To avoid working as computer operator in kin's firm, Gujarat man chops off four fingers
Surat, Dec 14: In a bizarre incident, a man chopped off four fingers of his left hand with a sharp knife to make himself unfit for his job as a computer operator at his kin's diamond firm, police in Gujarat's Surat city said on Saturday.
Mayur Tarapara (32) had earlier told police a story about finding his fingers missing after falling unconscious by the side of a road, though a probe into the chain of events revealed that the harm was self-inflicted, the officials added.
In a statement, Surat Crime Branch said Tarapara took this step as he did not have courage to tell his kin that he no longer wanted work at his firm Anabh Gems, located in Varachha Mini Bazaar.
The victim works as a computer operator in the accounts department at this firm and loss of fingers would have made him unfit for the job, the statement pointed out.
Earlier, Tarapara had told police that he was on his way to a friend's house on December 8 on a motorcycle when he felt dizzy and passed out by the ring road near Vedanta Circle in Amroli.
When he regained consciousness after 10 minutes, four fingers of his left hand had been chopped off, Tarapara had told police.
It was suspected at the time that the fingers may have been cut and taken away for black magic purposes, as per police.
A case was registered at Amroli police station and the probe was transferred to the city's Crime Branch, which found Tarapara's involvement after going through CCTV footage and deploying technical surveillance as well as human intel.
"Tarapara confessed that he bought a sharp knife from a shop near Char Rasta in Singanpore. Four days later, on Sunday night, he went to Amroli Ring Road and parked his motorcycle there. At around 10pm, he cut off four fingers with a knife and tied a rope near the elbow to prevent blood flow. He then put the knife and fingers in a bag and threw it away," the official said.
His friends took him to hospital, the official said, adding three fingers have been recovered from a bag, while the knife was found in another bag.
Amroli police is carrying out further probe, the official informed.
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Steel mirrors deployed in Mysuru to discourage public urination
Mysuru (PTI): Fed up with people relieving themselves along roadsides, the Mysuru City Corporation has adopted a unique strategy to curb the practice and promote civic sense by installing reflective steel mirrors along pavements, officials said on Friday.
In what officials described as a first-of-its-kind initiative, the Corporation installed stainless steel sheets with a mirror finish along an 80-metre stretch opposite the Mysuru Suburban Bus Stand.
Officials said the reflective sheets are intended to confront anyone attempting to urinate in public with their own reflection, thereby discouraging the act psychologically.
“The idea is to maintain cleanliness and hygiene, prevent public nuisance, and promote civic sense. It is a simple yet psychological approach that encourages self-awareness through reflection,” officials added.
Soon after the mirrors were installed, videos of the initiative went viral on social media, with many people appreciating the administration’s innovative attempt to address public urination. At the same time, some users pointed out the lack of basic civic sense among people.
Several social media users also suggested that more public toilets, maintained in a hygienic condition, were needed to further discourage open urination.
Explaining how the idea originated, Nitesh Patil, Administrator and Regional Commissioner of the Mysuru City Corporation, told PTI that despite a public toilet being located next to the bus stand, many people continued to urinate in the open.
Even fines and warnings failed to deter them from relieving themselves against vacant compound walls, leaving behind a foul smell.
“One of our engineers came up with this idea, and we decided to implement it. The initiative has received a very positive response from the public, social media, and the press. We are now planning to identify more such locations in the city and install similar reflectors,” he said.
According to him, to ensure that the installation is both effective and visually appealing, LED lighting that switches on along with the streetlights has also been added, causing the stretch to glow at night and enhancing the city’s appearance.
Patil said the initiative had helped create civic awareness while also beautifying the city.
“We want our city to be clean and hygienic. We aspire to become the cleanest city in the country,” he added, recalling that Mysuru secured third place nationally in the Swachh Survekshan Awards 2024–25 last year.
