in dire need of money.

When the accused couple refused to return the child after her mother repaid the loan, the latter filed a police complaint. The girl child was later returned to her mother.

The court said while it was at “great pains not to use the word sale, but the hard reality of life was that the mother

MAN GIVEN 20 YEARS’ RI FOR REPEATEDLY RAPING MINOR GIRL

Jalna: Ambad Sessions court judge Prahlad Bhagure has sentenced Yogesh Saste (21) to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for repeatedly raping a schoolgirl, who eventually had his baby. He also fined Saste Rs2,500, after holding him guilty under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and the Indian Penal Code. The prosecution said Saste sexually assaulted the girl on multiple occasions over the course of a year, after promising to marry her. The teen’s mother filed a police complaint after her daughter delivered a baby girl in April 2021.

Artists highlight the rising cases of rape, abuse, and violence against women, and seek better safety norms. —FILE PHOTO

The Bombay High Court said that while it was at ‘great pains’ not to use the word sale, but the hard reality of life was that baby girl’s mother had sold her as she was in need of money of the baby girl had sold her as she was in need of money”. The accused per- sons advanced money without a money lending licence, it also noted.

Man Gets 10 In Jail Years For Assaulting Wife For Not Cooking

Thane: A Thane court has sentenced a man to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for seriously injuring his wife after she refused to cook for him 10 years ago. In her order on Tuesday, Sessions Judge Dr Rachna R Tehra held the 39-year-old man guilty under Indian Penal Code section 307 (attempt to murder) and also fined him Rs5,000. As per the prosecution, convict Vanya Jagan Korde and his wife Laxmibai frequently fought as he was unemployed. On September 22, 2013, amid a fight, Laxmibai refused to cook. So, in a fit of rage, Korde picked up a log and attacked her, leaving her grievously injured, the court was told.

Blaze in multi-storey building claims 70-year-old woman’s life

First India Bureau Mumbai: A 70-year-old woman, identified as Shakuntala Ramani, died after being injured in a fire that erupted in a 13-storey residential building in Mumbai’s Kurla area

Multi-level cycling race ‘Hind Ayaan’ to enter Thane today

First India Bureau

Thane: An annual multi-level cycling race “Hind Ayaan” has been organized under the aegis of Aatmanirbhar Bharat to promote cycling culture in India.

The first multistage cycling race is being touted to be on the lines of the Tour de France. It started from the National War Memorial in Delhi on February 05 and is set to reach Thane on February 16 via Agra, Jaipur, Bhilwara, Udaipur and Gandhinagar.

On February 18, the race will continue on to Mumbai from Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) headquarters. Cyclists from Thane, Mumbai will be able to participate in the race from TMC to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corpo- ration (BMC) headquarters in Mumbai.

The first Indian cyclist to circumnavigate the world by visiting 35 countries across five continents, Vishnudas Chapke, who is also the organizer of the race, said, “To promote the cycling culture and give the country’s cycling teams an opportunity to practice, the annual multi-level cycling race “Hind Ayaan” has been organized. After travelling from Thane to Mumbai, the race will conclude in Pune on February 19, the birth anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.” on Wednesday, officials said.

TOUR DE INDIA?

The fire was confined to between the fourth and tenth floors of the building located in Premier compound, Kohinoor City, a civic official said, adding that people who had

Vashi Temple To Celebrate Maha Shivaratri For Five Days

First India Bureau been stranded due to smoke in the premises all were taken to the building’s terrace and rescued from there.

Navi Mumbai: The famous Sri Shiva Vishnu Mandir at Sector 9A in Vashi is celebrating the Maha Shivaratri festival for five days, beginning Tuesday. On February 14, the celebrations started with Sri Ganapathy Pooja, followed by Abhangs and Bhakti Geet performed by Anuradha Deshpande.

Uma Gajanan Tendolkar will give a Pravachan on the next day.

On February 16, Thursday from 6pm, Deepak Chabukaswar will render Bhakti Sangeet in Marathi and Hindi.

On the same note, on February 17, Friday from 6pm, Uma Gajanan Tendolkar will narrate Shivratri Katha. On the final day February 18, from 7am Abhishekam will be held and in the evening at 7pm Rudra Yagya Maha-aarti will conclude the event.

