The Dindoshi Police in Mumbai arrested a 51-year-old plumbing supervisor of Raheja Tower for alleged death of two individuals due to negligence, the police said on Thursday. The deceased were identified as Raghu Solanki and Javed Shaikh, 35, another individual, identified as Akib Shaikh,19, was admitted in the hospital after being injured in the incident. His condition was critical, the officials said. According to the officials, the incident occurred on Wednesday evening, involving drowning of Solanki, Shaikh, Akib while they were cleaning a drain sewer on the premises of Raheja Tower in Malad East area of Mumbai. The Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB) responded to the emergency situation and the trio stranded in the drain were rescued. They were later shifted to the Hinduhridaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Trauma Care Hospital in Jogeshwari East. Solanki and Shaikh were declared dead before the admission at the hospital while Akib was unconscious and his condition was critical, he is undergoing treatment, the officials said. "We have registered a case under sections 304 (a), 336, and 338 of the IPC and booked the supervisor identified as Manohar Nadar. He was arrested and he was produced before the court on Thursday," said Senior Inspector Irfan Shaikh of Dindoshi Police Station.
25 April,2024 08:24 PM IST | Mumbai | Samiullah KhanThe Mumbai Crime Branch arrested two members of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang who had allegedly supplied guns to the shooters involved in Salman Khan firing case, the official sources said on Thursday. The suspects were identified as Sonu Subhash Chander (37), a farmer, and Anuj Thapan (31), a truck helper, both residents of Punjab, they said. According to police officials, both Chander and Thapan delivered the pistols to the shooters on March 15 in Panvel area of Navi Mumbai in Maharashtra. Thapan, one of the accused, has been working with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang for many years and has a history of criminal records related to extortion and supplying guns. Both the suspects who supplied the guns waited at Panvel for 3 hours and discussed the entire plan with the shooters involved in the Salman Khan firing case, official sources said. The Mumbai Crime Branch Unit 9 is currently in Punjab and has arrested both accused, bringing them to Mumbai via flight, sources added.
25 April,2024 06:59 PM IST | Mumbai | Shirish VaktaniaA history-sheeter on the run for 17 years was nabbed in Bhiwandi area of Thane district in Maharashtra, a police official said on Thursday, reported the PTI. According to the PTI, the suspect was identified as Annaji Jadhav (57). He was held in Ambadi village on Wednesday, Assistant Inspector DT Sonke of Ganeshpuri police station said, the news agency reported on Thursday. "In 2007, he was part of an armed robbery in a jewellery shop. Jewellery worth Rs 19 lakh was looted at the time. A total of 17 persons were arrested for the crime and items worth Rs 14 lakh were recovered," he said, as per the PTI. "Jadhav's is the 18th arrest in the case. He was held from his home on a tip off. Two persons are still on the run," the official added. Salman Khan firing case: Police custody of two accused extended till April 29 Meanwhile, the shooters arrested in connection with the Salman Khan firing case were on Thursday produced before a Mumbai court that extended their police custody till April 29. The shooters Vicky Gupta and Sagar Pal were produced in Killa court of Mumbai after their previous police custody ended on Thursday. The Mumbai Crime branch officials told the court that both the accused changed their clothes three times to hide their identity while escaping. In the investigation, Encounter Specialist and Senior Inspector Daya Nayak, who is leading the team of Crime Branch Unit 9, found that the shooters fired five rounds and carried a total of 40 bullets with them. Officers have recovered 17 bullets so far, while 18 are still missing, sources said. The officers informed the court that both shooters, Vicky Gupta and Sagar Pal, were in contact with someone over a WiFi connection. The shooters were allegedly following orders from the Bishnoi gang operators. The Mumbai Crime branch officers also found that the shooters did not have any enmity with actor Salman Khan but fired on the instructions of someone else, sources added. Both shooters were also in contact with individuals from Rajasthan, Punjab, and Haryana, and the police are investigating it further to determine who is behind the incident. The sources said that the accused were using two mobile phones, and the police have recovered only one mobile phone so far. Officers also informed the court that the accused are cooperating with the investigation and providing all the correct information. (with PTI inputs)
