RAJAMAHENDRAVARAM: The death toll in the suspected milk adulteration case in East Godavari district has risen to 16, while three persons are undergoing treatment at hospitals in Rajamahendravaram, officials said on Sunday. The incident dates back to mid-February, when adulterated milk supplied in parts of Lalacheruvu allegedly caused severe health complications among consumers, including vomiting, abdominal pain, anuria and acute renal dysfunction, leading to multiple hospitalisations. The case came to light on February 22 after a cluster of patients showing symptoms of acute kidney failure was reported from Chowdeswaranagar and Swaroopanagar areas, prompting health authorities to initiate an epidemiological investigation. According to an official press release issued on Sunday, laboratory findings revealed that all 16 victims died of multi-organ failure triggered by acute renal failure after consuming milk contaminated with the toxic substance ethylene glycol.“Preliminary findings indicate that the victims suffered acute renal failure with elevated blood urea and serum creatinine levels, suggesting toxic exposure likely linked to contaminated milk consumption,” the release said. Milk supplied to over 100 families from a dairy unit in Narasapuram village under Korukonda mandal has been identified as the suspected source. Authorities said supply from the unit was immediately halted after it came under scrutiny.

Nagpur: Datta Meghe, one of Vidarbha’s most enduring political figures and also the founder of one of the state’s largest private education networks, passed away on Sunday at the age of 89. Meghe’s younger son Sameer Meghe, a BJP MLA from Hingna, said, “My father never refused to help anyone who came to him.” He said that is how he wanted people to remember his father.Meghe’s passing marks the end of a public life that stretched across five decades, two houses of Parliament, the Maharashtra legislative council, and three national parties. Born on Nov 11, 1936, in Pawnar in Wardha district, Meghe graduated with a BA from Nagpur University in 1963 and worked briefly as a development officer with LIC before entering public life. He entered the Maharashtra legislative council in 1978 and served three consecutive terms there until 1991, a run of over 13 years. During that stretch, he served as minister of state for housing and civil supplies and technical education, and later as cabinet minister for energy and forests. He also served as leader of opposition in the legislative council.

Mumbai: Several street lights along the Mahim beach are non-functional, leaving large stretches of the area in darkness after sunset, said local activists. Mahim social worker Syed M. Ismail has urged the BEST electricity wing and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation to immediately restore and expand street lighting at Mahim’s Reti Bunder Beach, warning that poor illumination is putting public safety at risk. Govt officials were unavailable for comment. Activists said the lack of proper lighting has created an unsafe atmosphere for residents, visitors and families who frequent the beach, particularly during the evening hours. The absence of adequate lighting increases the possibility of untoward incidents or criminal activity. They also pointed out that the current lighting infrastructure is insufficient, with only a few working lamps covering the beach. In addition to repairing faulty lights, Ismail has called for the installation of more street light poles in the inner sections of Reti Bunder Beach.

Palghar: Police have registered a case against more than 15 persons for allegedly obstructing a construction work and demanding money from a sub-contractor in Palghar district, officials said on Sunday. The accused allegedly threatened labourers and forced them to flee the site where he was overseeing the construction.

HYDERABAD: A 23-year-old MBBS graduate died by suicide in Alwal after a disagreement with her family members over keeping a pet cat at home. According to Alwal police, the deceased was identified as T Princy, alias Sreshta, from Risala Bazar. She had recently completed her MBBS degree and was preparing for postgraduate studies. According to Alwal SI N Devender, Princy had recently brought a pet cat, which led to frequent arguments with her family members.“Family members were against the pet as they felt its presence was causing allergies,” the SI said. Upset over the issue, Princy allegedly hanged herself from the ceiling fan in her flat on Friday afternoon while her family members were out on personal work. “Her parents called to check if she had lunch, but when she did not answer, they asked neighbours to check on her. The neighbours found her hanging from the ceiling fan in the hall,” the SI added.Apart from the police, 108 ambulance staff were alerted.

The ambulance personnel declared her dead at the spot, police said. “Family members in their complaint stated that Princy was upset about not being allowed to keep the cat and died by suicide. No suicide note was found. We have registered a case under Section 194 (suspicious death) of the BNSS. After the autopsy at Gandhi Hospital, the body was handed over to the family,” the SI said.

Mumbai: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized 11,060 prohibited walkie-talkie sets of Rs 2.5 crore, and second-hand hard disk drives (HDDs) worth Rs 6.75 crore, collectively valued at Rs 9.2 crore at Nhava Sheva Port in Navi Mumbai, officials said. These devices require specific licences. A father-son duo, owners of two Mumbai firms that had imported these goods without due permissions, have been arrested under the Customs Act, an official release said on Saturday.

Mumbai: City-based NGO Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP) collected Rs 1 crore in zakat funds to help stop dropouts among poor school children. Zakat is 2.5% of annual savings Muslims give in charity.AMP president Aamir Edresy at a function in the city said that Rs 1 crore collected in just 15 days of the month of Ramzan is part of AMP’s nation-wide “Mission 10K Futures” where 10,000 donors in 200 districts in the country are being approached to support 10,000 students with Rs 10,000 each. “Several committees and enquiry reports, including Sachar Report, have identified dropout as one of the reasons for Muslims’ educational backwardness. We want to remove this malaise by reaching out to the poor and orphans with monetary help. The money will go directly to the schools of the deserving students,” said Edresy.Earlier AMP launched IndiaZakat.com, India’s first zakat-based crowdfunding platform to strengthen collective zakat systems.

Mumbai: The body of an unidentified man was found in the Dahisar river on Saturday evening, police said. The MHB Police registered an case of accidental death. No injury marks were found on the body, which was sent to Shatabdi Hospital in Kandivli (W) for post-mortem. Police said no documents or phone were found on the body or in the nearby area.

Mumbai: A 6-year-old male leopard Bittu rescued from the Yeoor range as a cub in 2019, died of Polycystic Kidney disease on Saturday at the SGNP veterinary hospital, stated a press release.The leopard had been raised at the rescue centre. Minister Pratap Sarnaik had adopted the animal and was paying for its upkeep. The press release stated, “Clinical signs were evident since past few months, and the animal was managed with intensive supportive and symptomatic therapy. Despite sustained medical intervention, the condition showed progressive deterioration. Ultrasonographic (USG) evaluation revealed findings consistent with Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD).” The animal eventually developed systemic complications and passed away.