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Hans India
2 days ago
- Hans India
Gadwal Police Crack Rs 15 Lakh Cigarette Theft Case: Two Held, One Absconding
Gadwal: In a swift and coordinated investigation, the Jogulamba Gadwal district police successfully solved a major theft case involving cigarette cartons worth approximately ₹15 lakhs. Two suspects have been arrested while one remains absconding. Authorities also seized a Maruti Eeco van and two mobile phones used in the crime. Case Background: On July 12, 2025, B. Vinay Kumar, aged 42, a businessman and resident of Venkatapuram village in Aiza Mandal, lodged a complaint at the Aiza Police Station. He reported that he has been running the "Jayalakshmi Agency" for the past two years. On the night of July 11, 2025, around 9:00 PM, he locked his shop and returned home. The next morning, one of his employees, Shiva, informed him over the phone that the shop locks had been broken and several cigarette cartons were missing. Upon rushing to the shop, Vinay Kumar discovered that approximately 20 cigarette carton boxes were stolen, valued at around ₹18 lakhs. Following the complaint, a case was registered under Crime No. 147/2025, Sections 331/4 and 305 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). As per orders from senior officers, a special investigation team was formed under the supervision of Shantinagar Circle Inspector Tata Babu. Accused Details: A1: Ratan Lal, S/o Poor Ram, Age: 42, Profession: Catering worker, Resident of Bithula village, Pali district, Rajasthan. A2: Birbal Biplai, S/o Sogaram, Profession: Agriculture, Resident of Jalore district, Rajasthan (Absconding). A3: Jaglish, S/o Mangilal, Age: 25, Profession: Welding worker, Resident of Gundev village, Jalore district, Rajasthan. Modus Operandi: The investigation revealed that Ratan Lal (A1) and Birbal (A2) are close friends with a history of theft and previous imprisonments. A2 and A3 are also related as father-in-law and son-in-law. The trio conspired to commit another theft to make quick money. They travelled from Belgaum in a Maruti Suzuki Eeco van (KA22P-4306) registered in Birbal's name and arrived in Aiza town, Jogulamba Gadwal district. After conducting reconnaissance, they identified Jayalakshmi Agency as a viable target due to its cigarette stock and isolated location. They returned to Raichur to plan the heist. On the night of July 11, 2025, around 10:00 PM, the trio returned to Aiza. By early morning (around 2:40 AM on July 12), they reached the agency. Birbal stayed inside the van to keep watch while Ratan Lal (A1) approached the shop and turned the CCTV camera away to avoid being recorded. A1 and A3 then broke into the adjacent house using a metal rod, entered the kitchen room where the cigarette cartons were stored, and transported the boxes to their van. They fled the scene via interior routes to Raichur. To avoid suspicion, Birbal took two Wave-brand and two Bristol-brand cigarette cartons to Belgaum to sell for daily expenses. While A1 and A3 were moving around Raichur in the Eeco van, the police tracked and apprehended them. Seized Items: 1. Cigarette cartons worth ₹15 lakhs. 2. Maruti Suzuki Eeco van (KA22P-4306). 3. Two mobile phones (Samsung and Oppo). Police Action: Following the directions of Jogulamba Gadwal District SP Sri T. Srinivasa Rao, IPS, and under the direct supervision of DSP Y. Mogilayya, a special task force led by CI Tata Babu (Shantinagar) and SI Srinivas Rao (Aiza) was deployed. The team successfully apprehended A1 and A3 in Raichur on July 21, 2025, at 5:30 PM. The stolen items and vehicle were recovered during the arrests. Birbal (A2) is still absconding, and police are actively pursuing leads to arrest him soon. Commendation: District SP T. Srinivasa Rao praised the outstanding efforts of the investigation team, including SI Srinivas Rao (Aiza), SI Sukur (IT Cell), HC Ranjith (HC-1906), PC A.Y. Prasad (PC-2520), PC-813, PC-1030, HG-138, and other IT Cell staff. Their teamwork and dedication led to the swift resolution of the case. This successful operation once again highlights the commitment and efficiency of the Jogulamba Gadwal police in maintaining law and order and ensuring justice for victims of crime.