25 April,2024 06:33 PM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondentThe Thane Police in Maharashtra have booked three people including a couple and their son for allegedly cheating a builder of nearly Rs 42 lakh over the sale of land, an official said on Thursday, reported the PTI. According to the PTI, in his complaint, the 27-year-old builder, who lives in the Bhiwandi area, said the accused and he had signed an agreement a few months ago towards the sale of more than 15 acres of land in Thane district. The builder alleged that he and his family paid Rs 42 lakh to the accused in connection with the deal but the accused neither got the land transferred nor refunded the money. While the accused sold the land to others, they abused and threatened to harm the builder whenever he sought a refund, the official said citing the complaint. Acting on a complaint by the builder, the Shanti Nagar police in Bhiwandi registered a case against the couple and their son on Tuesday, the official added. Four of family booked for assault in Thane Meanwhile, in an another incident, the police in Maharashtra's Thane city have registered a case against four members of a family after a 71-year-old housewife accused them of assault and harassment, an official said on Thursday, as per the PTI. The case was registered on Tuesday following a court order, as per the FIR. The complainant and the accused live in the same housing society in the city's Charai area. In her complaint to the Naupada police station, the senior citizen said she was targeted over her religious and food habits, the news agency reported on Thursday. She accused four members of a family of assaulting her and harassing her by disconnecting her water and power supplies. The accused also allegedly asked the complainant's family to move to England, the official said citing the complaint. The police have booked the accused under Indian Penal Code sections 295-A (outraging religious feelings), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 352 (assault or criminal force), 427 (mischief causing damage), 447 (criminal trespass), and 506(2) (criminal intimidation), he said, the PTI reported. (with PTI inputs)
25 April,2024 06:16 PM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondentThe shooters arrested in connection with the Salman Khan firing case were on Thursday produced before a Mumbai court that extended their police custody till April 29. The shooters Vicky Gupta and Sagar Pal were produced in Killa court of Mumbai after their previous police custody ended on Thursday. The Mumbai Crime branch officials told the court that both the accused changed their clothes three times to hide their identity while escaping. In the investigation, Encounter Specialist and Senior Inspector Daya Nayak, who is leading the team of Crime Branch Unit 9, found that the shooters fired five rounds and carried a total of 40 bullets with them. Officers have recovered 17 bullets so far, while 18 are still missing, sources said. The officers informed the court that both shooters, Vicky Gupta and Sagar Pal, were in contact with someone over a WiFi connection. The shooters were allegedly following orders from the Bishnoi gang operators. The Mumbai Crime branch officers also found that the shooters did not have any enmity with actor Salman Khan but fired on the instructions of someone else, sources added. Both shooters were also in contact with individuals from Rajasthan, Punjab, and Haryana, and the police are investigating it further to determine who is behind the incident. The sources said that the accused were using two mobile phones, and the police have recovered only one mobile phone so far. Officers also informed the court that the accused are cooperating with the investigation and providing all the correct information.
