Parrikar suffering from advanced pancreatic cancer, arrives in US
Panaji/Mumbai: Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who on Wednesday reached the US for medical treatment, is reportedly suffering from an advanced stage of pancreatic cancer.
Sources in Mumbai's Lilavati Hospital and the Goa Medical College and Hospital -the two health facilities where the former Defence Minister was admitted since February 15- have confirmed he has cancer.
On February 18, some media reports had mentioned that the Chief Minister was suffering from advanced stage IV of pancreatic cancer. The hospital had denied this.
A statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office late on Wednesday said that Parrikar had landed in the US on Wednesday evening (IST) and maintained that "he is fine and will undergo further treatment".
"He is diagnosed with an advanced stage of cancer of the pancreas. He has already been administered one round of chemotherapy when he was admitted to Lilavati Hospital," sources at the Goa hospital said.
Soon after he was admitted to the Mumbai hospital, the Chief Minister's Office steadfastly maintained that Parrikar was suffering from "mild pancreatitis" and he was expected to be discharged shortly.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Builder-influencer held with cache of weapons in Thane district
Thane (PTI): A 55-year-old builder and social media influencer has been arrested for alleged possession of a cache of weapons in Maharashtra's Thane district, police said on Tuesday.
The accused, Surendra Panduranga Patil, who has more than three lakh followers on Instagram, was arrested on Saturday night, just a week after being released on bail in a separate case, an official said.
"Acting on a tip-off, our team searched Patil's bungalow in the Dawdi area of Dombivli late on Saturday night. We recovered a cache of weapons hidden behind a fake panel of a newly installed shoe rack that did not match the house's interior," the official from the Crime Branch said.
Five country-made pistols and revolvers, some engraved with 'Made in USA,' and two air guns, were seized, along with 371 cartridges, 167 air gun pellets, a sword, a button knife, a sharp-edged weapon, and two steel rods, he said, adding that the seized items were worth Rs 10 lakh.
"The quantity of ammunition suggests the stockpile was fully operational. While Patil claims the weapons were mere 'props' for his gangster-themed social media videos, we are investigating if he was preparing a 'mini-army' or supplying arms to local criminals," the official said.
Patil, a history-sheeter, now faces fresh charges under the Arms Act and the Maharashtra Police Act.
