Tantrik held for raping woman on pretext of solving domestic problems in Thane
Thane (PTI): A 55-year-old tantrik has been arrested for allegedly raping a woman repeatedly on the pretext of solving some domestic problems in Maharashtra's Thane district, police said on Friday.
Based on a complaint, the police on Wednesday arrested the accused, Santosh Poddar alias Vinod Pandit, from the Shanti Nagar area of Mira Road under sections 376(2)(n) (commits rape repeatedly on the same woman), 506 (criminal intimidation) and other relevant provisions of the IPC and the Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act, 2013, an official said.
The accused, who claimed to be a tantrik (sorcerer), operated in the locality and advertised on Facebook, he said.
The victim approached Poddar seeking a solution for some domestic issues, and he allegedly raped her on multiple occasions on the pretext of curing her, the official said.
The accused also shot objectionable videos of her and threatened her, he said.
Fed up with the harassment, the woman approached the police earlier this week, he said, adding that a probe is underway to find out if the accused similarly exploited other women.
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Meghalaya: Interstate ATM theft racket busted, 6 arrested
Shillong (PTI): An interstate racket involved in ATM thefts across several states has been busted, with the arrest of six persons in connection with a break-in at an electronic banking outlet in Meghalaya's Ri-Bhoi district, police said on Wednesday.
The accused were allegedly involved in breaking into an ATM of the Meghalaya Cooperative Apex Bank on April 5, 2024, they said.
Three of the accused were arrested from Barpeta in Assam, while the remaining were apprehended from Haryana, police said.
Ri-Bhoi SP Giri Prasad M said a special police team was constituted to investigate the case.
"With coordinated efforts and assistance from Assam and Haryana Police, we were able to apprehend the accused involved in the ATM break-in," he told PTI.
The case was registered at Umiam police station under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
According to police, the gang used gas cutters to break open the ATM safe and fled with the cash within minutes.
"The group is part of a larger network involved in similar ATM thefts across different states. Further investigation is underway to dismantle the entire network," the SP added.