Ramani, who had been injured in the fire, was rushed to the nearby Rajawadi Hospital where doctors de-

CRUCIAL READ NIGERIAN HELD WITH DRUGS WORTH ` 16L NEAR MUMBAI SCHOOL

Mumbai: A 40-year-old Nigerian man has been arrested with cocaine and mephedrone worth nearly Rs16 lakh in suburban Borivali, an official said on Wednesday. Working off specific information, the anti-narcotics cell (ANC) of Mumbai Crime Branch spotted the man near an international school on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday. They took him into custody and recovered 55g mephedrone and 12g cocaine from his possession, the official said, adding that a case has been registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.

2 HELD FOR ROBBING SENIOR CITIZENS; 13 CASES SOLVED

Thane: The Navi Mumbai police claims to have solved 13 cases of robbery targetting senior citizens with the arrest of Naresh Jaiswal (42) from Kalyan and Babu Manchekar (60) from Taloja, on Monday night. As the victims often had difficulty describing the robbers—who posed as policemen or influential persons—the cops studied the modus operandi and checked for similar crimes in the limits of Navi Mumbai, Thane and Mumbai police commissionerates, officials said. The police recovered stolen items including gold chains and other valuables worth Rs5.30 lakh from the two.

CHHATTISGARH MAN ‘WHO WISHED TO SEE PLANE’ HANGS HIMSELF

clared her “brought dead, the official said.

After the Mumbai police room received the blaze alert, four fire engines and several other fire-fighting vehicles were rushed to the spot.

NAVI MUMBAI ROUND-UP

Panvel Municipal Corporation Holds Seminar On Waste Management At Kharghar College

First India Bureau

Navi Mumbai: The Panvel Municipal Corporation (PMC) organized a seminar and quiz on ‘Waste Segregation and Single Use Plastic’ at Saraswati College in Kharghar as part of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. The event was aimed at raising awareness on the importance of waste segregation and the dangers of single-use plastics.

During the seminar, Sachin Pawar, Deputy Commissioner, urged students to become good citizens and take social responsibility.

Vaibhav Vidhate, Assistant Commissioner of Kharghar ward, while speaking on the topic of ‘Waste segregation and Single Use Plastic’ said, “The participation of youths in Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is important and they should take initia- tive in the society and create awareness about waste segregation”.

Anil Kokre, the Head of the Solid Waste and Sanitation Department told students about the classification of wet waste and dry waste and about making fertilizer from wet waste.

A quiz competition was conducted for the students on topics such as waste classification, composting, and ewaste management.

LOK ADALAT SETTLES 3,000 PENDING CASES IN BELAPUR

First India Bureau

Navi Mumbai: According to the official data, a total of 3,132 cases were settled at Lok Adalat held at the CBD Belapur court on Saturday. All these cases were settled with the collection of fines or other forms of payment of Rs₹11,30,26,000 in total. Out of these, 759 cases were settled by mutual understanding.

There are 21,980 cases pending in civil and criminal courts at Belapur. To combat this, the Lok Adalat was or- ganized in Belapur on Saturday to dispose of the pending cases as per the government’s instructions.

Mumbai: Chhattisgarhresident Laxmi Chaitram Yadav (25) allegedly hanged himself using a scarf from the side of a bridge outside the Kurla railway station in Mumbai on Tuesday morning, a police official said here on Wednesday. The suicide note found in his hand said his last wish was to see an aeroplane, which was why he landed in Mumbai on Sunday. It was his first visit to the metropolis, it said. Police are investigating Yadav’s death, and are also looking into why he committed suicide, the Chunabhatti police station official said.

Sanskar Bharti To Hold Essay Writing Competition

First India Bureau Navi Mumbai: Sanskar Bharti, a cultural organization, district committee is holding an essay competition for youth living in Panvel, Uran, Pen, Alibag, Khalapur, Karjat, and Sudhagad-Pali.

Participants have to write an essay on the topics: ‘Your definition of Patriotism’, ‘Your understanding of India’s Pledge’, and ‘True Story of a freedom fighter from my taluka’. The body has called for youth to participate in large numbers. The prize ceremony of the competition will be held on February 25.