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Fake ransom calls and a bigger crime

Demanding ransom for a kidnap, man arrested and found to be a habitual bag snatcher with a past police record.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

Mumbai sure does witness a lot of strange goings-on. Sizeable unemployment and the lure of fast money prompts several to take up a life of crime in Mumbai, and it is often while investigating a certain crime that another crime or criminal surfaces.

Take, for instance, the case of Yogesh Jaiswal (26). A few days ago, he saw the posters of a missing 20-year-old from Borivli. Studying the posters and the boy’s photo on them, Yogesh had a (or so he thought) bright idea to make some quick money. So he dialled the phone number listed on the poster, and finding that the number belonged to the missing boy’s father, demanded a ransom of Rs 10,000. He is said to have told the man that he had kidnapped his son, and that the money was to be deposited to an account in a bank located in Uttar Pradesh, if he was to see the boy alive.

A case had been registered at MHB police station, and police were suspicious about the fact that despite repeated pleas, the ‘kidnapper’ had not allowed the missing boy to speak with his father. A round of investigation later, Yogesh was arrested from Borivli railway station on July 13, and the mobile phone he had made the calls from was seized from him, as well as an ATM card.

Surprise!

But though Yogesh confessed to not knowing anything about the missing boy and having made the ransom call only to make some money, cops looked up his name and found a bigger story. “We found that he specialised in stealing bags from Government offices,” said an official connected with the investigation. “He would try to use the ATM cards he would find in the bags to steal money. Previously, he had stolen bags from the Income Tax building at Marine Lines and the CST Railway office. In 2010, the Azad Nagar police station had arrested him for stealing bags, and he had been to jail for the theft.”

Yogesh was out of jail a few months ago, and is not a permanent resident of Mumbai. As per police records, his native place is in Sambarkata, Gujarat.

Meanwhile, the whereabouts of the missing 20-year-old are still not known.

(Picture courtesy www.huffingtonpost.com)

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Cloudy with a chance of rainfall

That’s the forecast for today, folks. We list important information and phone numbers to use in case of an emergency.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

Yesterday, Sunday, was an almost total washout in Mumbai – it rained long and hard for prolonged spells, and as always, the city’s transport and overall mobility was hit hard by water-logging.

The weather department predicts very heavy showers today as well.  According to the forecast put out for today by the Indian Meteorological Centre (IMD), Mumbai, there will be “heavy to very heavy rainfall accompanied by strong wind speeds reaching 45 to 50 kmph in the city and suburbs.” The IMD has also cautioned the city to step out of doors only in the case of an emergency.

phone numbersWhether this forecast comes true today or not, do keep this list of emergency numbers handy if you need help in an emergency during the day:

BMC Disaster management control room: 108 (toll free helpline), 1916, 2270 4403, 2269 4725, 2269 4727, 2269 4719

MMRDA control room to report flooding: 26591241 /26594176/8080705051

Mumbai Fire Brigade: 23076111

B. E. S. T.: 22084242, 22084243, 22856262, 22184242 22182709

Railway control room: 23759201, 23759283 23759280

Churchgate: 2201 7420, 2208 4287

Mumbai Central Police: 2307 0197

CST: 2262 2685, 2262 0173, 2626 1695

Traffic control room: 24937755, 24937746, 24937747, 24927234

MHADA control room: 6640 5000, 2494 8423

Autorichshaw and taxi complaint helpline: 1800220110

Colaba weather station for forecast:  22150431, 22150517

Electricity issues and sudden outages:

M.S.E.B (Bandra) 2647 2131 2647 6749
M.S.E.B. (Bhandup) 2566 8225 2564 3990
M.S.E.B. (Mulund -West) 2568 6666, 2565 3408/2564 1866
M.S.E.B. Mulund (East) 2561 0013

Reliance:

Santacruz: 3009 9999, 3009 4844
Goregaon: 3009 6999, 3009 4844
Andheri to Jogeshwari: 3009 6999, 3009 4330, 3009 4200
Goregaon to Kandivali: 3009 6999, 3009 4900, 3009 4844
Borivali to Bhayander: 3009 6999, 3009 4500, 3009 3070, 3009 4633
Kurla to Chembur, Ghatkopar, Vikhroli: 3009 6999, 3009 2040, 2522 1720

Plus:

The Mumbai Traffic Police advisory to motorists.

Alternate routes to use in case of water logging.

(Pictures courtesy www.thehindu.com, www.seroundtable.com)

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75-year-old wins fight against Vodafone

Activist Bhagvanji Raiyani takes mobile phone operator to court over defective handsets in 2008, fights case for himself and wins.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

Bhagwanji_RaiyaniIt takes perseverance and gumption, and an unshakable belief in yourself, to stand up to somebody powerful for your rights. 75-year-old Mumbai resident and PIL activist Bhagwanji Raiyani did just that in 2008. Five years later, he won.

After the 75-year old veteran successfully argued his own case on April 30, 2013 before the State Consumer Redressal Forum, Vodafone coughed up a cheque of Rs 6,398 (refund of purchase price) and also a cheque of Rs 30,000 (compensation for legal expenses and hardships) on May 22, 2013.

