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Friday, September 4, 2026

NEWS TODAY 04.09.2026

2 students flying out to Russia from Mumbai for MBBS report Rs 6.5 lakh theft from bags; FIR registered

TNN | Sep 3, 2026, 07.53 AM IST

MUMBAI: Sahar police registered two FIRs against unidentified persons on Aug 31 after two Indian students pursuing MBBS in Russia reported US dollars equivalent to Rs 6.5 lakh stolen from their bags.

The two travelled to Russian cities on separate flights from Mumbai on Aug 26 and 27. Police said these were the first theft cases involving international flights and have sought CCTV footage and details of airline ground staff at Mumbai airport.

The families of the students said the cash, arranged through savings and loans, was meant for college fees and annual expenses.

Priya Gavai (22) of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar reported $2,000, equivalent to around Rs 1.96 lakh, missing from her cabin bag after reaching Cairo on an EgyptAir flight to Moscow. Her mother, Seema Ingle (46), a schoolteacher, said airline staff had asked Gavai to place her purse in the cabin bag. She later handed it to a crew member because cabin storage space was unavailable. At Cairo airport, she found the lock broken and the currency missing.

Ingle alleged airline staff were involved and said the airline had declined responsibility or reimbursement. She had saved money from her salary and borrowed Rs 2 lakh from a friend for her daughter’s fourth-year MBBS fees and expenses.

In the second case, Sanika Rampurkar (19) of Ratnagiri reported $4,625, equivalent to around Rs 4.5 lakh, stolen while travelling to Adler on an Etihad Airways flight. Her flight, scheduled to travel via Abu Dhabi, was diverted to Istanbul.

She reached Adler on Aug 27 but received her cabin and luggage bags on Aug 28. She found 46 $100 notes, one $20 note and one $5 note missing. Her father, Sachin Rampurkar (49), also a schoolteacher, said the money had been arranged through loans and savings for her medical college fees and annual expenses in Russia.

A senior police officer said baggage theft investigations face logistical blind spots, including cargo loading and transit areas without direct camera surveillance. Reliance on outsourced loaders and third-party ground staff also makes identifying suspects difficult. Police suspect baggage scanning or handling staff may alert thieves about bags containing cash or gold.

A Sahar police officer said they have sought details of the CCTV footage from both airlines at Mumbai airport when the passengers’ bags were scanned before loading into flight cargo sections. “Details of the ground staffs are sought to question to find involvement of them in the thefts,” the officer told TOI.

National Dental Commission directs institutes to ensure 80 percent mandatory attendance for MDS students appearing for final exams

Medical dialogues

Written By : Divyani PaulPublished On 3 Sept 2026 4:30 PM | Updated On 3 Sept 2026 6:59 PM

New Delhi: The National Dental Commission (NDC) has directed all dental colleges and institutions conducting the Master of Dental Surgery (MDS) programmes to strictly enforce a minimum 80 percent attendance requirement for postgraduate dental students seeking to appear in the final examination.

In a circular, the Under-Graduate and Post-Graduate Dental Education Board said the prescribed attendance threshold is an essential eligibility condition for appearing in the final MDS examination.

"All Dental Colleges/Institutions conducting MDS programmes are hereby directed to strictly ensure compliance with the prescribed minimum attendance requirement of 80% for all MDS students as an essential eligibility condition for appearing in the final examination," the notice stated.

As per the ND, the Head of the Institution/Dean/Principal shall be responsible for ensuring the following-

1 No MDS student having less than the prescribed 80% attendance shall be permitted, recommended or certified as eligible to appear in the final examination.

2 Attendance records of all MDS students shall be properly maintained, verified and authenticated by the concerned Department and the Head of the Institution.

3 Accurate and duly verified attendance certificates/statements shall be issued by the Institution for the purpose of determining examination eligibility.

"Any Dental College/Institution found permitting or certifying an MDS student who does not fulfil the prescribed minimum 80% attendance requirement to appear in the final examination shall be liable for appropriate regulatory action under the provisions of the National Dental Commission Act, applicable regulations and rules," it said.

The Institutions are advised to exercise due diligence in verifying attendance and examination eligibility before forwarding the examination forms or issuing eligibility certification.

Further, the examination conducting authority of the affiliating University is cautioned not to accept examination forms of students with less than 80% attendance in the MDS Course.

All concerned institutions and universities have been directed to strictly comply with these instructions.

HC junks govt plea against increment order to disabled govt employee

Siddharth Pandey & Ashutosh Shuklatnn 04.09.2026

Jabalpur/Bhopal: A division bench of Madhya Pradesh high court refused to interfere with a single-judge bench order, directing the state to grant an increment due to a specially abled govt employee, regardless of her failing to clear a typing test.

The order came on a writ petition filed by the govt, challenging the single-bench ruling on the contention that the grant of increment in this case may set a precedent for other employees to demand a similar raise in pay without having the requisite qualification.

Dismissing the state’s contention, the division bench of Justice Vivek Rusia, the acting Chief Justice, and Justice Pavan Kumar Dwivedi, in its August 21 order, said the apprehension of the grant of increment setting an unhealthy precedent was ‘absolutely baseless’, as the case of petitioner Sanju Yadav and 24 more specially abled employees was reconsidered by the govt through an order on April 15, 1999, as a special case for granting compassionate appointment, relaxing all conditions. “Once such sensitivity and compassion was shown at the time of appointment, it is highly improbable on the part of the state government to deny the benefit of increment on account of not passing the typing examination,” the bench ruled.

The judges noted that the petitioner was ‘highly qualified’, possessing an MSc degree (first division) and a BEd degree from Jiwaji University, adding that with the passage of time, the govt itself has done away with the requirement of passing a typing test, as typewriters have come to be replaced by computers. “We find no merit in the present writ appeal. The same is, accordingly, dismissed,” the bench ruled, junking the plea.