JALNA: A 26-year-old man was arrested for allegedly raping a three-year-old girl after luring her with a chocolate in Maharashtra’s Jalna city, police officials said on Friday. The incident took place on Wednesday in the Sadar Bazar police station area, where the child was playing outside her home. Deputy Superintendent of Police Anant Kulkarni said the accused had initially surveyed the locality and noticed the girl playing there. He later returned on a two-wheeler, enticed the child with the promise of a chocolate, took her away, and allegedly sexually assaulted her. According to police, the accused later left the child outside her house. The girl’s family subsequently lodged a complaint at the Sadar Bazar police station. A medical examination confirmed that the child had been raped, officials said. After examining CCTV footage of the area, the police arrested the man. He was on Thursday produced in a local court, which remanded him in five-day police custody, they added. “(The victim’s identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)

KALYAN: In a move aimed at strengthening its outreach among the business community, the Shiv Sena has appointed former Congress leader and prominent businessman Vimal Thakkar as president of its Traders’ Cell for Kalyan city.Party leaders said the appointment is part of a broader strategy to expand the organisation’s presence among traders and entrepreneurs under the leadership of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.Following his appointment, Thakkar expressed gratitude to the party leadership and said he would work towards addressing issues faced by traders while strengthening the organisation at the grassroots level. In a statement, he credited the guidance of Deputy CM Eknath Shinde, Kalyan MP Dr Shrikant Shinde and district chief Gopal Landge for entrusting him with the responsibility.Thakkar is a familiar face in Kalyan’s political and business circles. He was associated with the Congress for several years and had served as the president of the Kalyan City Congress unit. However, he alongwith former Kalyan District President of Congress Sachin Pote switched allegiance to the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) last year, citing the development initiatives undertaken by the state government and various development projects implemented in the Kalyan Lok Sabha constituency under the leadership of MP Dr Shrikant Shinde.Political observers believe Thakkar’s appointment could help the Shiv Sena strengthen its connect with the trading community, particularly among Gujarati and Marwari businessmen who have traditionally been considered a strong support base of the BJP in the region.With his long-standing association with local business organisations and social activities, Thakkar is expected to play a key role in mobilising traders and expanding the party’s influence in commercial circles ahead of future electoral contests.Speaking after assuming charge, Thakkar said he would focus on resolving traders’ grievances, building a stronger network of business representatives and taking the party’s ideology and development agenda to every section of the trading community.

KALYAN: Maharashtra transport minister Pratap Sarnaik has directed the transport commissioner office to initiate action against app-based taxi aggregators following complaints that passengers are being compelled to pay tips and additional charges by drivers.The directive comes after Kalyan MP Dr Shrikant Shinde raised concerns over what he described as exploitative practices by certain drivers associated with ride-hailing platforms. According to complaints received from commuters, drivers allegedly demand extra payments over and above the fare displayed on the app, insist on tips before commencing rides, and in some cases cancel bookings if passengers refuse to comply.Said transport commissioner Rajesh Narvekar : “I have issued directives to all RTO and called all officers for a meeting on Friday to discuss the issue.’Over the past few days, several passengers have taken to social media to report such incidents, claiming that they were subjected to inconvenience, harassment and financial exploitation, particularly during urgent travel situations. Taking note of the growing number of complaints, Shinde urged the state transport minister to intervene and ensure that commuters are protected from arbitrary practices.Responding swiftly, Sarnaik termed the reported incidents “unfair and unacceptable” and said passengers cannot be forced to pay tips or additional amounts beyond the prescribed fare. He directed the Transport Commissioner to investigate the functioning of the companies concerned and take stringent action wherever violations are found.The minister also announced that the state transport department is working on a new aggregator policy aimed at regulating app-based taxi and ride-hailing services more effectively. The proposed policy is expected to address issues related to passenger rights, fare transparency and accountability of service providers.Shinde maintained that while tips offered voluntarily by customers are a reflection of service quality, demanding them as a precondition for providing service amounts to a violation of consumer rights. He said exploiting passengers during times of need and compelling them to pay extra charges is akin to holding customers to ransom.