Pune youth gets 18-month jail term for arson

A jilted lover who threatened a 24-year-old woman and burnt two two-wheelers parked in the parking space of her residence, has been sentenced to 18 months’ simple imprisonment by additional session judge DR Mahajan. 

Pravin Ashok Barate (28), a resident of Keshavnagar in Chinchwad, was arrested by Chinchwad police on July 15, 2009. Pravin is a computer engineer and was in love with his colleague.

However, she turned down his proposal and he issued threats to her before burning her vehicle. The vehicle of her neighbour was also gutted. 

According to the prosecution, the victim had even changed her job due to Barate’s harassment but he called her up on July 8, 2009 and issued a threat of dire consequences if she did not marry him.

On the next day, he called her and asked her to meet him. When she went to meet him in the parking space of her house with her cousin, she found her scooter and her neighbour’s two-wheeler burning. Barate was standing in a corner and was smiling. The total damage to the two vehicles was to the tune of Rs75,000.  

Soon after the chargesheet, the accused submitted his bail application which was rejected by the court. Additional public prosecutor SB Patil examined 10 prosecution witnesses in the case.

Pump staffer held for cheating
A petrol pump attendant was arrested by Shivajinagar police for allegedly misappropriating cash to the tune of Rs5.8 lakh.
The suspect was identified as Devendra alias Ajay Shyam Parmar (33), a resident of Patil Estate.

Bharat Devji Sangoi (55) lodged a complainant at Shivajinagar police station against him for breach of trust and cheating.

Pandurang Patil, inspector in-charge of Shivajinagar police station told DNA, “Parmar works at Sangoi service station, Ganeshkhind for the last 15 years as attendant. The suspect was given
the duty of depositing the money collected from petrocard recharges from August 2010 till February 2012.

“During audit it was noticed that the suspect had misappropriated the money for personal use and when questioned, he stopped coming to the petrol pump.”

On Sunday, the suspect was produced before a judicial magistrate (first class) and was remanded in police custody for three days.