Palghar 'godman' accused of rape held in Pune
Pune (PTI): A self-styled godman from Maharashtra's Palghar district who allegedly raped a 35-year-old woman after claiming to be an incarnation of Lord Shiva has been arrested in Pune, police said on Saturday.
The 40-year-old accused, Hrishikesh Vaidya, was apprehended from the Pimpri area on Friday, an official said.
According to the police, the woman had gathered the courage to lodge a complaint against Vasai-based Vaidya after the recent arrest of self-styled godman Ashok Kharat in a rape case in Nashik.
However, Vaidya, in a social media post, has denied the allegations against him and claimed a false case had been registered against him.
As the primary offence allegedly took place in Pune, the Manikpur police in Vasai registered a 'Zero FIR' on Wednesday before transferring the probe to the Hadapsar police station in Pune for further investigation.
A zero FIR is a first information report that can be filed at any police station in India, regardless of where the crime occurred or which station has jurisdiction.
Police said that the woman first came in contact with the accused on Facebook in 2023.
"In December 2023, the accused visited Pune to meet her. He allegedly deceived her by claiming he was an incarnation of Mahadev (Lord Shiva) and that she was his 'Parvati," an official said, citing the FIR.
The complainant alleged that the man took her to a lodge in the Manjari area of Pune, where he administered a numbing substance before raping her. During the assault, the accused allegedly took photographs of the woman without her knowledge.
The woman told the police that the accused, who runs a social organisation in Palghar district, used the photographs to blackmail her. In May last year, he allegedly called her to a hotel at Vasai in Palghar, where he again attempted to sexually assault her.
"Teams were formed to nab Vaidya. We received information about his whereabouts and apprehended him from the Pimpri area," a senior officer of the Pune police said.
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Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