25 April,2024 05:40 PM IST | Mumbai | Shirish VaktaniaThe Thane Police in Maharashtra arrested a 60-year-old man for allegedly killing his son and later attempted to pass it off as an accident, an official said, reported the PTI. The police said that the suspect allegedly killed his son in Thane district after he beat up his parents, as per the PTI. The incident took place on Wednesday morning at Garibacha Pada in Dombivili township, he said. The deceased, a 30-year-old man, who was a habitual drinker, allegedly beat up his parents in an inebriated state, the official from Vishnu Nagar police station said on Wednesday, according to the PTI. His father then allegedly beat him up and strangled him, the official said. The accused told the police that his son accidentally fell at home, got injured and died, he said, the PTI reported on Thursday. The police initially registered an accidental death report (ADR). However, the autopsy report indicated that the man was beaten and strangulated to death, the official said, the news agency reported. The police arrested the deceased's father on Wednesday night and registered a case against him under Indian Penal Code section 302 (murder), he said. Meanwhile, in an another incident, two children missing for hours were found dead inside a parked car at Antop Hill in central Mumbai, with the police suspecting that the kids lost their lives due to suffocation, an official said on Thursday, according to the PTI. The car was locked from inside and it appears that the children could not unlock it, the official said. Muskan Shaikh (5) and Sajid Shaikh (7) were playing outside their homes, where the car was parked, on Wednesday afternoon. When the children did not return home till evening, their parents started a search for them. Subsequently, they also lodged a missing complaint at the Antop Hill police station, the official said. A few hours later, an onlooker found the children lying unconscious inside the car. The vehicle doors were opened and the kids were rushed to the hospital but doctors declared them dead, the official said. Prima facie, it seems the kids were suffocated to death as they were locked inside the car, the official said. Police are examining footage of CCTV cameras installed in the area and probing all possible angles, he said, adding that an accidental death case has been registered for now. (with PTI inputs)
25 April,2024 03:37 PM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondentThe police in Maharashtra's Thane district have registered a case against a couple and their son for allegedly cheating a Thane builder of nearly Rs 42 lakh over the sale of land, an official said on Thursday, reported news agency PTI. In his complaint, the 27-year-old Thane builder, who lives in the Bhiwandi area, said the accused and he had signed an agreement a few months ago towards the sale of more than 15 acres of land in the district, reported PTI. The Thane builder alleged that he and his family paid Rs 42 lakh to the accused in connection with the deal but the accused neither got the land transferred nor refunded the money, reported PTI. While the accused sold the land to others, they abused and threatened to harm the builder whenever he sought a refund, the official said citing the complaint. Acting on a complaint by the builder, the Shanti Nagar police in Bhiwandi registered a case against the couple and their son on Tuesday, the official added, reported PTI. In another case, a director of the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) at Vashi was on Wednesday arrested by Navi Mumbai police in a corruption case, an official said, reported PTI. Sanjay Pansare, the accused, was allegedly involved in a scam concerning a contract to build toilets at the APMC, reported PTI. The alleged scam caused a loss of more than Rs 7 crore to the APMC, as per the FIR, reported PTI. The Navi Mumbai crime branch has already arrested an official and two contractors in the case. Meanwhile, a case has been registered here against four persons for fraudulently transferring Rs 47.6 lakh from the account of the Maharashtra School Education and Sports department by forging cheques, police said on Wednesday, reported PTI. The fraud came to light on March 4, and after an enquiry, a case was registered against Namita Bagh, Pramod Singh, Tap Kumar and Jeetan Khatun, an official said, reported PTI. The fabricated cheques with forged signatures were cleared at Kolkata and Chennai, reported PTI. The concerned bank on Wednesday compensated, as per the RBI guidelines, the loss caused to the government department by depositing the amount in its account as bank officials had failed to scrutinise the forged cheques, the police official said, reported PTI. Further probe is underway, he said. (With inputs from PTI)
25 April,2024 02:24 PM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondentRoorkee taluka in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand has recently garnered attention due to the rampant distribution of drugs, such as heroin, nationwide, with Mumbai being a significant hotspot. A notable quantity of heroin is purportedly being smuggled from this region. In the last two years, the Mumbai Anti Narcotics Cell, notably the Kandivali Unit, has apprehended over seven individuals linked to drug-related activities. In a recent incident, the Kandivali ANC unit apprehended four individuals and seized heroin weighing approximately 300 grams, valued at Rs 1.25 crore, from their possession. The accused, identified as Ajay Saroj (27), Zakir Ahamad (27), Shahrukh Shehzad (35), and Navshad Safdar (40), are residents of Roorkee Taluka. Based on intelligence, the officers set up a trap and apprehended Navshad and Shahrukh from Shankar Mandir Lane in Kandivali on 20 April, seizing drugs. Following leads from them, they