Read his story below in his own words:

“I purchased two handsets for Rs. 6,398 in 2008 from Hutchison Max Paging Pvt. Ltd., a Vodafone dealer in Mumbai on which the name of Vodafone was inscribed. There was two years warranty on the handsets. Many a time they couldn’t get connected to the network and were giving (me) lot of trouble.I requested the dealer to replace the handsets with operational ones, but they refused.

I filed a case in (the) Consumer District Court, Bandra which ordered Vodafone to refund me Rs. 6,398 with Rs. 4,000/- as compensation for legal expenses and hardship I suffered. I didn’t accept the amount and appealed to the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Maharashtra, Mumbai and argued the case in person on April 30, 2013. The Commission passed the order in my favour. Accordingly, I received a cheque of Rs 6,398 from Vodafone on May 22, 2013 as the refund of my purchase price and a further cheque of Rs. 30,000 as the damages.

My advice: fight for your rights, and never give up.

Bhagvanji Raiyani,

Chairman and Managing Trustee

Forum For Fast Justice

(Pictures courtesy www.presidentialdemocracy.org, www.timepass69.com)

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No going back for suspended Government employees

Keeping in mind the ‘tarnishing’ of its image when suspended officials are reinstated, State draws up tough rules for reinstatement.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

Activists and citizens, please note. If you’ve been wondering and agonising over how those in Government service caught and suspended from duty after being part of wrongdoing, are reinstated after a while, take heart: the State Government of Maharashtra is taking steps to see that things change, at least slightly.

As per a Government Resolution (GR) dated April 20, 2013, the Government feels that the prior (albeit unofficial) system of reinstating a Government employee in the same position after he/she has been cleared of charges, or after he/she has carried out whatever punishment was meted out to them, shows the Government in a poor light. “Officials suspended on grounds of criminal offences or disciplinary grounds are reinstated as per a Government decision dated October 14, 2011, which clearly states the terms under which such officials may be reinstated to work. However, reinstating such an official at the same designation and place of work as before, maligns the image of the Government,” the GR states.

“Hence, the General Administration Department clarifies that in the event that a Government employee is to be reinstated to work following a spell of suspension from duty, he/she may not be reinstated in the same position, division, taluka or zilla as before. Further, he/she may be accorded a non-executive post.”

This new set of rules is to be complied with across all departments; clearly, these amendments mean that a reinstated Government official stands every chance of being transferred, apart from being posted to a job that keeps him/her away from further wrongdoing and controversy.

(Picture courtesy prokerala.com)

 

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State bats for responsible Holi this year

Government wants the State to celebrate an environment-friendly Holi this year. You can buy natural colours at the Mantralaya, too.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

There’s a severe drought on in the State, the likes of which has not been seen for several years. The situation is set to spiral totally out of control, with farmers letting livestock go, and people looking for water to drink far and wide.

Meanwhile, the rest of the State is gearing up for Holi.

It is indeed a worrying dichotomy that while one of Maharashtra grapples with even small quantities of drinking water, cities like ours have water in plenty, and which we will use to the maximum limits when Holi arrives. Anticipating the unprecedented wastage of water that is soon to take place as the Holi celebrations get underway, State Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan wants us all to celebrate responsibly.

What Chavan wants

“Please avoid the use of water to celebrate Holi this year,” Chavan said via a statement released earlier this evening. “Opt for natural colours and celebrate a water-less Holi if possible. The cities tend to celebrate also with plastic balloons and synthetic colours, which damage the environment and which are dangerous for health as well.”

So committed is the State to a responsible and environmentally-conscious Holi this year, that a stall selling natural colours will be set up for the public at the Mantralaya on March 21 and 22. Apart from this, public service announcements will be made through all radio and TV channels (private and government-controlled), as well as in 205 cinema theatres across the city and State. The Government will also flash these announcements on local trains and BEST buses.

Plans are also afoot to have Chavan and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar will communicate, via voice calls, with about one crore mobile subscribers and talk about using non-chemical based colours during Holi, apart from considering a water-less celebration. A letter bearing the public service message will also reach Government offices, editors of newspapers and channels, schools, colleges, courts, etc.

(Picture courtesy handmaidliset.blogspot.com)

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8-year-old donates Rs 5,000 to CM Relief Fund

Kanishk Dongre gave up the money earmarked for his birthday celebrations, plus some personal savings, to CM’s drought relief fund.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

Who says the youth is totally self-centered? An eight-year-old boy, Kanishk Dongre, today did something so sweet, that even the Chief Minister of the State, Prithviraj Chavan, was all smiles.

Today, Kanishk handed over a cheque of Rs 5,000 to Chavan, towards the CM’s Relief Fund for drought-affected villages in the State.

Kanishk’s father, Raju, works with the State Government’s Director General of Information and Public Relations (DGIPR) department. Kanishk, a resident of Badlapur and a class two student of Carmel School, went with his parents to visit the CM at the Vidhan Bhavan this afternoon to hand over the money; the State Legislature is currently in Session and the CM was present there at the time. It turns out that the Rs 5,000 was actually earmarked for the boy’s birthday celebrations this year. However, the boy decided to donate the money, along with some prior personal savings, towards the drought relief fund.

Who says you need to make a grand gesture to make a difference?

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