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

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

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

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.

NEWS TODAY 03.09.2026

Nepal flash floods: 220 of 350 Tamils safe, efforts are on to trace others, Advocate-General tells HC

Nepal flash floods: 220 of 350 Tamils safe, efforts are on to trace others, Advocate-General tells HC

Security personnel and others at an army base camp during a rescue and relief operation in Rasuwa district, Nepal. PTI

Mohamed Imranullah S.

CHENNAI. 03.09.2026

Advocate-General (A-G) Vijay Narayan on Wednesday told the Madras High Court that 220 out of 350 Tamils reportedly stranded in Nepal following flash floods were safe, and that the State government had provided free air tickets for the return of a few, besides issuing air tickets to Kathmandu for the relatives of others who were missing.

Appearing before the first Division Bench of Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan, the A-G said that a total of 305 Tamils had travelled to Nepal from Tamil Nadu, and another 45 Tamils (36 from other countries and nine from other States) had gone there from elsewhere. He said 220 of them were reported safe, as of 6 p.m. on September 1.

The A-G said 57 people, including retired Madras High Court judge V. Sivagnanam, had gone to Nepal on a spiritual tour via Super Yatra Travels in Kumbakonam. Twenty-one of them had been rescued, while the remaining 36 were unreachable. The brother of a missing woman named Tiripurasundari was issued a free air ticket to Kathmandu, and he had provided a sample for DNA testing (to help identify his missing sister), he said.

Similarly, air tickets at the government’s expense had been provided to three more persons, including the retired judge’s son, S. Gnanasambandam. Three officials from the Tamil Nadu House in New Delhi had been stationed in Kathmandu to provide assistance in tracing the missing Tamils, and a help centre set up by the Tamil Nadu government had received 2,336 calls so far, the A-G said.

He said all 150 persons who had gone on a spiritual tour through Aathma Yoga, a tour operator, had returned to their native places in Tamil Nadu. As for the 39 others who had gone on the Kailash Yatra through Ideal Tours and Trekking, all of them had reached New Delhi between August 30 and September 1, and had proceeded to their native places after being received by Minister for Non-Resident Tamils Welfare K. Thennarasu, the A-G said.

Efforts were continuing through the Indian Embassy to contact 49 Tamils who had gone on a tour through Mahadev Kailash Yatra Travels, Chennai. Further, of the 10 other persons who were reported missing through the helplines, five have reached Tamil Nadu. One of them, Abhishek of the Nilgiris district, was provided a free air ticket from Nepal to Coimbatore, he added.

The other five Tamils had gone to Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, and had decided to return to Tamil Nadu a few days later, he said. “The State government has been making continuous efforts to trace the missing Tamils and bring them back safely,” the A-G said in response to a public interest litigation petition filed by an advocate, seeking the rescue of all the Tamils, including the retired judge.

After taking note of the A-G’s submissions, the judges directed the Centre and the State government to file a further status report after a week.

Class 9 student dies after suspected heart attack in school

Class 9 student dies after suspected heart attack in school 

03.09.2026

Mandya: A 14-year-old student died after reportedly suffering a heart attack during lunch break at SCMM High School in Somanahalli village of Maddur taluk Wednesday. The deceased is Veeramani, who was staying with his grandparents while his parents were residing in Tamil Nadu. According to school authorities, the incident occurred during lunch break when Veeramani suddenly collapsed while drinking water. He was a class 9 student at the school. Teachers immediately rushed him to Maddur Public Hospital in a school vehicle, where he was provided first aid. 

As his condition was critical, doctors advised that he be shifted to Mandya MIMS Hospital for further treatment. However, doctors at MIMS confirmed that the boy had died. Dhananjay, BEO, Maddur, confirmed the death of Veeramani and mentioned that the student was very active in school. The news of Veeramani’s death left his parents and relatives devastated, with the family mourning outside MIMS hospital. Maddur police have registered a case and are conducting an inquiry into the incident. tnn Lunch-hour tragedy

First transwoman to be a TNSTC bus conductor says it’s a dream ticket

First transwoman to be a TNSTC bus conductor says it’s a dream ticket

Subburaj.A@timesofindia.com 03.09.2026

Coimbatore: Breaking deep-rooted societal barriers with quiet determination, C Vinodhini, 25, has become the first transwoman bus conductor to serve with Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC), in Coimbatore. Fulfilling a long-cherished childhood ambition after navigating years of adversity, she is now a familiar, welcoming face aboard Coimbatore city buses. 

A native of Palani in Dindigul district, Vinodhini studied up to Class X before social stigma and rejection over her gender identity forced her to leave her house. Relocating to Coimbatore eight years ago, she found shelter and solidarity living with members of the transgender community at Selvapuram. To sustain herself, she took up odd jobs over the years, working primarily as a cook and driver, but never abandoned her dream of joining the state transport sector. Her efforts bore fruit when she completed training and obtained a conductor’s licence nearly 18 months ago. 

Last month, TNSTC brought her on board as a temporary conductor, assigning her to bustling local services. Commuters and colleagues have embraced her presence, praising her efficiency, punctuality and warm demeanour. Rather than facing prejudice, Vinodhini said passengers treat her with respect and dignity. Expressing gratitude to depot officials for their encouragement, she now hopes that state govt would step in to secure her future. “As of now, I am working as a temporary employee with TNSTC. If the govt makes my post permanent, it will not only secure my livelihood but also inspire many more from the transgender community to come forward and join the govt sector,” she said.