conducted a raid at a residence in Gopchar Pada, Virar, where they arrested Ajay and Zakir, confiscating approximately 300 grams of heroin worth about Rs 1.25 crore in total. Further investigation uncovered that all the accused hail from Roorkee taluka in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand and have been engaged in this illegal activity for years, although this marks their initial arrest in Mumbai. Reports indicate the existence of a village named Shukrunda in Roorkee Taluka, from where three of the arrested individuals originate. Prior to this incident, Mumbai Police, in collaboration with law enforcement agencies from other states, have apprehended individuals in drug-related cases, with a notable proportion originating from Roorkee taluka and specific locales within it, including Shukrunda Village. The modus operandi of these accused entails one of their associates renting a house in the city where they temporarily reside. Upon selling the drugs, they retreat, and another group assumes control of the rented property. Numerous individuals either arrive with drugs or procure them from Ratlam and Rajasthan upon reaching the area. Those transporting drugs to Mumbai operate on a commission basis, delivering the goods before returning via bus travel. Recently, the Shahu Nagar police apprehended an individual with heroin drugs, who incidentally turned out to be the cousin brother of the arrested accused Navshad, the officer added. The accused have been booked and arrested under various sections of the Narcotics Act, presented before the court, and subsequently remanded to police custody, the officer concluded.
25 April,2024 09:10 AM IST | Mumbai | Samiullah KhanThe Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in Mumbai busted an international drug conspiracy, seizing 2.170 kilograms of MDMA (commonly known as ecstasy) and arrested an African national. The drugs were worth approximately Rs 2 crore. The operation, which commenced in October 2023, was carried out following extensive technical and financial examinations by the NCB. On October 19, 2023, officials acted on intelligence and intercepted a parcel from the Netherlands at the Foreign Post Office in Mumbai. Upon closer inspection, what looked to be benign objects such as toys and crayons revealed a cleverly concealed stockpile of MDMA tablets. The shipment contained 4,970 MDMA tablets totalling 2.170 kilograms. "In pursuance of intensive technical collaboration with the financial investigation, NCB-Mumbai has successfully cracked an international syndicate which was involved in international drug trafficking. Based on technical intelligence, information was gathered wherein a parcel containing a huge quantity of high-value drugs was being sourced from the Netherlands and transported into Mumbai," NCB said in its statement. It added, "An active analysis led to the identification and detection of the said parcel on 19.10.2023 at Foreign Post Office, Mumbai. When the parcel was unboxed, the contents had non-suspecting items such as toys, crayons, pens, etc. However, on closer examination, it was observed that the packaging cardboard box was abnormal. When one side was cut open, layers of multi-coloured MDMA / ecstasy tablets were found concealed between the layers of flap. Accordingly, when other flaps of the package box were cut open, furthermore MDMA tablets were recovered. A total of 4970 MDMA/Ecstasy tablets weighing 2.170 kgs were seized." The inquiry revealed a sophisticated worldwide drug trafficking network, forcing officials to look further into the syndicate's operations. Despite efforts to avoid detection, a thorough investigation revealed a money trail that led to the identity of an African national living in Navi Mumbai. The suspect, known as B.O. Afo, was captured at his home, where additional incriminating evidence was discovered. Furthermore, other bank accounts, both domestic and international, associated with the suspect have been identified for inquiry. BO Afo, the accused arrested/ Sourced Photo Further investigation found that Afo has been in India since 2018, despite the expiration of his visa. This discovery highlights the syndicate's worldwide nature and operations in India. The recovered medicines, intended for distribution in many cities including Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, Goa, and Hyderabad, illustrate the widespread reach of the syndicate. Since the quantity of the drugs was huge and had international linkage, an extensive investigation was initiated. The syndicate had carefully maintained the technical evasive manoeuvre to avoid any identification. However, in the course of an in-depth investigation, credible technical analysis led to the identification of a financial trail. The information was further developed which led to the identification of an African national based in the Navi Mumbai area, it further read. "Prolonged surveillance and discreet analysis inferred the convincing data after which the African national named B.O.Afo was intercepted at his house. Incriminating evidence along with multiple bank details of international and domestic banks have been collected which are presently subject to further investigation. It has been noted that BO Afo came to India in 2018 and has been staying since then even after the expiry of the Visa. His other documents are also being verified. The seized drug would have been distributed to multiple cities like Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, Goa, Hyderabad, etc. A further in-depth investigation is underway to identify the other key associates of the larger syndicate," the statement further read. Amit Ghawate, Additional Director of NCB Mumbai, emphasised the thorough scope of the ongoing investigation, which aims to identify all major syndicate associates.
