Senior IAS officer arrested for raping, molesting minor girls

Pune, Mar 20: An Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer was arrested in Pune for allegedly raping a minor girl and sexually assaulting three others.

According to police, Maruti H Sawant, the 58-year-old director general of Maharashtra council of agricultural education and research, was a frequent visitor to his father-in-law's apartment on Sinhgad road, where the alleged assaults took place. They alleged Sawant used to lure girls, who used to come to play in the parking lot of the apartment, by offering money, biscuits and chocolates.

“Shocked at the incident, the school counsellor immediately informed the head mistress, who in turned took the help of the local BJP corporator Srikant Jagtap. Jagtap and his wife immediately informed police,” said inspector Balwant Kashid of Sinhgad station.

Though only four girls have come forward till now, the police suspect that the officer might have assaulted more.

Sawant, who was promoted to IAS in 1998, was taken to Sassoon hospital for medical examination after arrest. He is a resident of Shivaji nagar area.

Sawant has been charged under sections 376 (rape), 354 (molestation), section 6, 8, 10 of protection of children from sexual offences Act and section 67 of Information Technology Act under the Indian Penal Code.

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

Air India Express brings back Mangaluru–Muscat direct flights from March 2026

News Network

December 15,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 15: Air India Express has announced that it will resume direct flight services between Mangaluru and Muscat from March 2026, restoring an important international air link for passengers from the coastal region.

Airport authorities said the service will operate twice a week—on Sundays and Tuesdays—from March 1. The initial flights are scheduled on March 3, 8 and 10, followed by March 15 and 17, with the same operating pattern to continue thereafter. The flight duration is approximately three hours and 25 minutes.

The Mangaluru–Muscat route was earlier operated under the 2025 summer schedule, with services beginning on July 14. At that time, Air India Express had operated four flights a week before suspending the service.

Officials said the summer schedule will come into effect from March 29, after which changes in flight timings and departure schedules from Mangaluru are expected. Passengers have been advised to check the latest schedules while planning their travel.

The resumption of direct flights to Muscat is expected to significantly benefit expatriates, business travellers and others, further strengthening Mangaluru’s air connectivity with the Gulf region.

Comments