Page 147 - Maharashtra

Maharashtra: Man clicks on 'update' power bill link, loses Rs 2.14 lakh

A 48-year-old man from Nagpur in Maharashtra lost Rs 2.14 lakh after he clicked on the online link sent by fraudsters posing as state discom officials who asked him to "update" his electricity bill, police said on Tuesday. The victim received text messages on his mobile phone informing him that his electricity connection would be disconnected if he did not update and pay the "pending" bills in April this year. When he called on the contact number believing that the message came from the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL), the person from the other side asked him to install a remote access app on his mobile phone, a police official said. "After he downloaded the app, the fraudsters asked him to make the payment. Assuming that he was updating the bill, the man clicked on the link. Within seconds, an amount of Rs 2.14 lakh got transferred from his bank account to another account," the official said. A case was registered under various sections of the .

Maharashtra records 358 new Covid-19 cases, 2 deaths; active tally at 2,788

Maharashtra on Tuesday recorded 358 fresh coronavirus cases and two fatalities that raised the tally of infections to 81,28,258 and the toll to 1,48,374, a health department official said. With 370 patients recovering from the infection in the last 24 hours, the count of recoveries reached 79,77,096, the official said. As per a bulletin from the health department, the state is now left with 2,788 active cases. Mumbai recorded 128 fresh cases. Both the fatalities were reported from Nagpur city and district. Maharashtra's (COVID-19) fatality rate now stands at 1.82 per cent and the recovery rate at 98.14 per cent, the bulletin said. A total of 14,475 swab samples were tested in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of tests conducted so far in the state to 79,76,726, it said. Coronavirus figures in Maharashtra are as follows: Total cases 81.28,258, new cases 359, death toll 1,48,374, recoveries 79,77,096, active cases 2,788, number of tests so far 79,76,726.

Sanjay Raut's bail hearing to continue on Oct 21 in money laundering case

A special court on Tuesday said it would continue hearing on October 21 into the bail plea of Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut, arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in an alleged money laundering case. Special Judge M G Deshpande also extended Raut's judicial custody till October 21 after he was produced in the court at the end of his remand on Tuesday. In the court, Raut met NCP leader Eknath Khadse, who had come there to mark his presence in connection with a money laundering case lodged against him by Enforcement Directorate (ED). The two leaders spoke briefly during which Raut was heard telling Khadse he would be out of the prison soon. The ED's probe against Raut pertains to alleged financial irregularities in the redevelopment of a Patra Chawl (row tenement) and related financial transactions involving the Sena leader's wife and associates. On Tuesday, Raut's counsel Ashok Mundargi completed his rejoinder arguments during which he told the court that the allegations levelled agai

New Omicron subvariant BQ.1 detected in Pune; Covid cases surge in state

The Maharashtra health department has cautioned that the COVID-19 cases could rise especially during winters and the festive season, citing new variants like BA.2.3.20 and BQ.1 reported from the state. These variants have been detected for the first time in the country, it said. It also said that the new XBB variant of coronavirus has a growth advantage over BA.2.75 and has immune evasive property. A health bulletin on Monday said the COVID-19 cases rose by 17.7 per cent in the state between October 10 and 16 as compared to between October 3 and 9. This rise has been noticed particularly in the densely populated districts of Thane, Raigad and Mumbai, it said. "Some experts are predicting a rise in the coming winter season especially in the festive environment. In WGS (whole genome sequencing), the proportion of BA.2.75 has decreased to 76 per cent from 95 per cent," the bulletin said. "The state has reported XBB which is a new variant having growth advantage over BA.2.75 and immu

