3.4 magnitude tremor hits Kutch in Gujarat; no casualty
Ahmedabad (PTI): A tremor of 3.4 magnitude was experienced in Gujarat's Kutch district early on Sunday, the Institute of Seismological Research (ISR) said.
No casualty or loss of property was reported in the district due to the seismic activity, officials said.
The tremor was recorded at 3.58 am with its epicentre located 53 km north-north east of Lakhpat, the Gandhinagar-based ISR said.
Earlier on October 27, Amreli district in Saurashtra region of the state recorded a tremor of 3.7 magnitude, as per the ISR data.
Tremor and earthquake risks are very high in Gujarat.
The state has suffered nine major earthquakes in the past 200 years, as per information provided by the Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority (GSDMA).
The 2001 Kutch earthquake was the third largest and second most destructive earthquake in India over the last two centuries, it said.
On January 26, 2001, Gujarat was struck by an earthquake of 6.9 magnitude with its epicentre near Bhachau in Kutch which affected the entire state. The quake left nearly 13,800 persons killed and another 1.67 lakh injured, according to the GSDMA data.
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Gujarat man held for impersonating govt official, duping people with forged letters
Ahmedabad (PTI): The Ahmedabad police have arrested a 29-year-old man who allegedly posed as a senior revenue official and used fake letters claiming to be from various government departments to cheat people, an official said on Sunday.
Mehul Shah, an engineer who manages two schools at Vankaner in Gujarat’s Morbi district, is accused of making lakhs of rupees with bogus documents and false claims, said inspector (crime branch) JK Makwana.
Shah had forged an appointment letter from the Ahmedabad district education officer (DEO) to offer a computer operator’s job in a government office to a complainant’s son. He also introduced himself as a trustee of a school and did not pay a man Rs 7 lakh due to him over the painting of a school building, the official said.
“Despite holding no official position in the state or central government, he used fake work permits and NOCs to cheat people of lakhs of rupees,” the police official said.
One complainant alleged that Shah identified himself as a top revenue department official and produced a fake letter from the chairman of the “department of science and research development” to make him install a siren and curtain in a hired vehicle but did not pay for the job, he said.
Bogus letters claiming to be from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ahmedabad DEO were used by the accused to cheat the complainants, the police official said.
Police have recovered from his possession fake identity cards and letters with headings like “bharat gaurav ratna shri samman council”, “chairman of department of science and research development”, “health and family welfare department”, and “road and building department”.
“The FIR is based on complaints by three victims. We appeal to the people to come forward and submit their complaints if they have been cheated by Shah in any way,” Makwana said.
