Mumbai (PTI): At least 12 persons were killed and 27 others injured after the bus they were travelling in fell into a gorge on the old Mumbai-Pune highway in Raigad district of Maharashtra early on Saturday, police said.

The private bus carrying members of a traditional music troupe was going from Pune to Mumbai when it fell into the gorge near Shingroba temple on the highway around 4.50 am, a senior police official said.

The accident occurred under the Khopoli police station limits.

"The bus was carrying members of 'Baji Prabhu Vaadak Group' from Mumbai's Goregaon. They were returning to Goregaon after taking part in an event in Pimpri Chinchwad area in Pune district. The bus had left the venue around 1 am on Saturday," he said, adding that at least 12 persons were killed and 27 others injured in the accident.

The deceased and the injured were from Sion and Goregaon in Mumbai and Virar in neighbouring Palghar district, Raigad Superintendent of Police (SP) Somnath Gharge said.

The injured were admitted to the Khopoli Rural Hospital, he added.

Additional SP Atul Zende said the deceased and the injured belonged to the age group of 18 to 25.

A team of local police and a trekker's group are currently engaged in the rescue operation, police said.

Khopoli town is located around 70 km from Mumbai.

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Mathura(UP), Apr 5 (PTI): A retired Army colonel from Haryana has filed a police complaint here, alleging that he was held hostage, assaulted, looted and forced to participate in an "obscene video" at gunpoint with a woman he met through a matrimonial website, police said on Saturday.

The woman from Mathura, who was allegedly in on the plan to rob him, was working with other accomplices, the ex-armyman said in his complaint filed on Thursday.

According to Barsana Station House Officer (SHO) Raj Kamal Singh, Colonel Rajneesh Soni (retired), a resident of Gurugram, reported that he was contacted by a woman from Barsana on a matrimonial website in January. The woman allegedly agreed to marry him, and they began communicating.

The woman allegedly persuaded the colonel to visit Barsana on January 25, requesting that he visit the Radharani temple. When he arrived, she arranged for his stay at a guest house and took him on a tour of the area, including a visit to the temple, the complainant said.

After returning to the guest house, the woman and her accomplices allegedly told the colonel that her brother had been involved in an accident and they needed to leave immediately. They then led him to a waiting car.

"Once outside the town limits, the colonel alleges that he was attacked by the occupants of the car. They seized his phone, physically assaulted him, and forced him to contact relatives and friends to transfer money," the SHO said.

"He was then taken back to the guest house, where he was allegedly forced to participate in obscene videos and photographs at gunpoint. He was threatened that the videos would be made public if he reported the incident," the officer said.

The colonel has alleged that his purse, bag, gold chain, debit card and Rs. 12,000 in cash were stolen from the guest house.

After an unsuccessful attempt at locating the perpetrators himself, the colonel finally reported the incident to the Barsana police two days ago, he said.

"A case has been registered under relevant sections of the BNS and all facts are being investigated. Further action will be taken as per facts found in the investigation," the SHO said.