QAhmedabad: Surat Gets 18 Inches of Rain; Cops Bust Auto Gang

Here is your round-up of the top stories from Ahmedabad.

IAF Helicopter flies low to rescue people stranded in the floods in Surat.

(Photo: PTI)

1. Surat: 18 Inches of Rain in Mangrol; Kim River Breaches Banks

After 18 inches of rainfall battered Mangrol taluka in Surat over 24 hours till 6am Monday, the district grappled with flood-like situation with the Kim river overflowing on both banks. Train services remained suspended, educational institutions were closed and industrial units remained shut.

Over 1,600 people from 10 villages in Mangrol taluka and two villages in Olpad taluka were rescued and shifted to temporary shelters. The Dakshin Gujarat Vij Company has started work to restore power supply in villages that were flooded. Majority of the affected villages are in Luvara and Kosadi.

The water level in Kim river in Mangrol taluka rose to 14.2 feet, against the danger level of 13 feet, inundating Luvara, Kosadi, Siyalaj, Kuwarda, hathoda, Palod, Kothwa, Pipodara, Mota Borsara, Nana Borsara, and Moti Naroli villages.

(Source: The Indian Express)

2. City Cops Bust Auto Gang That Robbed People on Way, 4 Arrested

Ahmedabad crime branch on Tuesday, 6 August, arrested members of an auto gang who were involved in 39 cases across the state. The gang used to steal valuables from people who would board their autorickshaw for a ride.

Four people, including a woman, have been arrested in the case. The accused were identified as Ravi Taritiya (23), Rajesh Parmar (27), Sham Navadiya (22) and Sonal Navadiya (22). During interrogation, it was revealed that the accused would target passengers wearing gold ornaments.

Sonal along with one of the accused would pose as a passenger to make unsuspecting citizens assume that it is a share autorickshaw. Once the passenger boards the auto, one of the accused would diver the latter while the other would rob her by cutting ornaments with a cutter.

(Source: DNA)

3. Rains Give a Fresh Lease of Life to Kharif Crops

A fortnight ago, Kharif sowing in the state came to a grinding halt due to deficit rains across the state. As the dry spell continued, farmers feared possible crop damage. However, incessant rains for the past 11 days have washed down the fears of farmers who are hoping for a good yield.

Over 510 mm rains during the last 11 days had proved to be a blessing for the agriculture sector which was reeling under a threat of drought till the third week of July. According to the department of Agriculture, so far over 63 lakh hectare land had been sown across the state. With a forecast of more rains ahead, Kharif acreage will get a major boost.

While the onset of monsoon in the state was delayed, rains in the aftermath of Vayu cyclone had compensated for lack of the deficit. By the end of June, the state had received 104 mm rains, according to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC). Widespread rains had prompted farmers to sow the crops. However, it was followed by a long dry spell.

(Source: DNA)

4. Gujarat High Court Commutes Death to 25 Yrs in Prison for Rapist-Killer

The Gujarat High Court on Tuesday, 6 August, saved a man, Dinesh Vasava, from the gallows and sent him to 25 years in prison instead for raping an eight-year-old girl and throwing her in a well in 2014 in Aravalli district. The direction came from the division bench of Justice HN Devani and Justice VB Mayani which clarified that the man would not be able to avail the benefit of remission during his jail term.

The division bench quashed and set aside the death penalty awarded to Vasava by a sessions court in Modasa in September 2018, remarking that the case did not fall within the rarest of the rare category. The state government had moved the high court for confirmation of the death penalty awarded by the lower court.

As per the case details, the minor girl was playing outside her house in Aravalli district, when Vasava lured her with money. He also offered her to buy something from the nearby pan kiosk. Thereafter, the girl was taken to a nearby field and raped. In haste, Vasava killed her by throwing her in a nearby well.

(Source: DNA)

5. FIR Lodged After Fake ‘Terror Attack on Temple’ Video Goes Viral

Police on Monday, 5 August, lodged an FIR against unknown persons after a video of a mock drill conducted by the cops inside Ambaji temple of Banaskantha was widely shared on social media claiming it to be a “terrorist attack”.

K S Chaudhary, police inspector at Ambaji police station, said that the video is actually of a mock drill conducted in March this year by the Local Crime Branch (LCB), Banaskantha Police.

“The mock drill video has been edited to mislead people. The drill was conducted by the LCB on 31 March this year as part of the security arrangements during the then ongoing Lok Sabha elections. It seems that a person or a group of persons intentionally edited the video and shared it on social media to create tension. I appeal to people to not share any such misleading videos on social media,” said Chaudhary.

(Source: The Indian Express)