BJP claims victory on 397 seats in Maharashtra gram panchayat polls

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday claimed to have won a maximum of 397 seats in gram panchayat elections in Maharashtra. The results of the elections held on Sunday for 1,079 Gram Panchayats were declared on Monday. A voter turnout of more than 75 per cent was recorded. The BJP has become the number one party in gram panchayat elections by winning 397 seats. Along with chief minister Eknath Shinde-led 'Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena', the joint rally has reached 478," the state BJP said in a social media post. The BJP has managed to win the post of Sarpanch or village head in 235 villages. The Congress claimed to have won 134 seats, Nationalist Congress Party 110, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) 128 and the 'Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena' 114. As many as 300 Independent candidates have also won the gram panchayat elections. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said voters have given their verdict in favour of 'Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena'. "The step we took (of parting ways with the U

Maha govt warns of Covid spike citing evasive XBB variant, festive season

On the back of a 17.7 per cent rise in coronavirus cases in Maharashtra this week when compared to last week, the state health department on Monday cited the XBB variant, found for the first time in the country, as well as winters and the festive season as factors that could fuel further spikes. A health official department bulletin said the XBB variant reported in the state had "growth advantage over BA.2.75 and immune evasive property". The BA.2.3.20 and BQ.1 variants have also been detected in the state, a first for the country, it added. It said new COVID-19 cases rose by 17.17 per cent in the October 10-16 period when compared to last week between October 3 and 9, with the rise being noticed particularly in densely-populated Thane, Raigad and Mumbai. "Some experts are predicting a rise (in cases) in the coming winter season, especially in festive environs," the bulletin cautioned. It said the proportion of BA.2.75, an Omicron sub-variant, among cases detected had decreased fr

Andheri East bypoll:MNS chief thanks Fadnavis after BJP withdraws candidate

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray on Monday thanked Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for the BJP's decision to withdraw its candidate from the bypoll to Andheri East Assembly seat in Mumbai. In a letter written to Fadnavis, Thackeray referred to the senior BJP leader as his dear friend and said it is essential to have a positive political culture. He said the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) is always in favour of proliferation of such a positive culture. I am thankful that you responded to this (appeal), Thackeray said. Thackeray had on Sunday written another letter to Fadnavis, asking the ruling BJP to pull out of the bypoll race to show reverence to late Shiv Sena MLA Ramesh Latke, whose death necessitated the byelection. Latke died of cardiac arrest in May this year. BJP's Murji Patel, who withdrew his nomination papers on Monday, was pitted against the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction's candidate Rutuja Latke, the wife of Ramesh Latke. NCP chief Sh

Thane commissioner appeals to people to vote in Citizen Perception Survey

Thane Municipal Commissioner Abhijit Bangar has appealed to residents of the city to vote in the Citizen Perception Survey-2022 which begins from November 1. Bhangar made the appeal on Saturday while reviewing the Smart City Scheme with senior officials of the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC). The votes can be registered online, a TMC release said. The Citizen Perception Survey is a part of the central government initiative to create a guide system by increasing the participation of citizens while deciding the city planning policy in the Smart City scheme. Under this scheme, collection of various forms of information related to the city starts from different departments. The central government is evaluating the information and the best performing city will get a prize, the release said.

Maharashtra: Thane logs 64 new Covid-19 cases; active tally reaches 507

Maharashtra's Thane district has reported 64 new COVID-19 cases, raising its infection count to 7,45,995, a health official said on Monday. With the addition of the latest numbers on Sunday, the active COVID-19 cases tally in the district, which is part of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, has gone up to 507 as compared to 488 the previous day, he said. No fatality was reported in the district on Sunday and the death toll remained unchanged at 11,962, he said. The recovery count stood at 7,34,190, the official said.

Andheri East assembly bypoll: Raj Thackeray asks BJP not to field nominee

NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday sought the unopposed election of Rutuja Latke, the candidate of the Uddhav Thackeray faction of Shiv Sena, in the November 3 Andheri East Assembly bypoll while MNS president Raj Thackeray appealed to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis not to field BJP's nominee to show reverence to the late MLA Ramesh Latke. The MNS' appeal to Fadnavis and its decision to not contest the bypoll has generated intense political discussion given Raj Thackeray's political rivalry with his cousin Uddhav Thackeray. The late Latke belonged to Shiv Sena. Notably, the last date for withdrawal of the nominations for the bypoll is October 17. Fadnavis said the proposition of Raj Thackeray will be discussed seriously with BJP leaders and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and the final decision will be taken only after a discussion with senior leaders in BJP. He also said whenever there was a proper communication or appeal made to BJP, it was responded to ...

