Mumbai, Sep 21: The Shiv Sena (UBT) has launched a sharp attack on the MahaYuti government, accusing it of displaying insensitivity and extravagance at a time when large parts of Maharashtra are grappling with drought-like conditions caused by scanty rainfall.

The Thackeray camp, in the party mouthpiece Saamana, warned that Maharashtra is falling under a “demonic rule of fear, hunger, and thirst” as the monsoon retreats, leaving behind the grim shadow of severe drought.

“Farmers across Marathwada, North Maharashtra, and Vidarbha are left utterly helpless as standing crops — including soybean, cotton, bajra, maize, tur, moong, and urad — have completely dried up and been ruined. Despite the widespread crop failure, the government is caught up in political manoeuvring and self-serving rivalry instead of focusing on relief,” it remarked.

The editorial highlighted a recent incident in Nanded, where State Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharane held an administrative review meeting on the drought situation. Pictures surfaced showing ministers, MLAs, and MPs feasting on plates of cashews, almonds, and premium dry fruits during the meeting. Saamana editorial labelled the spectacle as “rubbing salt on the open wounds of farmers,” contrasting the crying farmers in dried-up fields with politicians burping in air-conditioned rest houses.

Adding fuel to the outrage, Shinde faction MP Bandu Jadhav callously defended the feast, stating, “Why make such a fuss over cashews and almonds, brother? I was starving, so I ate them. Why create chaos over Rs 500-Rs 1,000 worth of dry fruits?”

The editorial termed this remark inhuman, pointing out that those who swallowed thousands of crores are still unsatisfied. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis deflected blame onto the administration, saying such feasting was improper and urging officials to remain sensitive.

However, Thackeray camp fired back, noting that the Chief Minister is the head of the administration and that politicians should have felt enough shame to reject the spread presented to them. The editorial expressed deep skepticism regarding the government’s assurances of official crop assessments (panchnamas) and financial aid.

The editorial mocked the state’s previously announced farm loan waiver, noting that while three lists were allegedly published, the ground reality is so stark that one could offer a “Rs 5,000 reward to anyone who can actually find a farmer who received a loan waiver”.

Concerns were raised that, just like development funds, drought relief funds will be distributed purely on partisan lines — favoring constituencies with ruling-party MLAs while discriminating against opposition areas, alleged the editorial.

The editorial also criticised the burning of oil to light thousands of lamps for the Prime Minister’s birthday celebrations, asking if such grand gestures would do anything to lift the shadow of drought from the state.

To immediately alleviate the plight of farmers, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena made a slew of suggestions. It has called upon the government to declare an official statewide drought without waiting for formal procedural delays, adhering to the recommendation of veteran leader Sharad Pawar, provide immediate direct assistance of Rs 50,000 per hectare to affected farmers, execute a full and blanket waiver of all agricultural loans without arbitrary conditions and waive tuition fees for the children of drought-affected farmers.

Further, the Thackeray camp has suggested that the government should set up fodder camps (chara chhawani) and ensure drinking water availability across affected regions, convene a special session of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, and form an all-party task force, putting politics aside to manage drought mitigation.

The editorial concluded that while the drought facing Maharashtra’s farmers is grave, the “abundance of dry fruits” enjoyed by ruling politicians amidst agricultural distress is truly shameful.

Kochi, Sep 21: The Kerala police in Thrissur and Kannur have arrested 10 members of an Uttar Pradesh-based gang accused of travelling to Kerala to steal copper wires and valuables from locked houses and offices, uncovering an unusual modus operandi in the process, officials said on Monday.

The gang members, all natives of Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, used to fly to Kerala while sending their two-wheelers ahead by train, police said.

The modus operandi came to light during the interrogation of Rehan, one of the gang members taken into custody by the Thrissur police.

According to police, Rehan told investigators that the gang would send their motorcycles from their hometown to railway stations in Kochi before boarding flights to Kerala. After landing, the members would collect their two-wheelers and split into smaller groups to scout for targets.

Locked houses and offices containing large quantities of copper wire were among their preferred targets, police said. Telephone exchanges and similar establishments were particularly attractive because of the quantity of copper wiring.

After identifying a target, the gang would allegedly break in, steal copper wires and other valuables and sell the material before moving on to another location.

Acting on the information provided by Rehan, police arrested four members of the gang from Kochi. Another five were arrested from Kannur while they were allegedly engaged in their activities.

With Rehan, the number of arrested gang members has risen to 10. Police said the gang had been operating in other states using a similar method.

Investigators are now checking their possible involvement in theft cases reported elsewhere, besides examining the extent of their activities in Kerala.

The investigation has also revealed the extent to which the gang had planned its movements.

By sending their motorcycles to Kerala by train before flying down, they were able to have their own vehicles ready for use immediately after landing.

The police are now questioning the arrested persons to establish the full network, identify the places targeted by the gang and trace the stolen copper and other material.

Pune, Sep 20: A fake account on social media platform Instagram, along with ChatGPT and murder films, was used by Siya Goyal and her co-accused in the alleged murder of her fiance Ketan Agarwal, reveals the charge sheet filed by the police in the sensational case.

The 5,053-page charge sheet, filed on Saturday, detailed the alleged conspiracy behind the death of the 26-year-old businessman at Lohagad Fort in Pune in June, NDTV reported.

Agarwal was allegedly pushed off the fort on June 18 by his fiancee Siya Goyal, who was assisted by her purported lover Chetan Chaudhary, and another accused, identified as Ritesh Hange. All three have been arrested by the police.

According to the charge sheet, the accused had initially discussed seriously injuring Agarwal and even explored the possibility of hiring someone from outside Maharashtra to carry out the attack.

Police claimed the plan was later dropped because they feared the hired assailant could expose the conspiracy or create problems for them. Investigators have mentioned that a person contacted during this stage has since become a witness, the media report said.

As per the charge sheet, the accused subsequently decided to kill Agarwal themselves and watched murder films and used ChatGPT for the purpose. They also listened to podcasts on how to avoid detection by police as part of their preparations.

Goyal and her co-accused also researched last year’s Meghalaya honeymoon murder case where Indore resident Raja Raghuvanshi was allegedly killed by his wife, Sonam, during the couple’s honeymoon in the state’s East Khasi Hills district.

Moreover, investigators stated that a fake Instagram account named ‘Mahi’ was created using the photograph of a woman known to the accused in order to “lure” Agarwal to the fort.

Subsequently, messages from the account encouraged the victim to visit the spot on June 18 for a surprise birthday plan for Goyal.

According to the chargesheet, the fake account was part of a plan devised by Ritesh Hange to bring Agarwal to the fort. The account was deleted after the incident.

Further, the charge sheet also revealed that the accused conducted a recce of locations around Lonavala before selecting Lohagad Fort.

According to investigators, Goyal and Chaudhary visited Tiger Point and other locations in search of an isolated spot.

Police said that Lohagad was eventually selected because of a death at the fort in March last year. The accused thought they could make Agarwal’s death appear like an accidental fall at the spot.