The city crime branch claimed to have busted a racket involved in stealing liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from domestic cylinders in Thergaon.

The crime branch officials arrested two suspects in the case. The agency seized 39 domestic cylinders meant for distribution in Wakad, Thergaon and adjoining areas, two commercial cylinders and two auto rickshaw cylinders worth Rs2 lakh.

The police found that the suspects had transferred 53 kg of gas into the empty cylinders from 31 sealed cylinders.

The Act is meant to stop trafficking of girls and prostitution in city

The social security cell of the city crime branch has been delegated with the powers to file cases under stringent norms of Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956 (PITA), meant to stop prostitution and trafficking of females across the city.

Earlier, it was only the assistant commissioner of police of the crime branch who was vested with powers to file the cases. Under the new rule, the police inspector heading the social security cell will be able to file cases under the PITA.

Every year, the city police rescue around 400 women and minor girls forced into prostitution by the brothel keepers, massage centre operators and others under the special act.

The city crime branch and Khadki police station authorities claimed to have solved the case of a woman's murder after the arrest of a suspect on Wednesday.

Around five unidentified persons allegedly kidnapped a 63-year-old senior citizen and robbed valuables worth Rs86,000 from him before pushing him down a valley near Bhor on Monday night.

The victim, Sadashiv Rama Banjan, a prominent electronic goods showroom owner, is a resident of Shivajinagar. Following Banjan's complaint with the Faraskhana police in this regard on Tuesday, the police have booked five suspects.

The Bund Garden police have invoked the Information Technology Act, 2000 against two suspects involved in a fraud case. The two duped an auto showroom located in Koregaon Park to the tune of Rs80 lakh in the last one year.

The two suspects — Vishal Hawale (24) of Chandannagar and Sanjay Pardeshi (43) of Dhankavdi — were produced before judicial magistrate (first class) Jyoti Purkar on Wednesday. They have been remanded to magisterial custody.

The suspects were arrested on February 20 this year after the owner of the auto showroom Palindarsingh Avatarsing Bedi (80) lodged a complaint with the police.

According to the police, the two were working in the accounts section of the showroom.

A city court has ordered 80 primary school teachers to rejoin Pune Zilla Parishad (ZP) schools.

The ZP had earlier relieved a group of 150 teachers so that they may join the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) schools.

These teachers worked in villages located in the fringe areas which were earlier under the zilla parishad. After they were merged with the Pune Municipal Corporation, they expressed a desire to join PMC–run schools. The order to send the group of 80 back to ZP schools was passed by civil judge (senior division) GK Rathod on February 13.

Defence counsel KR Shah, who represented the teachers, however said that an appeal before the sessions court will be made challenging the civil judge's order.