4 arrested for assault, rioting

27th Oct 2012

Dispute over goods parking in Malad turns violent.

Malwani Police arrested Sunny Duggal, Bhajan Badhavan (40), Donald D’Souza (30) and Elroy Mendonsa (21) on Thursday afternoon for allegedly assaulting a shop-owner and his brother with knives and daggers over a dispute at Jankalyan Nagar in Malad (West).

Two other attackers are on the run.

Prime accused Duggal is a resident of Charkop. His mother runs a beauty salon at Jankalyan Nagar. Complainant Balasaheb Pawar has a shop next to the beauty parlour.

He said goods belonging to the Duggals were blocking entry to his shop. After he demanded removal of the goods, Sunny allegedly called his friends.

Senior inspector Abdul Rauf Shaikh said armed with kirpans (daggers) and knives, the group then attacked Balasaheb and his brother Nana. Babasaheb was stabbed in the back, while Nana was hit on the head.

“The complainant claims the accused also took away his gold chain and ring. We have, therefore, pressed charges of rioting, assault and robbery against Sunny and aides. The accused were trying to flee in a Santro but our beat marshals chased them down. A manhunt has been launched for those who escaped,” Shaikh said.

The accused were produced before a metropolitan court in Borivali on Friday. Later, Duggal lodged a counter-complaint against the Pawars for hitting him.

News from Indian Express

Abortion deadline forces Malad woman to take the uneasy call

24th Oct 2012

Lawyer Nima Purohit (32) was on cloud nine when she learnt that she was pregnant with her first child. But her happiness was short-lived. In the 19th week of her pregnancy, the Malad resident learnt that her baby's growth was not normal. With the 20-week limit for medical termination of pregnancy fast approaching, Nima made frantic visits to doctors to ascertain if her baby's abnormality was treatable. Eventually, she underwent an abortion on October 17 and is still wondering if she did the right thing.

Nima conceived the baby after nearly 18 months of marriage and the whole family was eagerly awaiting the baby's arrival. Nima was aware of the importance of timely tests during the progress of the pregnancy and underwent regular examinations. In fact, the tests done in the first trimester of her pregnancy showed that everything was normal.

But when she underwent another round of tests in the 19th week of pregnancy, she was told that her baby had Dandy-Walker Syndrome, a congenital malformation in which there is a partial or complete absence of the part of the brain that is located between the two cerebellar hemispheres. "I was told that my baby may suffer from mental retardation, hypotonia and other balance or motor skills abnormalities. The doctors also said that my baby had cardiac anomaly," said Nima.

Doctors suggested that Nima also undergo an aminocentesis test, in which the foetal DNA is examined for genetic abnormalities. As the clock ticked, Nima took opinions not only from paediatric neurologists in Mumbai, but also from those in the US. She collected as much information as she could to know about her baby's condition. "I accessed information online to know what had gone wrong with this little life growing inside me. I researched and I tried to know the prognosis of children with such issues. Awaiting the opinion during those four days and nights, there was no end to my mental agony. It was too traumatic for my family as well," recalled Nima.

Nima, who had an abortion on October 17, wishes that had there been no deadline for abortion, allowing her to wait for the aminocentesis results that will be available next week. "We haven't received those test results yet and do not know if we made the right decision," said Nima.

News from TOI

Malad robbery: Cops leave for UP, Bihar

24th Oct 2012

Teams from the Kurar police station have left for Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to look for the three helps who looted cash and valuables worth Rs 54.15 lakh from a Malad (E) flat after assaulting a housewife on Sunday.

The victim, Vandana Kapoor, is out of danger. The accused had even made off with the family's pet, a four-month-old dog called Myra.

"The three—Praveen, Santosh and Raju—had been employed with the Kapoors for not more than a month. The family members do not even know their antecedents nor do they have their pictures. The accused have left their cellphones behind. This indicates that the robbery had been planned even before the three took up the job," said the police. We suspect from their accent that they are north Indians.

The CCTV footage from Shuchi Heights, where the victim stays, isn't clear. "We have called experts to get clearer images," cops said. "We weren't keen on hiring Raju. One of our helps had quit as he did not want to work with Raju, who used to drink. We had warned Raju that this will not be tolerated," a family member said.

News from TOI

Malad temple priest hangs self

27th Oct 2012

A priest with Swami Narayan Mandir in Malad on Friday committed suicide by hanging himself in the temple premises. Police said that the priest left behind a suicide note stating that no one should be held responsible for his death.
Swami Nitya Swaroop Das, 33, hung himself with a nylon rope in the temple located on Zakaria Road in Malad (West). According to the Malad police, at around 7.30 am, the locals in the vicinity spotted Das hanging from a hook in the ceiling through a window. Police have said that the swami owned 4-5 luxury cars and a construction business in Pune.
“Swami normally used to get up by 5.30 am, but on Friday he got up half an hour early. Another boy and I were sleeping inside the temple premises when Swami entered and asked us to leave. He then locked the temple doors,” said Ketan Bhandhari, a disciple of Swami. Avinash Jadhav, senior inspector of Malad police said, “The doors of the temple were locked from inside. We had to break the back door of the temple to get in and bring down Das’s body.”
In a suicide note, Das wrote, “My life tenure is over. I am tired. God is calling me. I am going to God. Nobody should be held responsible for my death.”
Inspector Vasant Patil of Malad police said, “We retrieved cash `14,950 from his cupboard and a diary.”

News from Asian Age

Man kills wife over affair

27th Sep 2012

An Andheri resident, Suresh Kharate, killed his wife following an argument over an extra-marital affair on Wednesday. The accused, Suresh Kharate, suspected his wife had an affair and he had fought with her several times in the past. The couple have two kids.

The police said that on early Wednesday the couple again fought over the issue after which Kharate killed his wife. The neighbours caught him after the incident and handed over him to the police. The Amboli police took his custody in the case for further investigation.

Man falls off train, dies

A commuter lost his life after falling off a train between Goregaon and Malad stations at 8.15pm on Wednesday. The victim, who was unidentified, was rushed to Bhagwati hospital in Borivli where doctors declared him dead. His body has been sent for an autopsy. Cops said the victim is yet to be identified.

News from TOI