Indian Express
10-07-2025
- General
- Indian Express
‘Left with nothing…': In Vadodara village, a household struggles to understand how ‘entire family' was wiped off in seconds
On the dusty path leading to the home of the Padhiyar family in Mujpur village of Vadodara district, an unsettling quiet hangs in the air on Thursday afternoon. The silence is broken intermittently by the wails of women grieving the loss of six members, including two children, of the family — all of whom met a watery grave when a slab of the kilometre-long Mujpur-Gambhira bridge over River Mahisagar collapsed around 7.30am on Wednesday. The video of a distraught and helpless Sonal Padhiyar (45) crying for help to rescue her loved ones became a defining image of the tragedy that struck unsuspecting commuters. Sonal's husband Ramesh (45) and children Vedika (4) and Naitik (2) died in the accident. Also among the dead were Ramesh's brothers-in-law Vakhatsinh Jadav (47) and Hasmukh Parmar (50), and Parmar's son-in-law Pravin Jadav (25). Inside the house, grieving relatives surround Sonal who, with a bandaged arm, struggles to wipe away her tears before breaking down again. Discharged from the hospital on Thursday, she limps with the help of two relatives before sinking to the ground, crying out, 'How will I live this life with this pain? How will I survive this? My son is gone, my husband is gone… my daughter is gone.' From their home in Dariyapura in Mujpur, the family had set out in their Eeco car for a pilgrimage to Bagdana in Bhavnagar to mark Guru Purnima as well as to 'fulfill a vow' (Badha) for the birth of Naitik – born after four older sisters. They had only travelled about five kilometers before the vehicle fell into the river along with two trucks, a pick-up van, an autorickshaw, and a few other two-wheelers. Ramesh, a contractual employee of IPCA in Padra taluka, was at the wheel when a segment of the bridge gave way and the vehicle fell into the swelling Mahisagar River. Sonal was the only one in the car who survived. Ramesh's father Ravjibhai, 72, is still struggling to understand how his 'entire family was finished' in a matter of seconds. 'He (Ramesh) was my only son… his son (Naitik) was born after several years of prayers and longing…' Ravjibhai says his wife has been hospitalised due to shock. 'I am feeling such a pain that I cannot describe but I cannot even weep… My daughter-in-law is injured and numb,' he says before breaking off. Admitted to SSG hospital on Wednesday, Sonal was brought home on Thursday to complete the last rites of her husband and children. 'We are taking her back to the hospital as she is injured and also in great discomfort. She needs healing,' says Arjun Padhiyar, Ramesh's cousin. Arjun says the tragedy has 'taken away everything' from the family. 'Six of our family members, including two children and four male members, have died. Ramesh has left behind three daughters between the ages of three and six… How will Sonal look after them alone? Vakhatsinh and Hasmukhlal were married to Ramesh's sisters. Vakhatsinh has five daughters and a son while Hasmukhlal has two daughters and a son. One of his daughters was recently married to Pravinsinh, who has also been killed. They all worked as farm labourers.' Arjun says he is worried about Ramesh's father now. 'My uncle has suffered two heart attacks recently. We are worried for him…' he adds. On the compensation for the deceased, he says, 'The state government has announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh per victim. Compare that with the compensation that was announced for the victims of the air crash (Air India 171) last month… It means that the lives of poor people do not matter…' The family cannot help but express anger at the 'negligence' of the administration. Says Ravjibhai, 'Our district Panchayat members had been writing letters since 2021, when the bridge developed the first big cracks. His warnings were ignored… We all knew that the bridge needed repairs but we never imagined that tragedy would strike in such a way and that too, in our home… We are left with nothing; my family is finished.' Even as villagers and acquaintances of the family continue to pour in to express their grief, Ravjibhai says he does not want the government compensation. 'What will I do with it? My daughters have been widowed, my only son is gone. My granddaughter has been widowed… The two minor grandchildren are lost. If the government has to give me something, let them give me my family back. I do not want anything else… How long will we survive on the compensation money without our family…?'
Scroll.in
10-07-2025
- Scroll.in
Toll in Vadodara bridge collapse rises to 13, Gujarat CM orders inquiry
The toll due to the bridge collapse in Vadodara rose to 13 on Thursday, and rescue operations are underway, ANI reported. The collapse of the 43-year-old bridge, which took place on Wednesday morning, led to several vehicles falling into the Mahisagar river. Five persons have been rescued from the site till now, the news agency quoted Surender Singh, Commandant of the 6th Battalion of the National Disaster Response Force, as saying. Two trucks, an Eeco van, a pickup truck and an auto-rickshaw had fallen into the river on Wednesday. Three members of a family – Ramesh Padhiyar, Vedika Padhiyar and Naitaik Padhiyar – are among those who died, The Indian Express reported. All of them were travelling in the Eeco van. The newspaper quoted Sonal Padhiyar, the sole survivor from the vehicle, as saying: 'We fell in a matter of seconds. Before we could even realise what happened, the vehicle had hit the water and was being pulled into the river.' Three other victims of the bridge collapse have been identified as Hasmukh Parmar, Vakhatsinh Jadav and Pravin Jadav. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel ordered an inquiry by the Roads and Building Department into the collapse, The Indian Express reported. The kin of those who died will receive Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund and Rs 4 lakh from the state government. Those injured will be given Rs 50,000 each from both the central and state funds. Vadodara Superintendent of Police Rohan Anand has said that a case of accidental death has been registered and that the probe will begin after the rescue operations end. 'We will also seek an inquiry report from the District Collector,' Anand told The Indian Express. The collapse The accident took place at about 7.30 am on Wednesday when a 10-metre to 15-metre long slab between two piers of the 900-metre Gambhira bridge, connecting Vadodara and Anand districts, collapsed. The bridge was inaugurated in 1985. The bridge in the Padra taluka was a key connector between Central Gujarat and Saurashtra.