Maharashtra sees 440 new Covid-19 cases, one death; active tally at 2,820

Maharashtra on Sunday reported 440 COVID-19 cases and one death, which took the tally to 81,27,699 and and toll to 1,48,372, a health department official said. The lone death was in Akola, while Mumbai circle accounted for 275 of the new cases, followed by Pune 64, Nagpur 34, Nashik 31, Aurangabad 18, Kolhapur nine, Latur five and Akola four, he said. The recovery count increased by 437 to reach 79,76,507, leaving the state with an active caseload of 2,820, he said. As per state health department data, the recovery rate stands at 98.14 per cent, while the overall number of coronavirus tests conducted was 8,50,71,981, including 15,835 in the last 24 hours. Coronavirus figures for Maharashtra: COVID-19 cases 81,27,699, Fatality 1,48,372, Recovered 79,76,507, Tests: 8,50,71,981.

Major fire rages in godown complex in Thane, no report of injuries as yet

A fire which the civic authorities termed as major broke out at Khan Compound godowns in Thane city's Shil Phata area on Sunday evening. There are no reports of injuries as of now in the major blaze that started at 7pm, regional disaster management cell chief Avinash Sawant said. Firefighting operations are underway, Sawant added.

Mumbai sees 167 new Covid-19 cases, no death; active tally at 1,138

Mumbai on Sunday added 167 COVID-19 cases, which took the tally to 11,52,480, while the death toll remained unchanged at 19,738, a civic official said. Of the new cases, only 14 are symptomatic, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation official added. The recovery count rose by 172 to touch 11,31,604, leaving the metropolis with an active caseload of 1,138, he said. BMC data showed the recovery rate was 98.2 per cent and the overall growth rate of cases between October 9 and 15 stood at 0.014 per cent. So far, 1,83,94,263 coronavirus tests have been conducted in Mumbai, including 4,450 in the last 24 hours. The caseload doubling time stands at 4,948 days, as per official data.

Andheri East bypoll: Let Rutuja Latke be elected unopposed, says Pawar

Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday sought the unopposed election of Rutuja Latke, the candidate of the Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena, in the Andheri East Assembly bypoll scheduled for November 3. Rutuja Latke, the wife of Ramesh Latke, whose death necessitated the bypoll, is up against the Bharatiya Janata Party's Murji Patel. Incidentally, October 17 is the last date for withdrawal of nominations. "The term for the new member (MLA) will be just one-and-half years. The bypoll is being held because of the unfortunate death of Ramesh Latke. His wife is contesting the seat. Latke was a corporator and an MLA. His contribution must be taken into consideration," Pawar said. Huge efforts go into fighting bypolls, which is not required when the term is just for around one year, he said, adding that five to six months are spent with the election code of conduct in place. He also hailed the Bombay High Court order directing the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corpora

Bypolls in 7 assembly seats: All eyes on Sena factions in Andheri East

The assembly bypolls in Bihar and Maharashtra, scheduled for November 3, are set to be the first electoral test of the popularity of the respective state governments after a change in the political alignment. The BJP and Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena are pitted against each other for the Andheri East assembly seat, the first test of a popular mandate after Eknath Shinde led a rebellion within the Shiv Sena to topple the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government in the state. Shinde succeeded Thackeray as Maharashtra Chief Minister after getting support of 40 of the Shiv Sena's 55 MLAs. The BJP has fielded Murji Patel against Thackeray faction candidate Rutuja Latke in the bypoll that has seen opposition parties - Congress, NCP and the Left joining hands against the BJP. The bypoll was necessitated due to the death of sitting Sena MLA Ramesh Latke. In Bihar, the assembly bypolls of Mokama and Gopalganj are the first electoral test for Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who dumped the pre-poll