24 April,2024 10:16 PM IST | Mumbai | Faisal TandelA dispute over providing a home for rehabilitation resulted in the death of one brother at the hands of another in the Jogeshwari area of Mumbai. The deceased, identified as Subodh Sawant, died in this altercation. Meghwadi Police arrested Deepak Sawant in connection with the case. Subodh resided in a chawl in Jogeshwari East with his family, the chawl was slated for redevelopment. The home, registered under his mother's name, was to be replaced with a new one as part of the redevelopment; however, Subodh was opposed to the idea. This had caused frequent arguments with his family. On Tuesday, an argument between Deepak and Subodh escalated, resulting in Deepak striking Subodh on the head with a hard object. Subodh sustained severe injuries and was rushed to the hospital, but unfortunately, he succumbed to his wounds. Upon receiving the information, Meghwadi police swiftly arrived at the scene, registering a case and apprehending Deepak.
24 April,2024 08:17 PM IST | Mumbai | Samiullah KhanThe Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has busted a gold smuggling syndicate in Mumbai and seized the precious metal, cash and other valuables of Rs 10.48 crore, a DRI official said on Wednesday, reported news agency PTI Four persons, including two African nationals, were arrested following a search operation at a gold melting facility in south Mumbai on Monday, he said. The DRI had received an input that gold smuggled from Africa through the Mumbai international airport was being processed at a melting facility in Zaveri Bazar here to remove the foreign markings and it was then being diverted to the local market, the official said in a statement, reported PTI. During the search at the melting facility, the officials seized 9.31 kg of gold in various forms, including of foreign-origin, and 16.66 kg of silver. They nabbed the unit operator and a recruiter, who was responsible for arranging carriers, collecting the smuggled gold from African nationals for melting and further processing, the statement said, reported PTI. The recruiter was a key member of the gold smuggling syndicate. He used to collect gold from carriers who were African nationals, get it processed and hand it over to a buyer nearby, it said. After the interrogation of the accused persons, a search was conducted at the recruiter's office premises and the DRI recovered USD 190000 in cash which had been allegedly handed over to him by a buyer as advance payment for the smuggled gold, the statement said. Another team was sent to search the buyer's office premises but he fled before the DRI sleuths reached there, he said. During the search, 351 grams of cut pieces of foreign-origin gold bars, 1,818 grams of silver and Rs 1.92 crore in cash were recovered from there, the statement said. The DRI personnel came to know that the African nationals from whom the recruiter had collected the gold were staying in nearby hotels, reported PTI. Accordingly, a raid was conducted at the hotel and two persons who allegedly smuggled the gold and handed it over to the recruiter were intercepted, the DRI said, reported PTI. All the four accused admitted to their involvement in the smuggling of gold into India following which they were arrested under provisions of the Customs Act, it said. (With inputs from PTI)
24 April,2024 12:51 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentADVERTISEMENT
