News Reporter

  Sitting amid the blackened remains of his home, 32-year-old Nikesh Gawali carefully broke open a half-melted plastic box with a screwdriver. His hands shook slightly, not out of fear, but out of hope. “I’m trying to find my daughter Aarti’s gold earrings,” he said quietly, still focused on the box. “She’s just five. I got them made recently after months of labour work.” The plastic box, warped and blackened by heat, was one of the few things left from his two-room house on the outskirts of Dhamangaon village . All around him lay ash, broken tin sheets and charred wooden beams. The walls had cracked under the heat and the front room’s tin roof had caved in completely. What remained was a blackened debris all around - almost nothing to suggest a home once stood there. Nikesh earns his living as an agricultural labourer, like many in the village. Work is uncertain and depends on the season. Those earrings weren’t just jewellery - they were a small dream, a reward for his hard work,...

Cyber criminals duped a 75-year-old retired railway officer of Rs 3.5 lakh by putting her under “ digital arrest ” for two days, police said. According to the Cyber Police , the incident began on February 25 around 11 am when the woman received a WhatsApp call. The caller introduced himself as “Tripathi” from the Mumbai ATS and claimed her name had come up in a money laundering case . He further alleged that she was leaking confidential information to terrorists and warned that senior officers would contact her. Soon after, another man identified as Mukesh Verma called her, claiming to be the chief of the NIA . He told her she would have to travel to Mumbai for questioning and sent documents on WhatsApp, allegedly carrying the signature of former Supreme Court judge Bhushan Gavai , to make the story appear genuine. Frightened by the threats, the woman remained under constant pressure for two days. During this time, the accused managed to make her transfer Rs 3.5 lakh. After realizing ...

A devastating fire reduced large parts of Dhamangaon village in Bhivapur tehsil of Nagpur district to ashes after flames spread rapidly from nearby agricultural land and engulfed homes within minutes. The fire forced villagers to flee in panic to save themselves. According to officials, the fire started when some villagers set dry agricultural waste on fire in nearby fields at around 6 pm. Due to strong winds , the flames quickly went out of control and began moving towards the village. Dhamangaon, which has many old houses made of wood and traditional materials, became highly vulnerable as the fire reached residential areas. Eyewitnesses said the situation worsened as night fell and electricity supply was disrupted which plunged the village into darkness. “There was fire everywhere and complete darkness. People were shouting and running to save their lives,” said a villager. As the fire entered the village, it spread rapidly from one house to another. Cattle sheds and storage areas...

The Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court was informed by Municipal Commissioner Dr Vipin Itankar that show cause notices have been issued to all Assistant Municipal Commissioners for failing to curb illegal hoardings and banners across the city. Filing an additional affidavit in a contempt petition moved by Dinesh Chandrakant Naidu , in the High Court, the Commissioner stated that the Deputy Municipal Commissioner (Revenue), who heads the Advertisement Department, issued notices on March 12, 2026, to Assistant Commissioners and Ward Officers of all 10 zones for “dereliction in discharge of statutory duties.” The affidavit was submitted in compliance with the High Court’s order dated April 27, seeking details on action taken against officials and implementation of earlier directions to remove illegal hoardings. Dr Itankar informed the court that 131 show cause notices have been issued to individuals responsible for putting up illegal hoardings after December 12, 2025. However, in ...

The Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court has questioned why the inquiry into the deadly blast at SBL Energy Limited in Katol is not being conducted by technical experts, despite the serious nature of the incident. A division bench of Justice Anil Kilor and Justice Raj Wakode raised concerns while hearing a Public Interest Litigation filed by Jammu Anand . The petition pointed out that around 25 workers lost their lives in the explosion at the factory located in Mauja Yenvihira, Katol tehsil. The petitioner, through Advocate Arvind Waghmare, argued that instead of initiating an expert inquiry under Section 9(a) of the Explosives Act, 1884 , a general inquiry was ordered by the District Collector under a different provision. It was submitted that such serious incidents require investigation by the Chief Controller of Explosives and other subject-matter experts, which has not been done so far. The Court also noted that the Central Government has not yet clarified its position. A...

The Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court has directed that a dispute over the identity of a tree - whether it is Red Sandalwood or Bijasal - be proved before the Junior Division Civil Court at Pusad in Yavatmal district , in a case involving recovery of Rs 50 lakh by the Railway Department . The matter was heard by Justice Anil Kilor and Justice Raj Wakode . The Railway Department has filed a civil application seeking recovery of Rs 50 lakh paid earlier to farmer Keshav Tukaram Shinde , whose land was acquired for the Wardha–Nanded railway line . According to the department, the amount was paid on the assumption that a tree on the acquired land was rare Red Sandalwood, valued at nearly Rs 1 crore. However, a report dated May 23, 2025, by the Institute of Wood Science and Technology clarified that the tree is actually Bijasal, a species worth around Rs 10,000. Following this, the Railways demanded that Shinde’s legal heirs return the excess amount after deducting Rs 10,000. The h...

In a deeply painful incident that has left the city in shock, a mother and her young daughter ended their lives together at their house in Venkatesh Nagar area of Nandanvan police station as they were unable to cope with overwhelming emotional grief. Police said the young woman was deeply affected after the recent loss of her newborn child and her mother too was under severe stress seeing her daughter’s condition. The deceased have been identified as Sangita Shriram Dhabale (52), a school teacher, and her daughter Akanksha Lokesh Brahme (29), an engineering graduate and homemaker. According to police Akanksha had been going through severe emotional distress after losing her newborn baby two months ago. Following the tragedy, she had been staying with her mother. “Preliminary inquiry suggests that both women were under extreme mental stress due to personal circumstances. The loss of the child had deeply affected the daughter,” a senior officer from Nandanvan police said. Police sai...