Man booked for forcing tribal labourer to work at his brick kiln in Palghar

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A case has been registered against a brick kiln owner for allegedly forcing a 23-year-old tribal labourer to work for him in Maharashtra's Palghar district, police said on Friday, reported PTI.

The accused was booked under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act following a complaint by the labourer, a member of the Katkari community, an official said, reported PTI.

According to police, the complainant started working at the brick kiln in October 2025 after accepting an advance payment of Rs 20,000 and later received another Rs 40,000 in instalments, reported PTI.

After he was sanctioned a house under a government scheme, he sought permission to return to his village to begin construction work. However, the accused allegedly threatened him and forced him to continue working till February this year, the official said.

Police said the labourer later approached Shramjeevi Sanghatana, whose activists pursued the matter with the authorities, ensuring that the accused was booked for wrongful restraint, criminal intimidation and intentional insult, reported PTI.

Thane police nab two women for stealing ornaments from bus passengers, in public places

In another case, the Thane Crime Branch has arrested two women for allegedly stealing gold ornaments from citizens and solved nine such cases with the recovery of jewellery worth Rs 37.19 lakh, an official said on Friday, reported PTI.

Senior Inspector Sachin Gaikwad of Crime Unit-I said the accused targeted elderly commuters and passengers on crowded buses, reported PTI.

The latest case came to light after a 72-year-old woman recently approached the police, saying a gold-encrusted purse was stolen from her bag when she was travelling by bus from Kharegaon Naka to Ozone Valley bus stop in Thane.

A team examined CCTV footage from the area and gathered information about the suspects, he said. "Acting on technical inputs and surveillance, the Crime Branch team arrested the two accused women on May 7," Gaikwad said, reported PTI.

The accused were identified as Sangeeta Dashrath Peethkar (45) and Surekha Bajrang Gaikwad (47), both residents of Mumbai's Mulund, which is located adjacent to Thane, reported PTI.

Police said the two women are involved in nine theft offences. Gold ornaments collectively valued at Rs 37.19 lakh have been recovered from the duo, said police, adding that further investigation is underway.

(With inputs from PTI)