Hyderabad (PTI): As many as 22 temporary roadside sheds where furniture was manufactured and sold have been gutted after a fire broke out in one of them here, and no one was injured in the incident, police and fire department officials said on Wednesday.

This massive fire accident occurred in an area under the Bachupally police station limits at around 11 pm on Tuesday. After originating in one of the sheds, the flames spread quickly to adjacent sheds, destroying wooden furniture and other materials required for manufacturing furniture.

Six fire tenders were rushed to the spot, and the fire was extinguished, a police official said.

Based on preliminary investigation, the official said the blaze started due to a short circuit.

Eye-witnesses have stated that there was a short circuit on a pole, and the wire fell onto the sofas, which caught fire. Within minutes, the fire spread, police said.

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Thane (PTI): A 23-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly molesting and extorting Rs 50,000 from a 15-year-old schoolgirl over six months in Thane city, police said on Wednesday.

Accused Prathamesh Desai, a resident of Lokmanya Nagar, was taken into custody following a complaint by the girl’s parents on March 1.

A police official from the Vartak Nagar police station said Desai targeted the teenager between September 2025 and February 2026. “On multiple occasions, he took her to isolated locations and molested her,” the official said, citing the FIR.

The accused threatened to inform the girl’s parents about their purported “relationship” and extracted a total of Rs 50,000 from her, he said.

“Unable to bear the persistent threats and financial demands, the girl finally confided in her parents, who approached the police,” the official said.

Desai has been booked under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, he said, adding that further investigation was underway.