Bal Thackeray's grandson Nihar says he is with Eknath Shinde camp

Nihar Thackeray, the grandson of Shiv Sena founder late Bal Thackeray, has said that he supports the Eknath Shinde faction of the party and is ready to campaign for the upcoming Andheri East Assembly byelection as well as the Mumbai civic body polls. He also did not rule out joining electoral politics. The BJP, supported by the Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction, has fielded Murji Patel against the Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray party's Rutuja Latke in the November 3 byelection. It will be the first major electoral contest in the state after Shinde's rebellion brought down the previous Maharashtra government led by Uddhav Thackeray in June this year. Nihar, the son of Bindumadhav Thackeray, Bal Thackeray's eldest son, is a lawyer by profession. He is also part of Chief Minister Shinde's legal team in the battle in the Supreme Court over which is the 'real' Shiv Sena. Shinde was taking forward the legacy of his late grandfather and hence he supported the chief minister, Nihar told

Maharashtra sees 462 new Covid-19 cases, 0 death; active tally 2,818

Maharashtra on Saturday reported 462 COVID-19 cases, which took the state's tally to 81,27,259, while the death toll stood unchanged at 1,48,371, a health department official said. A day earlier, the state had seen 477 cases and four deaths, he pointed out. Mumbai circle accounted for 288 of the new cases, followed by Pune (89), Nagpur (25), Akola(17), Aurangabad (16), Nashik (11), Latur (10) and Kolhapur (6) circles. The recovery count increased by 403 in the last 24 hours to touch 79,76,070, leaving the state with 2,818 active cases, he said. Mumbai led with 1,143 active cases, followed by 550 in Pune and 487 cases in Thane, the official added. As per the health department's data, the recovery rate is 98.14 per cent and the fatality rate stands at 1.82 per cent. So far, 8,50,56,146 coronavirus tests have been conducted in Maharashtra, including 18,618 in the last 24 hours, as per official data. Coronavirus figures of Maharashtra are as follows: Positive cases 8127259; fresh ca

CBI opposes ex-Maha minister Anil Deshmukh's bail plea in corruption case

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday filed its reply opposing the bail plea of former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh in a corruption case registered against him. The 71-year-old NCP leader was arrested in November last year in a money laundering case being probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and is currently lodged in Arthur Road Jail. The Bombay High Court had last week granted bail to the former minister in the money laundering case, following which he approached the special CBI court for bail in the corruption case. The former minister, in his plea, claimed that former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh and dismissed cop Sachin Waze had acted "in cahoots and passed the buck to him to save their skin. The plea also raised questions about the credibility of the statements on which the CBI's case was based. Appearing for the probe agency, additional public prosecutor Ashish Chavan said, "We are opposing his bail tooth and nail. We have oppose

Fire erupts in office of ball bearing company in Thane, no injuries yet

An office of a ball bearing manufacturing company in Thane city of Maharashtra was destroyed in a fire that broke out there in the wee hours of Friday, a civic official said. The incident occurred around 2 am in the company located on Pokhran Road number-2, he said, adding that nobody was injured. "The blaze erupted in the company office, a ground plus one-storey structure. Its upper portion caught fire, in which the furniture, documents and other things got destroyed," said Avinash Sawant, chief of the Regional Disaster Management Cell (RDMC) of Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC). Soon after being alerted, a team of local fire brigade and RDMC personnel rushed to the spot. It took them 3.30 hours to extinguish the flames, he said, adding that the cooling operation was underway. The cause of the fire is being probed, Sawant said.

In a historic first, forest dwellers get land deeds in Chhattisgarh

The development will facilitate villagers in getting benefits of welfare schemes of the Central and state governments