Indian Express
10-07-2025
- General
- Indian Express
Bodies under concrete slab, truck hanging precariously above: What rescue personnel at Vadodara bridge collapse site are up against
As first responders and rescue personnel sift through the debris of the bridge collapse in Vadodara to pull out bodies, retrieve vehicles, and, on the off chance, find survivors, their eyes keep darting above every few minutes. The object of their attention, and concern, is a truck sticking out precariously over the section of the bridge that collapsed on Wednesday morning, killing at least 12 people. Its front wheels and bumper balanced on the cross beam of the bridge atop a pillar, its middle section and axles hanging in the air, and its back wheels just barely holding on to the section of the road where the slab break occurred, the eight-wheeled vehicle hung like Damocles' Sword – right above the spot where first responders, including local residents and boatmen, were rushing to save people and retrieve the bodies from the Mahisagar river. As the day wore on, it was this truck under which emergency crews also worked, trying to retrieve as many bodies as they could before sundown. Nikunj Azaad, a Station Fire Officer (STO) with the Vadodara Fire and Emergency Services (VFES), one of two senior officers directing operations, told The Indian Express, 'The driver of the hanging truck has been rescued but we cannot move the vehicle because of fears that it may fall or something else may come loose.' Azaad said the fire control department received a call about the disaster between 7.30am and 8 am and two emergency crews reached the spot shortly after, beginning rescue operations on a boat. 'Most of the survivors had been pulled out of the water and we began the search for bodies,' he said. When the first responders reached the site of the tragedy in Padra taluka of Vadodara, on the edge of Anand district, their main job was to ensure that all the bodies were retrieved, and some amount of closure given to the families of the deceased. This work was still underway late on Wednesday evening when The Indian Express spoke to emergency and disaster crews. Surendra Singh, Commandant of the 6th Battalion of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), which is stationed in Waghodia area of Vadodara, said, 'We got a call from SEOC (State Emergency Operation Centre) around 8.50 am and we immediately dispatched a team to the bridge-collapse site. When I reached there, I realised one team wasn't enough. So, we deployed another one.' The fire department coordinated with the NDRF, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Vadodara Rural Police and the Vadodara Collectorate, along with personnel from Anand District, to move the heavy vehicles and slabs of the bridge to reach the bodies. Among the first bodies to be retrieved were those from the Eeco car in which 46-year-old Sonal Ramesh Padhiyar was travelling with her family to Bagdana in Bhavnagar to mark Guru Purnima. Sonal is the only one in her family to have survived the tragedy. Azaad said, 'In the Eeco car, we found the bodies of a boy and a girl, and two adult men, which we retrieved. Then we moved to the other vehicles.' Azad said the personnel found two more bodies under a slab of the bridge. 'One had a shoulder and the other had a leg stuck under the slab. We could not reach them until we moved the slab,' said Azaad in the evening as daylight was fading over the crash site. Shortly after, field halogen lights were ordered and lit up across the site. Standing at the bottom of the bridge on the bank of the Mahisagar, NDRF Commandant Singh, who was directing the operations, said, 'We have retrieved two bodies. It was a difficult job as the bodies were stuck under the slab of the bridge. We ordered an 80-tonne crane to remove the slab and a truck lying on top in order to reach the bodies.' Firefighters estimate that the depth of the Mahisagar in the middle is around 10 feet. This middle section is where the slab had collapsed, making it not only difficult for emergency crews to manoeuver the vehicles that have fallen into the river, but also move them to the banks to check if there were bodies underneath them. While the Eeco car, an auto rickshaw and a pickup truck had been moved closer to the banks in shallow water by evening, the cranes had just begun to move the trucks when last reports came in. 'We are trying to retrieve the vehicles, including light vehicles and trucks, and attempting to move the slabs. We retrieved one truck but two are still in the water. The height and angles of the vehicles are making it (retrieving them) a very difficult proposition,' said Commandant Singh. Apart from the heavy vehicles, the personnel said they had spotted a bike inside the river but were uncertain if there were more bodies. 'We will know more only when we have moved all the debris,' said Singh, as he walked on towards his waiting personnel, trying to direct the lifting of a truck lying atop the fallen slab. Asked how long the operations were likely to continue, Azaad said, 'It's going to be a long night.'
Time of India
09-07-2025
- Time of India
On Guru Purnima pilgrimage, woman loses husband, two kids
Vadodara: What began as a religious trip to the famous pilgrimage town of Bagdana in Amreli district turned into an unimaginable tragedy for Sonal Padhiyar and her family from Mujpur village where the tragedy unfolded. She lost her husband, son and daughter after the van in which they were travelling plunged into the river. " Like every year, we were all going to Bagdana on Guru Purnima, which falls on Thursday. We were sitting in an Eeco car when the bridge suddenly collapsed. I was sitting in the back. A truck came crashing down on the front of our car and those sitting in the front couldn't escape," recalled Sonal, her voice trembling. "I somehow broke the rear window and got out. I kept screaming for help, but no one came for nearly an hour. I lost my husband, my four-year-old daughter Vaidika, and my two-year-old son Naitik. I don't know what I will do now without them," she said, overcome with grief.
