Five held for assaulting Mumbai civic body team during anti-hawker drive

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Five persons were arrested on Saturday for allegedly assaulting civic officials during an anti-hawker drive in Kandivali area of Mumbai a day before, police said, reported news agency PTI.

A team of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials was evicting illegal street vendors in the Lokhandwala Circle area on Friday night when some individuals allegedly chased and assaulted them. A video of the incident has gone viral, reported PTI.

Police said the driver of an earthmover machine deployed for the anti-encroachment drive was also assaulted by the mob.

Following the incident, a case was registered at Samta Nagar police station under relevant sections of the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) and five persons were arrested.

They are identified as Kuldeep Singh (27), Mahendra Singh Chudavat (31), Shaurya Shailesh Charla (29), Jas Hitesh Charla (25) and Aslam Imtiaz Shaikh (27), reported PTI.

Maharashtra state tax deputy commissioner, aide held for Rs 20 lakh bribery; one official on the run

In another case, the deputy commissioner of state tax (GST) and a private individual were arrested on Friday for allegedly seeking and accepting a bribe of Rs 20 lakh in Nashik, a Maharashtra Anti Corruption Bureau official said, reported PTI.

He identified the arrested persons as deputy commissioner of state tax (GST) Somnath Dattu Paage (47) and private individual Amit Hiraman Jadhav (36). Machhindra Vitthal Donde (55), assistant commissioner of state tax (GST) is currently wanted in the case, he added, reported PTI.

"Paage and Donde had conducted a raid at the complainant's office in Nashik and allegedly demanded Rs 1.25 crore to avoid action under GST provisions. The amount was later negotiated down to Rs 1 crore. Unwilling to pay the bribe, the complainant approached the ACB office in Mumbai and filed a complaint on Sunday," he said, reported PTI.

Based on the complaint, the ACB laid a trap at the complainant's office in Nashik and caught Jadhav red-handed while accepting Rs 20 lakh as the first instalment of the bribe, the official said.

"A search at Paage's office led to seizure of Rs 2 lakh cash and mobile phones. The two have been arrested under Prevention of Corruption Act," he said.

(With inputs from PTI)